Peruda
Peruda or Perida, the ancestor of a family of Solomon's servants who returned from the Babylonian exile.
Biography
Peruda, also known as Perida, was the ancestor of a family of Solomon's servants whose descendants returned from the Babylonian exile with Zerubbabel. His family appears in both Ezra 2:55 (as Peruda) and Nehemiah 7:57 (as Perida), among the lists of returnees who reconstituted the Jewish community in Judah. The "servants of Solomon" were a distinct class within Israelite society, originally established by Solomon to serve in various administrative and temple-support capacities (1 Kings 9:21). These families maintained their identity through the exile and were recognized as legitimate members of the returning community. Peruda's descendants, though their exact number is not separately recorded, contributed to the workforce that rebuilt Jerusalem's temple and restored communal life in the land.
Significance
Peruda's family represents the remarkable continuity of Israelite social structures through the catastrophe of exile. The preservation of the "servants of Solomon" as an identifiable group across generations of displacement testifies to the tenacity of communal memory and divine providence. Their return to the land fulfilled the prophetic promises of restoration and demonstrated that God's commitment to His people extended to every social class, not just priests and nobles. Peruda's inclusion in the return lists affirms that rebuilding God's community required contributions from all segments of society, and that faithful service, even in humble administrative roles, earned a lasting place in the record of God's people.
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]