Person Old Testament
Chelal
Also known as Chelal =ESV, KJV; Kelal =NIV
Chelal was one of the Israelites who had married a foreign woman during the time of Ezra. Mentioned once in Scripture, at Ezra 10:30.
Why it matters. Israelite who married a foreign wife during Ezra's time
- Primary passages
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Chelal
Chelal is mentioned in Ezr.10.30 as one of the Israelites who had married foreign women during the time of Ezra. After the return from Babylonian exile, Ezra discovered that many of the Israelites, including priests and Levites, had intermarried with the neighboring peoples, contrary to God's commands (Ezr.9.1-2). This intermarriage was seen as a violation of the covenant and a threat to the spiritual purity of the nation. Ezra called for a national assembly, where the people confessed their sin and agreed to separate from their foreign wives (Ezr.10.10-12). Chelal was among those who had taken foreign wives and pledged to put them away, demonstrating repentance and a commitment to obey God's laws. The inclusion of Chelal's name in this account highlights the importance of maintaining spiritual purity and the need for individuals to take responsibility for their actions in light of God's covenant with His people.
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
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Appears in Scripture
Named in 1 verse across 1 book. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.
Ezra (1 verse)