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The Histories · Old Testament

Nehemiah 7

Nehemiah 7: guarding the gates and the register of the first return

General context

With the wall built, the doors hung, and porters, singers and Levites appointed, Nehemiah gives his brother Hanani and Hananiah, ruler of the palace, charge over Jerusalem, noting that he was a faithful man who feared God above many. He orders that the gates not be opened until the sun is hot, that they be shut and barred while guards stand by, and that inhabitants keep watches, each opposite his own house. The narrator says the city is large but the people few and the houses not built. God puts it into Nehemiah's heart to gather nobles, rulers and people for a genealogical reckoning, and he finds the register of those who came up at the first. The rest of the chapter reproduces it: the children of the province who returned from Nebuchadnezzar's captivity, the leaders who came with Zerubbabel, the men of Israel counted by family and by town, the priests in four houses, the Levites, singers, porters, Nethinims and Solomon's servants, those who could not show their father's house, and priestly families put from the priesthood until a priest with Urim and Thummim should stand. The whole congregation is forty and two thousand three hundred and threescore, besides servants, singing men and women and animals. The Tirshatha, chief of the fathers and the rest of the people give gold, silver, basons and priests' garments. Everyone dwells in their cities, and when the seventh month comes the children of Israel are in their cities.

Cited passages: Nehemiah 7:1, Nehemiah 7:2, Nehemiah 7:3, Nehemiah 7:4, Nehemiah 7:5, Nehemiah 7:6, Nehemiah 7:7, Nehemiah 7:8, Nehemiah 7:27, Nehemiah 7:39, Nehemiah 7:43, Nehemiah 7:46, Nehemiah 7:57, Nehemiah 7:61, Nehemiah 7:64, Nehemiah 7:65, Nehemiah 7:66, Nehemiah 7:70, Nehemiah 7:72, Nehemiah 7:73

Nehemiah 7 (KJV)

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.

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Historical context

Hanani is now called my brother, where chapter 1 had one of my brethren. The praise for faithfulness in verse 2 uses the singular he, and the text does not make clear whether it refers to Hananiah or to Hanani. The register is introduced as a document Nehemiah found, describing the return under Zerubbabel long before his own arrival, so its Nehemiah among the leaders is not the narrator, and its Tirshatha who ruled on the priests is a figure in the found record. Nehemiah is himself called the Tirshatha in chapters 8 and 10. Ezra 2 gives the same register, and the two copies differ in places: this copy names twelve leaders where Ezra 2 names eleven, gives Arah six hundred fifty and two against Ezra's seven hundred seventy and five, gives Azgad two thousand three hundred twenty and two against one thousand two hundred twenty and two, and counts one hundred forty and eight singers against Ezra's one hundred twenty and eight, while the congregation total is identical. The gifts are also itemized differently, with a separate line for the Tirshatha. Neither book comments on the differences, and the individual figures in this copy, added together, still fall short of the stated total. The chapter gives no date for the count beyond the arrival of the seventh month, which leads into the reading of the law in chapter 8.

Cited passages: Nehemiah 7:2, Nehemiah 1:2, Nehemiah 7:5, Nehemiah 7:7, Nehemiah 7:65, Nehemiah 8:9, Ezra 2:2, Nehemiah 7:10, Ezra 2:5, Nehemiah 7:17, Ezra 2:12, Nehemiah 7:44, Ezra 2:41, Ezra 2:64, Nehemiah 7:70, Nehemiah 7:73

Literary context

The chapter joins two kinds of writing. The first five verses continue Nehemiah's memoir, with the practical detail of gate hours and household watches, and the observation that the walled city is mostly empty. That emptiness is the problem the register answers: before the city can be filled, the people must be reckoned, and the old document of the first return supplies the frame. The list itself repeats the shape of Ezra 2, moving from leaders to lay families, towns, priests, Levites, singers, porters, Nethinims, Solomon's servants, the unregistered and the totals, and ends with the same settling into cities. By placing the found register here, the book connects the wall builders with the first generation of returnees and sets up the resettlement lottery of chapter 11. The final clause, when the seventh month came, hands the narrative directly to the assembly at the water gate in chapter 8, which opens with the same gathered-as-one-man phrase that Ezra 3 used for the first seventh month after the return.

Cited passages: Nehemiah 7:3, Nehemiah 7:4, Nehemiah 7:5, Nehemiah 7:6, Nehemiah 7:73, Nehemiah 11:1, Nehemiah 8:1, Ezra 3:1

Key moments

  1. Gates kept until the sun is hot (Nehemiah 7:3). Nehemiah orders the gates barred and household watches set around the city.
  2. A large city, few people (Nehemiah 7:4). The narrator notes the walled city is mostly empty and unbuilt.
  3. The register found (Nehemiah 7:5). God moves Nehemiah to gather the people, and he finds the record of the first return.
  4. Lineage that cannot be shown (Nehemiah 7:61). Families from Tel-melah and elsewhere cannot prove they are of Israel.
  5. Priests barred until Urim and Thummim (Nehemiah 7:65). The Tirshatha in the record keeps unregistered priests from the most holy things.
  6. The Tirshatha's gift (Nehemiah 7:70). The record itemizes gold, basons and garments given by the Tirshatha.
  7. The seventh month comes (Nehemiah 7:73). With everyone settled in their cities, the seventh month arrives.

For reflection

The wall is finished, yet the narrator says the city is large, the people few and the houses unbuilt, and the response is to open an old genealogical register. Why might counting who belongs come before filling the city?

People in this chapter

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