Who was Giddel in the Bible?

Giddel was an ancestor of a family of temple servants known as the Nethinim. His descendants are listed among those who returned from the Babylonian exile to Jerusalem to help rebuild the temple (Ezra 2:47; Nehemiah 7:49).

What is the significance of Giddel and the Nethinim?

The Nethinim, including Giddel's family line, were dedicated temple servants responsible for menial tasks, allowing the priests and Levites to focus on religious duties. Their return from exile was crucial for restoring proper worship and temple operations in Jerusalem.

What key event involves Giddel in the Bible?

The key event is the return from Babylonian exile. Giddel himself is not active in the narrative, but his descendants are recorded among the families of temple servants who made the journey back to Judah with Zerubbabel to rebuild their community and the temple.

Giddel

Old TestamentExile & ReturnMaleReturned from exile

Giddel was an ancestor of a group of temple servants (Nethinim) who returned to Jerusalem from the Babylonian exile.

Giddel

Biography

Giddel appears in Ezra 2:47 and Nehemiah 7:49 as the ancestor of a clan of Nethinim, temple servants, who returned to Jerusalem from Babylonian captivity under the leadership of Zerubbabel and Jeshua, circa 538 BC. The Nethinim were a class of temple workers assigned to assist the Levites in maintaining the sanctuary and its services. Their origins likely traced back to the Gibeonites pressed into temple service (Joshua 9:27) and groups donated to the Levites by David and the princes (Ezra 8:20). The family descended from Giddel numbered among the thousands who answered the call to return and rebuild. Their willingness to leave Babylon and resettle in a ruined Jerusalem demonstrated remarkable commitment to the restoration of covenant worship.

Significance

Giddel and the Nethinim families he represents embody the principle that God's redemptive work depends not only on priests and prophets but on faithful servants who perform essential, often unseen labor. The Nethinim's return alongside priests and Levites signals the reconstitution of the entire institutional worship community, without their service, the temple's operation would have been impractical. Their inclusion in the public census of returnees (Ezra 2; Nehemiah 7) affirms their full standing in the covenant community. Giddel's descendants remind readers that no act of faithful service, however humble in human estimation, is overlooked by God or unimportant to the health of his worshipping people.

Verse Appearances (2)

Ezra

Ezra 2:47

Nehemiah

Nehemiah 7:49

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]

View all sources & licensing →

See our editorial standards →

Content compiled from public domain scholarship, academic sources, and verified references. Editorial standards · View all sources