2081. Zebina

Lexical Summary

Zebina: Zebina

Original Word: זְבִינָא
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Zbiyna'
Pronunciation: zeh-bee-NAH
Phonetic Spelling: (zeb-ee-naw')
KJV: Zebina
NASB: Zebina
Word Origin: [from an unused root (meaning to purchase)]

1. gainfulness
2. Zebina, an Israelite

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Zebina

From an unused root (meaning to purchase); gainfulness; Zebina, an Israelite -- Zebina.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
an Aramaism from zeban
Definition
"bought," an Isr.
NASB Translation
Zebina (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

זְבִינָא proper name, masculine (bought; Aramaic, from √ זְבַן, buy, compare Biblical Aramaic Daniel 2:8) — name of one who had taken a strange wife Ezra 10:43.

Topical Lexicon

Meaning of the Name

Zebina (Hebrew זְבִינָא, Zebinah) carries the idea of “being gained or bought,” suggesting that his personal history, family circumstances, or future service might have been viewed through the lens of purchase or redemption. Although Scripture does not elaborate on his biography, the resonance of “purchase” harmonizes with later biblical themes of ransom and redemption (for example, Isaiah 35:10; 1 Corinthians 6:20).

Biblical Occurrence

Ezra 10:43 is the sole occurrence:

“From the descendants of Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zebadiah, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, and Benaiah.”

Historical Setting

1. Post-exilic Jerusalem (circa 458 BC).
2. The community had fallen into intermarriage with surrounding peoples in violation of Mosaic directives (Deuteronomy 7:3-4).
3. Ezra led a covenant renewal, requiring the men to separate from unlawful unions (Ezra 10:3-4). Zebina’s name is preserved among those who complied.

Covenant Significance

• Commitment to Holiness: By submitting to Ezra’s call, Zebina publicly affirmed the priority of covenant fidelity over personal and cultural ties.
• Corporate Responsibility: His inclusion underscores that purity concerns were communal, not merely individual (Joshua 7:1; 1 Corinthians 5:6).
• Written Record: Listing each participant—including relatively obscure figures—demonstrates Scripture’s meticulous preservation of both major and minor contributors to redemptive history.

Theological Reflections

1. Repentance Is Personal: Though the sin was widespread, each individual had to respond. Zebina’s compliance illustrates the personal nature of repentance (Proverbs 28:13).
2. Grace in Discipline: The painful separation served a restorative purpose, preserving the messianic line and doctrinal integrity (Ezra 9:8-9; Malachi 2:11-12).
3. Foreshadowing Redemption: A man whose name evokes “purchase” appears in a chapter emphasizing cleansing from compromise—pointing forward to the ultimate purchase of a people for God through Christ (Titus 2:14).

Ministry Applications

• Leaders today must courageously confront sin in the believing community, modeling Ezra’s balance of grief and decisive action.
• Believers are called to distinctiveness without isolation, maintaining allegiance to God while engaging culture (2 Corinthians 6:14-18; 1 Peter 2:9-12).
• Recording testimonies—even brief—matters: the faithfulness of “unknown” saints encourages future generations.

Related Passages

Deuteronomy 7:3-4; Joshua 23:11-13; Nehemiah 13:23-27; Malachi 2:11-12; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18.

Jewish Tradition

Rabbinic comment on Ezra 10 often views the list as evidence of communal reform that safeguarded Israel’s religious identity, with each name demonstrating that no transgressor was overlooked, yet everyone willing to repent was restored.

Summary

Zebina, though mentioned only once, embodies the seriousness with which God’s people must guard covenant fidelity. His appearance in Ezra’s reform narrative challenges every generation to uphold holiness, heed corrective discipline, and rejoice in the gracious “purchase” that ultimately secures a pure people for the Lord.

Forms and Transliterations

זְבִינָ֔א זבינא zə·ḇî·nā zəḇînā zeviNa

Englishman's Concordance

Ezra 10:43
HEB: מַתִּתְיָה֙ זָבָ֣ד זְבִינָ֔א [יַדֹּו כ]
NAS: Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai,
KJV: Zabad, Zebina, Jadau,
INT: Mattithiah Zabad Zebina Iddo Joel

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 2081
1 Occurrence

zə·ḇî·nā — 1 Occ.