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נְתִין

𐤍𐤕𐤉𐤍

Nᵉthîyn

H5412 noun

SILEX Entry

Root נתן to give, assign, dedicate, grant

Definition

Nethinim; a group of persons assigned to temple service, specifically subordinate servants dedicated to assisting the Levites in various menial or ritual duties connected with temple worship. The term refers not to a tribe or clan but to a class of people set apart for religious service, originally from non-Israelite groups but later integrated as a distinct group within the post-exilic community.

Semantic Range

those given (for service), temple-servants, a hereditary class of cultic assistants, non-Israelite temple personnel

Root / Etymology

From the Hebrew verb נָתַן (natan, 'to give'), with the pattern נְפִיל (passive participle plural with a Nun prefix and Yod infix, suggesting 'those who are given' or 'the given ones'). The form נְתִין is an Aramaic loan or adaptation, but rests on the same root.

Historical & Contextual Notes

The Nethinim first appear named as a group in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah—texts written or compiled in the post-exilic (Persian) period. They are listed among returnees from exile alongside priests, Levites, and other groups. Their origin is somewhat obscure; biblical tradition connects their role to the Gibeonites who were conscripted for religious service in Joshua 9 (though the name Nethinim does not occur there). Over time, their status became hereditary and socially distinct, occupying a lower social standing than Levites. The Nethinim were not Israelites by ancestry, and post-exilic genealogies carefully delineate them as a separate category. English translations often use 'Nethinim' as a transliteration rather than as a meaningful translation, which can obscure their social and ritual function as temple-servants. Classical translation tradition occasionally renders the term as 'temple servants,' but this does not capture their unique historical origins or role.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

(Aramaic) corresponding to נָתִין; {the Nethinim, or Temple-servants (as given to that duty)}; Nethinims.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

נתן (n-t-n) — to give, assign, dedicate, grant

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3129 יוֹנָתָן in Yahweh-has-given
H4976 מַתָּן Mattan
H4977 מַתָּן Gift
H4978 מַתְּנָא gifts
H4979 מַתָּנָה with their gifts

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H5412-01 נְתִ֣ינַיָּ֔/א netinaya ANcmpd/Td Nethinim the given ones 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H5412-01 Ezra 7:24 נְתִ֣ינַיָּ֔/א netinaya ANcmpd/Td Nethinim the given ones
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