Amariah

Amari'ah (Hebrew Amaryah', אֲמִדיָה, said [i.e. promised] by Jehovah, q. d. Theophrastus; also in the paragogic form Amarya'hu, אֲמִדיָהוּ, 1Ch 24:23; 2Ch 19:11; 2Ch 31:15), the name of several men.

1. (Sept. Α᾿μαρίας, Α᾿μαρία.) A person mentioned in 1Ch 6:7,52, in the list of the descendants of Aaron by his eldest son Eleazar, as the son of Meraioth and the father of Ahitub, which last was (not the grandson and successor of Eli of the same name, but) the father of that Zadok in whose person Saul restored the high-priesthood to the line of Eleazar. The years during which the younger line of Ithamar enjoyed the pontificate in the persons of Eli, Ahitub, and Abimelech (who was slain by King Saul at Nob) were doubtless more than sufficient to cover the time of this Amariah and his son Ahitub (q.v.), if they were contemporary, and it has, therefore, been thought that they never were high-priests in fact, although their names are given to carry on the direct line of succession to Zadok. But it is more probable that Amariah was the last of the high-priests of Eleazar's line prior to its transfer (for some unknown reason) to the house of Ithamar in the person of Eli (q.v.), and that the Ahitub whose son Zadok was the first to regain the lost succession was a more distant descendant in private life, the intermediate names in the genealogy being omitted. SEE HIGH-PRIEST. B.C. ante 1125. Josephus (Ant. 8, 1, 3) calls him Arophceus (Α᾿ροφαῖος), and says he lived in private, the pontificate being at the time in the family of Ithamar.

2. (Sept. Α᾿μαριά, Α᾿μαρίας.) A Levite, second son of Hebron and grandson of Kohath of the lineage of Moses (1Ch 23:19; 1Ch 24:23). B.C. 1014.

⇒Bible concordance for AMARIAH.

3. A "chief-priest" active in the political reformation instituted by Jehoshaphat (2Ch 19:11); perhaps identical with the high-priest that appears to have intervened between Azariah and Johanan (1Ch 6:9). See HIGH-PRIEST. B.C. 895. Josephus (Ant. 9, 1, 1) calls him "Amasias the priest" (Α᾿μασίας ὁ ἱερεύς); and says that he (as well as Zebadiah) was of the tribe of Judah, a statement probably due to the inaccuracy of the text (ἑκατέρους, "both," being evidently spurious or corrupt, see Hudson, in loc.). In the list of Josephus (Ant. 10, 8, 6) his name does not appear.

4. (Sept. Α᾿μαρίας, but Σαμαρεία v. r. Σαμαρία in Ezra.) A high-priest at a somewhat later date, the son of another Azariah (q.v.), and also father of a different Ahitub (1Ch 6:11; Ezr 7:3), or rather, perhaps, of Urijah (2Ki 16:10). SEE HIGH-PRIEST. B.C. prob. ante 740. Josephus (Ant. 10, 8, 6) appears to call him Jotham (Ι᾿ώθαμος), as also the Jewish chronicle Seder Olam.

5. (Sept. Α᾿μαρίας v. r. Μαρίας.) One of the Levites appointed by Hezekiah to superintend the distribution of the temple dues among the sacerdotal cities (2Ch 31:15). B.C. 726.

6. (Sept. Α᾿μορίας v. r. Α᾿μορείας and Α᾿μαρίας.) The son of Hizkiah and father of Gedaliah, which last was grandfather of the prophet Zephaniah (Zep 1:1). B.C. long ante 640.

7. (Sept. Σαμαρία.) The son of Shephatiah and father of Zechariah, which last was grandfather of Athaiah, the Judahite descendant of Pharez, resident at Jerusalem after the exile (Ne 11:4). B.C. long ante 536.

8. (Sept. Α᾿μαρία.) One of the priests who returned from Babylon with Zerubbabel (Ne 10:3), B.C. 536, and afterward (in extreme age, if the same) sealed the covenant with Nehemiah (Ne 12:2), B.C. cir. 410. He appears to have been identical with the chief-priest the father of Jehohanan (Ne 12:13).

9. (Sept. Α᾿μαρίας v. r. Α᾿μαρεία.) One of the Israelite "sons" of Bani, who divorced the Gentile wife whom he had married after the return from Babylon (Ezr 10:42). B.C. 459.