H7042 H7042
Kelita; personal name of a Levite involved in Ezra's reforms, also called Kelaiah
Kelita was a Levite active during Ezra's time. Ezra 10:23 lists him (also called Kelaiah) among Levites who had married foreign women and agreed to divorce them. Nehemiah 8:7 names him among the Levites who helped the people understand the Law when Ezra read it publicly. Nehemiah 10:10 (Hebrew 10:11) includes him among those who sealed the covenant renewal. The double name (Kelita/Kelaiah) may indicate a birth name and another name taken later. He exemplifies Levites involved in teaching and covenant renewal during post-exilic reforms.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Three post-exilic contexts define Kelita: the foreign-wife controversy (Ezra 10:23, where he's also called Kelaiah), public teaching of Torah (Nehemiah 8:7), and covenant sealing (10:10). The bracketed forms in German and French simply mark the Hebrew name. This Levite participated in key reform moments—separation from foreign influence, biblical instruction, and communal rededication. His dual name reflects the complexity of identity in the restoration community. 3×
AR["قَليطا", "قَلِيطا", "قَلِيطَا"]·ben["কলীটা"]·DE["[קליטא]"]·EN["Kelita", "Qelita"]·FR["[קליטא]"]·heb["קליטא"]·HI["कलीटा", "कलीता", "केलीता"]·ID["Kelita"]·IT["[קליטא]"]·jav["Kelita"]·KO["글리타", "크리다와"]·PT["Kelita", "Qelita"]·RU["Келита"]·ES["Qelita", "Quelita"]·SW["Kelita"]·TR["Kelita"]·urd["قلیطا"]
Related Senses
G3588 1. definite article (18298×)H0853 1. definite direct object marker (10915×)G2532 1. (8312×)H3068 1. YHWH (the divine name) (6522×)H0834a 1. relative pronoun (who/which/that) (4839×)H3588a 1. causal: because, for (3498×)G1161 1. and (2806×)H3478 1. Israel (proper name and nation) (2507×)G4771 1. you (plural address) (1853×)H1931 1. personal pronoun he/she/it (1431×)G3739 1. relative pronoun who/which/that (1149×)H1732 1. David (proper name) (1075×)H2088 1. this, this one (demonstrative) (1059×)G1063 1. (1047×)G3778 1. this thing, these things (1003×)H???? 2. (1002×)G2424 1. (924×)G3754 1. that (content clause) (881×)H2009 1. presentative particle: behold, look (881×)H0589 1. I (first person singular pronoun) (874×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† קְלִיטָא n.pr.m. Levite, Ne 8:7; 10:11 (𝔊L in both Καλλιτας) Ezr 10:23 (where called also קֵלָיָה, v. קוֹלָיָה), Κωλιευ, A Κωλιτας, 𝔊L as Ne.