{
  "id": "dict_003412",
  "term": "Maadai",
  "slug": "maadai",
  "letter": "M",
  "entry_type": "biblical_person",
  "entry_family": "theological_term",
  "depth_profile": "standard",
  "short_definition": "Maadai is a biblical proper name, not a theological term. It refers to an Israelite named in Ezra’s postexilic reform list.",
  "simple_one_line": "Maadai is an Old Testament personal name in Ezra.",
  "tooltip_text": "A biblical proper name appearing in Ezra’s list of men addressed in the postexilic reforms.",
  "aliases": [],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [
    "Ezra",
    "postexilic reforms",
    "covenant renewal",
    "biblical names"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "Ezra 10",
    "postexilic period",
    "genealogy",
    "proper names in Scripture"
  ],
  "lede_intro": "Maadai is a personal name in the Old Testament. In Ezra, it appears among the Israelites named in connection with the postexilic covenant reforms.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "Biblical proper name; an Israelite named in Ezra’s list of those addressed during the postexilic reforms.",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "Proper name, not a doctrine or theological concept.",
    "Appears in the postexilic setting of Ezra.",
    "Best treated as a historical/person-name entry."
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "Maadai is a biblical personal name rather than a theological concept. It appears in Ezra among Israelites named in the community’s postexilic reform response. The name itself carries historical significance as part of the biblical record, but no distinct doctrinal teaching is attached to it.",
  "description_academic_full": "Maadai is a proper name in the Old Testament and should be classified as a biblical person rather than a theological term. The name appears in Ezra’s postexilic context, where named Israelites are listed in connection with the community’s response to covenant unfaithfulness and the call to reform. Scripture preserves the name as part of a historical record of accountability and restoration, but it does not present Maadai as a doctrinal category or theological concept. For that reason, the entry is best published as a biblical proper name with a brief historical note rather than as a theological topic.",
  "background_biblical_context": "Maadai is mentioned in Ezra’s account of postexilic reform, where the returned community is confronted with covenant unfaithfulness and called to respond in repentance and obedience. The name belongs to a list of real individuals involved in that historical moment.",
  "background_historical_context": "The book of Ezra reflects the life of the restored Jewish community after the Babylonian exile. Lists of names in this setting often served as public records of accountability, covenant membership, and participation in communal reform.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": "In ancient Jewish life, genealogies and name lists were important for preserving family identity, tribal memory, and covenant order. A named individual in such a list is historically important even when no further biographical detail is given.",
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "Ezra 10:34"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "Ezra 10:1-17",
    "Ezra 10 as a whole"
  ],
  "original_language_note": "The name is transliterated from Hebrew; the exact English form reflects standard transliteration of the Old Testament personal name.",
  "theological_significance": "Maadai has no special doctrinal meaning in itself, but his inclusion in Ezra highlights the personal and communal dimensions of covenant reform.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "A proper name identifies a historical person rather than an abstract idea. The entry is therefore descriptive and documentary, not conceptual.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "Do not build doctrine from the name itself. Its significance lies in the historical setting of Ezra, not in any hidden symbolic meaning.",
  "major_views_note": "There is no major interpretive dispute about the basic category of the term: it is a biblical proper name appearing in Ezra.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "This entry should not be treated as a theological doctrine, symbol, or office. It is a historical person-name entry only.",
  "practical_significance": "The entry reminds readers that biblical reform is concrete and personal: God’s people are called to real repentance, real accountability, and real obedience.",
  "meta_description": "Maadai is a biblical proper name in Ezra’s postexilic reform list, not a theological term.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/maadai/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/maadai.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}