Levite who opposed Ezra's marriage reforms
Shabbethai
Named in 1 verse of Ezra, first in Ezra 10:15.
שַׁבְּתַיShabbethai
The name means “my rest.” Hitchcock's Bible Names, 1869
About Shabbethai Written by AI
Shabbethai, mentioned in Ezra 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.
Drafted by an AI model for STEPBible's TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Check it against the verses below.
Easton's Bible Dictionary, 1897
This entry is on the name Shabbethai, and may cover more than one person or place by that name.
Sabbath-born, a Levite who assisted in expounding the law and investigating into the illegal marriages of the Jews (Ezra 10:15; Neh. 8:7; 11:16).
M. G. Easton, Illustrated Bible Dictionary, third edition (1897), public domain, from CrossWire. Shown as written; its Scripture quotes are from older translations.
Where the Bible names him
- Ezra 10:15
(Only Jonathan son of Asahel and Jahzeiah son of Tikvah, supported by Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite, opposed this plan.)
From STEPBible's TIPNR, Tyndale House Cambridge (CC BY 4.0): names, family, references and the AI written article. Verse text is the BSB.