Person Old Testament
Besai
Besai was an ancestor of temple servants who returned to Jerusalem from Babylonian captivity. Mentioned in 2 verses across 2 books, first at Ezra 2:49.
Why it matters. Ancestor of temple servants who returned from exile
- Primary passages
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Besai
Besai was the ancestor of a group of temple servants (Nethinim) who returned to Jerusalem from the Babylonian captivity (Ezr. 2:49; Neh. 7:52). The Nethinim were a class of people assigned to assist the Levites in the maintenance and service of the temple. They were likely descendants of the Gibeonites, who had been appointed by Joshua to serve as woodcutters and water carriers for the congregation and the altar of the Lord (Josh. 9:27). The return of Besai's descendants, along with other Nethinim, demonstrates the restoration of temple worship and the importance of the Nethinim's role in supporting the Levites' ministry.
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.
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Appears in Scripture
Named in 2 verses across 2 books. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.