Bebai

Bebai is a clan name from the post-exilic returns, appearing only in Ezra and Nehemiah. The name attaches to a family group whose descendants came back from Babylon in two waves, contributed members to the divorce roster of Ezra 10, and set their seal to the covenant in Nehemiah 10. The references are sparse — five verses in two books — and the picture they assemble is a single household traced from census, to second-wave return, to internal reform, to covenant-sealing.

The Clan in the First Return

When Zerubbabel's caravan is enrolled, Bebai stands among the named families: "The sons of Bebai, six hundred twenty and three" (Ezr 2:11). The parallel list in Nehemiah's archive gives a slightly different figure for the same clan: "The sons of Bebai, six hundred twenty and eight" (Ne 7:16). Both numbers preserve Bebai as a household of substantial size returning under the first wave.

The Second Wave under Ezra

A generation later, when Ezra leads a second contingent up from the river Ahava, Bebai is listed again, this time with the head of the family identified by name: "And of the sons of Bebai, Zechariah the son of Bebai; and with him twenty and eight males" (Ezr 8:11). The clan that returned in mass under Zerubbabel sends a smaller, named delegation under Ezra.

Bebai in the Divorce Roster

Among those whom Ezra confronts over foreign marriages, the sons of Bebai are named: "And of the sons of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, Athlai" (Ezr 10:28). The clan that had been faithful enough to make the long return is also represented in the reform that follows it, four of its sons appearing on the roster of those who put away foreign wives.

Sealing the Covenant

In Nehemiah's covenant-renewal, when "those who sealed" are enumerated (Ne 10:1), the chiefs of the people are listed by name, and Bebai stands among them: "Bunni, Azgad, Bebai," (Ne 10:15). The clan that entered the record as a census number ends it as a covenant signatory, its name set on the document that bound the restored community to the law.