Hagabah
Hagabah, also known as Hagaba, was among the temple servants who returned to Jerusalem from Babylonian captivity.
Biography
Hagabah, also rendered Hagaba in Nehemiah 7:48, was among the temple servants, the Nethinim, whose family returned to Jerusalem from Babylonian captivity as part of the great restoration (Ezra 2:45). He is listed alongside other Nethinim clans in the census records preserved in both Ezra and Nehemiah, which enumerate the returning exiles by family groups. The Nethinim performed essential support functions for the Levites in the temple complex, a role with roots stretching back to the wilderness period. Hagabah's family, like other Nethinim, would have contributed to the reestablishment of temple worship in Jerusalem, making their return a vital component of the community's spiritual reconstruction under Zerubbabel.
Significance
Hagabah's appearance in the post-exilic census lists reflects the meticulous care with which the restored community documented its membership. This attention to names and lineages was not merely administrative, it was an affirmation that God had preserved distinct family lines through decades of exile. For the Nethinim like Hagabah, the return to Jerusalem meant resuming a calling that defined their family identity. Theologically, their story illustrates that God's redemptive work restores not only individual lives but entire communities and vocations. The Nethinim's faithful service supports the principle that no role in God's house is insignificant (Psalm 84:10).
Verse Appearances (2)
Ezra
Nehemiah
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]