New International VersionThe temple servants: the descendants of Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth,
New Living TranslationThe descendants of the following Temple servants returned from exile: Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth,
English Standard VersionThe temple servants: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth,
Berean Standard BibleThe temple servants: the descendants of Ziha, the descendants of Hasupha, the descendants of Tabbaoth,
King James BibleThe Nethinims: the children of Ziha, the children of Hashupha, the children of Tabbaoth,
New King James VersionThe Nethinim: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth,
New American Standard BibleThe temple servants: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth,
NASB 1995The temple servants: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth,
NASB 1977The temple servants: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth,
Legacy Standard BibleThe temple servants: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth,
Amplified BibleThe temple servants: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth,
Christian Standard BibleThe temple servants included Ziha’s descendants, Hasupha’s descendants, Tabbaoth’s descendants,
Holman Christian Standard BibleThe temple servants included: Ziha’s descendants, Hasupha’s descendants, Tabbaoth’s descendants,
American Standard VersionThe Nethinim: the children of Ziha, the children of Hasupha, the children of Tabbaoth,
English Revised VersionThe Nethinim: the children of Ziha, the children of Hasupha, the children of Tabbaoth;
GOD'S WORD® TranslationThese temple servants returned from exile: the descendants of Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth,
International Standard VersionThe Temple Servants: Descendants of Ziha, Hasupha, and Tabbaoth.
NET BibleThe temple servants: the descendants of Ziha, the descendants of Hasupha, the descendants of Tabbaoth,
New Heart English BibleThe Nethinim: the descendants of Ziha, the descendants of Hasupha, the descendants of Tabbaoth,
Webster's Bible TranslationThe Nethinims: the children of Ziha, the children of Hashupha, the children of Tabbaoth, Majority Text Translations Majority Standard BibleThe temple servants: the descendants of Ziha, the descendants of Hasupha, the descendants of Tabbaoth,
World English BibleThe temple servants: the children of Ziha, the children of Hasupha, the children of Tabbaoth, Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionThe Nethinim: sons of Ziha, sons of Hasupha, sons of Tabbaoth,
Young's Literal Translation The Nethinim: sons of Ziha, sons of Hasupha, sons of Tabbaoth,
Smith's Literal TranslationThe Nethinims: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth, Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleThe porters: the children of Sellum, the children of Ater, the children of Telmon, the children of Accub, the children of Hatita, the children of Sobai: a hundred thirty-eight.
Catholic Public Domain VersionThe gatekeepers: the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, the sons of Shobai, one hundred thirty-eight.
New American BibleThe gatekeepers: descendants of Shallum, descendants of Ater, descendants of Talmon, descendants of Akkub, descendants of Hatita, descendants of Shobai, one hundred and thirty-eight.
New Revised Standard VersionThe temple servants: the descendants of Ziha, of Hasupha, of Tabbaoth, Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleThe Nethanites: the descendants of Azha, the descendants of Hashupha, the descendants of Tabboath.
Peshitta Holy Bible TranslatedThe men, the children of Atskha, the children of Kheshupha, the children of Tabuth OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917The Nethinim: the children of Ziha, the children of Hasupha, the children of Tabbaoth;
Brenton Septuagint TranslationThe Nathinim; the children of Sea, the children of Aspha, the children of Tabaoth,
Additional Translations ... Audio Bible
Context The List of Returning Exiles… 45The gatekeepers: the descendants of Shallum, the descendants of Ater, the descendants of Talmon, the descendants of Akkub, the descendants of Hatita, and the descendants of Shobai, 138 in all. 46The temple servants:the descendantsof Ziha,the descendantsof Hasupha,the descendantsof Tabbaoth,47the descendants of Keros, the descendants of Sia, the descendants of Padon,…
Cross References Ezra 2:43-54The temple servants: the descendants of Ziha, the descendants of Hasupha, the descendants of Tabbaoth, / the descendants of Keros, the descendants of Siaha, the descendants of Padon, / the descendants of Lebanah, the descendants of Hagabah, the descendants of Akkub, ...
Nehemiah 11:3-19These are the heads of the provinces who settled in Jerusalem. (In the villages of Judah, however, each lived on his own property in their towns—the Israelites, priests, Levites, temple servants, and descendants of Solomon’s servants— / while some of the descendants of Judah and Benjamin settled in Jerusalem.) From the descendants of Judah: Athaiah son of Uzziah, the son of Zechariah, the son of Amariah, the son of Shephatiah, the son of Mahalalel, a descendant of Perez; / and Maaseiah son of Baruch, the son of Col-hozeh, the son of Hazaiah, the son of Adaiah, the son of Joiarib, the son of Zechariah, a descendant of Shelah. ...
1 Chronicles 9:2-3Now the first to resettle their own property in their cities were Israelites, priests, Levites, and temple servants. / Some of the descendants of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh lived in Jerusalem:
1 Chronicles 9:10-19From the priests: Jedaiah, Jehoiarib, and Jachin; / Azariah son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, the chief official of God’s temple; / Adaiah son of Jeroham, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malchijah; Maasai son of Adiel, the son of Jahzerah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Meshillemith, the son of Immer; ...
Numbers 3:5-9Then the LORD said to Moses, / “Bring the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron the priest to assist him. / They are to perform duties for him and for the whole congregation before the Tent of Meeting, attending to the service of the tabernacle. ...
Numbers 8:5-26Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, / “Take the Levites from among the Israelites and make them ceremonially clean. / This is what you must do to cleanse them: Sprinkle them with the water of purification. Have them shave their whole bodies and wash their clothes, and so purify themselves. ...
1 Chronicles 23:3-6The Levites thirty years of age or older were counted, and the total number of men was 38,000. / “Of these,” said David, “24,000 are to oversee the work of the house of the LORD, 6,000 are to be officers and judges, / 4,000 are to be gatekeepers, and 4,000 are to praise the LORD with the instruments I have made for giving praise.” ...
1 Chronicles 23:24-32These were the descendants of Levi by their families—the heads of families, registered individually by name—those twenty years of age or older who worked in the service of the house of the LORD. / For David had said, “The LORD, the God of Israel, has given rest to His people and has come to dwell in Jerusalem forever. / So now the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the articles for its service.” ...
1 Chronicles 24:20-31Now these were the rest of the descendants of Levi: From the sons of Amram: Shubael; from the sons of Shubael: Jehdeiah. / As for Rehabiah, from his sons: The first was Isshiah. / From the Izharites: Shelomoth; from the sons of Shelomoth: Jahath. ...
1 Chronicles 25:1-31Additionally, David and the commanders of the army set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun to prophesy with the accompaniment of lyres, harps, and cymbals. The following is the list of the men who performed this service: / From the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asarelah. These sons of Asaph were under the direction of Asaph, who prophesied under the direction of the king. / From the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah—six in all—under the direction of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with the harp, giving thanks and praise to the LORD. ...
1 Chronicles 26:12-19These divisions of the gatekeepers, through their chief men, had duties for ministering in the house of the LORD, just as their relatives did. / They cast lots for each gate, according to their families, young and old alike. / The lot for the East Gate fell to Shelemiah. Then lots were cast for his son Zechariah, a wise counselor, and the lot for the North Gate fell to him. ...
1 Chronicles 26:20-28Now their fellow Levites were in charge of the treasuries of the house of God and the treasuries of the dedicated things. / From the descendants of Ladan, who were Gershonites through Ladan and heads of the families of Ladan the Gershonite, were Jehieli, / the sons of Jehieli, Zetham, and his brother Joel. They were in charge of the treasuries of the house of the LORD. ...
1 Chronicles 26:29-32From the Izharites, Chenaniah and his sons had the outside duties as officers and judges over Israel. / From the Hebronites, Hashabiah and his relatives, 1,700 capable men, had charge of the affairs of Israel west of the Jordan for all the work of the LORD and for the service of the king. / As for the Hebronites, Jerijah was the chief of the Hebronites, according to the genealogies of his ancestors. In the fortieth year of David’s reign the records were searched, and strong, capable men were found among the Hebronites at Jazer in Gilead. ...
2 Chronicles 31:2-19Hezekiah reestablished the divisions of the priests and Levites—each of them according to their duties as priests or Levites—for the burnt offerings and peace offerings, for ministry, for giving thanks, and for singing praises at the gates of the LORD’s dwelling. / The king contributed from his own possessions for the regular morning and evening burnt offerings and for the burnt offerings on the Sabbaths, New Moons, and appointed feasts, as written in the Law of the LORD. / Moreover, he commanded the people living in Jerusalem to make a contribution for the priests and Levites so that they could devote themselves to the Law of the LORD. ...
2 Chronicles 35:3-6To the Levites who taught all Israel and were holy to the LORD, Josiah said: “Put the holy ark in the temple built by Solomon son of David king of Israel. It is not to be carried around on your shoulders. Now serve the LORD your God and His people Israel. / Prepare yourselves by families in your divisions, according to the instructions written by David king of Israel and Solomon his son. / Moreover, stand in the Holy Place by the divisions of the families of your kinsmen the lay people, and by the divisions of the families of the Levites. ...
Treasury of Scripture The Nethinims: the children of Ziha, the children of Hashupha, the children of Tabbaoth, Nethinims Leviticus 27:2-8 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When a man shall make a singular vow, the personsshall be for the LORD by thy estimation… Joshua 9:23-27 Now therefore yeare cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen, and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God… 1 Chronicles 9:2 Now the first inhabitants thatdwelt in their possessions in their citieswere, the Israelites, the priests, Levites, and the Nethinims. Hashupha Ezra 2:43 The Nethinims: the children of Ziha, the children of Hasupha, the children of Tabbaoth, Hasupha Jump to Previous ChildrenDescendantsHasuphaHasu'phaNethinimNethinimsServantsTabbaothTabba'othTempleZihaJump to Next ChildrenDescendantsHasuphaHasu'phaNethinimNethinimsServantsTabbaothTabba'othTempleZihaNehemiah 7 1.Nehemiah commits the charge of Jerusalem to Hanani and Hananiah5.A register of the genealogy of them which came at the first out of Babylon9.of the people39.of the priests43.of the Levites46.of the Nethinims57.of Solomon's servants63.and of the priests which could not find their pedigree66.The whole number of them, with their substance70.Their offeringsThe temple servants:The temple servants, also known as the Nethinim, were a group assigned to assist the Levites in the service of the temple. Their role was crucial in maintaining the daily operations and rituals of the temple, ensuring that worship could proceed smoothly. Historically, these servants were likely non-Israelites who had been integrated into the community, possibly as captives or converts, and dedicated to temple service. This reflects the inclusivity of God's plan, where even those outside the original covenant community could serve in His house. the descendants of Ziha,
Ziha is one of the family heads of the temple servants. The mention of specific family names highlights the importance of lineage and heritage in Jewish culture, especially concerning roles in temple service. This also underscores the meticulous record-keeping of the post-exilic community, emphasizing the restoration of proper worship practices after the Babylonian exile. The name Ziha may mean "brightness" or "splendor," which could symbolically reflect the role of these servants in maintaining the splendor of temple worship. the descendants of Hasupha,
Hasupha is another family line among the temple servants. The listing of these families in Nehemiah's account serves to authenticate the community's commitment to reestablishing the temple's function according to the Law. The name Hasupha might be related to the Hebrew word for "gathered" or "assembled," which could metaphorically relate to the gathering of God's people and their dedication to His service. This reflects the broader theme of restoration and renewal found throughout the book of Nehemiah. the descendants of Tabbaoth,
Tabbaoth is the third family mentioned in this verse. The inclusion of these names in the genealogical record underscores the continuity of worship practices from pre-exilic times. The name Tabbaoth could be linked to the Hebrew word for "rings" or "ornaments," possibly indicating a role in the adornment or beautification of the temple. This connection to the temple's physical beauty can be seen as a type of the spiritual beauty and order that Christ brings to His church, as the ultimate fulfillment of the temple's purpose. Persons / Places / Events 1. Temple Servants (Nethinim)These were individuals assigned to assist the Levites in the service of the temple. Their role was crucial in maintaining the daily operations and rituals of the temple. 2. Descendants of ZihaA family line among the temple servants. The name "Ziha" may imply "brightness" or "splendor," indicating a possible role or characteristic of this family. 3. Descendants of HasuphaAnother family line of temple servants. The name "Hasupha" could mean "gathered" or "assembled," suggesting their role in the collective service of the temple. 4. Descendants of TabbaothA family line of temple servants. The name "Tabbaoth" might mean "rings" or "ornaments," possibly indicating a specific duty or symbolic role within the temple service. 5. The Temple in JerusalemThe central place of worship for the Israelites, where these servants performed their duties. It was the focal point of Jewish religious life and identity. Teaching Points The Importance of ServiceThe temple servants remind us of the value of humble service in God's kingdom. Every role, no matter how seemingly small, contributes to the greater purpose of worship and community. Faithfulness in Assigned RolesLike the temple servants, we are called to be faithful in the roles God assigns us. Our dedication in these roles is a form of worship and obedience. Community and CooperationThe temple servants worked alongside the Levites, illustrating the importance of cooperation and unity in achieving God's purposes. Heritage and LegacyThe mention of family lines underscores the significance of spiritual heritage and the impact of our faithfulness on future generations. Restoration and RenewalThe return of the temple servants to Jerusalem symbolizes restoration and renewal, encouraging us to seek God's restoration in our lives and communities. Bible Study Questions and Answers 1.What is the meaning of Nehemiah 7:46?
2.How does Nehemiah 7:46 highlight the importance of temple servants in worship?
3.What role do the "temple servants" play in the broader narrative of Nehemiah?
4.How can we serve our church community like the "temple servants" did?
5.What scriptural connections exist between Nehemiah 7:46 and New Testament teachings on service?
6.How does understanding Nehemiah 7:46 inspire us to support church ministries today?
7.What is the significance of the temple servants listed in Nehemiah 7:46?
8.How does Nehemiah 7:46 reflect the historical context of post-exilic Jerusalem?
9.Why are the descendants of the temple servants important in Nehemiah 7:46?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from Nehemiah 7?
11.Nehemiah 11:21 – What archaeological proof exists for the Nethinim and their service near the Temple, as described in this passage?
12.Does the detailed list of families and possessions in Nehemiah 7:6-73 have any archaeological corroboration, or could it be exaggerated?
13.How many singers accompanied the assembly? Two hundred (Ezra 2:65) Two hundred and forty-five (Nehemiah 7:67)
14.What explains the differences between the genealogies in Ezra 2:2 and Nehemiah 7:7 if they reference the same returnees?What Does Nehemiah 7:46 Mean The temple servantsNehemiah 7:46 reads, “The temple servants: the descendants of Ziha, the descendants of Hasupha, the descendants of Tabbaoth.” These temple servants—elsewhere called the Nethinim—were men assigned to assist the Levites in day-to-day duties at the house of God. • They are listed alongside priests, Levites, and singers inEzra 2:43–58, showing their recognized role in worship life. •1 Chronicles 9:2 notes that such servants were settled in Jerusalem after the exile, highlighting God’s provision for orderly worship. • Their inclusion in Nehemiah’s census underscores that every servant in God’s house matters; none are forgotten.
The descendants of Ziha• Ziha’s line is first among the three, indicating a distinct family identity maintained through the exile (Ezra 2:43). • Their perseverance models faithfulness: despite captivity, they preserved lineage so they could serve again when the temple was restored (Nehemiah 11:21). • God rewards those who keep covenant responsibilities, even across generations (Deuteronomy 7:9).
The descendants of Hasupha• Hasupha’s family appears only in the exile lists (Ezra 2:43;Nehemiah 7:46), but that brief mention confirms God saw their obedience. • Though little-known, they fulfilled the humble tasks that enabled public worship—echoing Jesus’ teaching that greatness is found in serving (Mark 10:43–45). • Their survival and return illustrate God’s promise to bring His people back to their land (Jeremiah 29:14).
The descendants of Tabbaoth• Tabbaoth means “ring” or “impression,” suggesting a mark or seal; fittingly, this family left its mark by steadfast service (Ezra 2:43). • They remind believers that even small groups have a place in God’s redemptive story (1 Corinthians 12:22–25). • Their mention alongside other families testifies that God builds His house through many members working together (Ephesians 2:19–22).
summaryNehemiah 7:46 records three families of temple servants returning from exile. Their quiet faithfulness ensured that worship could resume in Jerusalem, proving that God honors every role in His kingdom. By naming Ziha, Hasupha, and Tabbaoth, Scripture affirms that the Lord remembers and rewards those who serve Him, however hidden their labor may seem. Verse 46. - The Nethinims. The list which follows is very close to that of Ezra (Ezra 2:43-54). A few names are differently spelt, and one of Ezra's names (Akkub - Ezra 2:45) is omitted.
Parallel Commentaries ...
Hebrew The temple servants:הַנְּתִינִ֑ים(han·nə·ṯî·nîm)Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 5411:The Nethinim, Temple-servantsthe descendantsבְּנֵי־(bə·nê-)Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 1121:A sonof Ziha,צִחָ֥א(ṣi·ḥā)Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 6727:Ziha -- an overseer of Nethinim, also an Israelite familythe descendantsבְנֵי־(ḇə·nê-)Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 1121:A sonof Hasupha,חֲשֻׂפָ֖א(ḥă·śu·p̄ā)Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 2817:Hasupha -- an Israelitethe descendantsבְּנֵ֥י(bə·nê)Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 1121:A sonof Tabbaoth,טַבָּעֽוֹת׃(ṭab·bā·‘ō·wṯ)Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 2884:Tabbaoth -- an Israelite
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OT History: Nehemiah 7:46 The Nethinim: the children of Ziha (Neh Ne) |
