An Aramaic plural noun denoting gatekeepers or doorkeepers, specifically temple personnel responsible for guarding entrances. In Ezra 7:24, this term appears in Artaxerxes' decree exempting temple staff—including priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, and temple servants—from taxation. The gatekeepers formed a distinct class of temple functionaries, charged with controlling access to sacred space. The Aramaic form appears in the emphatic plural, functioning like the definite article in Hebrew. These personnel were crucial for maintaining the boundaries between sacred and profane space in the Second Temple.