נחמיה, פרק י״א, פסוק ה׳

Tracing the family histories of those who chose to settle in Jerusalem reveals the deep roots of its inhabitants. Among these early settlers is Maaseiah, whose family tree is carefully recorded to establish his background. He is the same person identified as Asaiah in the genealogical records of the Book of Chronicles. This variation in the record exists because Nehemiah discovered an earlier historical scroll and chose to expand and clarify the original accounts written by Ezra [מלבי״ם].

Further back in this ancestry is a figure known as Col-hozeh. This designation functions either as a standard given name or as a unique personal title [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The family line ultimately concludes with a specific familial identifier marking their ancient tribal origins. The primary approach among commentators is that this title identifies the family as direct descendants of Shelah, the son of Judah [ביאור שטיינזלץ, מצודת דוד]. In contrast, another perspective suggests that it points to a specific, prominent leader from the line of Perez who served as the respected head of this particular family [מלבי״ם].