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Shabbethai
my rest
שַׁבְּתַי shab.b.tay
Shabbethai (Hebrew: שַׁבְּתַי, shab.b.tay) means “my rest”, by traditional interpretation. Three men in scripture bear the name; the best attested is a Levite. In United States birth records the name is below the reporting threshold. Appears with Akkub in Nehemiah 8.
Which Shabbethai?
Three men in scripture bear this name. Here is each of them.
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Shabbethai
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Shabbethai
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Shabbethai
Scripture against society
The two measures, side by side
At a glance
- Verses
- 3 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 10:15 |
| Last appears | Nehemiah 11:16 |
| Cross-references | 58 linked passages |
Names connected to this one
- Maaseiah co-occurrence Appears with Maaseiah in Nehemiah 8.
- Azariah co-occurrence Appears with Azariah in Nehemiah 8.
- Jamin co-occurrence Appears with Jamin in Nehemiah 8.
- Akkub co-occurrence Appears with Akkub in Nehemiah 8.
- Jozabad co-occurrence Appears with Jozabad in Nehemiah 8.
- Tikvah co-occurrence Appears with Tikvah in Ezra 10.
- Asahel co-occurrence Appears with Asahel in Ezra 10.
- Jahzeiah co-occurrence Appears with Jahzeiah in Ezra 10.
Origin & meaning
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, only mentioned at Ezr.10.15
§ Shabbethai = "sabbatical"
a Levite in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah
Shabbethai, a Levite, opposed Ezra's efforts to address the issue of intermarriage among the returned exiles.
The biblical story
Shabbethai, mentioned in Ezr.10.15, was a Levite who, along with Meshullam and Jahzeiah, opposed Ezra's efforts to address the problem of intermarriage among the Jewish people who had returned from the Babylonian exile. Ezra had called for a assembly of all the returned exiles in Jerusalem to confront the issue of marriages with foreign women, which was contrary to God's law. Shabbethai and the others stood against this decision, possibly arguing for a more gradual or lenient approach to the situation. Despite their opposition, the assembly agreed with Ezra, and steps were taken to put away the foreign wives and their children.
Key verses
Shabbethai appears in 1 verse. Here are some of the most notable:
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Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahaziah the son of Tikvah were employed about this matter: and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite helped them.
Ezra 10:15
Show all 1 reference
Ezra (1)
- Ezra 10:15