Nehemiah 7
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“Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” — John 5:39
1Now it came to pass, when the wall was built, and I had set up the doors, and the porters and the singers and the Levites were appointed,
The porters and the singers and the Levites. The porters and the singers were themselves Levites, but are often distinguished from their brethren, who had no such special office (see Ezr_2:40-42, Ezr_2:70; Ezr_7:24; Ezr_10:23, Ezr_10:24; Neh_7:43-45, Neh_7:73; Neh_10:28, etc.). Nehemiah's choice of Levites to guard the gates of Jerusalem may seem strange; but we must remember—
1. That the priests and Levites formed nearly one half the population of Jerusalem (Neh_11:6-19 compared with 1Ch_9:9-22).
2. That the office of guarding the temple gates had always been discharged by Levites (1Ch_9:17-22; 1Ch_26:12-19).
2That I gave my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the ruler of the palace, charge over Jerusalem: for he was a faithful man, and feared God above many.
CHAPTER 7
Ne 7:1-4. Nehemiah Commits the Charge of Jerusalem to Hanani and Hananiah.
2. I gave my brother Hanani ... charge over Jerusalem--If, as is commonly supposed, Nehemiah was now contemplating a return to Shushan according to his promise, it was natural that he should wish to entrust the custody of Jerusalem and the management of its civic affairs to men on whose ability, experience, and fidelity, he could confide. Hanani, a near relative (Ne 1:2), was one, and with him was associated, as colleague, Hananiah, "the ruler of the palace"--that is, the marshal or chamberlain of the viceregal court, which Nehemiah had maintained in Jerusalem. The high religious principle, as well as the patriotic spirit of those two men, recommended them as pre-eminently qualified for being invested with an official trust of such peculiar importance.
and feared God above many--The piety of Hananiah is especially mentioned as the ground of his eminent fidelity in the discharge of all his duties and, consequently, the reason of the confidence which Nehemiah reposed in him; for he was fully persuaded that Hananiah's fear of God would preserve him from those temptations to treachery and unfaithfulness which he was likely to encounter on the governor's departure from Jerusalem.
Hanani and Hananiah. This appointment of two municipal officers to have charge of Jerusalem recalls the mention of two "rulers" in Neh_3:9, Neh_3:12, each of whom had authority-over half the district dependent on Jerusalem, and amounts to an "undesigned coincidence." The ruler of the palace. Rather, "the commandant of the fort," i.e. the officer in charge of the temple fortress (see above, Neh_2:8).
3And I said unto them, Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun be hot; and while they stand by, let them shut the doors, and bar them: and appoint watches of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, every one in his watch, and every one to be over against his house.
3. Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun be hot, &c.--In the East it is customary to open the gates of a city at sunrise, and to bar them at sunset--a rule which is very rarely, and not except to persons of authority, infringed upon. Nehemiah recommended that the gates of Jerusalem should not be opened so early; a precaution necessary at a time when the enemy was practising all sorts of dangerous stratagems, to ensure that the inhabitants were all astir and enjoyed the benefit of clear broad daylight for observing the suspicious movements of any enemy. The propriety of regularly barring the gates at sunset was, in this instance, accompanied with the appointment of a number of the people to act as sentinels, each mounting guard in front of his own house.
Let not the gates be opened until the sun be hot. The gates of towns in the East are usually opened at sunrise; but this cannot be the intention here. Some extra precaution is signified—not, however, so much as Dathe supposes, who renders ante tempus meridianum, "before noon;" but rather something intermediate between this and the ordinary practice.
4Now the city was large and great: but the people were few therein, and the houses were not builded.
4. Now the city was large and great--The walls being evidently built on the old foundations, the city covered a large extent of surface, as all Oriental towns do, the houses standing apart with gardens and orchards intervening. This extent, in the then state of Jerusalem, was the more observable as the population was comparatively small, and the habitations of the most rude and simple construction--mere wooden sheds or coverings of loose, unmortared stones.
The city was large. Literally, "broad every way." The houses were not builded. Much of the city consisted of open spaces, in which no houses had been as yet built.
5And my God put into mine heart to gather together the nobles, and the rulers, and the people, that they might be reckoned by genealogy. And I found a register of the genealogy of them which came up at the first, and found written therein,
Ne 7:5-38. Genealogy of Those Who Came at the First Out of Babylon.
5. my God put into mine heart to gather together the nobles, &c.--The arrangement about to be described, though dictated by mere common prudence, is, in accordance with the pious feelings of Nehemiah, ascribed not to his own prudence or reflection, but to the grace of God prompting and directing him. He resolved to prepare a register of the returned exiles, containing an exact record of the family and ancestral abode of every individual. While thus directing his attention, he discovered a register of the first detachment who had come under the care of Zerubbabel. It is transcribed in the following verses, and differs in some few particulars from that given in Ezr 2:1-61. But the discrepancy is sufficiently accounted for from the different circumstances in which the two registers were taken; that of Ezra having been made up at Babylon, while that of Nehemiah was drawn out in Judea, after the walls of Jerusalem had been rebuilt. The lapse of so many years might well be expected to make a difference appear in the catalogue, through death or other causes; in particular, one person being, according to Jewish custom, called by different names. Thus Hariph (Ne 7:24) is the same as Jorah (Ezr 2:18), Sia (Ne 7:47) the same as Siaha (Ezr 2:44), &c. Besides other purposes to which this genealogy of the nobles, rulers, and people was subservient, one leading object contemplated by it was to ascertain with accuracy the parties to whom the duty legally belonged of ministering at the altar and conducting the various services of the temple. For guiding to exact information in this important point of enquiry, the possession of the old register of Zerubbabel was invaluable.
And my God put into mine heart to gather together the nobles, etc. As Nehemiah contemplated the vast empty spaces within the city walls, and considered with himself how they might best be peopled, the thought came to him—and he hailed it as a Divine inspiration—that by taking a census of the people he might pave the way for some transfer of the inhabitants of the country districts into the capital, which would at any rate strengthen the latter, and lessen the desolate appearance of its streets and squares, which had so pained him. The census would show what proportion the country and town populations bore to each other, and would point out which were the places in the country districts that could best afford to lose a portion of their inhabitants. A census, therefore was resolved upon, and, according to ordinary Jewish usage (Num_1:17-47; 1Ch_21:5, 1Ch_21:6; Ezr_2:3-62), it was genealogical. The tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Levi were numbered separately (Neh_11:4-19); and in the tribe of Judah the children of Pharez were reckoned apart from those of Zerah (1Ch_9:4, 1Ch_9:6). No doubt the genealogical principle was acted upon throughout, but further evidence upon the point is wanting. It would seem to have been in the course of his preparations for this census, perhaps in searching for precedents, that Nehemiah found the "register of the genealogy of them which came up at the first," which is the subject of the next section.
THE REGISTER OF THOSE WHO RETURNED UNDER ZERUBBABEL, WITH THE NUMBER OF THEIR SLAVES, BEASTS, AND OBLATIONS (Neh_7:6-73). It is no doubt a curious circumstance that this list should occur twice, with no important differences, in the two Books of Ezra and Nehemiah. Perhaps it was not in the original Ezra, that writer not having had the good fortune to "find" the document; but Nehemiah having "found" it and inserted it here, in connection with its discovery, a later arranger (Malachi?) removed it to the early part of Ezra, because it belonged to that portion of the Jewish history chronologically. The double record enables us to make out a more perfect catalogue than we could have obtained from either separately,-since there are corruptions in each which may be corrected by means of the other. See the comment which follows.
6These are the children of the province, that went up out of the captivity, of those that had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away, and came again to Jerusalem and to Judah, every one unto his city;
7Who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, Baanah. The number, I say, of the men of the people of Israel was this;
Jeshua, Nehemiah, etc. To the eleven names given by Ezra, Nehemiah adds one, "Nahamani," the sixth. He gives the others in the same order as Ezra, but spells some of the names differently—e.g. "Azariah" for "Seraiah," "Raamiah" for "Reelaiah," "Mispereth" for "Mizpar," and "Nehum" for "Rehum."
8The children of Parosh, two thousand an hundred seventy and two.
9The children of Shephatiah, three hundred seventy and two.
10The children of Arah, six hundred fifty and two.
11The children of Pahathmoab, of the children of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand and eight hundred and eighteen.
12The children of Elam, a thousand two hundred fifty and four.
13The children of Zattu, eight hundred forty and five.
14The children of Zaccai, seven hundred and threescore.
15The children of Binnui, six hundred forty and eight.
Binnui. Ezra has "Bani," which receives confirmation from Neh_10:14 and 1 Esdras 5:12.
16The children of Bebai, six hundred twenty and eight.
17The children of Azgad, two thousand three hundred twenty and two.
18The children of Adonikam, six hundred threescore and seven.
19The children of Bigvai, two thousand threescore and seven.
20The children of Adin, six hundred fifty and five.
21The children of Ater of Hezekiah, ninety and eight.
The children of Ater. Up to this Nehemiah observes the same order as Ezra; but the remaining personal names (three) are placed differently.
22The children of Hashum, three hundred twenty and eight.
23The children of Bezai, three hundred twenty and four.
24The children of Hariph, an hundred and twelve.
The children of Hariph. Ezra has "Jorah" instead of Hariph (Ezr_2:18); but "Hariph" is confirmed by Neh_10:19.
25The children of Gibeon, ninety and five.
The children of Gibeon. For "Gibeon" Ezra has "Gibbar"—a name otherwise unknown to us. "Gibeon" should probably be read in both places.
26The men of Bethlehem and Netophah, an hundred fourscore and eight.
27The men of Anathoth, an hundred twenty and eight.
28The men of Bethazmaveth, forty and two.
29The men of Kirjathjearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred forty and three.
30The men of Ramah and Gaba, six hundred twenty and one.
31The men of Michmas, an hundred and twenty and two.
32The men of Bethel and Ai, an hundred twenty and three.
33The men of the other Nebo, fifty and two.
The men of the other Nebo. To Nebo has as yet been mentioned, which makes it unlikely that the text is correct here. Apparently the word translated "the other" (acher) has been accidentally repeated from the next verse. Ezra has "the men of Nebo" simply.
34The children of the other Elam, a thousand two hundred fifty and four.
35The children of Harim, three hundred and twenty.
36The children of Jericho, three hundred forty and five.
37The children of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred twenty and one.
38The children of Senaah, three thousand nine hundred and thirty.
39The priests: the children of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred seventy and three.
Ne 7:39-73. Of the Priests.
39. The priests--It appears that only four of the courses of the priests returned from the captivity; and that the course of Abia (Lu 1:5) is not in the list. But it must be noticed that these four courses were afterwards divided into twenty-four, which retained the names of the original courses which David appointed.
40The children of Immer, a thousand fifty and two.
41The children of Pashur, a thousand two hundred forty and seven.
42The children of Harim, a thousand and seventeen.
43The Levites: the children of Jeshua, of Kadmiel, and of the children of Hodevah, seventy and four.
This section exactly reproduces Ezr_2:36-39.
The children of Jeshua, of Kadmiel, and of the children of Hodevah may be corrected from Ezr_2:40 and Ezr_3:9. It should be "Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the children of Hodevah." This ancestor of Joshua and Kadmiel appears under the three forms of Hodevah, Hodaviah (Ezr_2:40), and Judah (Ezr_3:9).
44The singers: the children of Asaph, an hundred forty and eight.
45The porters: the children of Shallum, the children of Ater, the children of Talmon, the children of Akkub, the children of Hatita, the children of Shobai, an hundred thirty and eight.
46The Nethinims: the children of Ziha, the children of Hashupha, the children of Tabbaoth,
The Nethinims. The list which follows is very close to that of Ezra (Neh_2:1-20 :43-54). A few names are differently spelt, and one of Ezra's names (Akkub—Neh_2:1-20 :45) is omitted.
47The children of Keros, the children of Sia, the children of Padon,
48The children of Lebana, the children of Hagaba, the children of Shalmai,
49The children of Hanan, the children of Giddel, the children of Gahar,
50The children of Reaiah, the children of Rezin, the children of Nekoda,
51The children of Gazzam, the children of Uzza, the children of Phaseah,
52The children of Besai, the children of Meunim, the children of Nephishesim,
53The children of Bakbuk, the children of Hakupha, the children of Harhur,
54The children of Bazlith, the children of Mehida, the children of Harsha,
55The children of Barkos, the children of Sisera, the children of Tamah,
56The children of Neziah, the children of Hatipha.
57The children of Solomon’s servants: the children of Sotai, the children of Sophereth, the children of Perida,
58The children of Jaala, the children of Darkon, the children of Giddel,
59The children of Shephatiah, the children of Hattil, the children of Pochereth of Zebaim, the children of Amon.
60All the Nethinims, and the children of Solomon’s servants, were three hundred ninety and two.
61And these were they which went up also from Telmelah, Telharesha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer: but they could not shew their father’s house, nor their seed, whether they were of Israel.
62The children of Delaiah, the children of Tobiah, the children of Nekoda, six hundred forty and two.
63And of the priests: the children of Habaiah, the children of Koz, the children of Barzillai, which took one of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite to wife, and was called after their name.
64These sought their register among those that were reckoned by genealogy, but it was not found: therefore were they, as polluted, put from the priesthood.
65And the Tirshatha said unto them, that they should not eat of the most holy things, till there stood up a priest with Urim and Thummim.
66The whole congregation together was forty and two thousand three hundred and threescore,
The children of Solomon's servants. This section and the section which follows (Neh_7:63-65) are nearly identical in Ezra and Nehemiah. A few names only are slightly different.
The whole congregation together was forty and two thousand three hundred and threescore. It makes against the view of Bishop Patrick and others, who regard Ezra's list as made at Babylon, some time before the final departure, and Nehemiah's as made at Jerusalem, after the arrival of the exiles, that the sum total is in each case the same (see Ezr_2:64). Bishop Kennicott's theory, that the three lists—that of Ezra, that of Nehemiah, and that in the first of Esdras—had all one original, and that the existing differences proceed entirely from mistakes of the copyists, is the only tenable one. It is especially remarkable that the differences in the numbers of the three lists consist chiefly in a single unit, a single ten, or a single hundred—or in a five; less often in two units, or two tens, or two hundreds, or in a six—differences probably arising from the obliteration of one or two signs in a notation resembling the Roman or the Egyptian, where there are special signs for a thousand, a hundred, ten, five, and the unit, complex numbers being expressed by repetition of these, as 3438 in Latin inscriptions by MMMCCCCXXXVIII. Any fading of a sign in such a notation as this causes a copyist to diminish the amount by one, five, ten, a hundred, a thousand, etc. A fading of two sigmas may produce a diminution of two thousand, two hundred, twenty, two; or again of eleven hundred, one hundred and ten, one hundred and five, fifteen, eleven, six, and the like.
67Beside their manservants and their maidservants, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred thirty and seven: and they had two hundred forty and five singing men and singing women.
Two hundred and forty-five singing men and singing women. Ezra says 200; but this must be a round number. 1 Esdras confirms Nehemiah (Neh_5:1-19 :42).
Neh_7:68, Neh_7:69
The numbers of the animals are identical in Ezra and Nehemiah. The apocryphal Esdras has an enormous and most improbable augmentation of the number of the horses.
68Their horses, seven hundred thirty and six: their mules, two hundred forty and five:
69Their camels, four hundred thirty and five: six thousand seven hundred and twenty asses.
70And some of the chief of the fathers gave unto the work. The Tirshatha gave to the treasure a thousand drams of gold, fifty basons, five hundred and thirty priests’ garments.
70. And some of the chief of the fathers, &c.--With Ne 7:69 the register ends, and the thread of Nehemiah's history is resumed. He was the tirshatha, or governor, and the liberality displayed by him and some of the leading men for the suitable equipment of the ministers of religion, forms the subject of the remaining portion of the chapter. Their donations consisted principally in garments. This would appear a singular description of gifts to be made by any one among us; but, in the East, a present of garments, or of any article of use, is conformable to the prevailing sentiments and customs of society.
drams of gold--that is, darics. A daric was a gold coin of ancient Persia, worth £1 5s.
The Tirshatha gave. This is additional to the information contained in Ezra, who does not separate Zerubbabel's offering from that of the other heads of families (Neh_2:1-20 :69). The account of the oblations is altogether more exact in Nehemiah than in the earlier historian. For the value of the contributions made, see the comment on Ezra (1.s.c.).
71And some of the chief of the fathers gave to the treasure of the work twenty thousand drams of gold, and two thousand and two hundred pound of silver.
71. pound of silver--that is, mina (sixty shekels, or £9).
72And that which the rest of the people gave was twenty thousand drams of gold, and two thousand pound of silver, and threescore and seven priests’ garments.
73So the priests, and the Levites, and the porters, and the singers, and some of the people, and the Nethinims, and all Israel, dwelt in their cities; and when the seventh month came, the children of Israel were in their cities.
73. So ... all Israel, dwelt in their cities--The utility of these genealogical registers was thus found in guiding to a knowledge of the cities and localities in each tribe to which every family anciently belonged.
And all Israel dwelt in their cities. The document found by Nehemiah (verse 5) probably ended with these words (romp. Ezr_2:70); and Neh_7:1-73. should here terminate, as it does in the Septuagint. Having completed the account of what happened in the sixth month, Elul (Neh_6:15), and transcribed the register which he had the good fortune to discover at that date, Nehemiah proceeds to relate events belonging to the seventh month.
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