Bible Word Study
בִּלְגַּי
Bilgay · Bilgai, an Israelite
בִּלְגַּי
Bilgai, an Israelite
Definition
Bilgay is a proper name of an Israelite priest who lived during the post-exilic period. The name appears only once in the Bible, in Nehemiah 10:8, where he is listed among the priests who sealed the covenant of renewal and commitment to God's law after the return from Babylonian exile. As a proper noun, it refers solely to this individual historical figure. There are no other biblical senses or meanings for this specific name.
Biblical Usage
The word is used exactly once in the Old Testament, in the book of Nehemiah. It functions strictly as a personal name, identifying one of the priests who participated in a solemn, public act of recommitment to God's covenant. The context is the signing of a binding agreement (Nehemiah 10:1, 8-9) following the reading of the Law and a time of national confession, led by Nehemiah and Ezra.
Etymology
The name Bilgay (בִּלְגַּי) is derived from the Hebrew root בָּלַג (balag, H1082), which means 'to cease,' 'to be weary,' or 'to desist.' It is related to the idea of stopping or pausing. As a personal name, it was likely descriptive, perhaps expressing a hope for relief or an end to hardship, which would be fitting for the post-exilic era when the name appears.
Semantic Range
While the individual Bilgay is not a major figure, his inclusion in the covenant signatories in Nehemiah 10 is theologically significant. It represents the collective responsibility and commitment of the entire priesthood—not just the leading figures—to uphold God's law and lead the people in faithfulness. His presence underscores the theme of communal renewal and the importance of every member of the covenant community pledging themselves to God. In ancient Israelite culture, names often carried meaning related to circumstances, hopes, or attributes. A name derived from 'ceasing' or 'desisting' might reflect the parents' experience of the exile or their hope for its end. As a priest, Bilgay held a role of spiritual leadership and mediation, making his public commitment to the covenant a formal, representative act on behalf of the people before God.
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]