Bible Word Study
תֶּמַח
Temach · Temach, one of the Nethinim
תֶּמַח
Temach, one of the Nethinim
Definition
Temach is the name of a family head among the Nethinim, a class of temple servants, who returned from the Babylonian exile. The name appears only in the lists of returning exiles in Ezra 2:53 and Nehemiah 7:55, where the family is listed among the Nethinim and the servants of Solomon. As a proper noun, it refers solely to this specific clan or its progenitor. There are no other biblical meanings or senses attached to this name.
Biblical Usage
The word is used exclusively in two nearly identical post-exilic census lists. It functions solely as a proper name identifying a family group within the larger guild of the Nethinim, who were dedicated to performing menial duties in the temple. The usage is administrative and genealogical, with no narrative or descriptive context beyond its placement in these registers (Ezra 2:53, Nehemiah 7:55).
Etymology
The etymology of תֶּמַח (Temach) is uncertain. It is not derived from a known Hebrew root. Some scholars suggest it may be of foreign origin, possibly Babylonian, which would be consistent with the Nethinim often having origins among captives or foreign groups dedicated to temple service.
Semantic Range
While the name itself is not theologically loaded, its context is significant. The inclusion of the Temach family among the returning exiles highlights God's faithfulness in restoring not just the priests and leaders, but the entire community necessary for worship, including the lowly temple servants. It underscores the value of every role in God's service and the completeness of the restoration community. The Nethinim (meaning 'given ones' or 'dedicated ones') were a hereditary class of temple servants, likely descended from groups like the Gibeonites (Joshua 9) or war captives. Their role was to assist the Levites with the physical maintenance of the temple. Listing them by family name (like Temach) in the return documents affirmed their legitimate place and inheritance within the restored worship community, a crucial aspect of post-exilic identity. Nethinim (Nethinim, H5411) — The class or guild to which the Temach family belonged. עֶבֶד (ʿeved, H5650) — A general term for servant or slave; the Nethinim were a specific, consecrated class of temple servants.
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (BDB, 1906, public domain). Concordance and morphology data are from the OSHB (Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible).
Full methodology & sources →References
- Abbott-Smith, G. (1921) A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Brown, F., Driver, S.R. and Briggs, C.A. (1906) A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Tyndale Brief lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (TBESG). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Formatted full LSJ (TFLSJ). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Thayer, J.H. (1889) A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. [Public Domain]
- Gesenius, W. (1846) Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament. [Public Domain]
- Dodson, J. (2010) Greek Lexicon. Biblical Humanities. [CC0]