Person Old Testament
Maasai
Also known as Maasai =ESV, NIV; Maasiai =KJV, Amashsai =ESV, NIV; Amashai =KJV
Maasai, also known as Amashsai, was a priest who served during the time of Nehemiah. Mentioned in 2 verses across 2 books, first at 1 Chronicles 9:12.
Why it matters. Priest during the time of David and Nehemiah
- Primary passages
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Maasai
Maasai, also referred to as Amashsai, was a priest mentioned in the genealogies of the priestly families during and Nehemiah (1Ch.9.12; Neh.11.13). In the genealogy recorded in 1 Chronicles, Maasai is listed as a descendant of Adiel, who was a descendant of Immer, one of the priestly clans (1Ch.9.12). This suggests that Maasai belonged to the priestly lineage that served in the temple during the reign of David. In the book of Nehemiah, Amashsai (likely the same person as Maasai) is mentioned as the son of Azarel and a leader among the priests who settled in Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile (Neh.11.13). The inclusion of Maasai/Amashsai in both the pre-exilic and post-exilic records highlights the continuity of the priestly families and their service in the temple.
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.
Connections
No reviewed connections yet.
Family
Family links from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0). Where the dataset marks an identification as uncertain, the mark is kept. Matthew and Luke give different genealogies for Jesus; see the Lineage page, which never merges them.
- Parents
- Adiel
Appears in Scripture
Named in 2 verses across 2 books. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.