Bible Word Study
מַכְנַדְבַי
Maknadbay · Maknadbai, an Israelite
מַכְנַדְבַי
Maknadbai, an Israelite
Definition
Maknadbai is the name of a single Israelite man mentioned in the list of those who had married foreign women during the post-exilic period (Ezra 10:40). As a proper noun, it functions solely as a personal identifier. The name itself is a compound, likely meaning 'What is like a noble or willing one?' or 'Who is like a generous man?', suggesting a positive, aspirational character trait. There are no other biblical occurrences or alternate meanings for this specific name.
Biblical Usage
This word is used exactly once in the Old Testament, in Ezra 10:40. It appears within a genealogical list of men who pledged to divorce their foreign wives to maintain the purity of the returned Israelite community. Its usage is purely nominal, serving to identify an individual within this historical and covenantal context.
Etymology
The name מַכְנַדְבַי (Maknadbai) is a compound derived from the interrogative particle מָה (mah, H4100), meaning 'what?', the preposition כְּ (ke), meaning 'like', and the root נָדַב (nadab, H5068), meaning 'to be willing, incited, or generous'. Thus, the name is a rhetorical question: 'What (is) like a willing/noble (man)?' It follows a pattern similar to the name מִיכָאֵל (Mikha'el, Michael), meaning 'Who is like God?'
Semantic Range
While the name itself is not theologically loaded, its single appearance in Ezra 10:40 places it within the significant theological narrative of Israel's restoration. It represents an individual caught in the struggle for covenant faithfulness and ethnic purity after the exile. Understanding the name's meaning ('What is like a noble one?') may subtly highlight the ideal character sought in those recommitting to God's law. In ancient Israelite culture, names were often meaningful phrases or statements about God or character. Maknadbai's name, questioning who is comparable to a generous or willing person, reflects a value placed on nobility of spirit. Its inclusion in Ezra's list shows the importance of detailed record-keeping and personal accountability within the restored community. There are no direct synonyms for this proper name. Other compound names with מִי (mi, 'who?') or מָה (mah, 'what?') include: מִיכָאֵל (Mikha'el, H4317) — 'Who is like God?'; מַלְכִּיאֵל (Malki'el, H4439) — 'God is my king'.
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]