Parosh (פַּרְעֹשׁ, par'osh). Ancestor (or head) of a family who returned to Judah from exile with Zerubbabel (Ezra 2:3; Neh 3:25; 7:8). Several passages in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah list the names of families or clans represented among the community of Jews who had returned to Judah from exile in Babylon (e.g., Ezra 2:3–39; 8:1–14; 10:25–43; Neh 7:8–42; compare 1 Esdras 5:9–25). These names are frequently used to identify which family group various members of the community belong to. It is often difficult to determine whether a reference to one of the family names is a general reference to the family or a specific reference to an individual member or leader of the family.

Ezra 8:3 mentions that 150 men from the clan of Parosh, led by Zechariah, returned from exile with Ezra. Members of this family were among those found to have taken foreign wives but who agreed to divorce them per Ezra’s demand (Ezra 10:25). The leader of the family was also one of the men who signed the written agreement to keep the law during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah (Neh 10:14).