Figures

Every named figure.

Lifespans, relatives, and scripture references. Every claim is traceable; tradition tags surface where readings differ.

173 of 2,781 curated.

Aaron
Aaron
123 yrs
WildernessHigh priestProphetleviteLeviAaronic priesthood

Elder brother of Moses (by three years); spokesman to Pharaoh and first high priest of Israel. Made the golden calf in Moses' absence at Sinai. Died on Mount Hor at age 123; succeeded in the high priesthood by his son Eleazar.

Abiathar
Abiathar
United kingdomHigh priestLeviAaronic priesthood

Son of Ahimelech; sole survivor of the slaughter of the priests at Nob. Joined David and served as priest throughout David's reign. Supported Adonijah's coup; banished by Solomon to Anathoth, fulfilling the prophecy against Eli's house. Distinct from his grandfather Ahitub and son Ahimelech (1 Chr 18:16).

Abihu
Abihu
WildernessPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Second son of Aaron; offered 'strange fire' with his brother Nadab and was consumed. Like Nadab, died childless.

Abijah (priestly course)
Abijah (priestly course)
United kingdomPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Head of the eighth priestly course; the course of Zechariah the father of John the Baptist (Luke 1:5).

Abijah (returnee priest)
Abijah (returnee priest)
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Priest of the family of Abijah (eighth priestly course; the course of Zechariah father of John the Baptist) who returned with Zerubbabel.

Abishua
Abishua
JudgesPriestHigh priestLeviAaronic priesthood

Son of Phinehas in the high-priestly genealogy.

Adaiah son of Jeroham (priest)
Adaiah son of Jeroham (priest)
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Post-exilic priest; son of Jeroham son of Pashhur son of Malchijah (1 Chronicles 9:12).

Adiel (priest)
Adiel (priest)
ExilePriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Father of Maasai the post-exilic priest. Distinct from Adiel the Simeonite chief and Adiel father of David's treasurer.

Adna of Harim
Adna of Harim
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Head of the priestly family of Harim in Joiakim's day (Nehemiah 12:15).

Ahimaaz son of Zadok
Ahimaaz son of Zadok
United kingdomPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Son of Zadok the priest; ran from the camp to bring David news of Absalom's defeat (2 Samuel 18). Outran the Cushite. Distinct from Ahimaaz father of Ahinoam.

Ahimelech
Ahimelech
United kingdomHigh priestLeviAaronic priesthood

Son of Ahitub; priest at Nob who gave David the showbread and Goliath's sword. Killed by Doeg at Saul's command.

Ahitub (father of Zadok II)
Ahitub (father of Zadok II)
Divided kingdomPriestHigh priestLeviAaronic priesthood

Son of Amariah in the late-monarchic high-priestly genealogy. Distinct from the earlier Ahitub father of David's Zadok.

Ahitub (father of Zadok)
Ahitub (father of Zadok)
United kingdomPriestHigh priestLeviAaronic priesthood

Son of Amariah and father of Zadok the priest of David and Solomon. Distinct from Ahitub son of Phinehas brother of Ichabod (1 Samuel 14:3, 22:9), the priest of Eli's line.

Alcimus
Alcimus
IntertestamentalHigh priestLeviAaronic priesthood

High priest under Demetrius I (162–160 BC); slew sixty Hasideans on a single day; died of a stroke after ordering the wall of the inner sanctuary torn down.

Amariah (chief priest under Jehoshaphat)
Amariah (chief priest under Jehoshaphat)
Divided kingdomPriestHigh priestLeviAaronic priesthood

Son of Azariah; possibly the Amariah whom Jehoshaphat set as chief priest over religious matters (2 Chronicles 19:11).

Amariah (returnee priest)
Amariah (returnee priest)
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Priest who returned with Zerubbabel and Jeshua (Nehemiah 12:2). Father of Jehohanan of Joiakim's generation.

Amariah (son of Meraioth)
Amariah (son of Meraioth)
JudgesPriestHigh priestLeviAaronic priesthood

Son of Meraioth and father of Ahitub in the high-priestly genealogy. Multiple priestly Amariahs appear; this is the elder one.

Amok
Amok
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Priest who returned with Zerubbabel; his son Eber led the family in Joiakim's day.

Ananias son of Nedebaeus (high priest)
Ananias son of Nedebaeus (high priest)
ApostolicHigh priestLeviAaronic priesthood

High priest before whom Paul was tried; struck on the mouth at Paul's word, 'God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall' (Acts 23). Distinct from the other Ananiases.

Annas
Annas
Ministry of ChristHigh priestLeviAaronic priesthood

High priest from AD 6 deposed by the Romans in AD 15; remained the dominant figure of the high-priestly clan. Father-in-law of Caiaphas; Jesus was first led to Annas after his arrest.

Azariah (father of Seraiah)
Azariah (father of Seraiah)
Divided kingdomPriestHigh priestLeviAaronic priesthood

Son of Hilkiah; father of Seraiah the high priest. Late-monarchic priestly Azariah.

Azariah (priest in the temple of Solomon)
Azariah (priest in the temple of Solomon)
Divided kingdomPriestHigh priestLeviAaronic priesthood

Son of Johanan; the chronicler notes 'it is he that executed the priest's office in the temple that Solomon built in Jerusalem' (1 Chronicles 6:10). Possibly identical with the Azariah who confronted king Uzziah (2 Chronicles 26:17-20), though dating is debated.

Azariah (priest under Solomon)
Azariah (priest under Solomon)
United kingdomPriestHigh priestLeviAaronic priesthood

Son of Ahimaaz; great-grandson of Zadok. Officiated in the temple Solomon built. One of several priestly Azariahs in the line.

Azariah son of Hilkiah
Azariah son of Hilkiah
ReturnHigh priestPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Chief priest in the house of God after the return; son of Hilkiah son of Meshullam son of Zadok son of Meraioth son of Ahitub. Distinct from many other Azariahs.

Bilgah
Bilgah
United kingdomPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Head of the fifteenth priestly course.

Bilgah (returnee priest)
Bilgah (returnee priest)
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Priest who returned with Zerubbabel (Nehemiah 12:5). Likely the contemporary representative of the priestly course of Bilgah.

Bukki
Bukki
JudgesPriestHigh priestLeviAaronic priesthood

Son of Abishua in the high-priestly genealogy.

Caiaphas
Caiaphas
Ministry of ChristHigh priestLeviAaronic priesthood

High priest in Jerusalem ca. AD 18–36; son-in-law of Annas. Prophesied unwittingly that Jesus would die for the nation (John 11). Presided over Jesus' trial.

Daniel (descendant of Ithamar)
Daniel (descendant of Ithamar)
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Head of the family of Ithamar who came up with Ezra (Ezra 8:2). Distinct from Daniel the prophet and Daniel son of David.

Delaiah (priestly course 23)
Delaiah (priestly course 23)
United kingdomLeviAaronic priesthood

Head of the twenty-third division of priests under David (1 Chronicles 24:18). Distinct from Delaiah of the returnees, Delaiah son of Shemaiah, and Delaiah the prince.

Eber of Amok
Eber of Amok
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Head of the priestly family of Amok in Joiakim's day (Nehemiah 12:20). Distinct from Eber descendant of Shem.

Elasah son of Pashhur (priest)
Elasah son of Pashhur (priest)
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Priest of the sons of Pashhur who put away a foreign wife (Ezra 10:22). Distinct from Elasah son of Shaphan and Elasah son of Helez.

Eleazar (son of Aaron)
Eleazar (son of Aaron)
WildernessHigh priestLeviAaronic priesthood

Third son of Aaron; succeeded his father as high priest after Aaron's death on Mount Hor. Father of Phinehas. Apportioned the land with Joshua. Distinct from later figures of the same name.

Eleazar Avaran
Eleazar Avaran
IntertestamentalLeviAaronic priesthood

Fourth son of Mattathias; killed at the battle of Beth-zechariah by stabbing the war elephant carrying (he believed) the king and being crushed beneath it.

Eleazar son of Phinehas (returnee priest)
Eleazar son of Phinehas (returnee priest)
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Priest who weighed the silver and gold with Meremoth and others when Ezra arrived in Jerusalem (Ezra 8:33). Distinct from Eleazar son of Aaron.

Eli
Eli
98 yrs
JudgesHigh priestJudgeLeviAaronic priesthood

High priest at Shiloh in the Ithamarite line; raised Samuel. Failed to restrain his wicked sons Hophni and Phinehas. Died at age 98 when he heard the ark had been captured by the Philistines, falling backward and breaking his neck. Judged Israel forty years.

Eliakim (wall-dedication trumpeter)
Eliakim (wall-dedication trumpeter)
ReturnPriestmusicianLeviAaronic priesthood

Priest who blew a trumpet at the wall dedication ceremony (Nehemiah 12:41). Distinct from Eliakim son of Hilkiah the steward of Hezekiah, Eliakim/Jehoiakim king of Judah, and Eliakim in the genealogy of Jesus.

Eliashib (high priest)
Eliashib (high priest)
ReturnHigh priestLeviAaronic priesthood

Son of Joiakim; high priest in the days of Nehemiah. Prepared a chamber in the temple courts for Tobiah, drawing Nehemiah's rebuke.

Eliashib (priestly course)
Eliashib (priestly course)
United kingdomPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Head of the eleventh priestly course. Distinct from the high priest Eliashib of Nehemiah's day.

Eliezer son of Jeshua (priest)
Eliezer son of Jeshua (priest)
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Priest, son of Jeshua son of Jozadak, who put away a foreign wife (Ezra 10:18). Distinct from Eliezer son of Moses, Eliezer the Reubenite, Eliezer the prophet, and many others.

Elijah son of Harim (priest)
Elijah son of Harim (priest)
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Priest of the sons of Harim who put away a foreign wife (Ezra 10:21). Distinct from Elijah the prophet and Elijah the Benjaminite.

Elioenai (wall-dedication trumpeter)
Elioenai (wall-dedication trumpeter)
ReturnPriestmusicianLeviAaronic priesthood

Priest who blew a trumpet at the wall dedication ceremony (Nehemiah 12:41). Distinct from Elioenai of David's line, Elioenai son of Pashhur, and Elioenai the gatekeeper.

Elioenai son of Pashhur (priest)
Elioenai son of Pashhur (priest)
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Priest of the sons of Pashhur who put away a foreign wife (Ezra 10:22). Distinct from Elioenai of David's line, Elioenai the gatekeeper, and Elioenai of Simeon.

Elishama (priest of Jehoshaphat)
Elishama (priest of Jehoshaphat)
Divided kingdomPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Priest sent by Jehoshaphat to teach the law in Judah (2 Chronicles 17:8). Distinct from Elishama son of Ammihud, Elishama of David's house, and the secretary of Jehoiakim.

Elisheba
Elisheba
WildernessJudahAaronic priesthood

Daughter of Amminadab and sister of Nahshon; wife of Aaron and mother of Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. Linked the priestly house to the royal tribe of Judah.

Elizabeth
Elizabeth
Ministry of ChristLeviAaronic priesthood

Daughter of the Aaronic line; wife of Zechariah the priest. Barren and advanced in years when she conceived John; greeted Mary with the Spirit-given recognition of her unborn Lord. Cousin (kinswoman) of Mary.

Ezekiel
Ezekiel
ExileProphetPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Son of Buzi the priest; deported to Babylon in 597 BC with Jehoiachin. Called as prophet in his thirtieth year (593 BC) by the river Chebar; ministered until at least 571 BC. Visions of the cherubim, the dry bones, and the new temple. Sign-acts of the brick, the hair, the refusal to mourn his wife.

Ezra
Ezra
ReturnPriestScribeLeviAaronic priesthood

Priest of the Aaronic line and scribe skilled in the law of Moses; led a second group of returnees in 458 BC. Dissolved the mixed marriages; read the Torah at the Water Gate (Nehemiah 8). Traditionally credited with the canonical work of the Hebrew scriptures.

Gamul (priestly course 22)
Gamul (priestly course 22)
United kingdomLeviAaronic priesthood

Head of the twenty-second division of priests under David (1 Chronicles 24:17).

Gedaliah son of Jeshua (priest)
Gedaliah son of Jeshua (priest)
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Priest, son of Jeshua son of Jozadak, who put away a foreign wife (Ezra 10:18). Distinct from Gedaliah governor of Judah, Gedaliah the prophet, and others.

Gershom (descendant of Phinehas)
Gershom (descendant of Phinehas)
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Head of the family of Phinehas who came up with Ezra (Ezra 8:2). Distinct from Gershom son of Moses and Gershon son of Levi.

Ginnethoi
Ginnethoi

Ginnethon (Nehemiah 10:6, 12:16)

ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Priest who returned with Zerubbabel; sealed Nehemiah's covenant; his son Meshullam led the family in Joiakim's day.

Hakkoz (priestly course)
Hakkoz (priestly course)
United kingdomPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Head of the seventh priestly course. The 'sons of Hakkoz' could not produce their genealogy at the return and were excluded from the priesthood (Ezra 2:61, Nehemiah 7:63).

Hanani son of Immer (priest)
Hanani son of Immer (priest)
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Priest of the sons of Immer who put away a foreign wife (Ezra 10:20). Distinct from Hanani the brother of Nehemiah and Hanani the seer.

Hananiah (wall-dedication trumpeter)
Hananiah (wall-dedication trumpeter)
ReturnPriestmusicianLeviAaronic priesthood

Priest who blew a trumpet at the wall dedication ceremony (Nehemiah 12:41). Distinct from Hananiah the false prophet, Hananiah governor of the citadel, and many other Hananiahs.

Hananiah of Jeremiah
Hananiah of Jeremiah
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Head of the priestly family of Jeremiah in Joiakim's day (Nehemiah 12:12).

Happizzez
Happizzez
United kingdomPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Head of the eighteenth priestly course.

Harim (priest, sealer)
Harim (priest, sealer)
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Priest who sealed Nehemiah's covenant (Nehemiah 10:5). Likely the contemporary representative of the priestly course of Harim (1 Chronicles 24:8).

Harim (priestly course)
Harim (priestly course)
United kingdomPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Head of the third priestly course. The 'sons of Harim' returned with Zerubbabel (Ezra 2:39, Nehemiah 7:42).

Hashabiah of Hilkiah
Hashabiah of Hilkiah
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Head of the priestly family of Hilkiah in Joiakim's day (Nehemiah 12:21).

Hattush (returnee priest)
Hattush (returnee priest)
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Priestly head listed among those who returned with Zerubbabel and Jeshua (Nehemiah 12:2). Distinct from Hattush son of Shemaiah of David's line (1 Chronicles 3:22; Ezra 8:2) and Hattush son of Hashabneiah, the wall-rebuilder (Nehemiah 3:10).

Helkai
Helkai
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Head of the priestly family of Meraioth in Joiakim's day (Nehemiah 12:15).

Hezir (priest)
Hezir (priest)
United kingdomPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Head of the seventeenth priestly course. Distinct from Hezir the leader who sealed the covenant (Nehemiah 10:20).

Hilkiah (high priest under Josiah)
Hilkiah (high priest under Josiah)
Divided kingdomPriestHigh priestLeviAaronic priesthood

Son of Shallum; high priest under king Josiah. Found the Book of the Law in the temple during Josiah's reform. Father of the prophet Jeremiah per Jeremiah 1:1 (debated whether the same Hilkiah).

Hilkiah (returnee priest)
Hilkiah (returnee priest)
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Priest who returned with Zerubbabel; his son Hashabiah led the family in Joiakim's day.

Hophni
Hophni
JudgesPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Son of Eli; took meat from sacrifices by force and lay with the women at the tabernacle door. Killed at Aphek when the ark was captured.

Huppah
Huppah
United kingdomPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Head of the thirteenth priestly course.

Ichabod
Ichabod
JudgesLeviAaronic priesthood

Son of Phinehas son of Eli; named at his birth ('the glory is gone') because the ark of Yahweh had been captured.

Immer (priestly course)
Immer (priestly course)
United kingdomPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Head of the sixteenth priestly course. The 'sons of Immer' returned with Zerubbabel; ancestor of Pashhur son of Immer who imprisoned Jeremiah.

Ishmael son of Pashhur (priest)
Ishmael son of Pashhur (priest)
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Priest of the sons of Pashhur who put away a foreign wife (Ezra 10:22). Distinct from Ishmael son of Abraham, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, and others.

Ithamar
Ithamar
WildernessPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Fourth son of Aaron; oversaw the Gershonites and Merarites in tabernacle service. Ancestor of the priestly division of Eli at Shiloh.

Jachin (priestly course)
Jachin (priestly course)
United kingdomPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Head of the twenty-first priestly course. Distinct from Jachin the temple pillar.

Jaddua (high priest)
Jaddua (high priest)
ReturnHigh priestLeviAaronic priesthood

Last high priest named in the Old Testament (Nehemiah 12:11, 22). Tradition (Josephus) places him in the days of Alexander the Great.

Jahzerah
Jahzerah

Ahzai (Nehemiah 11:13)

ExilePriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Grandfather of Maasai the post-exilic priest (1 Chronicles 9:12); often equated with Ahzai of the Nehemiah 11 parallel.

Jakim (priestly course)
Jakim (priestly course)
United kingdomPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Head of the twelfth priestly course.

Jarib son of Jeshua (priest)
Jarib son of Jeshua (priest)
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Priest, son of Jeshua son of Jozadak, who put away a foreign wife (Ezra 10:18). Distinct from Jarib son of Simeon and Jarib the head of household sent for Levites.

Jason (Hellenizing high priest)
Jason (Hellenizing high priest)
IntertestamentalHigh priestLeviAaronic priesthood

Brother of Onias III; bought the high priesthood from Antiochus IV (174 BC) and led the Hellenizing party in Jerusalem. Displaced by Menelaus.

Jedaiah (priestly course)
Jedaiah (priestly course)
United kingdomPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Head of the second of the twenty-four priestly courses. Distinct from Jedaiah of the wall builders (Nehemiah 3:10).

Jedaiah (returnee priest)
Jedaiah (returnee priest)
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Priest who returned with Zerubbabel (Nehemiah 12:6); his son Uzzi led the family in Joiakim's day. Distinct from Jedaiah the priestly course leader (1 Chronicles 24:7) and from Jedaiah of Nehemiah 12:7.

Jedaiah (second returnee priest)
Jedaiah (second returnee priest)
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Second Jedaiah listed among the priests who returned with Zerubbabel (Nehemiah 12:7); his son Nethanel led the family in Joiakim's day.

Jehezkel (priestly course 20)
Jehezkel (priestly course 20)

Ezekiel

United kingdomLeviAaronic priesthood

Head of the twentieth division of priests under David (1 Chronicles 24:16). The Hebrew name is identical to that of the prophet Ezekiel; included in name only.

Jehiel son of Harim (priest)
Jehiel son of Harim (priest)
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Priest of the sons of Harim who put away a foreign wife (Ezra 10:21).

Jehohanan of Amariah
Jehohanan of Amariah
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Head of the priestly family of Amariah in Joiakim's day (Nehemiah 12:13).

Jehoiada (high priest)
Jehoiada (high priest)
130 yrs
Divided kingdomHigh priestLeviAaronic priesthood

High priest who hid the boy Joash from Athaliah for six years, then organized the coup that crowned him at seven. Effective regent of Judah during Joash's youth. Lived 130 years.

Jehoiada the Aaronite leader
Jehoiada the Aaronite leader
United kingdomWarriorPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Leader of the house of Aaron who brought 3,700 men to David at Hebron (1 Chronicles 12:27). Distinct from Jehoiada father of Benaiah and Jehoiada the high priest under Joash.

Jehoiarib
Jehoiarib
United kingdomPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Head of the first of the twenty-four priestly courses ordained by David. Ancestor of the Maccabean family (1 Maccabees 2:1).

Jehonathan of Shemaiah
Jehonathan of Shemaiah
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Head of the priestly family of Shemaiah in Joiakim's day (Nehemiah 12:18).

Jehoram (priest of Jehoshaphat)
Jehoram (priest of Jehoshaphat)
Divided kingdomPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Priest sent by Jehoshaphat to teach the law in Judah (2 Chronicles 17:8). Distinct from Jehoram king of Judah and Jehoram king of Israel.

Jehozadak
Jehozadak

Jozadak · Josedech

ExilePriestHigh priestLeviAaronic priesthood

Son of Seraiah; carried into Babylonian exile when Yahweh sent Judah away by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar. Father of Joshua the high priest of the post-exilic restoration.

Jeremiah
Jeremiah
ExileProphetPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Son of Hilkiah of the priests at Anathoth; called from the womb. Prophesied 627–586 BC and into the exile. The 'weeping prophet'; counseled submission to Babylon and was imprisoned for treason. Witnessed Jerusalem's fall; carried into Egypt against his will and tradition says martyred there. Author of Jeremiah and Lamentations.

Jeremiah (returnee priest)
Jeremiah (returnee priest)
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Priest who returned with Zerubbabel and Jeshua (Nehemiah 12:1). Father of Hananiah of Joiakim's generation. Distinct from Jeremiah the prophet.

Jeshebeab
Jeshebeab
United kingdomPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Head of the fourteenth priestly course.

Jeshua (priestly course)
Jeshua (priestly course)
United kingdomPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Head of the ninth priestly course. Distinct from Jeshua the high priest of the return.

Jeshua son of Jehozadak (high priest)
Jeshua son of Jehozadak (high priest)

Joshua the high priest

ReturnHigh priestLeviAaronic priesthood

First high priest of the second-temple period; partner of Zerubbabel in rebuilding the altar and the temple. The vision of Zechariah 3 cleanses him from filthy garments and clothes him in priestly robes as a sign of restored Israel.

Johanan (high-priestly line)
Johanan (high-priestly line)
Divided kingdomPriestHigh priestLeviAaronic priesthood

Son of the elder Azariah in the high-priestly genealogy. Multiple Johanans appear in scripture; this is the priestly one of 1 Chronicles 6.

John Gaddi
John Gaddi
IntertestamentalLeviAaronic priesthood

Eldest son of Mattathias; killed by the sons of Jambri who waylaid him near Medeba. Distinct from John Hyrcanus son of Simon.

John Hyrcanus I
John Hyrcanus I
IntertestamentalHigh priestLeviAaronic priesthood

Son of Simon Maccabeus; high priest and ethnarch of Judea 134–104 BC. Forced the conversion of the Idumeans (creating the conditions for Herod's rise) and destroyed the Samaritan temple on Mount Gerizim.

John the Baptist
John the Baptist
Ministry of ChristProphetnaziriteLeviAaronic priesthood

Son of Zechariah and Elizabeth; conceived six months before Jesus. Forerunner of the Messiah; proclaimed repentance baptism in the Jordan wilderness. Baptized Jesus; identified him as 'the Lamb of God'. Imprisoned by Herod Antipas; beheaded at the request of Herodias's daughter. Greatest born of women, per Jesus.

Joiada (high priest of post-exile)
Joiada (high priest of post-exile)
ReturnHigh priestLeviAaronic priesthood

Son of Eliashib; one of his sons married a daughter of Sanballat the Horonite, occasioning Nehemiah's expulsion. Distinct from Jehoiada the high priest under Joash.

Joiakim (high priest)
Joiakim (high priest)
ReturnHigh priestLeviAaronic priesthood

Son of Jeshua; high priest in the days of Nehemiah's first administration.

Joiarib (returnee priest)
Joiarib (returnee priest)
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Priest who returned with Zerubbabel; his son Mattenai led the family in Joiakim's day. Likely the contemporary representative of the priestly course of Jehoiarib.

Jonathan / Johanan (high priest)
Jonathan / Johanan (high priest)
ReturnHigh priestLeviAaronic priesthood

Son of Joiada; high priest after his father. Called Jonathan in Nehemiah 12:11 and Johanan in 12:22-23.

Jonathan Apphus
Jonathan Apphus
IntertestamentalHigh priestWarriorLeviAaronic priesthood

Youngest son of Mattathias; led the Hasmonean cause after Judas's death. Appointed high priest by Alexander Balas in 152 BC, founding the Hasmonean priestly dynasty. Treacherously killed by Trypho in 143 BC.

Jonathan of Melichu
Jonathan of Melichu
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Head of the priestly family of Malluch in Joiakim's day (Nehemiah 12:14).

Jonathan son of Abiathar
Jonathan son of Abiathar
United kingdomPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Son of Abiathar; carried news from Jerusalem to David at Mahanaim during Absalom's revolt; brought word of Adonijah's failure at Solomon's anointing. Distinct from Jonathan son of Saul and other Jonathans.

Joseph of Shebaniah
Joseph of Shebaniah
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Head of the priestly family of Shebaniah in Joiakim's day (Nehemiah 12:14).

Joshua (post-exilic high priest)
Joshua (post-exilic high priest)

Jeshua

ReturnHigh priestLeviAaronic priesthood

Son of Jehozadak; first high priest after the return from exile under Zerubbabel. Cleansed in Zechariah 3 by exchanging filthy garments for clean. Distinct from Joshua son of Nun and Jesus.

Jozabad son of Pashhur (priest)
Jozabad son of Pashhur (priest)
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Priest of the sons of Pashhur who put away a foreign wife (Ezra 10:22). Distinct from many other Jozabads.

Judas Maccabeus
Judas Maccabeus
IntertestamentalWarriorLeviAaronic priesthood

Third son of Mattathias; surnamed Maccabeus ('hammer'). Led the revolt against the Seleucids; cleansed and rededicated the temple in 164 BC, celebrated thereafter as Hanukkah. Killed in battle at Elasa 160 BC.

Kallai
Kallai
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Head of the priestly family of Sallai in Joiakim's day (Nehemiah 12:20).

Maadiah
Maadiah

Moadiah (Nehemiah 12:17)

ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Priest who returned with Zerubbabel; his family was led by Piltai in Joiakim's day.

Maasai son of Adiel
Maasai son of Adiel
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Post-exilic priest; son of Adiel son of Jahzerah son of Meshullam son of Meshillemith son of Immer.

Maaseiah (wall-dedication trumpeter)
Maaseiah (wall-dedication trumpeter)
ReturnPriestmusicianLeviAaronic priesthood

Priest who blew a trumpet at the wall dedication ceremony (Nehemiah 12:41). Distinct from many other Maaseiahs (the priest of Jeshua, the gatekeeper, the wall-rebuilder, etc.).

Maaseiah son of Harim (priest)
Maaseiah son of Harim (priest)
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Priest of the sons of Harim who put away a foreign wife (Ezra 10:21).

Maaseiah son of Jeshua (priest)
Maaseiah son of Jeshua (priest)
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Of the priests, sons of Jeshua son of Jozadak: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah put away foreign wives in Ezra 10:18.

Maaseiah son of Pashhur (priest)
Maaseiah son of Pashhur (priest)
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Priest of the sons of Pashhur who put away a foreign wife (Ezra 10:22).

Maaziah (priestly course 24)
Maaziah (priestly course 24)
United kingdomLeviAaronic priesthood

Head of the twenty-fourth and final division of priests under David (1 Chronicles 24:18). Possibly the ancestral house of the post-exilic priest of Nehemiah 10:8 and 12:5.

Malchijah (priestly course)
Malchijah (priestly course)
United kingdomPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Head of the fifth priestly course. The 'sons of Malchijah' return with Zerubbabel (Ezra 10:25). Ancestor of Pashhur the priest (1 Chronicles 9:12).

Malluch (returnee priest)
Malluch (returnee priest)

Melichu (Nehemiah 12:14, MT)

ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Priest who returned with Zerubbabel; his son Jonathan led the family in Joiakim's day.

Mattathias
Mattathias
IntertestamentalPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Aaronite priest of Modein; refused to offer sacrifice on the king's altar and slew the apostate Jew and the king's officer, igniting the Maccabean revolt (167 BC). Father of Judas Maccabeus, Jonathan, Simon, John, and Eleazar. Died the year following.

Mattenai (of Joiarib)
Mattenai (of Joiarib)
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Head of the priestly family of Joiarib in Joiakim's day (Nehemiah 12:19).

Menelaus (Hellenizing high priest)
Menelaus (Hellenizing high priest)
IntertestamentalHigh priestLeviAaronic priesthood

Outbid Jason for the high priesthood; opened the temple to Antiochus's looting; instigated the murder of Onias III. Executed by Antiochus V in 162 BC.

Meraiah
Meraiah
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Head of the priestly family of Seraiah in the days of Joiakim son of Jeshua (Nehemiah 12:12).

Meraioth (high-priestly line)
Meraioth (high-priestly line)
JudgesPriestHigh priestLeviAaronic priesthood

Son of Zerahiah in the high-priestly genealogy. A second Meraioth appears later in the line (1 Chronicles 9:11; Nehemiah 11:11).

Meremoth (returnee priest)
Meremoth (returnee priest)

Meraioth (Nehemiah 12:15)

ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Priest who returned with Zerubbabel; his son Helkai led the family in Joiakim's day. May be the same person as Meremoth son of Uriah, the wall builder.

Meremoth son of Uriah son of Hakkoz
Meremoth son of Uriah son of Hakkoz
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Priest who repaired two sections of the wall under Nehemiah; weighed the silver and gold brought back by Ezra.

Meshillemith
Meshillemith

Meshillemoth (Nehemiah 11:13)

ExilePriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Ancestor of Maasai; son of Immer (1 Chronicles 9:12).

Meshullam (head of Ezra family)
Meshullam (head of Ezra family)
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Head of the priestly family of Ezra in Joiakim's day (Nehemiah 12:13).

Meshullam (priest, ancestor of Maasai)
Meshullam (priest, ancestor of Maasai)
ExilePriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Great-grandfather of Maasai the post-exilic priest.

Meshullam of Ginnethon
Meshullam of Ginnethon
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Head of the priestly family of Ginnethon in Joiakim's day (Nehemiah 12:16).

Miamin (returnee priest)
Miamin (returnee priest)
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Priest of the Miamin family who returned with Zerubbabel (Nehemiah 12:5). Distinct from Mijamin the priestly course leader of 1 Chronicles 24:9 and Miamin who sealed the covenant.

Micaiah (wall-dedication trumpeter)
Micaiah (wall-dedication trumpeter)
ReturnPriestmusicianLeviAaronic priesthood

Priest who blew a trumpet at the wall dedication ceremony (Nehemiah 12:41). Distinct from Micaiah son of Imlah the prophet and the Asaphite Micaiah of Nehemiah 12:35.

Mijamin
Mijamin
United kingdomPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Head of the sixth priestly course.

Mijamin (priestly course 6)
Mijamin (priestly course 6)
United kingdomLeviAaronic priesthood

Head of the sixth division of priests under David (1 Chronicles 24:9). Distinct from Mijamin who sealed Nehemiah's covenant and Miamin of the Ezra 10 lay list.

Mijamin (returnee priest)
Mijamin (returnee priest)
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Priestly head listed among those who returned with Zerubbabel and Jeshua (Nehemiah 12:5). Distinct from Mijamin son of Parosh (Ezra 10:25), Mijamin head of priestly course six (1 Chronicles 24:9), and Mijamin the lay sealer (Nehemiah 10:7).

Miniamin (wall-dedication trumpeter)
Miniamin (wall-dedication trumpeter)
ReturnPriestmusicianLeviAaronic priesthood

Priest who blew a trumpet at the wall dedication ceremony (Nehemiah 12:41). Distinct from Miniamin the Levite tithe-distributor under Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 31:15) and Miniamin head of a priestly father's house in Joiakim's day (Nehemiah 12:17).

Nadab (son of Aaron)
Nadab (son of Aaron)
WildernessPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Eldest son of Aaron; offered 'strange fire' before Yahweh with his brother Abihu and was consumed. Distinct from Nadab king of Israel and Nadab son of Jeroboam.

Nethanel of Jedaiah
Nethanel of Jedaiah
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Head of the priestly family of the second Jedaiah in Joiakim's day (Nehemiah 12:21).

Nethanel son of Pashhur (priest)
Nethanel son of Pashhur (priest)
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Priest of the sons of Pashhur who put away a foreign wife (Ezra 10:22).

Obadiah (priest, sealer)
Obadiah (priest, sealer)
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Priest who sealed Nehemiah's covenant (Nehemiah 10:5). Distinct from Obadiah the prophet, Obadiah of Ahab, and others.

Onias III
Onias III
IntertestamentalHigh priestLeviAaronic priesthood

Last legitimate Zadokite high priest before the Seleucid usurpations; deposed in favor of his Hellenizing brother Jason. Murdered at Daphne ca. 171 BC. Generally identified as the 'anointed one' cut off in Daniel 9:26 by many Jewish and Christian readings.

Pashhur son of Immer
Pashhur son of Immer
Divided kingdomPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Priest and chief officer in the temple; struck Jeremiah and put him in stocks at the upper Benjamin Gate; renamed Magor-Missabib by the prophet.

Pethahiah (priestly course 19)
Pethahiah (priestly course 19)
United kingdomLeviAaronic priesthood

Head of the nineteenth division of priests under David (1 Chronicles 24:16). Distinct from Pethahiah son of Meshezabel and Pethahiah the Levite of Ezra 10.

Phinehas (son of Eleazar)
Phinehas (son of Eleazar)
WildernessHigh priestWarriorLeviAaronic priesthood

Son of Eleazar; turned away Yahweh's wrath at Baal-Peor by spearing the Israelite man and Midianite woman together (Numbers 25). Granted the covenant of perpetual priesthood. Succeeded his father as high priest. Distinct from Phinehas son of Eli.

Phinehas (son of Eli)
Phinehas (son of Eli)
JudgesPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Son of Eli; co-officiant with Hophni in their corruption. Killed at Aphek; his pregnant widow named her son Ichabod ('the glory has departed') as she died in childbirth. Distinct from Phinehas son of Eleazar.

Piltai
Piltai
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Head of the priestly family of Moadiah (Maadiah) in Joiakim's day (Nehemiah 12:17).

Rehum (returnee priest)
Rehum (returnee priest)

Harim (Nehemiah 12:15)

ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Priest who returned with Zerubbabel (Nehemiah 12:3); listed as Harim in Joiakim's day list. Distinct from Rehum son of Bani.

Sallu (returnee priest)
Sallu (returnee priest)

Sallai (Nehemiah 12:20)

ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Priest who returned with Zerubbabel; his son Kallai led the family in Joiakim's day.

Seorim
Seorim
United kingdomPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Head of the fourth priestly course.

Seraiah (high priest at the fall of Jerusalem)
Seraiah (high priest at the fall of Jerusalem)
ExilePriestHigh priestLeviAaronic priesthood

Son of Azariah; chief priest at the fall of Jerusalem. Captured by Nebuzaradan at Riblah and put to death by Nebuchadnezzar. Father of Jehozadak. Distinct from Seraiah son of Neriah (Jeremiah's quartermaster, Jeremiah 51:59) and other Seraiahs.

Seraiah (returnee priest)
Seraiah (returnee priest)
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Chief of the priests who returned from Babylon with Zerubbabel and Jeshua (Nehemiah 12:1, 12). Distinct from Seraiah the high priest executed at Riblah.

Shallum (priest)
Shallum (priest)
Divided kingdomPriestHigh priestLeviAaronic priesthood

Son of Zadok II; father of Hilkiah the high priest of Josiah's reign. Per Nehemiah 11:11 and 1 Chronicles 9:11 the form Meshullam appears for him.

Shammua of Bilgah
Shammua of Bilgah
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Head of the priestly family of Bilgah in Joiakim's day (Nehemiah 12:18).

Shebaniah (returnee priest)
Shebaniah (returnee priest)
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Priest who returned with Zerubbabel; his son Joseph led the family in Joiakim's day. Some manuscripts read 'Hattush' here.

Shecaniah (priestly course)
Shecaniah (priestly course)
United kingdomPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Head of the tenth priestly course.

Shecaniah (returnee priest)
Shecaniah (returnee priest)
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Priestly head listed among those who returned with Zerubbabel and Jeshua (Nehemiah 12:3). Distinct from Shecaniah son of Obadiah of David's line, Shecaniah of the priestly course (1 Chronicles 24:11), and Shecaniah son of Jehiel.

Shemaiah (returnee priest)
Shemaiah (returnee priest)
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Priest who returned with Zerubbabel; his son Jehonathan led the family in Joiakim's day.

Shemaiah son of Harim (priest)
Shemaiah son of Harim (priest)
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Priest of the sons of Harim who put away a foreign wife (Ezra 10:21).

Simon Thassi
Simon Thassi
IntertestamentalHigh priestWarriorLeviAaronic priesthood

Second son of Mattathias; succeeded Jonathan. Won independence from Seleucid taxation; recognized by the people as 'great high priest, commander, and leader' in perpetuity (1 Maccabees 14). Murdered by his son-in-law Ptolemy in 134 BC.

Uzzi (priest)
Uzzi (priest)
JudgesPriestHigh priestLeviAaronic priesthood

Son of Bukki in the high-priestly genealogy. Distinct from other figures named Uzzi (the Issacharite, Benjamite, and Levite Merarite).

Uzzi of Jedaiah
Uzzi of Jedaiah
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Head of the priestly family of Jedaiah in Joiakim's day (Nehemiah 12:19).

Uzziah son of Harim (priest)
Uzziah son of Harim (priest)
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Priest of the sons of Harim who put away a foreign wife (Ezra 10:21). Distinct from King Uzziah and Uzziah the Asaphite.

Zadok
Zadok
United kingdomHigh priestLeviAaronic priesthood

Son of Ahitub of the Eleazar line; priest under David alongside Abiathar. Loyal to David during Absalom's revolt; anointed Solomon. Sole high priest after Abiathar's banishment; ancestor of the Zadokite priestly line that dominated through the second temple.

Zadok II (priest)
Zadok II (priest)
Divided kingdomPriestHigh priestLeviAaronic priesthood

Son of Ahitub II; later priest in the high-priestly genealogy of 1 Chronicles 6:12. Distinct from the Zadok of David.

Zadok the young warrior
Zadok the young warrior
United kingdomWarriorPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

A young man, mighty of valor, listed in 1 Chronicles 12:28 with twenty-two captains from his father's house. Often identified with Zadok son of Ahitub the priest.

Zebadiah son of Immer (priest)
Zebadiah son of Immer (priest)
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Priest of the sons of Immer who put away a foreign wife (Ezra 10:20). Distinct from many other Zebadiahs.

Zechariah (priest, father of John the Baptist)
Zechariah (priest, father of John the Baptist)
Ministry of ChristPriestProphetLeviAaronic priesthood

Priest of the division of Abijah; husband of Elizabeth. Struck dumb by Gabriel for unbelief at the announcement of John's birth; spoke again to confirm the name. Author of the Benedictus.

Zechariah (wall-dedication trumpeter)
Zechariah (wall-dedication trumpeter)
ReturnPriestmusicianLeviAaronic priesthood

Priest who blew a trumpet at the wall dedication ceremony (Nehemiah 12:41). Distinct from Zechariah son of Jonathan the Asaphite trumpeter (Nehemiah 12:35), the prophet Zechariah, and many other Zechariahs.

Zechariah of Iddo (priest of Joiakim)
Zechariah of Iddo (priest of Joiakim)
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Head of the priestly family of Iddo in Joiakim's day (Nehemiah 12:16). Likely the same as Zechariah the prophet (Zechariah 1:1).

Zechariah son of Jehoiada
Zechariah son of Jehoiada
Divided kingdomPriestProphetLeviAaronic priesthood

Son of Jehoiada the priest; rebuked Joash for his apostasy after Jehoiada's death; stoned to death in the court of the temple at the king's command. Likely the Zechariah named by Jesus in Matthew 23:35.

Zephaniah son of Maaseiah
Zephaniah son of Maaseiah
ExilePriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Second priest in Zedekiah's reign; carried letters between the king and Jeremiah; received the false prophet Shemaiah's letter from Babylon. Executed by Nebuchadnezzar at Riblah.

Zerahiah
Zerahiah
JudgesPriestHigh priestLeviAaronic priesthood

Son of Uzzi in the high-priestly genealogy.

Zichri of Abijah
Zichri of Abijah
ReturnPriestLeviAaronic priesthood

Head of the priestly family of Abijah in Joiakim's day (Nehemiah 12:17).

Curation status: Primeval (Genesis 1–11), patriarchs (Genesis 12–50), Exodus/Numbers, Joshua/Judges/Ruth, the united and divided monarchies (Saul, David, all kings of Judah and Israel), the writing prophets, post-exilic figures (Zerubbabel, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther), the Holy Family, John the Baptist, the Twelve, and the early apostolic generation are all in. 2,781figures curated so far. The remaining named biblical figures (priestly genealogies in 1 Chronicles, the post-exile lists in Ezra/Nehemiah, the obscure persons in Acts and the epistles) are pending. Every claim is rigorously sourced; gaps mean “not yet curated”, not “not in scripture”.