Hebrew word · H5444

סִבְּכַי

sibekhai

Sibbecai

A personal name plus a place or clan name: "Sibbecai, the man from Hushah".

Appears 4 times in 4 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

A man living at the time of United Monarchy, first mentioned at 2Sa.21.18; also called Mebunnai (NIV: Sibbekai) at 2Sa.23.27;

Also named: me.vun.nay (מְבֻנַּי "Mebunnai" H4012)

§ Sibbecai or Sibbechai = "weaver"

one of David's guard and 8th captain for the 8th month of 24,000 men of the king's army; a Judaite, descendant of Zerah and called the 'Hushathite'

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of 1 Chronicles 27:11

Range of meaning

A personal name plus a place or clan name: "Sibbecai, the man from Hushah".

Against the English

KJV spells it "Sibbecai" here and "Sibbechai" in 2 Samuel 21:18. Modern versions standardise the spelling. NIV and others follow the Masoretic "Mebunnai" in 2 Samuel 23:27 but usually add a footnote.

Used elsewhere in the period

1 Chronicles 11:29 (one of David's mighty men); 2 Samuel 21:18 and 1 Chronicles 20:4 (he kills Saph/Sippai, of the descendants of the Rephaim, in a war with the Philistines); 2 Samuel 23:27 (likely the same man, garbled as "Mebunnai"). Hushah is listed in Judah's genealogy (1 Chronicles 4:4).

Where it appears

2 Samuel · 1

  1. 2 Samuel 21:18 סִבְּכַי֙ Sibbecai

    Some time later at Gob, there was another battle with the Philistines. At that time Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph, a descendant of Rapha.

1 Chronicles · 3

  1. 1 Chronicles 11:29 סִבְּכַי֙ Sibbecai

    Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite,

  2. 1 Chronicles 20:4 סִבְּכַ֣י Sibbecai

    Some time later, war broke out with the Philistines at Gezer. At that time Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Sippai, a descendant of the Rephaim, and the Philistines were subdued.

  3. 1 Chronicles 27:11 סִבְּכַ֥י Sibbecai

    The eighth, for the eighth month, was Sibbecai the Hushathite, a Zerahite. There were 24,000 men in his division.

    Here: A personal name. Sibbecai is known elsewhere as one of David's elite warriors (1 Chronicles 11:29), and as the man who killed Sippai/Saph, one of the descendants of the giants, at Gezer or Gob (1 Chronicles 20:4; 2 Samuel 21:18). What the name means is uncertain.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.