The Nethinim have been a bunch of temple servants or assistants talked about within the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. Initially, they have been seemingly non-Israelite captives devoted to menial duties throughout the Second Temple in Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile. Their duties included gathering wooden, drawing water, and different supportive roles needed for the temple’s operation. The time period itself, derived from a Hebrew phrase that means “given” or “devoted,” displays their standing as people assigned to temple service.
Understanding the function of those temple servants offers invaluable context for deciphering the postexilic interval of Jewish historical past. Their presence illustrates the sensible realities of sustaining a functioning temple and the social stratification throughout the restored neighborhood. The inclusion of this group within the biblical narrative sheds gentle on the various make-up of the Jewish inhabitants getting back from exile and the group of spiritual life throughout this period.
