NEHEMIAH CHAPTER 7
The Wall Is Completed (Continued)
– When the wall had been rebuilt, the doors had been installed, and the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been appointed, I then put in charge over Jerusalem my brother Hanani, along with Hananiah, the commander of the citadel, because he was a faithful man and feared God more than most people do. I told them, “The gates of Jerusalem must not be opened in the early morning, and also have the doors shut and fastened securely while the guards are still on duty. Appoint residents of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some near their homes.” The city was large and spacious, but there were few people in it, and no houses had been rebuilt yet.
– NET Bible discusses a couple of issues, “Some have suggested that ‘Hananiah’ is another name for Hanani, Nehemiah’s brother, so that only one individual is mentioned here. However, the third person plural in v. 3 indicates two people are in view…The phrase [until the heat of the sun] probably means that the gates were to be opened only after the day had progressed a bit, not at the first sign of morning light (cf. KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, TEV, CEV). It is possible, however, that the Hebrew preposition…(ʿad), here translated as ‘until,’ has a more rare sense of ‘during.’ If so, this would mean that the gates were not to be left open and unattended during the hot part of the day when people typically would be at rest (cf. NLT).”
– ESV Study Bible adds, “Gatekeepers, singers, and Levites is a typical grouping of worship officials…so it’s surprising to find them in connection with guarding the walls. Yet the guarding of the city was ultimately related to establishing the worship of Yahweh in his temple. Hanani (see 1:2)…and Hananiah (7:2) may possibly replace the ‘rulers’ named in 3:9, 12.)”
– ESV Archaeology Study Bible remarks, “Nehemiah’s brother (Hanani) is appointed mayor; he had first told Nehemiah of the sad situation in Jerusalem…”
List of Exiles Who Returned
– My God put it on my heart to gather the nobles, officials, and the common people so they could be registered on the basis of genealogy. I found the genealogical records of those who had been the first to return. Here is what I found written in that record:
– These are the people of the province who returned from the captivity of the exiles. Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar had taken them captive. They came back to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own city, and they came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah.
– NLT Illustrated Study Bible points out, “Sheshbazzar (see Ezra 1:8) is omitted here and in Ezra 2:2, suggesting that both lists were developed after the people had settled in their towns and after Sheshbazzar had died. These lists were not complete (the individual numbers do not add up to the total number in 7:66), but they were the best records available to verify who truly was a Jew.”
– ESV Study Bible notes, “Nehemiah maintains a close relationship with God, as evidenced by his frequent prayers and his clear convictions about God’s guidance. He now decides to make a census of the people and is helped by the discovery of the book of the genealogy of the first returnees. This list is virtually identical to the one in Ezra 2…Therefore its purpose is not to give new information but to highlight Nehemiah’s next concern after completing the walls, namely, to repopulate Jerusalem (see Neh 7:4). He may have had in mind such prophecies as Isaiah 62. Regarding the discrepancies in exact numbers between the list of returning exiles in Ezra 2:1-67 and Neh 7:6-66, various solutions have been proposed, and several factors may have contributed to the differences. Since Nehemiah was reading from a copy of an older list (either the list in Ezra or an official list that both of them consulted), the list may have been updated and corrected to allow for a number of births and deaths that occurred shortly after the exiles returned, and perhaps in some cases people were counted or grouped differently or in different categories. Either or both lists may also have been corrected and supplemented by a number of relatives who had been delayed on the journey by illness or for other reasons, and were added later. Some of the differences may also be due to copying errors.”
– The number of the men of Israel is as follows:
– Parosh’s descendants………………………………………….2,172
– Shephatiah’s descendants………………………………………372
– Arah’s descendants………………………………………………..652
– Pahath-Moab’s descendants (through the
line of Jeshua and Joab)………………………………………2,818
– Elam’s descendants…………………………………………….1,254
– Zattu’s descendants……………………………………………….845
– Zakkai’s descendants…………………………………………….760
– Binnui’s descendants……………………………………………..648
– Bebai’s descendants……………………………………………..628
– Azgad’s descendants…………………………………………..2,322
– Adonikam’s descendants………………………………………..667
– Bigvai’s descendants…………………………………………..2,067
– Adin’s descendants……………………………………………….655
– Ater’s descendants (through Hezekiah)……………………..98
– Hashum’s descendants………………………………………….328
– Bezai’s descendants……………………………………………..324
– Hariph’s descendants…………………………………………….112
– Gibeon’s descendants……………………………………………..95
– the men of Bethlehem and Netophah……………………….188
– the men of Anathoth………………………………………………128
– the men of Azmaveth’s family………………………… ………..42
– the men of Kiriath Jearim, Kephirah, and
Beeroth………………………………………………………………..743
– the men of Ramah and Geba………………………………….621
– the men of Mikmash………………………………………………122
– the men of Bethel and Ai………………………………………..123
– the men of the other Nebo……………………………………….52
– the other Elam’s descendants………………………………1,254
– Harim’s descendants…………………………………………….320
– Jericho’s descendants…………………………………………..345
– the descendants of Lod, Hadid, and Ono…………………721
– Senaah’s descendants………………………………………..3,930
– The priests:
– Jedaiah’s descendants (through the
family of Jeshua)…………………………………………………..973
– Immer’s descendants………………………………………….1,052
– Pashhur’s descendants……………………………………….1,247
– Harim’s descendants…………………………………………..1,017
– The Levites:
– the descendants of Jeshua and Kadmiel
(through the line of Hodaviah)…………………………………..74
– The singers:
– Asaph’s descendants……………………………………………..148
– The gatekeepers:
– Shallum’s descendants, Ater’s descendants,
Talmon’s descendants, Akkub’s descendants,
Hatita’s descendants, and Shobai’s descendants……….138
– The temple servants:
– Ziha’s descendants;
– Hasupha’s descendants;
– Tabbaoth’s descendants;
– Keros’ descendants;
– Sia’s descendants;
– Padon’s descendants;
– Lebana’s descendants;
– Hagaba’s descendants;
– Shalmai’s descendants;
– Hanan’s descendants;
– Giddel’s descendants;
– Gahar’s descendants;
– Reaiah’s descendants;
– Rezin’s descendants;
– Nekoda’s descendants;
– Gazzam’s descendants;
– Uzza’s descendants;
– Paseah’s descendants;
– Besai’s descendants;
– Meunim’s descendants;
– Nephusim’s descendants;
– Bakbuk’s descendants;
– Hakupha’s descendants;
– Harhur’s descendants;
– Bazluth’s descendants;
– Mehida’s descendants;
– Harsha’s descendants;
– Barkos’ descendants;
– Sisera’s descendants;
– Temah’s descendants;
– Neziah’s descendants;
– Hatipha’s descendants.
– The descendants of Solomon’s servants:
– Sotai’s descendants;
– Sophereth’s descendants;
– Perida’s descendants;
– Jaala’s descendants;
– Darkon’s descendants;
– Giddel’s descendants;
– Shephatiah’s descendants;
– Hattil’s descendants;
– Pokereth-Hazzebaim’s descendants;
– Amon’s descendants.
– In all, the temple servants and the descendants
of Solomon’s servants……………………………………………………..392
– The following came up from the cities of Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon, and Immer, but they were unable to prove that their families and ancestry were from Israel:
– the descendants of Delaiah, the
descendants of Tobiah, and the
descendants of Nekoda……………………………………………………642
– And from among the priests:
– Hobaiah’s descendants;
– Hakkoz’s descendants;
– Barzillai’s descendants (a man who had married a daughter of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by their name).
– These searched for their entries in the genealogical records, but they could not be found. So they were disqualified from the priesthood. The governor instructed them not to partake of the holy food until their was a priest who could consult the Urim and Thummim.
– The entire group numbered 42,360 not counting: their male and female servants which totaled 7,337, and their male and female singers which totaled 245. They also had 736 horses, 245 mules, 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.
– NET Bible points out, “Most Hebrew MSS omit 7:68 ET, which reads ‘They had 736 horses, 245 mules,’ and thus have one less verse in chap. 7, ending the chapter at 7:72. This verse is included in the LXX and most English versions. Cf. Ezra 2:66.”
– NLT Illustrated Study Bible notes, “The total number 42,360 agrees with Ezra 2:64, but the numbers for the families listed total only 31,089. The individual numbers for each family might not include young children, or the list might simply be incomplete.”
– Some of the family leaders contributed to the work. The governor gave to the treasury: 1,000 gold coins, 50 bowls, and 530 priestly garments. Some of the family leaders gave the following to the treasury for the work: 20,000 gold coins and 2,200 silver minas. The total given by the rest of the people was: 20,000 gold coins, 2,000 silver minas, and 67 priestly garments.
– The priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the temple servants, and all Israel settled in their own cities.
– NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible says, “Many returning exiles may not have been from Jerusalem. These naturally returned to their hometowns, leaving Jerusalem underpopulated.”
Ezra’s Teaching of the Law Brings Covenant Renewal (7:73B – 10:39)
– NET Bible points out, “The traditional understanding of the chapter and verse division here is probably incorrect. The final part of v. 73 is best understood as belonging with 8:1.”
– NLT Illustrated Study Bible writes, “This section, perhaps originally a part of Ezra’s personal memoirs, describes how Ezra’s teaching of God’s law brought renewal of the people’s commitment to serve God and follow his instructions. Spiritual revival accompanied the civic work of Ezra and Nehemiah.”
– ESV Study Bible adds, “In this long section, the Book of the Law is solemnly read, the Feast of Booths is kept, and a great act of covenant renewal is performed. For the first time in this book, Ezra enters the narrative. This section shows the unity of his and Nehemiah’s projects. With the walls securely in place, the centrality of the Mosaic Law is once again made prominent, since it is not security alone that is essential to the life of the community, nor even the temple, but trust in God and obedience to God’s Word as revealed through Moses. The whole passage has Leviticus 23 especially in mind.”
Ezra Reads the Law
– When the 7th month came, the Israelites had settled in their cities.
– ESV Study Bible notes, “This half of the verse is an addition to Ezra 2:70. It brings the perspective of the narrative back to Nehemiah’s time. The reference to the seventh month (September/October)- a festival month including the Day of Atonement- leads into the covenant renewal that follows.”