Perida
Who Was Perida?
Perida is named in Nehemiah 7:57 as the ancestor of a family group that returned from Babylon to Jerusalem under Zerubbabel's leadership. The name means "recluse" or "separated one" in Hebrew. In the parallel passage of Ezra 2:55, a slight variation in the Hebrew spelling produces the form Peruda, while the Greek text of 1 Esdras 5:33 gives the name as Pharida. All three refer to the same ancestral figure.
Solomon's Servants
Perida's family belonged to a distinctive group known as "Solomon's servants" or the "children of Solomon's servants." This group is listed separately from the general population, the priests, the Levites, the temple servants (Nethinim), and those whose lineage could not be verified (Nehemiah 7:57-60; Ezra 2:55-58). Solomon's servants appear to have been a class of workers originally conscripted during Solomon's reign to perform specific tasks related to the temple or royal administration.
First Kings 9:20-21 describes how Solomon organized the remaining Canaanite populations as forced laborers for his building projects. The "servants of Solomon" may have descended from these workers, who over time became an established hereditary class within Israel's temple service system.
The Return from Exile
The descendants of Perida returned with the first wave of exiles led by Zerubbabel around 538 BC. The return lists in Ezra 2 and Nehemiah 7 carefully document each family group, ensuring that the restored community's identity was properly established. Solomon's servants are counted together with the Nethinim (temple servants), and their combined total was 392 according to Nehemiah 7:60 (or the same in Ezra 2:58).
The inclusion of these families in the return lists demonstrates that they were recognized members of the covenant community, despite their origins as a service class.
The Nethinim and Temple Service Classes
Solomon's servants are consistently listed alongside the Nethinim, suggesting similar functions. The Nethinim (meaning "given ones") were temple workers who assisted the Levites in maintaining the sanctuary. Their origins may trace back to the Gibeonites, whom Joshua assigned as woodcutters and water carriers for the tabernacle (Joshua 9:23, 27). Together, the Nethinim and Solomon's servants formed the lower ranks of temple personnel.
Preservation Through Exile
The fact that families like Perida's maintained their identity through the upheaval of the Babylonian exile is remarkable. For approximately seventy years in a foreign land, these families preserved their genealogical records and community bonds, enabling them to return and resume their ancestral roles in the restored temple community.
Biblical Context
Perida appears in Nehemiah 7:57 (as Peruda in Ezra 2:55 and Pharida in 1 Esdras 5:33) among the families of Solomon's servants who returned from exile. These families are listed alongside the Nethinim in the return census conducted under Zerubbabel. The combined total of Nethinim and Solomon's servants was 392 (Nehemiah 7:60).
Theological Significance
Perida's inclusion in the return lists shows that God's covenant community encompassed people of various backgrounds and roles. Even hereditary service classes were recognized as legitimate members of Israel. Their faithful return from exile demonstrated commitment to God's purposes and the restoration of proper worship in Jerusalem.
Historical Background
Solomon's servants likely originated as conscripted laborers during Solomon's building projects (1 Kings 9:20-21). Over time, they became an established hereditary service class associated with the temple. Similar temple service classes are attested in Mesopotamian temple records, where various hereditary groups maintained specific functions across generations.