Lexical Definition

‎בֵּבַי‎ Bêbay (bay-bah'ee) Bebai ^N:N-M-P
probably of foreign origin

Bebai.

• § Bebai = "my cavities"
• Bebai, an Israelite

1) a leader of the returning exiles

Extended Information

• A man living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at Ezr.8.11b
• father of: Zechariah (זְכַרְיָה)

Brown-Driver-Briggs

‎בֵּבַי‎ proper name, masculine a chief of returning exiles ‎בֵּכָ֑י‎ Neh 10:16* ‎בְּנֵי בֵבַי‎ Ezra 8:11 ‎בֶּןבֵּֿבָ֑י‎ Ezra 8:11 ‎בְּנֵי בֵבָ֑י‎ Ezra 2:11; Ezra 10:28; Neh 7:16.

Brown-Driver-Briggs References

Profile

Male • Returned from exile • Ancestor of exiles who returned with Ezra to Jerusalem.

Man living at the time of Exile and Return

Zechariah, a descendant of Bebai, led 28 men of his family to return with Ezra to Jerusalem.

• A man living at the time of Exile and Return, only mentioned at Ezr.8.11b;
• only referred to as Bebai בֵּבַי;
• father of Zechariah זְכַרְיָה.

Bebai is mentioned in Ezra 8:11 as the ancestor of a group of exiles who returned to Jerusalem with Ezra. The passage lists the men who joined Ezra in his journey from Babylon to Jerusalem, along with the numbers of their family members. Zechariah, a descendant of Bebai, is specifically named as the leader of this group, which consisted of 28 men. This return took place during the reign of King Artaxerxes of Persia, who had authorized Ezra to lead a group of Israelites back to their homeland. The mention of Bebai's descendant and the size of the group indicates that Bebai's family had grown during the exile and that they were among those who chose to return to Jerusalem to support the restoration of the Jewish community and the temple.

All entries for Bebai: בֵּבַי

Related Profiles:

• Zechariah (child)