Original Word: נְקוֹדָא
Part of Speech: Proper Name Feminine
Transliteration: Nqowda'
Pronunciation: neh-ko-DAH
Phonetic Spelling: (nek-o-daw')
KJV: Nekoda
NASB: Nekoda
Word Origin: [feminine of H5348 (נָקוֹד - speckled) (in the figurative sense of marked)]

1. distinction
2. Nekoda, a Temple-servant

Nekoda

Feminine of naqod (in the figurative sense of marked); distinction; Nekoda, a Temple-servant -- Nekoda.

see HEBREW naqod

Word Origin
from the same as noqed
Definition
head of a family of Nethinim
NASB Translation
Nekoda (4).

נְקוֺדָא proper name, masculine head of a family of Nethinim Ezra 2:48,60 = Nehemiah 7:50,62, ᵐ5 Νεκωθα, Νεχωδα.

Identity

Nekoda designates an Israelite family group found only in the post-exilic lists of Ezra and Nehemiah. The name marks two distinct sub-groups: one counted among the Temple servants (Nethinim) and another whose genealogy was disputed after the return from Babylon.

Occurrences

Ezra 2:48; Ezra 2:60; Nehemiah 7:50; Nehemiah 7:62.

Historical Background

The four notices all appear in censuses taken shortly after Cyrus allowed the Judean exiles to go home (circa 538–520 BC). These records served several purposes: re-establishing land allotments, restoring worship at Jerusalem, and determining priestly and Levitical legitimacy. The inclusion—and, in one case, the questioning—of Nekoda underlines how thoroughly the returning community sought continuity with pre-exilic Israel.

Role among the Temple Servants

In Ezra 2:48 and Nehemiah 7:50 Nekoda stands in the long roster of the Nethinim, hereditary assistants who performed menial and logistical tasks in the sanctuary. Though not Levites, they ensured that worship proceeded smoothly by supplying water, wood, and other necessities (cf. Joshua 9:27 for the origin of these roles). Their listing before the “descendants of Solomon’s servants” (Ezra 2:55-58) shows that humble service remained vital to covenant life even after national upheaval.

Genealogical Ambiguity

A second group of “descendants of Nekoda” appears in Ezra 2:60 and Nehemiah 7:62 among those who “could not prove that their families were descended from Israel.” The records their numbers as “652” in Ezra and “642” in Nehemiah. Until proper lineage could be verified, these people were barred from eating “the most holy food” (Ezra 2:63). The episode highlights Israel’s concern for covenant purity while simultaneously acknowledging that some faithful returnees lacked documentation through no fault of their own. God’s people valued both holiness and mercy; provisional inclusion with ongoing scrutiny preserved both.

Spiritual Themes

1. Faithful Obscurity. Nekoda is never associated with a heroic deed, yet their name is written in Scripture. God’s economy honors unnoticed labor (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:58).
2. Covenant Accountability. Genealogy determined access to sacred service, foreshadowing the New Testament emphasis on being “registered in heaven” (Hebrews 12:23).
3. Restoration. The presence of Temple servants signals the rebuilding not merely of walls but of worship. Without functional ministry teams, the altar would have remained silent.

Practical Ministry Reflections

• Churches thrive when members who will never occupy a pulpit cheerfully shoulder hidden tasks—ushering, maintenance, benevolence—mirroring Nekoda’s contribution.
• Record keeping matters. Membership rolls, financial transparency, and doctrinal clarity protect congregations from confusion about identity and calling.
• Compassion should accompany rigor. Leaders must guard orthodoxy while guiding people whose past is fragmented; Ezra waited “until a priest could consult the Urim and Thummim” (Ezra 2:63) rather than reject the claim outright.

Related Biblical Motifs

Temple service: Numbers 3; 1 Chronicles 9

Genealogical validation: Nehemiah 12; Matthew 1

Names recorded by God: Exodus 32:32-33; Revelation 20:15

Summary

Nekoda reminds readers that God notes every servant, esteems orderly worship, and integrates even those with incomplete credentials into His redemptive plan when they return in faith.

נְקוֹדָ֑א נְקוֹדָ֖א נְקוֹדָֽא׃ נקודא נקודא׃ nə·qō·w·ḏā nekoDa nəqōwḏāInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts