Bebai

Bebai is mentioned in Ezr.2.11 and Neh.7.16 as the head of a family that returned to Jerusalem from Babylonian exile. The lists in these passages record the names of the families and their numbers who returned to Judah to resettle and rebuild the temple and the city. According to Ezr.2.11, 623 members of Bebai's family returned, while Neh.7.16 lists 628. This discrepancy may be due to differences in counting or additional family members joining the group. In Ezr.8.11, a descendant of Bebai named Zechariah is mentioned among those who returned with Ezra to Jerusalem, along with 28 men of his family. Later, in Ezr.10.28, another member of Bebai's family is listed among those who had married foreign women and pledged to put them away in response to Ezra's call for repentance. These references indicate that Bebai's family played a significant role in the resettlement of Jerusalem and the restoration of the Jewish community after the exile.