Translations
Original
Notes
The temple servants were likely descendants of the Gibeonites (Joshua 9:23–27). They helped the Levites (Ezra 8:20) by carrying water and wood and sweeping floors.
This chapter is Ezra's first major digression from the main story. The returning exiles needed to identify true Jews to maintain their community identity and theological purity. This helped them know whom they could marry and who could worship at the temple. This list is not the initial list of all Jews who returned to Jerusalem (compare Nehemiah 7:6–73). Instead, it is a slightly later list, created after Sheshbazzar died, of people who had settled in their towns.
Parallels
People
Besai: Ancestor of temple servants who returned from exile Paseah: Ancestor of temple servants who returned from exile Uzza: Ancestor of temple servants who returned from Babylon
Glossary
Besai Book of Ezra Census First Book of Esdras Genealogy Nethinim Paseah Singer Uzza
Topics
Besai: One of the Nethinim Levites: The List of Those Who Returned from Captivity Nethinim: A Large Number of, Returned from the Captivity Paseah: Ancestor of a Family Which Returned to Jerusalem from Captivity in Babylon Phaseah: Ancestor of a Family Which Returned to Jerusalem from the Captivity Uzza: One of the Nethinim