Madai
ma.day identifies Madai as an ancestral figure and, more often, the people, rulers, and realm named for Madai.
The term most often names the political people or realm whose kings, officials, laws, cities, or military forces appear alongside Persia or in campaigns against Babylon. It also occurs as the name of a figure listed among Japheth's sons and as an ancestral designation in Darius's lineage.
Senses in use
-
The people or realm in political and military settings · dominant
In Esther 1:3 the APB renders the clause as “the army of Persia and Madai,” while Esther 1:19 places laws under “Persia and Madai.” In Jeremiah 51:11 and Jeremiah 51:28, kings of Madai are summoned in the announced action against Babylon; Isaiah 13:17 likewise presents Madai as being stirred up against an unnamed target. The same proper-noun form also occurs in 2 Kings 18:11 in the phrase rendered “the cities of Madai.”
-
An ancestral personal name · occasional
In Genesis 10:2 and 1 Chronicles 1:5, the proper noun stands in lists of Japheth's sons, alongside the other named sons. In Daniel 9:1, the APB renders Darius as being “of the seed of Madai,” using the name as an ancestral designation.
In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB usually preserves the name as “Madai,” including references to kings, laws, and military forces. In 2 Kings 17:6 it instead renders the location phrase as “the cities of the Medes”; This variation should not be treated as a separate lexical sense.