Lexical Definition

‎עַבְדִּי‎ ʻAbdîy (ab-dee') Abdi ^N:N-M-P
from ‎עָבַד‎; serviceable

Abdi.

• § Abdi = "servant of Jehovah"
• Abdi, the name of two Israelites

1) a Merarite Levite and ancestor of Ethan the singer
2) a Merarite Levite, father of Kish, in the time of king Hezekiah of Judah
3) one of the family of Elam who had a foreign wife in the time of Ezra

Extended Information

• A man living at the time of Exile and Return, only mentioned at Ezr.10.26

Brown-Driver-Briggs

‎עַבְדִּי‎ proper name, masculine (= ‎עֹבַדְיָה‎ servant of Yah; see however, Gray^{Prop. N. 149 ff.} and compare Old Aramaic ‎עבדו‎, Nabataean, Palmyrene ‎עבדי‎ Lzb^{333, 334} Cook⁸⁷); —

1. a Levite 1Chr 6:29*; 2Chr 29:12 ᵐ5 Αβδ(ε)ι, ᵐ5^L 1 Chronicles Αβδια.

2. one with a foreign wife Ezra 10:26 ᵐ5 Αβδε(ι)α.

Brown-Driver-Briggs References

Profile

Male • Returned divorcee • An Israelite who married a foreign wife

Man living at the time of Exile and Return

Abdi, one of the descendants of Elam, was among those who agreed to put away their foreign wives during Ezra's time.

• A man living at the time of Exile and Return, only mentioned at Ezr.10.26;
• only referred to as Abdi עַבְדִּי.

Abdi is listed in Ezra 10:26 as one of the descendants of Elam who had married foreign women during the time of Ezra. After the return from Babylonian exile, Ezra discovered that many Israelites, including priests and Levites, had intermarried with the neighboring peoples. This was contrary to God's law and threatened the purity and identity of the Israelite community. Ezra called the people to repentance and required those who had married foreign wives to separate from them. Abdi was among those who agreed to put away their foreign wives in obedience to Ezra's command.

All entries for Abdi: עַבְדִּי