Person Old Testament
Ater
Ater was the head of a family that returned to Jerusalem from Babylonian captivity (Ezr.2.16; Neh.7.21). Mentioned in 2 verses across 2 books, first at Ezra 2:16.
Why it matters. Head of a family that returned from Babylonian exile
- Primary passages
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Ater
Ater is mentioned in the lists of people who returned to Jerusalem from Babylonian captivity, as recorded in Ezra 2 and Nehemiah 7. He was the head of a family that joined the group of exiles led by Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, in their journey back to their homeland. The lists in Ezra and Nehemiah provide a census of the returnees, highlighting the importance of resettling Jerusalem and rebuilding the temple. Ater's family, along with others, played a crucial role in the restoration of Jewish life and worship in Jerusalem after the exile.
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
Connections
No reviewed connections yet.
Family
Family links from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0). Where the dataset marks an identification as uncertain, the mark is kept. Matthew and Luke give different genealogies for Jesus; see the Lineage page, which never merges them.
- Children
- Hezekiah
Appears in Scripture
Named in 2 verses across 2 books. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.