Bible Word Study
בֵּצַי
Bêtsay · Betsai, the name of two Israelites
בֵּצַי
Betsai, the name of two Israelites
Definition
Betsai is a proper name given to two individuals in the post-exilic period of Israel's history. The name appears in lists of those who returned from the Babylonian exile, specifically among the family heads of the people of Judah (Ezra 2:17, Nehemiah 7:23). In Nehemiah 10:18, a Betsai is also listed among the leaders who sealed the covenant of renewal, committing to follow God's law. The name itself does not carry a distinct meaning separate from its function as a personal identifier for these historical figures.
Biblical Usage
The name Betsai is used exclusively in post-exilic historical books, specifically Ezra and Nehemiah. It appears in three contexts: twice in nearly identical census lists of returning exiles (Ezra 2:17 and Nehemiah 7:23) and once in the list of signatories to Nehemiah's covenant renewal (Nehemiah 10:18). This pattern indicates its use solely for identifying specific individuals within community records from the restoration period.
Etymology
The etymology of Betsai is uncertain. It is possibly derived from or related to the Hebrew word בְּסַי (Bᵉsay, H1153), which is also a proper name found in the same post-exilic lists (Ezra 2:17, Nehemiah 7:23). This suggests it may be a variant spelling or a name from the same linguistic root, though the precise meaning of that root is not clearly known.
Semantic Range
As a personal name from the post-exilic period, Betsai reflects the cultural practice of recording family lineages and community membership following the return from Babylon. Being named in official lists signified one's place within the restored covenant community of Judah. The appearance of a Betsai on Nehemiah's covenant document (Nehemiah 10:18) further indicates this individual held a position of leadership or representative authority among the people. בְּסַי (Bᵉsay, H1153) — A related proper name appearing in the same biblical lists, likely from the same root or a variant spelling.
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (BDB, 1906, public domain). Concordance and morphology data are from the OSHB (Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible).
Full methodology & sources →References
- Abbott-Smith, G. (1921) A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Brown, F., Driver, S.R. and Briggs, C.A. (1906) A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Tyndale Brief lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (TBESG). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Formatted full LSJ (TFLSJ). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Thayer, J.H. (1889) A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. [Public Domain]
- Gesenius, W. (1846) Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament. [Public Domain]
- Dodson, J. (2010) Greek Lexicon. Biblical Humanities. [CC0]