BINNUI (bĭn'ū-ī, built)
A Levite, whose son was partly in charge of the silver and gold at Ezra’s return (Ezra.8.33).One of the sons of Pahath-Moab who had married foreign wives (Ezra.10.30).A son of Bani who had been similarly guilty (Ezra.10.38).One of the rebuilders of Jerusalem in 444 b.c., who also became a covenanter under Nehemiah (Neh.3.24; Neh.10.9).Alternate spelling of Bani (cf. Ezra.2.10) whose family returned with Zerubbabel.A Levite who returned with Zerubbabel (Neh.12.8).
BINNUI bĭn’ yoŏ ī (
בִּנְעָ֑א, from
בָּנָה,
H1215,
to build). 1. A Levite from postexilic times; father of Noadiah (
Ezra 8:33;
1 Esd 8:63). He was appointed to the job of supervising the weighing of the gold and silver vessels that Ezra brought from Babylon.
2. The son of Henadad and a repairer of the wall (Neh 3:24) called Bavvai in Neh 3:18. He also is the one who sealed the covenant in Neh 10:9.
3. The ancestor of some who returned with Zerubbabel (Neh 7:15) and called Bani in Ezra 2:10; 1 Esdras 5:12.
4. The ancestor of some who married foreign wives (Ezra 10:38). He may be the same as the man called Bani (in Ezra 10:34; 1 Esd 9:34).
5. A Levite who returned with Zerubbabel (Neh 12:8).
6. One of the sons of Pahath-Moab who married a foreign wife (Ezra 10:30) called Belnuus in 1 Esdras 9:31. Some identify this man with # 4 above.
Bibliography
M. Noth, Die israelitischen Personennamen (1928), 38, 172.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915)
(binnuy, a proper name, "a building up"):
(1) A Levite, living in the time of Ezra (Ezr 8:33; Ne 10:9; 12:8).
(2) One of the bene Pachath-mo’abh who had taken foreign wives (Ezr 10:30--Balnuus of 1 Esdras 9:31) and one of the bene Bani (Ezr 10:38) who had also intermarried.
(3) The son of Henadad, who built part of the wall of Jerusalem (Ne 3:24), and sealed the covenant with Nehemiah (Ne 10:9). In all probability he is identical with "Bavvai, the son of Henadad" mentioned in Ne 3:18. "Bavvai" is either a corruption of "Binnui," or is the name of the Levitical house of which Bavvai was the chief representative. Binnui is mentioned in Ne 10:9 as a leading Levite, and, besides, the names in these verses are obviously those of priests and Levites; so the former theory is probably correct. (4) Head of a family who returned with Zerubbabel (Ne 7:15; Ezr 2:10).
