Who was Darkon in the Bible?

Darkon was the ancestor of a family of temple servants, known as Nethinim, who returned from the Babylonian exile to Jerusalem. His descendants are listed among those who helped rebuild the community and the temple (Ezra 2:56; Nehemiah 7:58).

What is the significance of Darkon's family?

Darkon's family, as temple servants, played a vital support role in the worship and maintenance of the Second Temple. Their return from exile signifies the restoration of the full worship community, including those with specific religious duties.

What key event is Darkon associated with?

The key event associated with Darkon is the return from the Babylonian exile under leaders like Zerubbabel and Ezra. His descendants are recorded among the returning exiles, highlighting their commitment to reestablishing worship in Jerusalem (Ezra 2:1-2, 56).

Darkon

Old TestamentExile & ReturnMaleReturned from exile

Darkon was the ancestor of a family of temple servants who returned from the Babylonian exile. (Ezr.2.56; Neh.7.58)

Darkon

Biography

Darkon was the ancestor of a family classified among the "servants of Solomon", a designation for temple servants descended from the workforce Solomon had organized for the building and maintenance of the Temple. His descendants are listed among those who returned from Babylonian exile with Zerubbabel and Jeshua (Ezra 2:56; Nehemiah 7:58). The family of Darkon is grouped with other such servant families, suggesting they had maintained their identity and communal bonds even through the long decades of exile in Babylon. Though Darkon himself is mentioned only through his descendants, the survival of his family line and their return to the land represents the fulfillment of God's promise to restore a remnant to Judah.

Significance

Darkon's family line illustrates the faithfulness of the post-exilic community in preserving ancestral identity and vocational heritage through the trauma of exile. The return of the temple servants, descendants of those whom Solomon had set apart for the service of the house of God, was essential to the restoration of proper temple worship in Jerusalem. Their presence in the repatriation lists of Ezra and Nehemiah testifies that God preserved not only the priestly families but the full supporting community required for the Temple's functioning. Theologically, Darkon's descendants embody the principle that God's redemptive plan encompasses the entire worshipping community, not merely its leaders, ensuring continuity of sacred service across generations.

Verse Appearances (2)

Ezra

Ezra 2:56

Nehemiah

Nehemiah 7:58

References

Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References (TIPNR). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
Wikidata contributors (n.d.) Wikidata. Available at: https://www.wikidata.org. [CC0]
Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]

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