Person Old Testament
Shalmai
Also known as Shamlai =ESV, LK; Shalmai =NIV, KJV, LQ
Shalmai (or Shamlai) was an ancestor of the Nethinim, and his descendants were among those who returned to Jerusalem from the Babylonian exile. Mentioned in 2 verses across 2 books, first at Ezra 2:46.
Why it matters. Nethinim ancestor whose descendants returned from Babylonian exile
- Primary passages
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Shalmai
Shalmai (or Shamlai), mentioned in Neh.7.48 and Ezr.2.46, was an ancestor of the Nethinim, a group of temple servants who assisted the Levites in their duties. The Nethinim were descendants of the Gibeonites who had been assigned by Joshua to serve in the tabernacle and later in the temple. Shalmai's descendants were among the Nethinim who returned to Jerusalem from the Babylonian exile, as recorded in the lists provided by both Nehemiah and Ezra. These lists were compiled to document the individuals and families who had returned to Judah to resettle and rebuild the city and the temple. The inclusion of Shalmai's descendants in these records highlights the importance of the Nethinim in the restoration of Jerusalem and the continuity of their service in the temple.
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
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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.