Nehemiah 7 — WBMS

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7And after that the wall of Jeru-salem was builded, and I had set up the gates thereof, and had numbered the porters, and singers, and deacons [or Levites],^{Verse 2}I commanded to Hanani, my brother, and to Hananiah, the prince of the house of Jerusalem; for he seemed a soothfast man, and dreading God more than other men did;^{Verse 3}and I said to them, The gates of Jerusalem be not opened till to the heat of the sun; and, when I was yet present, the gates were closed, and locked. And I set keepers thereof of the dwellers of Jerusalem, all men by their whiles, or times, and each man over against his own house.^{Verse 4}And the city was full broad and great, and little people in the midst thereof, and the houses were not yet builded.^{Verse 5}And God gave in mine heart, and I gathered together the principal men, and magistrates, and the common people, for to number them; and I found a book of the number[ing] of them, that had gone up first from the captivity. And it was found written therein,^{Verse 6}These be the sons of the province, which went up from the captivity of men passing over from Babylon to Jerusalem, which Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had led over into Babylon; and they that were come with Zerubbabel turned again into Jerusalem and into Judah, each man to his city;^{Verse 7}Joshua, that is to say, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Naham-ani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Big-vai, Nehum, Baanah. And the number of the men of the people of Israel is this;^{Verse 8}the sons of Parosh, two thousand an hundred and two and seventy;^{Verse 9}the sons of Shephatiah, three hundred and two and seventy;^{Verse 10}the sons of Arah, six hundred and two and fifty;^{Verse 11}the sons of Pahathmoab, of the sons of Jeshua and of Joab, two thousand eight hundred and eighteen;^{Verse 12}the sons of Elam, a thousand eight hundred and four and fifty;^{Verse 13}the sons of Zattu, eight hundred and five and forty;^{Verse 14}the sons of Zaccai, seven hundred and sixty;^{Verse 15}the sons of Binnui, six hundred and eight and forty;^{Verse 16}the sons of Bebai, six hundred and eight and twenty;^{Verse 17}the sons of Azgad, two thousand three hundred and two and twenty;^{Verse 18}the sons of Adonikam, six hundred and seven and sixty;^{Verse 19}the sons of Bigvai, two thousand and seven and sixty;^{Verse 20}the sons of Adin, six hundred and five and fifty;^{Verse 21}the sons of Ater, the son of Hezekiah, eight and twenty;^{Verse 22}the sons of Hashum, three hundred and eight and twenty;^{Verse 23}the sons of Bezai, three hundred and four and twenty;^{Verse 24}the sons of Hariph, an hundred and seven and twenty;^{Verse 25}the sons of Gibeon, five and twenty;^{Verse 26}the men of Bethlehem and of Netophah, an hundred fourscore and eight;^{Verse 27}the men of Anathoth, an hundred and eight and twenty;^{Verse 28}the men of Bethazmaveth, two and forty;^{Verse 29}the men of Kiriathjearim, of Chephirah, and of Beeroth, seven hundred and three and forty;^{Verse 30}the men of Ramah and of Gaba, six hundred and one and twenty;^{Verse 31}the men of Michmas, two hundred and two and twenty;^{Verse 32}the men of Bethel and of Ai, an hundred and three and twenty;^{Verse 33}the men of the other Nebo, two and fifty;^{Verse 34}the men of the other Elam, a thousand two hundred and four and fifty;^{Verse 35}the sons of Harim, three hundred and twenty;^{Verse 36}the sons of Jericho, three hundred and five and forty;^{Verse 37}the sons of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred and one and twenty;^{Verse 38}the sons of Senaah, three thousand nine hundred and thirty;^{Verse 39}priests; the sons of Jedaiah, in the house of Joshua, nine hundred and four and seventy;^{Verse 40}the sons of Immer, a thousand and two and fifty;^{Verse 41}the sons of Pashur, a thousand two hundred and seven and forty;^{Verse 42}the sons of Harim, a thousand and eighteen;^{Verse 43}deacons [or Levites]; the sons of Joshua, and of Kadmiel, of the sons of Hodevah, four and seventy;^{Verse 44}singers; the sons of Asaph, an hundred and seven and forty;^{Verse 45}porters; the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, the sons of Shobai, an hundred and eight and thirty;^{Verse 46}Nethinims; the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hashupha, the sons of Tab-baoth,^{Verse 47}the sons of Keros, the sons of Sia, the sons of Padon,^{Verse 48}the sons of Lebana, the sons of Hagaba, the sons of Shalmai,^{Verse 49}the sons of Hanan, the sons of Giddel, the sons of Gahar,^{Verse 50}the sons of Reaiah, the sons of Rezin, the sons of Nekoda,^{Verse 51}the sons of Gazzam, the sons of Uzza, the sons of Phaseah,^{Verse 52}the sons of Besai, the sons of Meunim, sons of Nephishesim,^{Verse 53}sons of Bakbuk, sons of Hakupha, sons of Harhur,^{Verse 54}sons of Bazlith, sons of Mehida, sons of Harsha,^{Verse 55}sons of Barkos, sons of Sisera, sons of Tamah,^{Verse 56}sons of Neziah, sons of Hatipha;^{Verse 57}sons of the servants of Solomon; sons of Sotai, sons of Sophereth, sons of Perida,^{Verse 58}sons of Jaala, sons of Darkon, sons of Giddel,^{Verse 59}sons of Shephatiah, sons of Hattil, sons of Pochereth, which were born of Zebaim, and the sons of Amon;^{Verse 60}all Nethinims, and the sons of the servants of Solomon, were three hun-dred and two and twenty or seventy.^{Verse 61}And these that follow be they that went up of the country of Telmelah, Telharesha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer; which might not show the house of their fathers, nor their seed, whether they were of Israel;^{Verse 62}the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, the sons of Nekoda, six hundred and two and forty;^{Verse 63}and of the priests; the sons of Habaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, the sons of Barzillai, that took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai of Gilead, and was called by the name of them;^{Verse 64}these sought the scripture of their genealogy, and they found it not, and they were therefore cast out of priest-hood.^{Verse 65}And the Tirshatha said to them, that they should not eat of the holy things of holy men, till that a wise priest rose up among the people.^{Verse 66}All the multitude as one man, two and forty thousand six hundred and sixty,^{Verse 67}besides the servants and handmaids of them, which were seven thousand three hundred and seven and thirty; and among [them] the singers and sing-eresses, six hundred and five and forty.^{Verse 68}The horses of them, six hundred and six and thirty; the mules of them, two hundred and five and forty;^{Verse 69}the camels of them, four hundred and five and thirty; the asses of them, six thousand eight hundred and thirty.^{Verse 70}Soothly some of the princes of the meines gave costs into the work of God; the Tirshatha gave into the treasure [or treasury], a thousand drachmas/drams of gold, fifty vials, or basins, five hundred and thirty coats of priests.^{Verse 71}And of the princes of [the] meines, they gave into the treasure [or treasury] of the work, twenty thousand drachmas/ drams of gold, and two thousand and two hundred bezants of silver.^{Verse 72}And that that the residue people gave, twenty thousand drachmas/drams of gold, and two thousand bezants of silver, and seven and sixty coats of priests.^{Verse 73}Soothly [the] priests, and deacons [or Levites], and porters, and singers, and the residue people, and Nethinims, and all Israel dwelled in their cities. And when the seventh month was come under Ezra and Nehemiah, soothly the sons of Israel were in their cities.

Commentary

Neh 7:1-2 The watching of the city provided for. - Neh 7:1 When the wall was built, Nehemiah set up the doors in the gates, to complete the fortification of Jerusalem (comp. Neh 6:1). Then were the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites entrusted with the care (הפּקד, praefici; comp. Neh 12:14). The care of watching the walls and gates is meant in this connection. According to ancient appointment, it was the duty of the doorkeepers to keep watch over the house of God, and to open and close the gates of the temple courts; comp. Ch1 9:17-19; Ch1 26:12-19. The singers and the Levites appointed to assist the priests, on the contrary, had, in ordinary times, nothing to do with the service of watching. Under the present extraordinary circumstances, however, Nehemiah committed also to these two organized corporations the task of keeping watch over the walls and gates of the city, and placed them under the command of his brother Hanani, and of Hananiah the ruler of the citadel. This is expressed by the words, Neh 7:2 : I gave Hanani ... and Hananiah ... charge over Jerusalem. הבּירה is the fortress or citadel of the city lying to the north of the temple (see rem. on Neh 2:8), in which was probably located the royal garrison, the commander of which was in the service of the Persian king. The choice of this man for so important a charge is explained by the additional clause: "for he was a faithful man, and feared God above many." The כּ before אישׁ is the so-called Caph veritatis, which expresses a comparison with the idea of the matter: like a man whom one may truly call faithful. מרבּים is comparative: more God-fearing than many. Neh 7:3 The Chethiv ויאמר is both here and Neh 5:9 certainly a clerical error for the Keri ואמר, though in this place, at all events, we might read ויּאמר, it was said to them. "The gates of Jerusalem are not to be opened till the sun be hot; and while they (the watch) are yet at their posts, they are to shut the doors and lock them; and ye shall appoint watches of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, some to be at their watch-posts, others before their house." יגיפוּ in Hebrew is used only here, though more frequently in the Talmud, of closing the doors. אחז, to make fast, i.e., to lock, as more frequently in Syriac. The infin. absol. העמיד instead of the temp. fin. is emphatic: and you are to appoint. The sense is: the gates are to be occupied before daybreak by the Levites (singers and other Levites) appointed to guard them, and not opened till the sun is hot and the watch already at their posts, and to be closed in the evening before the departure of the watch. After the closing of the gates, i.e., during the night, the inhabitants of Jerusalem are to keep watch for the purpose of defending the city from any kind of attack, a part occupying the posts, and the other part watching before their (each before his own) house, so as to be at hand to defend the city. Neh 7:4 The measures taken by Nehemiah for increasing the number of the inhabitants of Jerusalem. - Neh 7:4 The city was spacious and great, and the people few therein, and houses were not built. ידים רחבת, broads on both sides, that is, regarded from the centre towards either the right or left hand. The last clause does not say that there were no houses at all, for the city had been re-inhabited for ninety years; but only that houses had not been built in proportion to the size of the city, that there was still much unoccupied space on which houses might be built.

And God put into my heart, i.e., God inspired me with the resolution; comp. Neh 2:12. What resolution, is declared by the sentences following, which detail its execution. The resolution to gather together the nobles and rulers of the people for the purpose of making a list of their kinsmen, and thus to obtain a basis for the operations contemplated for increasing the inhabitants of Jerusalem. והסּגנים החרים are combined, as in Neh 2:16. On התיחשׂ, comp. Ch1 5:17. While this resolve was under consideration, Nehemiah found the register, i.e., the genealogical registry, of those who came up at first (from Babylon). בּראשׁונה, at the beginning, i.e., with Zerubbabel and Joshua under Cyrus (Ezra 2), and not subsequently with Ezra (Ezra 7). "And I found written therein." These words introduce the list now given. This list, vv. 6-73a, is identical with that in Ezra 2, and has been already discussed in our remarks on that chapter.

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