Bible Strands
Ezra 2:42
The gatekeepers: the descendants of Shallum, the descendants of Ater, the descendants of Talmon, the descendants of Akkub, the descendants of Hatita, and the descendants of Shobai, 139 in all.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The text is a post-exilic census record listing the Jewish families who returned from Babylon to Jerusalem. It appears between lists of singers and temple servants, documenting the organized restoration of the community and its worship infrastructure.
The words — The phrase בְּנֵי שַׁלּוּם (benei Shallum) literally means "sons of Shallum," marking patrilineal descent. The term הַשֹּׁעֲרִים (ha-shoʿarîm) translates directly to "the gatekeepers," specifying their assigned temple duty.
The thread — The identical family names appear in the parallel returnee list of Nehemiah 7:45. Their role as chief gatekeepers and their divisional service are recorded in 1 Chronicles 9:17 and 1 Chronicles 26:1.
Why it lands — The text states that temple security and access were managed by specific hereditary families totaling 139 individuals. It requires the reader to acknowledge that the restoration of worship depended on documented lineage and fixed administrative assignments rather than voluntary service.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
The children of the porters: the children of Shallum, the children of Ater, the children of Talmon, the children of Akkub, the children of Hatita, the children of Shobai, in all an hundred thirty and nine.
Cross-references
- 1 Chronicles 9:17 These were the gatekeepers: Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, Ahiman, and their relatives. Shallum was their chief;
- 1 Chronicles 26:1 These were the divisions of the gatekeepers: From the Korahites: Meshelemiah son of Kore, one of the sons of Asaph.
- Nehemiah 7:45 The gatekeepers: the descendants of Shallum, the descendants of Ater, the descendants of Talmon, the descendants of Akkub, the descendants of Hatita, and the descendants of Shobai, 138 in all.