Who was Temah in the Bible?

Temah was the ancestor of a family of Nethinim, or temple servants, who returned from the Babylonian exile to Jerusalem. This group is listed among those who came back with Zerubbabel to rebuild the temple (Ezra 2:53; Nehemiah 7:55).

What is the significance of Temah's family?

Temah's descendants were part of the Nethinim, a dedicated class of temple servants responsible for supporting the Levites in worship duties. Their return from exile was crucial for restoring proper worship and service in the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem.

What key event involves Temah in the Bible?

The key event is the return from exile. Temah's family is recorded among the temple servants who journeyed from Babylon to Judah, demonstrating God's faithfulness in preserving those dedicated to His service (Nehemiah 7:55-56).

Temah

Old TestamentExile & ReturnMaleReturned from exile

Temah was the ancestor of a family of temple servants who returned from the Babylonian exile.

Temah

Biography

Temah appears in the lists of Nethinim, temple servants, recorded in Ezra 2:53 and Nehemiah 7:55 among those who returned to Judah from the Babylonian exile under Zerubbabel and Jeshua circa 538-515 BC. By the time of the return, Temah was remembered as a founding ancestor of a family that had maintained its identity throughout the decades of exile in Babylon. The Nethinim were likely descendants of non-Israelite workers who had been assigned to assist the Levites in temple service, possibly tracing their origins to the Gibeonites of Joshua's day or other groups incorporated into Israel's cultic life over the centuries. Temah's family returned to resume duties in the reconstituted Jerusalem temple.

Significance

Temah represents the remarkable tenacity of the Nethinim families who preserved their communal identity and their sacred vocational heritage through the trauma of exile and displacement. Their return to serve in the rebuilt temple was itself an act of faith, a declaration that Israel's worship would be restored. The inclusion of families like Temah's in the official registers of Ezra and Nehemiah underscores the Chronicler's conviction that even those of peripheral or ambiguous Israelite status belonged to the restored community. Theologically, the return of the temple servants signaled that God was reconstituting all the necessary elements of covenant life, not merely repatriating elites, but restoring the full fabric of Israel's worship.

Authority Records

Wikidata

Verse Appearances (2)

Ezra

Ezra 2:53

Nehemiah

Nehemiah 7:55

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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