Lexical Definition

‎מַכְנַדְבַי‎ Maknadbay (mak-nad-bah'-ee) Machnadebai ^N:N-M-P
from ‎מָה‎ and ‎נָדַב‎ with a particle interposed; what (is) like (a) liberal (man) ?

Machnadebai.

• § Machnadebai = "he brought low my willing ones"
• Maknadbai, an Israelite

1) one of the sons of Bani who put away his foreign wife at Ezra's command

Extended Information

• A man living at the time of Exile and Return, only mentioned at Ezr.10.40

Brown-Driver-Briggs

‎מַכְנַדְּבַי‎ proper name, masculine one of those who had taken strange wives Ezra 10:40 (Gray^{Expos. Times, Feb. 1889, p. 233} proposes ‎מכרנבו‎ = possession of Nebo); ᵐ5 Μαξαδναβου, A Μαχναδααβου; ᵐ5^L Ναδαβου.

Brown-Driver-Briggs References

Profile

Male • Returned divorcee • One of those who married foreign women

Man living at the time of Exile and Return

Machnadebai was among those who had married foreign women during the time of Ezra (Ezr.10.40).

• A man living at the time of Exile and Return, only mentioned at Ezr.10.40;
• only referred to as Machnadebai מַכְנַדְבַי.

Machnadebai is mentioned in the book of Ezra as one of the men who had married foreign women during the post-exilic period (Ezr.10.40). After the return of the Jewish exiles from Babylon, Ezra, a priest and scribe, led a religious reform to address various issues, including intermarriage with foreign women (Ezr.9-10). This practice was seen as a violation of God's commandments and a threat to the religious and cultural identity of the Jewish community. Machnadebai is listed among those who pledged to put away their foreign wives and children, following the counsel of Ezra and the leaders (Ezr.10.44). The inclusion of Machnadebai in this list highlights the widespread nature of the issue and the importance of maintaining religious purity and obedience to God's laws in the post-exilic period.

All entries for Machnadebai: מַכְנַדְבַי