Ami was the ancestor of a family of temple servants (Nethinim) who returned from Babylonian exile with Zerubbabel. The parallel passage in Nehemiah 7:59 calls him Amon, showing the kind of minor textual variation common in biblical genealogies. The Nethinim were temple workers who assisted the Levites in various duties. This family maintained their identity and service role through the exile and into the restoration period.