Overview
Kelaiah was a Levite who returned with Zerubbabel from the Babylonian captivity around 538 BC. He is listed among the Levites who participated in the restoration of temple worship and took action to obey God's law regarding marriage to foreign women.
Key Scriptures
"Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (the same is Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer" (Ezra 10:23, ESV)—Kelaiah among those who put away foreign wives.
"And among the singers: Eliashib. And of the gatekeepers: Shallum and Telem and Uri." (Ezra 10:24, ESV)—Kelaiah listed in the registry of those who made covenants regarding their marriages.
Application
Kelaiah's example of responding to correction and aligning his life with God's Word demonstrates the importance of repentance and obedience in maintaining spiritual faithfulness, even when it requires difficult personal sacrifice.