מַכְנַדְבַי
𐤌𐤊𐤍𐤃𐤁𐤉
Makhenadevay
H4367 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Maknadbay — a personal name, attested as a post-exilic Israelite household leader. The name’s formation is unusual and appears to combine a particle of interrogation or comparison with a derivation from the root for 'willing' or 'generous.' Its precise meaning is debated and uncertain, but it suggests something akin to 'who is like the noble one?' or 'what is like the generous one?' depending on how its elements are parsed. Used solely as a proper name in a genealogical context.
Semantic Range
proper name, possibly 'who is like the generous/noble one?', personal designation in post-exilic Israelite context
Root / Etymology
Composed from possible elements: the interrogative particle מַ ('what?', 'who?', sometimes comparative), the root נָדַב (nadav, 'to be willing, generous, noble'), with an interposed nun as either a formational augment or phonetic element. Full morphological or etymological analysis is debated and uncertain.
Historical & Contextual Notes
Maknadbay appears only in Nehemiah 10:4 as the name of a signatory to the covenant in the post-exilic community. The name is singular in the Hebrew Bible and is most likely emblematic of post-exilic naming practices, which sometimes employed unusual compositional forms, especially in genealogical lists. There is no lexical evidence that it was used outside this context or held meaning independent of the proper name. English translations typically transliterate the name without rendering a meaning. The word does not recur elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible, and its structure is unlike most classical Israelite personal names, which more often combine divine elements with qualities or statements about God's actions.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from מָה and נָדַב with a particle interposed; what (is) like (a) liberal (man) ?; Maknadbai, an Israelite; Machnadebai.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
מנדב (m-n-d-b) — to be willing, to volunteer, to be generous, to incite
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4367-01 |
מַכְנַדְבַ֥י | makhenadevay | HNp |
Machnadebai | Who-is-like-the-Generous-One | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4367-01 |
Ezra 10:40 | מַכְנַדְבַ֥י | makhenadevay | HNp |
Machnadebai | Who-is-like-the-Generous-One |