NETHINIM, THE. The Nethinim are a religious order referred to in the Old Testament. They are men tioned in Ezra-Nehemiah (q.v.) in the lists of those who returned from exile with Ezra. Another name for them, or for a section of them, was the " children of Solomon's servants " (Ezra ii. 55 = Nehemiah vii. 57). Five classes of Temple ministers are distinguished—priests, Levites, singers, porters, and Nethinim. As compared with the Levites, the NethInfm were clearly a sub ordinate class of Temple-servants. But with the priests and Levites they shared immunity from taxation (Ezra vii. 24); and, though they do not appear among the signa tories to the covenant, it is clear that they " were really regarded as forming part of the privileged personnel attached to the temple-worship " (I. Benzinger). In Joshua ix. 27 (JE) it is said that Joshua made the Gibeonites " hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation, and for the altar of the Lord." This has suggested the identification of the Nethinim, who were regarded as foreigners, with the Gibeonites. E.
I,. Curtis and A. A. Madsen (Chronicles, 1910) think that probably the Nethinim " were of Canaanitish origin— most likely to be connected with the Gibeonites (Joshua ix. 23) and the foreigners mentioned in Ezekiel xliv. 7." Benzinger, on the other hand, regards this view as quite unhistorical. The post-exilic Nethfnfm were regarded as descendants of slaves who had been give " by David and his princes " to the Levites as their servants (Ezra viii. 20). This is on the whole an acceptable view of their origin. They would seem to have been foreign captives taken in war who were made temple-slaves. In course of time they became free men. and eventually perhaps even Levites. In any case, as time went on. " the distinction of rank between the Levites and the inferior grades of temple servants diminished more and more" (I. Benzinger). See I. Benzinger in the Encycl. Bibl.