H5300 H5300
Nephishesim/Nephusim; family of temple servants (ketiv/qere variants)
This name designates a family among the temple servants (Nethinim) who returned from Babylonian exile. The name appears with significant textual variation—ketiv and qere readings differ, and the parallel passage in Ezra has different spelling. Nehemiah 7:52 lists 'the sons of Nephishesim' (or Nephusim, depending on reading) among the returning exiles. The variants (Nephisim, Nephushesim, Nephishesim) likely represent different manuscript traditions attempting to preserve an uncommon family name, possibly related to the name Naphish from Genesis.
Senses
1. sense 1 — This family appears in the post-exilic census lists of temple servants. Nehemiah 7:52 records them among families returning from Babylon. The double occurrence reflects the ketiv/qere split—what's written versus what's read aloud in synagogue tradition. The parallel in Ezra 2:50 has yet another variant (Nephusim), showing how minor names could vary across manuscripts. The Septuagint translations show ancient translators also struggled with the exact form, producing multiple Greek renderings. Scholars suggest connection to the name Naphish (a son of Ishmael, Gen 25:15), which would make this 'descendants of Naphish.' The mixing of variants (Nephisim + Nephushim = Nephishesim in some texts) shows scribal attempts to harmonize traditions. 2×
AR["(نَفيشَسيمَ)", "[نَفوشَسيمَ]"]·ben["(নফীশসীমের)", "[নফূসসীমের]"]·DE["[(נפישסים)]", "[[נפושסים]]"]·EN["Nephishesim", "[ketiv]"]·FR["[נפושסים]", "[נפישסים]"]·heb["(נפישסים)", "[נפושסים]"]·HI["नफीशसीम-के", "नफूसीम-के"]·ID["(Nefisesim)", "[Nefusim]"]·IT["[נפושסים]", "[נפישסים]"]·jav["(Ketib)", "Nefusim"]·KO["(느피시슬의)", "[크티브]"]·PT["(Nefishsim)", "[Nefushsim]"]·RU["[кетив]", "Нефишсим"]·ES["(Nefisesim)", "[Nefusesim]"]·SW["(Nefishesimu)", "[Nefushesimu]"]·TR["(Nefişesim'in)", "[Nefuşsim]"]·urd["[نفوسسیم]", "نفیشسیم"]
Related Senses
G3588 1. definite article (18298×)H0853 1. definite direct object marker (10915×)G2532 1. (8312×)H3068 1. YHWH (the divine name) (6522×)H0834a 1. relative pronoun (who/which/that) (4839×)H3588a 1. causal: because, for (3498×)G1161 1. and (2806×)H3478 1. Israel (proper name and nation) (2507×)G4771 1. you (plural address) (1853×)H1931 1. personal pronoun he/she/it (1431×)G3739 1. relative pronoun who/which/that (1149×)H1732 1. David (proper name) (1075×)H2088 1. this, this one (demonstrative) (1059×)G1063 1. (1047×)G3778 1. this thing, these things (1003×)H???? 2. (1002×)G2424 1. (924×)G3754 1. that (content clause) (881×)H2009 1. presentative particle: behold, look (881×)H0589 1. I (first person singular pronoun) (874×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† נפיסים n.pr. Kt, in phr. בְּנֵי נ׳ Ezr 2:50, Qr נְפוּסִים, of family of returned exiles; 𝔊 Ναφεισων, A Νεφουσειμ, 𝔊L Νεφωσειμ; = נפושׁסים Ne 7:52; Kt, Qr נְפִישְׁסִים, 𝔊 Νεφωσασει, etc., 𝔊L Νεφουσειμ;—Kt Ezr and Qr Ne, respectively, are prob. to be preferred (cf. נָפִישׁ sub נפשׁ), but Ne has mixture of two variants, נפיסים, נפישׁים.