Ezra 2:57
The children of Shephatiah, the children of Hattil, the children of Pochereth of Zebaim, the children of Ami. Ezra 2:57 (KJV)
The book of Ezra records the period when the Jewish people were returning from their Babylonian exile and beginning the work of rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem. Ezra 2 presents a census of those who came back, listing families by name so that lineage and tribal affiliation could be established. Such genealogical records were essential for identifying the rightful priests and Levites, for allocating land, and for preserving the social and religious structure of the post‑exilic community.
Among the groups mentioned is a short list introduced as “the children of Solomon’s servants”: the children of Sotai, the children of Sophereth, and the children of Perida. The phrase indicates that these individuals were descendants of servants or workers who had served King Solomon, though the text does not specify their exact occupational background or tribal origin. Despite not being direct descendants of the original Israelite tribes, they were recognized as part of the returning community and were permitted to join the effort to restore Jerusalem.
The three families named are each noted for the scarcity of additional information. Sotai appears only in this verse and in Nehemiah 7:59, leaving his family’s history largely unknown. Sophereth is similarly unique to the Ezra‑Nehemiah census, with no further biblical detail. Perida is a name that also occurs in 1 Chronicles 9:7, where a Levite named Perida is mentioned, though it is uncertain whether the two references denote the same individual or family line.
These brief entries remind readers that the post‑exilic community was composed of a diverse array of groups, some whose backgrounds are only hinted at in the record. Their inclusion underscores the breadth of God’s redemptive plan, which embraced not only the well‑known tribal families but also those whose histories were less documented, yet who nonetheless contributed to the rebuilding of the temple and the restoration of Israel’s worship.
