Ezra 2:55
“The children of Solomon’s servants: the children of Sotai, the children of Hassophereth, the children of Peruda,”
What does Ezra 2:55 mean?
This verse is part of a census list documenting who returned to Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile, around 538 BC. Solomon's servants were descendants of foreign workers and slaves that King Solomon had employed in his building projects centuries earlier, and apparently their families had remained in Judah through the generations. What makes this small mention meaningful is that it shows the community rebuilding Jerusalem wasn't just the original Jewish families, but included people whose ancestors had served under Solomon. They too were part of the restoration, suggesting that God's people returning home encompassed a wider circle than we might expect. It's a quiet reminder that restoration and belonging can extend to unexpected corners of our own communities as well.