Nethinim

Nethinim (נְתִינִים‎ nəṯīnīm, lit. "given ones", or "subjects"), or Nathinites or Nathineans, was the name given to the Temple assistants in ancient [[Jerusalem]]. The term was applied originally in the [[Book of Joshua]] (where it is found in its verbal form) to the [[Gibeonites]]. Later, in the [[Book of Ezra]], they are counted alongside the Avdei Shlomo ("Servants of Solomon"). It is likely that the [[Nethinim descended from non-Israelites. Opinion is divided as to whether the [[Gibeonites]] in Joshua are to be connected to the [[Nethinim]] of later texts. Others theorize that they were the descendants of [[Midianite]] war captives, as described in Numbers 31.
Category:Bethinim