Mattaniah (Son of Micah)

Biblical Record

Mattaniah was a Levite who settled in Jerusalem after the return from the Babylonian exile. He was a descendant of Asaph, who was responsible for temple music in the time of David. His name is understood to mean "gift of the LORD" in Hebrew.

Nehemiah 11:17 introduces him as "Mattaniah the son of Micha, the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph." The verse records that he "was the principal to begin the thanksgiving in prayer," and that Bakbukiah was "the second among his brethren." 1 Chronicles 9:15 also lists, among the Levites living in Jerusalem, "Mattaniah the son of Micah, the son of Zichri, the son of Asaph." Although his grandfather's name appears in two forms, Zabdi and Zichri, the two names are generally taken to refer to the same person.

Nehemiah 11:22 records that his great-grandson Uzzi became the overseer of the Levites living in Jerusalem and was responsible for the work of the temple. This suggests that his family continued in temple service over several generations.

Significance in Scripture

Mattaniah belonged to a Levitical family responsible for praise and thanksgiving as the returned community reestablished its worship. His genealogy shows that post-exilic worship continued the tradition of the era of David and Asaph. He is not mentioned in the New Testament.

Interpretations and Issues

• Several people bore the same name. The son of Heman in 1 Chronicles 25, the ancestor of Jahaziel in 2 Chronicles 20:14, the Levite of Hezekiah's time in 2 Chronicles 29:13, and the men in Ezra 10 who put away their foreign wives are all distinct from this figure. His father Micah is likewise a different person from Micah (son of Mephibosheth) in 1 Chronicles 9:40.
• Nehemiah 12:8 records a Mattaniah who returned with Zerubbabel and Jeshua and "was over the thanksgiving." Many interpreters identify him with this figure.
• Nehemiah 12:25 includes Mattaniah and Bakbukiah in a list of porters (gatekeepers). This has given rise to various interpretations concerning the textual tradition or the distinction of duties.
• Scholars are divided over whether "Mattaniah, the son of Michaiah" in Nehemiah 12:35 and the Mattaniah whose grandson Hanan appears in Nehemiah 13:13 are the same person. The text alone does not settle the question.

In the Korean Church

Sermons and Sunday school materials devoted specifically to Mattaniah are rare. Nehemiah 11:17 is treated in Bible reading programs and in expository preaching on Nehemiah as a passage that illustrates the restoration of worship and the ministry of praise in the returned community.