Bible Dictionary
Adin
Adin was the ancestor or family name of a group of exiles who returned from Babylon. Members of the family later joined the covenant made with Nehemiah to follow the Lord’s law.
Definition
Adin was the ancestor or family name of a group of returning exiles. The sons of Adin are listed among those who came from Babylon and among families connected with the postexilic community.
Biblical Usage
Members of the family returned with Zerubbabel, and the family is associated with the covenant sealed in Nehemiah 10:16.
Historical Background
Ezra gives 454 descendants of Adin, while Nehemiah gives 655. Another group of fifty males came with Ezra, though it is uncertain whether they were included in those totals.
Scripture References
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
Effeminate. (1.) Ezra 8:6. (2.) Neh. 10:16.
Smith's Bible Dictionary
(dainty, delicate), ancestor of a family who returned form Babylon with Zerubbabel, to the number of 454, (Ezra 2:15) or 655 according to the parallel list in (Nehemiah 7:20) (B.C. 536.) They joined with Nehemiah in a covenant to separate themselves from the heathen. (Nehemiah 10:16) (B.C. 410.)
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>a'-din (`adhin, "adorned"): The name of a family, "the sons of Adin" (Ezr 2:15; 8:6; Ne 7:20; 10:16; 1 Esdras 5:14; 8:32), mentioned among the returning exiles. The list in Ezr 2 is placed in the midst of the narrative concerning Zerubbabel, but its title and Its contents show that it also includes the later Jewish immigrants into Palestine. The list in Ne 7 is a duplicate of that in Ezr, but with variations; most of the variations are naturally accounted for by supposing that one copy was made later than the other and was brought up to date. In Ezr and 1 Esdras the number of the sons of Adin is said to be 454; in Ne it is 655. The 50 males, led by Ebed the son of Jonathan, who came with Ezr, may or may not have been included in the numbers just mentioned. Among the names of those who sealed the covenant along with Ne are 44 that are placed under the caption "the chiefs of the people" (Ne 10:14-26), and nearly half of these are the family names of the list in Ezr 2 and Ne 7. It is natural to infer that in these cases a family sealed the covenant collectively through some representative. In that case the Adin here mentioned is the same that is mentioned in the other places. See also ADINU.</p><p>Willis J. Beecher</p>