{
  "id": "dict_001704",
  "term": "Ephai",
  "slug": "ephai",
  "letter": "E",
  "entry_type": "biblical_person",
  "entry_family": "theological_term",
  "depth_profile": "standard",
  "short_definition": "A Netophathite named among the men who came to Gedaliah after the fall of Jerusalem.",
  "simple_one_line": "Ephai is a minor biblical figure mentioned in Jeremiah 40:8.",
  "tooltip_text": "A little-known biblical man named with the remnant in Judah after Jerusalem's destruction.",
  "aliases": [],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [
    "Gedaliah",
    "Jeremiah",
    "Netophathite",
    "remnant"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "Jeremiah 40",
    "fall of Jerusalem",
    "Judah remnant"
  ],
  "lede_intro": "Ephai is a minor Old Testament personal name. The only explicit biblical reference places him among the men associated with Gedaliah after Jerusalem fell.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "A biblical person named in Jeremiah 40:8; identified as a Netophathite.",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "Minor biblical figure",
    "appears in the aftermath of Jerusalem's fall",
    "listed with other men who came to Gedaliah."
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "Ephai is a minor biblical proper name appearing in Jeremiah 40:8. He is identified as a Netophathite and is listed among the men connected with Gedaliah after the destruction of Jerusalem.",
  "description_academic_full": "Ephai is not a theological doctrine or concept but a biblical personal name. In Jeremiah 40:8, he is named as one of the Netophathites associated with the group of men who came to Gedaliah after Jerusalem's fall. Because Scripture gives only this brief notice, no larger biographical profile can be established with confidence. The entry is best treated as a minor biblical person rather than as a theological term.",
  "background_biblical_context": "Jeremiah 40 describes the events that followed Babylon's destruction of Jerusalem. Gedaliah was appointed governor over the remnant in Judah, and several men, including Ephai, are listed in connection with that period.",
  "background_historical_context": "The reference belongs to the turbulent period immediately after the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC, when a small remnant remained in the land under Babylonian oversight.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": "Netophah was a town associated with Judah, and people identified as Netophathites were therefore linked to a Judean local community in the late monarchy or its aftermath.",
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "Jeremiah 40:8"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [],
  "original_language_note": "The name is a Hebrew personal name transliterated into English as Ephai; the biblical text gives no extended explanation of its meaning.",
  "theological_significance": "Ephai has no major doctrinal role, but his inclusion illustrates Scripture's attention to obscure individuals in Israel's history.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "As with many minor biblical names, the significance of Ephai lies less in biographical detail than in the historical reliability and completeness of the biblical record.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "Do not build biography, symbolism, or doctrinal claims from the name alone. The Bible provides only a brief identification.",
  "major_views_note": "There are not competing interpretive schools for this name beyond identifying the correct biblical reference and its transliteration.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "Ephai is a historical person, not a doctrine or theological category. Any claims beyond Jeremiah 40:8 would be speculative.",
  "practical_significance": "The name reminds readers that God records even obscure people and that the remnant history of Judah includes many unnamed or little-known individuals.",
  "meta_description": "Ephai was a Netophathite named in Jeremiah 40:8 among the men connected with Gedaliah after Jerusalem's fall.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/ephai/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/ephai.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}