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Bigvai
in my body
בִּגְוַי big.vay
Bigvai (Hebrew: בִּגְוַי, big.vay) means “in my body”, by traditional interpretation. Three men in scripture bear the name; the best attested is a foreigner. In United States birth records the name is below the reporting threshold. Appears with Adin in Nehemiah 10.
Which Bigvai?
Three men in scripture bear this name. Here is each of them.
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Bigvai
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Bigvai
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Bigvai
Scripture against society
The two measures, side by side
At a glance
- Verses
- 6 across 2 books
- Bearers
- 3 distinct people in scripture
- Testament
- Old
- Era
- Return
Using it today
In United States birth records this name is below the reporting threshold. The Social Security Administration does not publish counts under five, so a name given to four children looks the same as one given to none.
In scripture
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First appears | Ezra 2:2 |
| Last appears | Nehemiah 10:16 |
| Cross-references | 59 linked passages |
Names connected to this one
- Bilshan co-occurrence Appears with Bilshan in Ezra 2.
- Mispar co-occurrence Appears with Mispar in Ezra 2.
- Mordecai co-occurrence Appears with Mordecai in Ezra 2.
- Reelaiah co-occurrence Appears with Reelaiah in Ezra 2.
- Nehemiah co-occurrence Appears with Nehemiah in Ezra 2.
- Baanah co-occurrence Appears with Baanah in Ezra 2.
- Nahamani co-occurrence Appears with Nahamani in Nehemiah 7.
- Adin co-occurrence Appears with Adin in Nehemiah 10.
Origin & meaning
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at Ezr.2.14
§ Bigvai = "in my bodies"
an exile who returned under Zerubbabel, perhaps the head of a family
Bigvai was an ancestor of over 2,000 individuals who returned to Jerusalem from Babylonian captivity.
The biblical story
Bigvai was the ancestor of a large group of people who returned to Jerusalem from the Babylonian captivity. According to the records in Ezra and Nehemiah, 2,056 (Ezr. 2:14) or 2,067 (Neh. 7:19) individuals from Bigvai's family were among the returnees. This significant number suggests that Bigvai's descendants formed an important part of the Jewish community in exile. Additionally, Ezra mentions that Uthai and Zabbud, two leaders from the descendants of Bigvai, led a group of 70 men to Jerusalem during Ezra's own return (Ezr. 8:14). The repeated mention of Bigvai's descendants highlights their active role in the restoration of Jerusalem and the Jewish community after the exile.
Key verses
Bigvai appears in 3 verses. Here are some of the most notable:
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The children of Bigvai, two thousand fifty and six.
Ezra 2:14 -
Of the sons also of Bigvai; Uthai, and Zabbud, and with them seventy males.
Ezra 8:14 -
The children of Bigvai, two thousand threescore and seven.
Nehemiah 7:19
Show all 3 references
Ezra (2)
- Ezra 2:14
- Ezra 8:14
Nehemiah (1)
- Nehemiah 7:19