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רִיבַי

𐤓𐤉𐤁𐤉

Rivay

H7380 noun

SILEX Entry

Root ריב to strive, contend, dispute

Definition

Ribai (רִיבַי) is a personal proper name appearing in the Hebrew Bible, specifically designating an Israelite individual. It functions as a patronymic, identifying someone as the 'descendant of Ribai.' The name itself likely means 'my contention' or 'my advocate,' reflecting an association with dispute, contention, or legal defense within its root sense.

Semantic Range

proper name (Ribai), personal designation, patronymic (father/ancestor of Ittai); etymologically: my strife, my legal defense, my dispute

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root ריב (r-y-b), meaning 'to strive, contend, dispute.' The suffix -ַי (-ai) typically serves as a pronominal suffix meaning 'my' in Hebrew; thus, רִיבַי could be construed as 'my contention' or 'my strife.' However, in this context it functions as a proper name, likely borne as a patronymic (e.g., the father of Ittai from Gibeah of the tribe of Benjamin, 2 Samuel 23:29; 1 Chronicles 11:31).

Historical & Contextual Notes

רִיבַי appears sparingly in the Hebrew Bible, exclusively as a personal name, specifically referencing the father of Ittai, one of David’s mighty warriors. The underlying root ריב commonly indicates strife, dispute, or legal contention, but as a personal name, it does not imply that the bearer was necessarily quarrelsome; rather, the name may reflect a social or legal role, or could even function as a theophoric or expressive personal designation. The formation follows a pattern seen in other ancient Israelite personal names, using the third root consonants plus a pronominal suffix, though its interpretation as 'my contention' is more morphological than functional in this context. English translations usually transliterate directly as 'Ribai' without exploring the etymology, and the term is not used for groups (Israelite/Judahite/Judean identity distinctions are not present in the use of this name).

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from רִיב; contentious; Ribai, an Israelite; Ribai.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

ריב (r-y-b) — striving, contending, disputing

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3080 יְהוֹיָרִיב to YHWH-contends
H3377 יָרֵב may he contend
H3401 יָרִיב my contenders
H3402 יָרִיב and to He-Contends
H4808 מְרִיבָה in dispute-of

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H7380-01 רִיבַ֔י rivay HNp Ribai My Contention 2

Occurrences in Scripture

2 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H7380-01 2 Samuel 23:29 רִיבַ֔י rivay HNp Ribai My Contention
H7380-01 1 Chronicles 11:31 רִיבַ֗י rivay HNp Ribai My Contention
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