Hagab is a name found in the King James Bible, appearing 1 time in the text.
Who This Was
Hagab was one of the Nethinim, the temple servants whose descendants returned to Jerusalem from the Babylonian exile with Zerubbabel. The Nethinim were a distinct class of workers attached to the service of the temple, set apart to assist the Levites in the practical labor required for worship. Though they were not priests or Levites themselves, they held a recognized and necessary place among the people of God, and their names were carefully recorded in the genealogical registers of those who made the journey home.
Hagab appears in the list of returning exiles recorded in Ezra 2. The text reads, “The children of Hagab, the children of Shalmai, the children of Hanan” (Ezra 2:46). This verse falls within a larger catalog of the Nethinim and the descendants of Solomon’s servants, families who returned together to resettle Judah and rebuild the temple. The name “Hagab” here likely represents a family or clan rather than a single individual, since the record speaks of “the children of Hagab”—that is, his descendants. Through him, a household was preserved and carried back to the land of promise.
Scripture tells us nothing more of Hagab than this single mention. We are not given his parentage, his specific duties, or the length of his life. What we know is that he belonged to a family of temple servants, and that his descendants were counted among the faithful remnant who left Babylon to restore the worship of God in Jerusalem. His inclusion in the list is itself a testimony: he was part of the community that answered the call to return.
The Name
The Hebrew name Hagab (חָגָב) is generally understood to mean “locust” or “grasshopper,” from a root referring to that insect. The meaning is fairly well established, as the same word appears elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible for the locust. It is worth noting that this is a name, not a description of the man’s character or appearance; like many Hebrew names, it may have been chosen for reasons now lost to us. Beyond its lexical sense, Scripture attaches no interpretation to the name, and we should not press it further than the text allows.
A Closing Thought
Hagab’s single verse reminds us that God’s work is carried by many hands whose names we scarcely notice. He was not a priest, a prophet, or a king—only a temple servant, mentioned once and never again. Yet his family returned, labored, and helped rebuild the worship of God in a ruined city. Most of us will live similarly quiet lives, unknown to history. The comfort is this: God keeps His own records, and no faithful service in His house is forgotten, even when the world never learns our name.
At a Glance
- Gender: Male
- Testament: Old
- Mentions in the KJV: 1
Where It Appears in Scripture
- Ezra 2:46 — The children of Hagab, the children of Shalmai, the children of Hanan,