Person Old Testament
Shobai
Shobai was the ancestor of a family of gatekeepers who returned to Jerusalem from the Babylonian exile. Mentioned in 2 verses across 2 books, first at Ezra 2:42.
Why it matters. Ancestor of a family of gatekeepers who returned from exile.
- Primary passages
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Shobai
Shobai is mentioned in Ezr.2.42 and Neh.7.45 as the ancestor of a family of gatekeepers who were among the exiles that returned to Jerusalem from Babylon. The gatekeepers were responsible for guarding the entrances to the temple and maintaining order within its precincts. Shobai's descendants are listed among the gatekeepers who returned to Jerusalem, indicating that they had a hereditary role in serving at the temple. The return of Shobai's family, along with other exiles, was part of the restoration of Jerusalem and the rebuilding of the temple after the Babylonian captivity.
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
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Appears in Scripture
Named in 2 verses across 2 books. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.