The number of descendants of Bigvai who returned from the Babylonian exile (Ezra 2:14)
The number 2056 appears in Ezra 2:14, where it indicates the number of descendants of Bigvai who returned to Judah from captivity in Babylon under Zerubbabel's leadership. Ezra chapter 2 contains a detailed census of those who returned home, and this list highlights God's faithfulness in preserving and restoring His people after the trials of exile. Bigvai is mentioned as one of the leaders of the returnees, and his large group of descendants numbering 2056 testifies to a significant family clan that took part in rebuilding the Jewish community in the land. In the parallel list in Nehemiah 7:19, the number of descendants of Bigvai is given as 2067, that is, eleven more than in Ezra 2:14. Such minor discrepancies between the two lists are common and may be due to different times of registration or variations in copying traditions. The name Bigvai (בִּגְוַי) may be of Persian origin, reflecting the cultural influence from the exile period in Babylon and Persia. Some scholars have linked the name to the Old Persian 'Bagavaya', meaning 'God's gift'. The return from Babylon is regarded in Jewish tradition as the beginning of the Second Temple period, a time marked by renewal of the covenant and the rebuilding of the temple and Jerusalem. The censuses in Ezra and Nehemiah served to legitimize the right of those who returned to participate in this rebuilding.*