A Leader in the Great Reformation
The Identity: A Man of the Sons of Bani
Bedeiah (or Bedelah as found in the KJV) is listed in the Book of Ezra as one of the members of the sons of Bani who were involved in the post-exilic purification of the Jewish community.
The Challenge: Putting Away Foreign Wives
When the scribe Ezra initiated a mass movement of repentance to correct the severe sin of intermarriage with foreign women, these individuals were faced with the painful requirement of putting away their wives and children to preserve the spiritual integrity of the covenant people.
Bedelah is specifically named among the men who were guilty of this transgression and who subsequently promised to submit to the difficult, necessary reform:
“Of the sons of Bani; Maadai, Amram, and Uel, Benaiah, Bedelah, Cheluhi, Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasau,” (Ezra 10:35, KJV)
The Legacy: Obedience Over Comfort
Bedeiah’s (Bedelah’s) legacy is one of painful, immediate obedience to the Word of God as delivered by Ezra. His life demonstrates that true faith sometimes demands the sacrifice of personal affection and comfort to maintain the purity of God’s people and the terms of the divine covenant.
He stands as a testament to the difficult but necessary process of spiritual restoration, showing that the “Servant of Jehovah” must place the sanctity of the Lord’s house and law above all else.