בְּסַי
𐤁𐤎𐤉
Besay
H1153 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A proper name designating an individual, Besai, listed among the Nethinim—temple servants returned from exile. The name possibly connotes 'domineering' or 'one who treads down,' drawing from the probable underlying root base meaning 'to trample' or 'to subdue,' but its precise nuance as a name is uncertain; may function simply as a personal or clan identifier.
Semantic Range
proper personal or clan name; possible connotations: domineering, one who treads/tramples; name of a group/family among the Nethinim in Ezra and Nehemiah
Root / Etymology
Derived from the Hebrew root בוס (b-w-s), meaning 'to trample' or 'to tread down.' Besai (בְּסַי) may reflect a passive or adjectival formation, but its exact morphological relationship to the root is uncertain. Alternatively, it may represent a non-Hebrew name Hebraicized in the post-exilic period, and thus the etymology is not definitively established.
Historical & Contextual Notes
בְּסַי (Besai) appears in Ezra 2:49 and Nehemiah 7:52 as a name among the Nethinim—a group of temple servants distinguished from Levites and lay Israelites, originating likely from non-Israelite populations incorporated into Israelite worship during the monarchic or early Second Temple periods. The Nethinim names often reflect foreign or hybrid origins, and some, like Besai, may have meanings lost or obscured over time. While later tradition sometimes connects Besai and other Nethinim names with specific tribal or ethnic origins, the biblical text presents them primarily as functional classifications in the post-exilic community. Standard English translations render the term as a proper noun ('Besai') but do not preserve possible nuances of meaning from the underlying root. The application of the term 'Jew' to individuals like Besai in post-exilic lists is anachronistic; the texts present them as temple functionaries, not as representatives of a defined later religious identity.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from בּוּס; domineering; Besai, one of the Nethinim; Besai.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
בוס (b-w-s) — to trample, to tread down, to subdue
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H2982 | יְבוּס | Trampled Place |
| H4001 | מְבוּסָה | and trampling-down |
| H8395 | תְּבוּסָה | trampling-down of |
| H947 | בּוּס | I will trample him |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1153-01 |
בֵסָֽי | vesay | HNp |
Besai | Treader-Down | 2 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1153-01 |
Ezra 2:49 | בֵסָֽי | vesay | HNp |
Besai | Treader-Down |
H1153-01 |
Nehemiah 7:52 | בֵסַ֥י | vesay | HNp |
Besai | Treader-Down |