organization of the king’s service.—1 Chron. 27:1, 16, 22.

8. Father of Achish, king of Gath, to whom Shimei’s slaves fled early in Solomon’s reign. (1 Ki. 2:39) This Maacah may be the same person as Maoch of 1 Samuel 27:2; see MAOCH.

9. Absalom’s granddaughter, who was the most beloved wife of Judean King Rehoboam and the mother of King Abijah (Abijam). (2 Chron. 11:20-22; 1 Ki. 15:1, 2, 9, 10) She was regarded as “lady” in the kingdom, being queen mother, until her grandson, King Asa, in a restoration of true worship, removed her “because she had made a horrible idol for the sacred pole,” or the Asherah. (1 Ki. 15:9-13; 2 Chron. 15:16) She is called Micaiah (Mi·caiʹah) at 2 Chronicles 13:2; see GRANDPARENTS.

10. A petty kingdom in existence in N Palestine at the time of the Israelite invasion, also called Maacath. The territory of the tribe of Manasseh evidently was to embrace this area but the record shows that the Israelites did not dispossess the inhabitants of that land, so ‘they kept dwelling in the midst of Israel.’ (Deut. 3:14; Josh. 13:13) Generally associated with the neighboring kingdom of Geshur, Maacah appears to have been located to the N of that kingdom and bordered on the region of Bashan. (Josh. 12:5) It is usually considered to have occupied the area running from the southern slopes of Mount Hermon down to the Huleh Basin and from the Jordan River eastward to the edge of the Syrian Desert, or, basically, the northern part of the present district of Golan.

Maacah was an Aramaean (Syrian) kingdom, its people perhaps descending from Nahor’s son of the same name. (Gen. 22:24; 1 Chron. 19:6) When the Ammonites went to war against King David they hired the services of the king of Maacah, along with those of other kingdoms. The small number of troops provided by Maacah, as compared with those of the other allies, may indicate the small size of the Maacathite kingdom. (2 Sam. 10:6-8) Joab’s victory over the Ammonites and their Syrian allies was followed up by a further victory over the Syrians by King David. (2 Sam. 10:13-19) From later accounts it seems likely that the kingdom of Maacah eventually came under the domination of the kingdom of Damascus.

MAACATH

See MAACAH No. 10.

MAACATHITE

(Ma·acʹa·thite).

Inhabitant of the Aramaean kingdom of Maacah (Deut. 3:14; Josh. 12:5; 13:13), one of these being Eshtemoa. (1 Chron. 4:19) It is suggested that Abel-beth-maacah (meaning “meadow of the house of Maacah”), a town in N Palestine, may have been so named because of its proximity to the region occupied by the Maacathites.—1 Ki. 15:20; see MAACAH No. 10.

MAADAI

(Ma·a·daʹi) [ornamental].

An Israelite among the “sons of Bani” who had accepted foreign wives but sent them away in Ezra’s day after the Jews returned from Babylonian exile.—Ezra 10:25, 34, 44.

MAADIAH

(Ma·a·diʹah) [ornament of Jehovah].

A priest and head of a paternal house accompanying those returning from Babylon with Zerubbabel. (Neh. 12:1, 5) Moadiah mentioned at Nehemiah 12:17 may be the same person.

MAAI

(Maʹai) [perhaps, compassionate, or, sympathetic].

A priest and musician who descended from Asaph and played an instrument of song at the inauguration of Jerusalem’s wall in Nehemiah’s time.—Neh. 12:36.

MAARATH

(Maʹa·rath) [bare, naked place, or, barren field].

A town assigned to the tribe of Judah. (Josh. 15:21, 59) A site near the village of Beit Ummar in the hill country of Judah, about seven miles (c. 11 kilometers) N of Hebron, is considered to be the probable location. Some suggest that Maarath may be a variant name of Maroth.—Mic. 1:9, 12.

MAASAI

(Maʹa·sai) [work of Jehovah].

A priest and descendant of Immer, who returned from Babylonian exile.—1 Chron. 9:10, 12.

MAASEIAH

(Ma·a·seiʹah) [work of Jehovah].

1. A Levite musician of the second division who played a stringed instrument when the ark of Jehovah was brought from the house of Obed-edom to Jerusalem in David’s day.—1 Chron. 15:17-20, 25.

2. One of the “chiefs of hundreds” who entered a covenant with High Priest Jehoiada in connection with establishing Jehoash as Judah’s rightful king in place of the usurper Athaliah.—2 Chron. 23:1.

3. An officer under the control of Hananiah, a prince of Judah’s King Uzziah. He evidently had to do with the registration of Uzziah’s military forces.—2 Chron. 26:11.

4. “The son of the king” (evidently the offspring of Judean King Ahaz) who was killed by the Ephraimite Zichri when Pekah of Israel invaded Judah.—2 Chron. 28:1, 6, 7.

5. The chief of the city of Jerusalem and one of the men King Josiah sent to repair the house of Jehovah.—2 Chron. 34:8.

6. A priest and the father of a certain Zephaniah, a contemporary of Jeremiah.—Jer. 21:1; 29:25; 37:3.

7. Father of Zedekiah; a false prophet of Jeremiah’s day.—Jer. 29:21.

8. Son of Shallum the doorkeeper and evidently a Levite. A temple dining room was linked with his name.—Jer. 35:4.

9. One of the sons of the priests, of the house of Jeshua, among those who had taken foreign wives but who sent them away in Ezra’s time.—Ezra 10:18, 19, 44.

10. A priest “of the sons of Harim” among those who had married foreign wives but who sent them away in the time of Ezra.—Ezra 10:21, 44.

11. A priest “of the sons of Pashhur,” also among those sending their foreign wives away.—Ezra 10:22, 44.

12. An Israelite “of the sons of Pahath-moab” among those dismissing their foreign wives.—Ezra 10:25, 30, 44.

13. Father or ancestor of a certain Azariah, one of the repairers of Jerusalem’s wall under Nehemiah’s supervision.—Neh. 3:23.

14. A man who stood at Ezra’s right hand when he read the law to the Israelites assembled in Jerusalem.—Neh. 8:2, 4.

15. A Levite who assisted the priest Ezra by explaining the law to the Israelites gathered in Jerusalem.—Neh. 8:7.

16. One of the “heads of the people” whose descendant, if not himself, attested by seal the “trustworthy arrangement” of Nehemiah’s time.—Neh. 9:38; 10:1, 14, 25.

17. A man of Judah who resided in Jerusalem after the return from Babylonian exile. (Neh. 11:4, 5) He may be identical with Asaiah of 1 Chronicles 9:5.—See ASAIAH No. 4.

18. A man of Benjamin who was an ancestor of Sallu, a resident of Jerusalem in Nehemiah’s time.—Neh. 11:7.

19. A priest who participated in the dedication of Jerusalem’s wall in the time of Nehemiah.—Neh. 12:41.

20. Another priest participating in the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem in Nehemiah’s day.—Neh. 12:42.

MAATH

(Maʹath).

One of Jesus’ ancestors listed in his genealogy as given by Luke.—Luke 3:23, 26.

MAAZ

(Maʹaz) [anger].

One of Judah’s descendants through Jerahmeel and Ram.—1 Chron. 2:3, 25, 27.