Ezbai

Ezbai is named only once, in the Chronicler's list of David's mighty men, where he appears as the father of one of the warriors. The parallel list in 2 Samuel reads differently in the same slot, raising the long-standing question of whether the same person stands behind both names.

Father of Naarai

In the roll of mighty men in 1 Chronicles, the entry runs: "Hezro the Carmelite, Naarai the son of Ezbai" (1 Ch 11:37). Ezbai's only role in scripture is to be remembered as Naarai's father, fixing him by his son's place among David's elite.

The Parallel in 2 Samuel

In the corresponding slot of the Samuel list, after Hezro the Carmelite, the text reads: "Hezro the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite" (2 Sa 23:35). The two registers diverge here — the Chronicler names Naarai son of Ezbai, while Samuel names Paarai the Arbite — and Ezbai is one of the figures held in view in any attempt to harmonize the parallel rolls.