Nethinim: The name given to the hereditary temple servants in all the
post-Exilian books of Scripture. The word means given, i.e., "those
set apart", viz., to the menial work of the sanctuary for the
Levites. The name occurs seventeen times, and in each case in the
Authorized Version incorrectly terminates in "s", "Nethinims;" in the
Revised Version, correctly without the "s"
(Ezra 2:70; 7:7,24; 8:20) etc.
The tradition is that the Gibeonites
(Joshua 9:27) were the original
caste, afterwards called Nethinim. Their numbers were added to
afterwards from captives taken in battle; and they were formally
given by David to the Levites
(Ezra 8:20) and so were called Nethinim,
i.e., the given ones, given to the Levites to be their servants. Only
612 Nethinim returned from Babylon
(Ezra 2:58; 8:20) They were under
the control of a chief from among themselves
(Ezra 2:43; Nehemiah 7:46) No
reference to them appears in the New Testament, because it is
probable that they became merged in the general body of the Jewish
people.
