Nehemiah 7

KJV · Chapter 7/13

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,

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.

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.

4Now the city was large and great: but the people were few therein, and the houses were not builded.

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,

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;

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 Pahath–moab, 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.

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.

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.

25The children of Gibeon, ninety and five.

26The men of Beth–lehem and Netophah, an hundred fourscore and eight.

27The men of Anathoth, an hundred twenty and eight.

28The men of Beth–azmaveth, forty and two.

29The men of Kirjath–jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred forty and three.

30The men of Ramah and Geba, six hundred twenty and one.

31The men of Michmas, an hundred and twenty and two.

32The men of Beth–el and Ai, an hundred twenty and three.

33The men of the other Nebo, fifty and two.

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.

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.

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,

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 Tel–melah, Tel–haresha, 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,

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.

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.

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.

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.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

With the wall completed, Nehemiah appoints guards for the city gates and records the genealogy of the people, repeating the list of those who returned from exile with Zerubbabel decades earlier.

Explanation

After the euphoria of finishing the physical work, Nehemiah turns his attention to internal organization: he chooses trustworthy leaders for the gates, since the city was still sparsely populated and vulnerable. The repetition of the genealogical list from Ezra 2, nearly identical, serves to reaffirm the legitimate identity of the people now living in the newly fortified city, connecting this new generation to the same community that had returned from exile. It is a reminder that rebuilding physical walls is not enough: it is also necessary to care for the people who live within them and for their collective identity.

Fun facts

  • The near-identical repetition of this list, found both here and in Ezra 2, is considered by scholars evidence that both books drew on the same original documentary source.
  • Nehemiah chooses his own brother Hanani, already mentioned in chapter 1, as one of those responsible for the city's security, showing his trust in family ties for critical tasks.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Nehemiah 7:1With the wall finished and the doors finally installed, Nehemiah organizes gatekeepers, singers, and Levites for their duties — the city regains a complete religious and administrative structure.
  2. Nehemiah 7:2Nehemiah puts his own brother, Hanani, the same one who had brought the news back in chapter 1, in charge of the city together with Hananiah, chosen for being especially trustworthy.
  3. Nehemiah 7:3Nehemiah orders that the city gates only be opened once the sun is already high and be shut before nightfall, with residents standing guard in shifts. It is a basic security measure for a city that had only just finished rebuilding its walls.
  4. Nehemiah 7:4Even with the wall finished, Jerusalem was still practically empty inside, with few houses built — a problem the next chapter begins to address.
  5. Nehemiah 7:5Nehemiah feels the impulse to gather the people to record their genealogies, and this is how he finds the old book with the list of the first who returned from exile. This record repeats, almost word for word, the list already found in the book of Ezra.
  6. Nehemiah 7:6Nehemiah transcribes here the same list of returnees that Ezra had already recorded decades earlier, in chapter 2 of his own book, with small differences in numbers between the two versions.
  7. Nehemiah 7:7The list names another Nehemiah among the leaders of the first wave of return, sharing the name of this book's author, who had not even been born yet at that time.
  8. Nehemiah 7:8The family of Parosh opens the list with a number almost identical to the one recorded by Ezra, just a small difference in count between the two versions of the census.
  9. Nehemiah 7:9The family of Shephatiah appears with the exact same number cited by Ezra, one of the few exact matches between the two lists.
  10. Nehemiah 7:10Here a real difference appears: Ezra counted this family at seven hundred seventy-five people, while Nehemiah records six hundred fifty-two.
  11. Nehemiah 7:11The family of Pahath-moab appears again, with a number very close to Ezra's, just six more people in this version of the list.
  12. Nehemiah 7:12The family of Elam repeats the exact same number as both appearances in the book of Ezra — one thousand two hundred fifty-four, again.
  13. Nehemiah 7:13The family of Zattu appears here with almost a hundred fewer people than the number recorded by Ezra, one of the most visible differences between the two lists.
  14. Nehemiah 7:14The family of Zaccai keeps the exact same number in both versions of the list, with no difference in count.
  15. Nehemiah 7:15Here the name changes: where Ezra recorded “the children of Bani,” Nehemiah writes “the children of Binnui,” probably two ways of spelling the same family name.
  16. Nehemiah 7:16The family of Bebai appears with a number close to, but not identical with, the one recorded by Ezra, another small variation between the two versions.
  17. Nehemiah 7:17The family of Azgad grows significantly in this version: a thousand more than the number recorded by Ezra decades earlier.
  18. Nehemiah 7:18The family of Adonikam appears with just one more person than Ezra's number, one of the most minor differences in the entire list.
  19. Nehemiah 7:19The family of Bigvai also shifts slightly in number between the two versions, one more small, natural variation between records made at different times.
  20. Nehemiah 7:20The family of Adin now appears with far more people than the four hundred fifty-four recorded by Ezra.
  21. Nehemiah 7:21The family of Ater repeats the exact same number as Ezra, including the same link to the name Hezekiah.
  22. Nehemiah 7:22The family of Hashum appears with a larger number than the two hundred twenty-three recorded in Ezra's list.
  23. Nehemiah 7:23The family of Bezai also grows slightly compared to the earlier count made by Ezra.
  24. Nehemiah 7:24Here the name changes from Jorah, as it appears in Ezra, to Hariph in this version by Nehemiah, one more spelling variation between the two lists of the same census.
  25. Nehemiah 7:25Ezra's family of Gibbar appears here as “the children of Gibeon,” possibly identifying the group by its town rather than by an ancestor.
  26. Nehemiah 7:26Unlike Ezra, who separated Bethlehem and Netophah into two distinct groups, here the two towns are counted together.
  27. Nehemiah 7:27Anathoth, the hometown of the prophet Jeremiah, repeats the exact same number from Ezra's list.
  28. Nehemiah 7:28The group Ezra called simply “the children of Azmaveth” appears here under the town's full name, Beth-azmaveth.
  29. Nehemiah 7:29These three towns appear counted together again, with the exact same number recorded by Ezra.
  30. Nehemiah 7:30Ramah and Geba also repeat the exact same number from the earlier list, one of several perfect matches between the two versions.
  31. Nehemiah 7:31Michmas keeps the exact same number recorded by Ezra decades earlier.
  32. Nehemiah 7:32Bethel and Ai appear here with a slightly smaller number than the two hundred twenty-three cited by Ezra.
  33. Nehemiah 7:33The family of the other Nebo repeats the exact same number as Ezra, closing this first block of names tied to towns and lay families.
  34. Nehemiah 7:34“The other Elam” reappears with the same number as the first family of Elam, repeating exactly the same coincidence of numbers already seen in Ezra's list.
  35. Nehemiah 7:35The family of Harim repeats the exact number recorded by Ezra, with no variation between the two lists.
  36. Nehemiah 7:36The residents of Jericho also keep the exact same number from the earlier list.
  37. Nehemiah 7:37These three towns appear together again, with a minimal difference of two fewer compared to Ezra's count.
  38. Nehemiah 7:38The family of Senaah, one of the largest groups in the list, now appears with three hundred more people than the number recorded by Ezra.
  39. Nehemiah 7:39Here begins the block of priests, with the exact same number for the family of Jedaiah already seen in Ezra.
  40. Nehemiah 7:40The priestly family of Immer repeats the exact same number recorded by Ezra.
  41. Nehemiah 7:41The family of Pashur also keeps the number identical to the earlier list.
  42. Nehemiah 7:42The fourth priestly family, Harim, closes out the group of priests with the exact same number as Ezra, the four families together totaling nearly four thousand men.
  43. Nehemiah 7:43The Levites appear again with the same very low number, seventy-four, the same problem of few Levites willing to return already seen in Ezra's list.
  44. Nehemiah 7:44The singers of the family of Asaph appear here with twenty more people than the number recorded by Ezra.
  45. Nehemiah 7:45The group of temple gatekeepers appears with one fewer person than Ezra's count, a minimal difference between the two versions.
  46. Nehemiah 7:46The list of Nethinims, servants of the temple, begins again, repeating almost the same names already seen in the book of Ezra.
  47. Nehemiah 7:47Three more families of Nethinims, with small spelling variations compared to the names recorded by Ezra.
  48. Nehemiah 7:48The list of Nethinims continues, with names such as Shalmai matching Ezra's list almost exactly, only minor spelling differences appearing elsewhere in the two censuses.
  49. Nehemiah 7:49More Nethinims are listed, in an order similar to, but not identical with, the list Ezra had recorded.
  50. Nehemiah 7:50The list of Nethinims continues, each name reaffirming these families' place among the restored residents of Jerusalem.
  51. Nehemiah 7:51Three more families of Nethinims appear, completing almost the same set of names already seen before.
  52. Nehemiah 7:52Here Ezra's Mehunim and Nephusim appear with slightly different names, Meunim and Nephishesim, but representing the same groups.
  53. Nehemiah 7:53The list of Nethinims continues almost identical to Ezra's, with only a few spelling variations between the two books.
  54. Nehemiah 7:54Three more families of Nethinims, keeping the same repeated list structure from the book of Ezra.
  55. Nehemiah 7:55The list of temple servants continues, practically copying the sequence of names already recorded decades earlier.
  56. Nehemiah 7:56The list of the Nethinims closes here, setting up the transition to the descendants of Solomon's former servants.
  57. Nehemiah 7:57The list of Solomon's servants begins, a labor category that had existed for centuries, repeated here almost word for word from Ezra's list.
  58. Nehemiah 7:58More families descended from Solomon's former servants complete this small group within the general census.
  59. Nehemiah 7:59The list of Solomon's servants ends with four more families, including one name, Amon, spelled differently from the “Ami” cited by Ezra.
  60. Nehemiah 7:60The total of Nethinims and Solomon's servants matches exactly the number recorded by Ezra: three hundred ninety-two in all.
  61. Nehemiah 7:61This group from Babylonian towns reappears with the same problem already seen in Ezra: they could not prove by documents that they truly descended from Israel.
  62. Nehemiah 7:62The number of these families without proof appears here with a minimal difference from Ezra's count: six hundred forty-two, against six hundred fifty-two.
  63. Nehemiah 7:63Here the case repeats of the priest who took a new surname upon marrying a descendant of Barzillai, further complicating the proof of his original lineage.
  64. Nehemiah 7:64Again there appear families of priests who could not prove their descent in the old records and were therefore removed from the priesthood until the matter could be clarified. It is the same problem of genealogical proof that had already occurred at the first return from exile, decades earlier.
  65. Nehemiah 7:65The same temporary solution from Ezra repeats here: the priests without proof are forbidden to eat of the sacred offerings until someone arises able to consult God by Urim and Thummim.
  66. Nehemiah 7:66The overall total of the congregation matches exactly the number Ezra had already recorded: forty-two thousand three hundred sixty people.
  67. Nehemiah 7:67The number of singing men and women appears here much larger than the two hundred cited by Ezra, one of the most visible differences between the two lists.
  68. Nehemiah 7:68The count of horses and mules repeats the exact same numbers already recorded in Ezra's list.
  69. Nehemiah 7:69Camels and donkeys also keep the exact same numbers from the earlier list, closing out the animal inventory of this great caravan.
  70. Nehemiah 7:70Here a detail appears that Ezra had not recorded: the governor himself, called the Tirshatha, personally contributes a generous donation to the temple.
  71. Nehemiah 7:71Other family leaders also donate generous amounts of gold and silver, adding to what the governor had already offered.
  72. Nehemiah 7:72Even the rest of the common people contribute a significant amount, showing that the donation to the temple involved every level of society, not just the leaders.
  73. Nehemiah 7:73The chapter ends exactly like Ezra's list: everyone settles, each in his own city, setting the stage for the great public reading of the law in the next chapter.

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