These 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 who came again to Jerusalem and to Judah, every one to his city;
Nehemiah has finished the wall and hung the gates, and he now turns from building to counting. Why does a book about walls and enemies stop to copy out a census, and why do its numbers not always match the same list in Ezra 2?
The first six chapters read as Nehemiah's own account. At this verse he begins to copy out an older document, and it runs to the end of the chapter.
There can be no doubt that this man of God wrote chapters 1 to 7:5; it is an autobiography. Chapter 7:6-73 is a quotation of a register of names, which differs in many places from the register in Ezra 2:1-70. Both lists probably come from public documents, perhaps from the book of Chronicles mentioned in chapter 7:23. The differences between Ezra 2 and Nehemiah 7 show that Nehemiah did not copy from Ezra's record.
So why do the details not match? One writer points to slips by copyists:
after_note: DELETE_IF_UNUSED
In the main the lists agree. The total in both is the same, yet the details differ in odd ways. How this happened may not be easy to decide. We know that numbers are especially open to error, whether through a copyist's carelessness or his recklessness.
This list had work to do. It settled who had a right to live inside the walls.
The aim was to examine the right of the people to be where they were. They had dealt constantly with the enemy, and they had made alliances with them. They had forgotten that the Lord had chosen them out of all the peoples on the earth as His own people. So there would no doubt be many who could not show their genealogy, and so had no claim to be counted with Israel. The wall now stood, and it proclaimed the truth of separation. They could no longer allow such a mixture inside.
So why keep such a list at all? One writer finds the answer in God, not in the people named.
His people may have entered only feebly into His thoughts about His house. Even so, His grace had produced a response in their hearts, and the very existence of this record shows how precious that response was to God. For this reason He has kept this list. It is evidence that He looks with joy on the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work. It also shows that He knows the names of His people and announces them. That encourages everyone to walk in His ways, to stand with His interests, and to stay faithful in times of corruption and apostasy.
The verse traces these families back to the exile under Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. One writer asks what those years in Babylon had done to the people.
In the land of their exile they had not taken the same care about title and qualification. Babylon stands for the corruption that holds God's people in bondage through their sins. So their captivity was a careless time. They were suffering under the hand of their God, yet it was still a time of confusion and disorder. It could not be otherwise, since they had no temple, no sacrifices, and no presence of the Lord among them. But now, through the mercy of their God, a recovery had come. It was only partial, yet it held within it a clear working of the Spirit of God. And now that the Lord's house was to be their centre again, they rightly examined the title of all who had returned from Babylon.
Many of those named here had died long before Nehemiah copied the list. He gives them a place in his book anyway.
The rest of the chapter shows how Nehemiah links his own finished work with an earlier one. The remnant who first came back with Zerubbabel had done it some eighty years before. Many of them must have died by Nehemiah's day. They are still held in honour, and their varied services remembered. The work they did in their day made the work of Nehemiah's day possible.
Some names were missing from the register, and those people lost their place. One writer looks past that earthly list to a greater one.
In the old days some had faithfully kept clear of any link with the world God disowned. Their names stood in "the register of those enrolled in the genealogies." Those not found there lost their place of honour among men. An earthly list of names may carry high privileges. Even so, it is only a faint picture of God's own register, where He preserves the name of the overcomer.
- Carried away. Babylon stands for bondage through sin. Those captive years were careless years: no temple, no sacrifice, no presence of the Lord, and no questions asked about title.
- Came up. The list honours those who first came up with Zerubbabel: the work they did in their day made Nehemiah's work possible.
- Counted. With the wall now standing, the register asked a plain question — can you show your claim to be inside?
- Kept. These people grasped little of God's thoughts about His house, yet He preserved their names. He values the smallest fruit of His Spirit's work.
- Written. An earthly list of names is only a faint sketch of God's register, where He preserves the name of the overcomer.
those who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel
With the wall finished, Nehemiah turns from stone to people and registers those who first came back from exile. Verse 7 names the leaders who came with Zerubbabel, and it raises two questions: why record names at all, and why does the list not match Ezra's?
Nehemiah says where the plan came from. One commentator draws out both his closeness to God and the purpose of the count.
He says, "And my God put into my heart to gather together the nobles, and the rulers, and the people, so that they might be enrolled by genealogy." (v. 5.) This gives us a glimpse into how close his walk with God was. It is "my" God — the One he knew in that personal relationship, which only faith and experience can recognize... And the aim was to examine the people's right to be in the place where they were... Now that the wall was built, proclaiming the truth of separation, such a mixture inside could no longer be allowed.
A page of names can look like dead weight. One commentator reads it as a window into God's memory.
This chapter contains the names of the returning remnant. It is a sample page from the records God keeps. From it we learn that He remembers His people, that He knows them by name, and that He does not forget their works. He has a book of remembrance (Mal. 3:16).
Another commentator adds that the response itself came from God's grace:
the very fact that this list exists shows how precious to God was the response His grace had produced in the hearts of His people, however weakly they grasped His thoughts about His house. That is why He has kept this list: as proof that He looks with joy on the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work, and that He knows and announces the very names of His people, to encourage everyone to walk in His ways.
Compare this verse with the list in Ezra 2. You find one extra leader, Nahamani, plus spelling differences and numbers that do not always agree.
Notice here Nahamani, added to the eleven named in Ezra 2. The rest are the same people, though some names appear with variations... In the main the lists agree. The total in both is the same, yet the details differ in a striking way, and why that is may not be easy to decide. We know that numbers are especially open to corruption, whether through the carelessness or the boldness of copyists.
The order of names carries its own message. The man at the front is of David's line, yet the nation is still under Gentile rule.
What a humbling fact: "the people of the province who came up out of the captivity"! Pride forgets and hides such things. Faith, cleared and cheered by grace, can afford in the darkest day to own the truth that, however Israel may change, Jehovah does not change... Yet they were still under the Gentile powers, as Christ Himself pressed on their rebellious spirits... So the first named is not the high priest, but the heir without the throne of David.
Zerubbabel's own name preserves the memory of where they had been:
Zerubbabel was the leader of the returning captives. His name means "seed of Babylon." He is called the son of Shealtiel... and was therefore a descendant of David... The second leader was Jeshua, also called Joshua. He was a son of Jehozadak and grandson of the high priest Seraiah. Zerubbabel, the princely leader, son of David, and Joshua, the high priest, are types, or pictures, of Christ.
Two names in the list belong to famous men elsewhere in the Bible. One commentator identifies them as different people.
This Nehemiah is not the Nehemiah who led the later expedition, and this Mordecai is not the uncle of Queen Esther, who was an old man and clearly stayed in Susa (Esther 10:3). The names Nehemiah and Mordecai were quite common among the Jews.
The register decided who had a rightful place. One writer applies that test to anyone claiming a place among God's people today.
Then the answer was found, that only such as could "show their father's house," or could find "their register," had the scriptural qualification for a place at the table of the Lord. In other words, we must have peace with God. We must know that we are children of God because we have the Spirit of adoption, and so be able to show our Father's house and trace our genealogy. Without that we do not have the divine title required. Profession is not enough.
- Prompted — the count was God's idea. Nehemiah says God put it in his heart, and its aim was to test who belonged.
- Preserved — the names survive because God keeps records. He knows His people by name and does not forget their work.
- Led — Zerubbabel comes first, a descendant of David whose name means "seed of Babylon." Jeshua the high priest stands beside him.
- Humbled — they return as "people of the province," still under Gentile rule. Faith owns that instead of hiding it.
- Proven — a register only helps those who can produce it. Profession is not enough where God requires a real title.
The children of Parosh, two thousand one hundred and seventy-two.
With the wall finished, Nehemiah turns from stone and timber to people: he copies out an old list of families, and the house of Parosh heads the count. Why does God keep a register at all, and why did Nehemiah reach for one now?
One writer takes the survival of this plain list as proof of how much God values what His grace produces:
The fact that this record exists shows how precious to God was the response His grace had produced in the hearts of His people. It was precious however feebly they had entered into His thoughts about His house. So He has kept this list on record. It is evidence that He looks with joy on the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work. It also shows that He knows the very names of His people and announces them. That encourages everyone to walk in His ways, to be identified with His interests, and to stay faithful in times of corruption and falling away.
The count of Parosh's sons sits inside a survey Nehemiah did not invent, and it had a clear aim:
Nehemiah is careful to tell us that this was not his own idea. This gives us a glimpse into how closely he walked with God... And the object in view was to examine the people's title to be in the place where they were. They were in constant contact with the enemy, and they had made alliances with them. They had forgotten that the Lord chose them out of all the peoples on earth as His own people. So there were no doubt many who could not show their descent, and who had no claim to be counted with Israel. Now the wall stood built, and it proclaimed the truth of separation. A mixture like that inside could no longer be tolerated.
A returned exile's standing rested on descent. One writer draws the line straight across to the Christian:
So we see that the remnant are careful to stand plain and clear as sons of the covenant. Descent in the line of promise mattered as much to them as being born of God does to the Christian. Only Israelites could be allowed to build a temple to the God of Israel.
Another writer presses what a weak day asks of God's people:
Although it was a day of weakness and humiliation, it was not to be a day of negligence but of the greatest care. It was to be a day when God's people were as watchful and alert for His name as when everything stood in the full power and beauty of divine order. The reason is plain: people now take the place of Christians without being real. We must require proof that they really are what they profess to be.
Set this list beside the earlier one in Ezra. Many figures differ, though Parosh's 2,172 is the same in both. Commentators differ on why. One writer explains it by later updates to the registers:
Eighteen of the figures given in Ezra vary here: sometimes lower, but usually higher... We see that the genealogical registers Zerubbabel drew up were brought up to date over a longer or shorter period. And here is a remarkable fact. Add to Ezra's genealogy the 1,396 people who came to live at Jerusalem in Nehemiah 11, and we get 25,540 for the people. That corresponds almost exactly to the 25,406 in Nehemiah 7.
Another leaves the question open, and looks instead at what such a list shows about God:
In the main the lists agree. The overall total in both is the same, yet the details differ strangely. How that happened may not be easy to decide. We know that numbers are especially liable to corruption, through the carelessness or the boldness of copyists. How good it is for the heart to know that the living God takes a real interest not only in His people, but in all that is theirs!
Nehemiah closes the chapter by tying his own work to an older generation's:
The rest of the chapter shows how Nehemiah connects the work he had done with the work of the remnant who first returned with Zerubbabel about eighty years before. How many of that remnant must have died by Nehemiah's day! Yet they are still held in honour, and their various services are recalled. The work they did in their day made it possible for the work in Nehemiah's day to be done.
- Named. God kept this list because He knows His people by name and takes a real interest in all that is theirs.
- Prompted. The count was not Nehemiah's own idea; it grew out of a life lived close to God.
- Proved. Descent decided who belonged, and a claim by itself was never enough.
- Guarded. A weak day is no excuse for carelessness. This small company watched for God's name as in the days of full order.
- Carried. These families came back long before Nehemiah. Their finished work made his possible, and they are still held in honour.
The children of Shephatiah, three hundred and seventy-two.
The verse gives one family and one figure inside the register Nehemiah found and copied out. The name itself is not empty; a writer tracing it where it appears elsewhere in Scripture explains it this way:
The fifth son shows his number in his name, Shephatiah, "Jah judges."
The same roll of families appears in Ezra 2 and again here. One writer sees weight in that repeat:
Ezra 2 gives us the number and the names of the company that went up. The Spirit of God attaches such importance to this company that their names appear a second time in the book of Nehemiah.
One family's number looks like a small thing to record. One commentator explains why God preserved it:
That such a list exists at all shows how precious to God was the response His grace had produced in the hearts of His people, however weakly they entered into His thoughts about His house. This is why He has kept this list. It is evidence that He looks with joy on the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work. And the very names of His people are known and proclaimed, to encourage everyone to walk in His ways, to identify with His interests, and to stay faithful in times of corruption and apostasy.
The register had a job to do. One commentator explains what Nehemiah was testing:
He is careful to say that gathering the people was not his own idea… The aim was to examine the title of the people to be in the place where they were. They had constant dealings with the enemy, and they had formed alliances with them. They had forgotten that the Lord had chosen them out of all the peoples on the earth as His own people. So there would no doubt be many who could not show their genealogy, and no claim to be numbered with Israel.
So a line like this one settles the question for that family. Another writer weighs how much such descent mattered:
So we see that the remnant are watchful to stand simple and clear as sons of the covenant. Descent according to the flesh in the line of promise mattered as much to them as being born of God matters to the Christian.
The two registers do not always agree in the details, and commentators differ on why. One points to the copying of numerals:
On the whole the lists agree. The total in both is the same. Yet the details differ in a strange way, and why that is may not be easy to decide. Numbers are especially open to error in copying, whether through the carelessness or the over-confidence of copyists… How good it is for the heart to know that the living God takes a real interest not only in His people, but in all that is theirs!
Another suggests the gap between signing up and setting out:
Their individual names are not recorded, but the Lord knows them all. He cared for each member and sustained them on the journey home. In the same way He knows all His sheep and keeps every member of His body, leading them home to glory… If some of the numbers do not agree with Nehemiah's record, there is no doubt a good reason for it. For instance, the descendants of Arah are here 775, and in Nehemiah we find only 652 recorded. Probably 775 had enrolled their names, but only 652 went.
The list reaches back to an earlier group of returners:
The rest of the chapter shows how Nehemiah links the work he had done with the work of the remnant who first returned with Zerubbabel, some eighty years before. Many of that remnant must have died by Nehemiah's day. Yet they are still held in honour, and their various services recalled. The work they did in their day made the work in Nehemiah's day possible.
One writer sets this register beside a greater one:
Long ago, those who had faithfully kept apart from connection with the world that God had disowned found their place in "the register of those that were reckoned by genealogy." Those not found there were shut out from the place of honour among men. An earthly list of names carries high privileges for those written on it. But it is only a faint picture of that divine register where He preserves the name of the overcomer.
- Named — God kept this roll as evidence. He sees the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work, and He knows His people by name.
- Twice — the Spirit records the same company a second time here, which shows the value He places on them.
- Checked — the count tested title. Whoever could not show his descent had no claim to a place in Israel.
- Disputed — Ezra's figures and Nehemiah's do not always match. Commentators differ: copying errors, or more enrolled than went.
- Carried — an earlier generation is still honoured, because their work made the later work possible. The same pattern points on to God's register, where He keeps the name of the overcomer.
The children of Arah, six hundred and fifty-two.
Nehemiah 7:10 is one line in a long register: the family of Arah, and a number. Two questions arise here — why does God keep this list of returned exiles twice over, and why does Ezra give a different number for the same family?
Writers say this register survived for a reason, not by accident.
Notice first that this record exists at all. That shows how precious to God was the response His grace had produced in the hearts of His people. They may have entered only feebly into His thoughts about His house. That is why He has kept this list. It is evidence that He looks with joy on the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work. He also makes the very names of His people known and proclaims them. This encourages everyone to walk in His ways, to identify with His interests, and to stay faithful in times of corruption.
Another writer, commenting on the same list where it first appears in Ezra, calls it one page out of a much larger record:
This chapter contains the names of the returning remnant. It is a specimen page of the records God keeps, and from it we may learn that He remembers His people, whom He knows by name and whose works are not forgotten by Him. The book of Nehemiah repeats this list (chapter 7), and adds a record of those who helped build the wall.
Nehemiah did not take a new census. He found a document already written years earlier.
Israel was God's earthly people, so their genealogies mattered and had to be kept with care. God stirred Nehemiah's heart in this matter. He then found a careful register made years before, when the first migration took place, as recorded at the beginning of the book of Ezra. Because it matters so much, we have the register recorded again. Our chapter, verses 6-69, repeats Ezra 2:1-67 almost word for word.
Commentators differ on the reason for the gap. One suggests the two numbers mark two different moments: enrolling, and leaving.
If some of the numbers do not agree with Nehemiah's record, there is no doubt a good reason for it. For instance, the descendants of Arah are here 775, and in Nehemiah we find only 652 recorded. Probably 775 had enrolled their names, but only 652 went.
Another points to the copyists. He notes that the numbers differ both ways, while the totals still agree:
On the whole, the lists agree. The total in both is the same. Yet the details differ oddly, and the reason may not be easy to settle. We know that numbers are easy to corrupt, through careless or reckless copyists. For instance, in Ezra 2:5 the sons of Arah are 775, and in Nehemiah 7:10 they are 652. The sons of Pahath-moab and of Binnui are each 6 more in Nehemiah; the sons of Zattu 100 fewer; the sons of Bebai 5 more; and those of Azgad 1,100 more.
These records had gaps. Even so, Arah's family appears here, because someone held on to theirs through the exile in Babylon.
These genealogies were incomplete. Israel's condition carried the mark of the ruin that had come on them. It also carried the mark of God's goodness. He had brought back a remnant, and He had preserved all that was needed to place them in the record of His people. These genealogies served to identify the people. Happy is the man who preserved his own genealogy, and who valued the heritage of Jehovah so highly that he attached importance to it! It was a proof of faith; for it might have been said, What use are these genealogies in Babylon?
The stakes were real. Some returning families could not produce their record. Those among them who claimed priestly descent "sought their registration among those enrolled in the genealogies, but they were not found there, and so they were excluded from the priesthood as unclean" (Edward Dennett).
- Counted. God's record names 652 from one family who came back. Grace produced the response, and God kept the receipt.
- Copied. Nehemiah wrote no new census. He found the old register and set it down again, almost word for word. It still mattered.
- Questioned. Ezra's figure is 775, and commentators differ on why. Some see a gap between those enrolled and those who went. Others see a copyist's slip.
- Proved. Keeping a genealogy alive in Babylon looked pointless. It was a proof of faith. Families who let theirs lapse lost their standing.
- Remembered. This page is a sample of the records God keeps: He knows His people by name, and He does not forget their work.
The children of Pahath-Moab, of the children of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand eight hundred and eighteen.
Nehemiah had finished the wall, and then God moved him to gather the people and register them by family. This verse is one line from the register he found, and it raises two questions: why is such a list in Scripture, and why does Ezra's number differ?
At this point the chapter turns from Nehemiah's own story to an old document. One writer explains why it is here, and how much of it is copied from Ezra:
Israel was God's earthly people, so their family records mattered and had to be kept with care. God stirred Nehemiah's heart about this. He found that a careful register had been made years before, when the first group came back, and that record stands at the beginning of the book of Ezra. Because it matters so much, we have the register written down again. Ezra 2:1-67 is repeated almost word for word in our chapter, verses 6-69.
The family name is a title, not a personal name, and the verse counts two branches inside this house — Jeshua and Joab. The house itself turns up again and again in the story of the return:
'Governor of Moab.' A family who returned from exile. One of them sealed the covenant, and several of them had married foreign wives.
So one number in a list stands for real people with a mixed record.
Ezra counts this same family six lower. Small gaps like this run through the whole list, and one writer lays out the figures without rushing to explain them:
The lists agree in the main. The total in both is the same, yet the details differ in a striking way. How this happened may not be easy to decide. We know that numbers are especially open to corruption, whether through careless or reckless copyists. For instance, in Ezra 2:5 the sons of Arah are 775; in Nehemiah 7:10 they are 652. The sons of Pahath-moab are 6 more in Nehemiah; the sons of Zattu 100 less; the sons of Bebai 5 more; and those of Azgad 1,100 more… To put such frequent and marked differences down to a copyist's mistake is hard to accept.
Commentators differ here. Another writer takes the differences as a sign that two separate documents lie behind the two chapters:
Chapter 7:6-73 quotes a register of names, and it differs in many places from the register in Ezra 2:1-70. Both were probably copied from public documents, perhaps from the book of Chronicles mentioned in chapter 7:23. The differences between Ezra 2 and Nehemiah 7 show that Nehemiah did not copy from Ezra's record.
Writing on the matching list in Ezra, one commentator draws out what such a record shows about God:
The fact that this list exists shows how precious to God was the response His grace had produced in the hearts of His people. They may have grasped His thoughts about His house only weakly. Even so, He has kept this list on record. It proves that He looks with joy on the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work. It proves too that the names of His people are known and announced, to encourage everyone to walk in His ways, to stand with His interests, and to stay faithful in times of corruption and apostasy.
Another writer adds what is still to come:
He honours those who honour Him. He records their names in His word now, and He will glorify the people themselves on the great day that is coming fast.
Most of the people counted here were dead by the time Nehemiah copied the register. Their work still counted:
The rest of the chapter shows how Nehemiah links the work he had finished with the work of the group who first returned with Zerubbabel some eighty years before. Many of them must have died by Nehemiah's day, yet they are still held in honour, and their various services recalled. The work they did in their day made the work of Nehemiah's day possible.
- Found — God stirred Nehemiah to register the people. He found the old list from the first return and copied it in, because family lines mattered for God's earthly people.
- Named — Pahath-moab means "governor of Moab." This same house sealed the covenant, and some of its men had married foreign wives.
- Counted — The totals in Ezra 2 and Nehemiah 7 agree, yet many details differ. Commentators differ over the cause: copying errors, or two separate public records.
- Remembered — The list survives as proof that God values the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work. He knows His people by name.
- Rewarded — Most of those counted had died by Nehemiah's day, yet their work stood and their names were honoured. God records names now and will glorify the people themselves on the day that is coming.
The children of Elam, a thousand two hundred and fifty-four.
This verse is one line in a long register that Nehemiah found and copied out. Why would God keep a bare family name and a headcount on record?
The list did not start with Nehemiah. God stirred him to search, and he set the old register down a second time.
Israel was God's earthly people, so their genealogies mattered and had to be kept with care. God stirred Nehemiah's heart about this, and he found a careful register made years before, when the first group went back. The beginning of the book of Ezra records that first return. Because the register matters so much, we have it written out again. Ezra 2:1-67 is repeated almost word for word in our chapter, in verses 6-69.
A page of numbers looks like paperwork. One writer reads it as evidence of what God treasures.
The first thing to notice is that this record exists at all. That shows how precious to God was the response His grace had produced in the hearts of His people. They may have entered only feebly into His thoughts about His house. Because that response was precious to Him, He has kept this list on record. It is evidence that He looks with joy on the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work. It also shows that the very names of His people are known and announced. That is an encouragement to everyone to walk in His ways, to stand with His interests, and to stay faithful in times of corruption and turning away from God. (Compare Luke 12:8 and Revelation 3:5.)
The verse names no individual. It gives a family and a figure, and that grouping mattered because many could not prove their own line.
In Chronicles the accuracy of the genealogies depends in large part on how much the Jews valued them during their captivity. The disorder these lists show matches the state of the remnant in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. Quite a number among the people and among the priests could not prove their genealogy. They had no family head left to name. Even so, the names of their families, groups, and cities still identified them. Each such name became in effect a "moral person," recognised as the stem of their ancestry.
The same chapter shows what happened to those who could produce no record at all. One writer then turns it into a question for readers today.
These men looked for their names in the register of those recorded by genealogy, but their record was not there. So they were treated as unclean and kept out of the priesthood. And the Tirshatha (that is, the governor) told them not to eat any of the most holy things until a priest stood up with Urim and Thummim.
If mixing with the Gentile world had cost the Israelites the certainty of their nationality, is it any wonder that the church being mixed with the world has left so many unsure whether they are the saved children of God? ... Clearly there were many Israelites who could not show their genealogy, and there are many Christians who cannot show theirs.
Compare this register with the one in Ezra. The totals match, but some single entries do not, and the explanation is not simple.
The two lists agree in substance. The overall total in both is the same. Yet the details differ in a strange way, and it may not be easy to say how. We know that numbers are very open to corruption, through either the carelessness or the boldness of copyists. For instance, in Ezra 2:5 the sons of Arah are 775, but in Nehemiah 7:10 they are 652... The totals of the servants, the houses, the males, and the ages all agree. How good it is for the heart to know that the living God takes a real interest not only in His people, but in everything that is theirs!
Add the whole register up and the total is still small for a city that size.
It reminds us of this: the zeal of the remnant may have been bright, and some real revival in their moral condition had taken place. Even so, their outward circumstances showed great weakness. God had opened a door of escape from captivity, but only a "few" made use of God's goodness. God's city is "wide and large," even though the number of God's people who value its greatness may be few.
Smallness was no reason to give up.
It was indeed a state of ruin. But the return was God's own doing, so despair would have been as unworthy as presumption. Nehemiah gives in to neither. He acts in this lowly condition with full watchfulness... His work and Ezra's were nothing like the work of a Moses or a Joshua, a David or a Solomon. Yet the Holy Spirit was pleased to give them both a lasting place for their faith and love.
- Found. Nehemiah did not invent this register. He found one made at the first return, and God had it written out a second time.
- Counted. God kept this record because His grace had produced the response behind it. He looks with joy on the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work.
- Named. Families who had lost their own records still carried the name of their ancestor. Those with no register at all were kept from priestly service.
- Checked. The totals here agree with Ezra's list, but some single entries differ. Numbers are easily corrupted by copyists, and how these arose is not easy to say.
- Few. All these figures together were small for a large city. That weakness called for neither despair nor presumption, but for faithful work.
The children of Zattu, eight hundred and forty-five.
Verse 13 is one line in a long roll call: a family name and a head count. Nehemiah copied it from a register he found after building the wall. Two questions press here. Why does God preserve such a list at all? And why does this same family stand at 945 in Ezra 2:8 but 845 here?
Commentators read its survival as God's own verdict on people who answered His call in a time of corruption.
The first thing to notice is this. The very existence of this record shows how precious to God was the response His grace had produced in the hearts of His people. That is true however weakly they had grasped His thoughts about His house. For this reason He has kept this list on record. It is evidence that He sees with joy the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work. It also shows that the very names of His people are known and announced. That encourages everyone to walk in His ways, to stand with His interests, and to stay faithful in times of corruption and apostasy.
The names left out matter too.
Some stirred themselves to answer His call to return to the land. God has seen to it that their names stand on record in a very lasting way. The names of those who did not stir themselves are almost entirely lost.
"The sons of Zattu" are 845 people whose personal names never appear.
Their individual names are not recorded. But the Lord knows them all. He cared for each member and sustained them on the journey home. In the same way He knows all His sheep and keeps every member of His body, leading them home to glory.
Nehemiah did not compile this list; he found it. He read it with a practical aim in view.
Having built the walls, Nehemiah sets about peopling the city. For the walls would be nothing except as the defence of a populated place inside them. We find this purpose in his heart at the opening of Nehemiah 7. So he gets to know the returned captives. He reads the list and the record of them as they had been in the days of Zerubbabel, and that would guide him in what he was now doing.
Reaching back to Zerubbabel's day also honours a generation already gone.
How many of that remnant must have died by Nehemiah's day! Yet they are still held in honour, and their various services are remembered. The work they did in their day made the work in Nehemiah's day possible.
Zattu's figure is one of the clearest differences between the two lists, and commentators differ on the cause. One explanation is simple transmission error in the numerals.
On the whole the lists agree. The total in both is the same. Yet the details differ sharply, and it may not be easy to decide why. We know that numbers are especially easy to get wrong when copyists are careless or reckless. For instance, in Ezra 2:5 the sons of Arah are 775, in Nehemiah 7:10 they are 652; the sons of Zattu are 100 fewer.
Another writer sets the copyist theory aside. He points to an extra name and to registers updated over time.
Some guess that copyists made errors. That guess is as easy to make as it is unlikely, so set it aside. Notice first that the list of the leaders of the people in Nehemiah contains a name, Nahamani (v. 7), which Ezra 2 does not mention. Second, Zerubbabel drew up the genealogical registers, and they were brought up to date over a longer or shorter period (see Neh. 12:23).
A third explanation is that the two lists count two different things.
If some of the numbers do not agree with Nehemiah's record, there is no doubt a good reason for it. Probably 775 of Arah's descendants had enrolled their names, but only 652 went.
Where the evidence runs out, one writer draws a lesson from the gap itself:
Whatever assumptions we may make, we learn here, as always, to distrust our own reasoning. That is true even about the material details of the word of God. We learn to wait on Him to explain them. He will give us the light we need at the right moment, if He judges it good.
The name does not stop here. It surfaces twice more, once in failure and once in commitment.
Ancestor of some who returned from exile. Ezra 2:8; Neh. 7:13. Several of the family married foreign wives. Ezra 10:27.
One who sealed the covenant. Neh. 10:14. The Hebrew is the same as Zattu.
- Recorded. God preserved this list because His people's response was precious to Him. He notices even the smallest fruit of His Spirit's work.
- Remembered. Verse 13 counts 845 people and names none of them. The Lord knows them all and sustains each one on the way home.
- Reused. Nehemiah found the old register and read it. It guided him in filling a walled but empty city, and it honoured workers long dead.
- Reckoned. Zattu's total is 100 lower than in Ezra. Writers differ on why — copying errors, updated registers, or names enrolled by people who never went.
- Repeated. The name returns twice. Some of the family married foreign wives; one sealed the covenant. The same family appears in failure and in fresh commitment.
The children of Zaccai, seven hundred and sixty.
This is one line in a long register: a family name and a number. Nehemiah found that register after the wall was finished, and the same list appears again in Ezra 2. Why does God keep a list of families and totals in His Word? And why do some of those totals differ between the two books?
The count in this chapter did not start as Nehemiah's own plan. He traces it back to God, and its aim was to test who had a right to be there:
Nehemiah had already given the orders needed to guard the city from evil getting in. Now he turns to putting the people in order. But he is careful to tell us that it was not his own idea. He says, "Then my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles and the officials and the people to be enrolled by genealogy." This gives us a glimpse of how closely he walked with God... And the aim was to examine the right of the people to be in the place where they were... There would surely be many who could not show their family line, and so had no claim to be counted with Israel.
The verse names one man, Zaccai, and counts his descendants. They are never named one by one. One writer finds comfort in that:
The descendants of the different men are now listed... Their individual names are not written down, but the Lord knows them all. He cared for each one and kept them going on the journey home. In the same way He knows all His sheep and keeps every member of His body, leading them home to glory.
Why keep the paperwork at all? One writer answers that the list itself shows how God values a response to His grace, however small:
The very fact that this record exists shows how precious to God was the response His grace had produced in the hearts of His people. That is true even though they may have entered only weakly into His thoughts about His house. For this reason He has kept this list. It is evidence that He looks with joy on the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work. It also shows that the very names of His people are known and announced. That encourages everyone to walk in His ways, to make His interests their own, and to stay faithful in times of corruption and turning away from God. (Compare Luke 12:8 and Rev. 3:5.)
Many figures in this register differ from Ezra's, and commentators differ on why. One explanation is mistakes in copying numbers:
In the main the two lists agree. The overall total in both is the same, yet the details differ in a striking way. Why that is may not be easy to decide. We know that numbers are especially open to being corrupted, whether through the carelessness of those who copied them or through their boldness. For example, in Ezra 2:5 the sons of Arah are 775; in Nehemiah 7:10 they are 652.
Another writer sets that explanation aside. He points instead to a name Ezra lacks, to registers kept up to date, and to totals that match once later arrivals are added in:
Set aside the guess that copyists made mistakes. That guess is as easy to make as it is unlikely. First, Nehemiah's list of the leaders of the people contains a name, Nahamani (v. 7), which Ezra 2 does not mention. Second, the registers of family lines drawn up by Zerubbabel were kept up to date over a longer or shorter period of time (see Neh. 12:23). Third, one striking fact: if we add to Ezra's list the 1,396 people who came to live in Jerusalem in Nehemiah 11, we get 25,540 for the people. That is almost exactly the 25,406 of Nehemiah 7.
These families belonged to the first return, not to Nehemiah's day. By copying their record in full, he ties his own work to theirs:
The rest of the chapter shows how Nehemiah links the work he had done with the work of the small group who first returned with Zerubbabel about eighty years earlier. Many of that group must have died by Nehemiah's day. Yet they are still held in honour, and their many services are recalled. The work they did in their day made the work of Nehemiah's day possible.
- Counted — God put the count into Nehemiah's heart. It was not his own plan.
- Claimed — the count tested title. It settled who really belonged in the place they were living in.
- Kept — the 760 are never named one by one, yet the Lord knows them all and sustained each on the journey home.
- Cherished — a list like this survives because God takes joy in the smallest fruit of His work, even a weak response.
- Carried — the record honours a generation from eighty years earlier, whose work made Nehemiah's work possible. Where its figures differ from Ezra's, commentators differ too. Some blame mistakes in copying numbers; others point to registers updated over time.
The children of Binnui, six hundred and forty-eight.
This verse is one line in a long register: a family name, Binnui, and a head count. Nehemiah set it down after the wall of Jerusalem was finished. Two questions press on a line like this. Why did God keep a list of names and numbers at all? And why does the same family appear with a different figure in the matching list in Ezra 2?
Nehemiah did not think up the census himself. He traces it to God, and he says what it was for.
He is careful to relate that it was not his own thought. He says, "And my God put into my heart to gather together the nobles, the rulers, and the people, that they might be reckoned by genealogy." … His aim was to check whether the people had a right to be where they were. They were constantly dealing with the enemy, and they had made alliances with them. They forgot that the Lord had chosen them out of all the peoples on the earth as His own people. So there would doubtless be many who could not show their genealogy, and who had no claim to be counted with Israel.
Their years in captivity changed how they treated family descent.
The children of the captivity resolve that Israel shall be an unmixed Israel, and shall be shown to be so. They check the genealogies of the people and of the priests with great care. Only Israel was to take part in the work. … To mark out the family of God was now the essential thing.
The list in this chapter is not new. It repeats the register in Ezra 2. There the same family is counted six lower than in verse 15. Writers face the gaps plainly.
On the whole the lists agree. The total in both is the same; yet the details differ strangely: how this came about may not be easy to decide. We know that numbers are especially easy to corrupt, through copyists who are careless or reckless. For instance, in Ezra 2:5 the sons of Arah are 775, in Nehemiah 7:10 they are 652; the sons of Pahath-moab and of Binnui are each six more in Nehemiah.
A family in Babylon had no earthly reason to keep its records.
These genealogies served as a means of recognising the people. Happy the man who had preserved his own, and who had so valued the heritage of the Lord as to attach worth to it! It was a proof of faith; for it might have been said, Of what use are these genealogies in Babylon?
That is the quiet weight behind the name Binnui. The family had held on.
A dry list is evidence of God's interest, not of His indifference.
That such a record exists shows how precious to God was the response which His grace had produced in the hearts of His people. This was true however feebly they had entered into His thoughts about His house. For this reason He has kept this list, as evidence that He looks with joy on the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work. The very names of His people are known and proclaimed, to encourage everyone to walk in His ways.
The record is not only about the past.
Here is another register of names recorded in God's book, and not forgotten by Him. … Some day the Lord will be their Rewarder for their faithful service, as He will be the Rewarder of all His people.
Later in the chapter, some families could not produce their register. One writer turns that on the reader's own certainty.
Mingling with the Gentile world had caused the Israelites to lose the certainty of their nationality. The church has been mixed with the world in the same way. Is it any wonder that so many are uncertain whether they are the saved children of God or not? … There were clearly many Israelites who could not show their genealogy; and there are many Christians who cannot show it.
- Counted — The census came from God's prompting. Its aim was to test who had a right to stand inside the rebuilt city.
- Copied — This line is not a fresh count. It repeats the register in Ezra 2, where the same family is six fewer.
- Kept — A family record was worth nothing in Babylon. Keeping one there was a proof of faith.
- Cherished — God kept the list because He looks with joy on the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work.
- Rewarded — God has not forgotten the names in His book. One day He will reward faithful service.
The children of Bebai, six hundred and twenty-eight.
One line in a long list: a family name and a count of 628 people. Nehemiah copied this chapter from an older register he found, which raises three questions: why he bothered, what a bare number is doing in Scripture, and why Ezra's copy of this line reads 623.
The count was not Nehemiah's own idea. He traces it to God, and one writer draws out both that closeness and the aim behind the register:
He says, "Then my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles and the officials and the people to be enrolled by genealogy" (v. 5). This gives us a glimpse into the intimacy of his walk with God. It is "my" God, the One he knew in that personal relationship to himself. His aim was to examine whether the people had a right to be where they were. They dealt constantly with the enemy, and they had formed alliances, forgetting that the Lord had chosen them out of all the peoples on the earth as His own people. So there would no doubt be many who could not show their genealogy, and had no claim to be counted with Israel.
So "the sons of Bebai" is not trivia. The entry records a family whose right to be there had been checked.
The verse gives a household and a number — nothing more. One writer, commenting on Ezra's copy of the same list, reads such registers as a sample of a much larger record:
This chapter contains the names of the returning remnant. It is a sample page from the records God keeps. From it we may learn that He remembers His people. He knows them by name, and He does not forget their works. Nehemiah's book repeats this list (chapter 7) and adds a record of those who helped build the wall. He has a book of remembrance (Mal. 3:16). The apostle reminded the Hebrew believers of this when he wrote: "For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for His name in serving the saints, as you still do" (Heb. 6:10).
Behind the 628 stands a crowd that never appears. Writing on the same list in Ezra, one commentator notes who is left out:
Apart from the last three verses, chapter two gives details of the number of those who answered the proclamation, listed under the heads of their families. The heads are named and the families counted. God took note of them and put their names into His record, while those, whose hearts did not stir them up to go, are passed over in silence. Let us take note of this.
Compare this verse with Ezra 2:11 and you find a gap of five. The two lists agree in total but differ in many details, and one writer faces the arithmetic head on:
The lists agree in the main. The total in both is the same, yet the details differ in striking ways. Why that is may not be easy to decide. We know that numbers are very easy to corrupt, whether through the carelessness or the rashness of copyists. For instance, in Ezra 2:5 the sons of Arah are 775, in Neh. 7:10 they are 652... the sons of Bebai exceed by 5; and those of Azgad by 1100.
Bebai is more than one entry. A reference work traces the name through the rest of the return:
Two or three whose descendants returned from exile. Ezra 2:11; Ezra 8:11; Ezra 10:28; Neh. 7:16. And one who sealed the covenant. Neh. 10:15.
628 sounds like a lot until you set it beside the city itself. One writer reads the small numbers as a mark of weakness:
However bright the zeal of the remnant, and whatever revival in moral condition had taken place, in outward circumstances they were still very weak. God had opened a door of escape from captivity, but only a "few" took advantage of God's goodness. God's city is "large and great," though few of God's people appreciate its greatness. And as it was in the day of Nehemiah, so it is in our day.
- Prompted. The register began because God put it in Nehemiah's heart — the counting was His thought, not a governor's paperwork.
- Recorded. A bare entry like this is a page from the records God keeps; He knows His people by name and does not forget their work.
- Omitted. Those who did not go are passed over in silence; God wrote down the names of those who went.
- Copied. Commentators trace the five-name gap with Ezra 2:11 to copyists' slips with numbers; both lists still reach the same total.
- Few. The city was "large and great," but the counted families were small — and one writer says the same holds in our day.
The children of Azgad, two thousand three hundred and twenty-two.
This verse is one line in a long list of families, and Azgad's name stands over a count of his descendants. Two questions sit behind it. Why did God preserve a census of returned exiles at all? And why does this total not match the one Ezra gives for the same family?
Nehemiah did not draw up this list. He wanted the city filled and its houses built, so he looked up an older record from the days of Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel was the leader who brought the first group of exiles home.
This purpose, then, we find in his heart at the opening of Nehemiah 7. So he learns about the returned captives. He reads the list and the record of them as they had been in the days of Zerubbabel, and this would guide him in what he now wanted to do.
Azgad is a family name, so the number counts his descendants. Counting people this way says something about how God values each one.
At this time God put a desire into Nehemiah's heart: to gather the nobles, the rulers and the people, so as to register the people by genealogy (v. 5). This fitted with the desire to build the houses. It shows that every individual believer is precious to God, so all should have houses. A house is a sphere of family responsibility, and that emphasises unity in diversity.
A total like this one survives because God valued what His grace had produced in His people.
The first thing to notice is that this record exists at all. That shows how precious to God was the response His grace had produced in the hearts of His people. It was precious however feebly they entered into His thoughts about His house. For this reason He has kept this list. It is evidence that He looks with joy on the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work. It also shows that He knows the very names of His people and announces them. So the list encourages everyone to walk in His ways, to stand with His interests, and to stay faithful in times of corruption and apostasy.
The total here is 1,100 higher than the one Ezra 2 gives for Azgad. One writer lists the gaps and allows that copied numbers are fragile:
On the whole the lists agree. The overall total in both is the same. Yet the details differ a lot, and it may not be easy to say why. We know that numbers easily get corrupted, whether by careless copyists or by bold ones. For instance, in Ezra 2:5 the sons of Arah are 775, but in Neh. 7:10 they are 652. The sons of Zattu are 100 fewer in Nehemiah, the sons of Bebai 5 more, and those of Azgad 1,100 more.
Commentators differ here. Another rejects the copyist explanation and points instead to a register that kept being revised, and to totals that reconcile once the later settlers of Nehemiah 11 are added in:
Set aside the guess that copyists made mistakes; that guess is easy to make and unlikely to be true. Notice first that the list of the leaders of the people in Nehemiah has a name, Nahamani (v. 7), which Ezra 2 does not mention. Second, people kept updating the genealogical registers Zerubbabel drew up, over a longer or shorter period of time (see Neh. 12:23). Third, here is a remarkable fact. Add to Ezra's genealogy the 1,396 people who came to live at Jerusalem in Nehemiah (Neh. 11), and you get 25,540 for the people. That is almost exactly the 25,406 in Nehemiah 7.
The writer who listed the gaps draws comfort from such details:
How good it is for the heart to know that the living God takes a real interest not only in His people, but in all that is theirs!
Most of the people counted in this verse had died long before Nehemiah found the list.
The rest of the chapter shows how Nehemiah links the work he had done with the work of the remnant who first returned with Zerubbabel, some eighty years before. How many of that remnant must have died by Nehemiah's day! Yet they are still held in honour, and their varied services recalled. The work they did in their day made the work of Nehemiah's day possible.
- Found — Nehemiah did not write this census. He looked up the older register from Zerubbabel's return, and it guided his plan to fill the city with people.
- Counted — The list runs family by family, because every individual believer is precious to God. Each one has a household and a sphere of responsibility.
- Named — The list survives as evidence that God looks with joy on the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work. He knows the names of His people and announces them.
- Questioned — Azgad's total is 1,100 more than Ezra's. Commentators differ. Some allow that copied numbers get corrupted. Others point to a register updated over time, whose totals still add up.
- Honoured — Eighty years on, most of those counted had died. Nehemiah still recalls their service, because their work made the later work possible.
The children of Adonikam, six hundred and sixty-seven.
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.
The children of Bigvai, two thousand and sixty-seven.
Nehemiah 7 lists the families who came back from exile, and the sons of Bigvai are one line in it, counted at 2,067. The name and the number raise two questions: why did God keep such a list in Scripture, and why does this copy differ from Ezra's?
One writer starts with the plain fact that such a list survives at all.
The list exists, and that shows how precious to God the response of His people was. His grace had produced that response in their hearts, even if they entered only weakly into His thoughts about His house. For this reason He has kept this list on record. It is evidence that He sees with joy the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work. It also shows that He knows the very names of His people and announces them. This encourages everyone to walk in His ways, to be identified with His interests, and to stay faithful in times of corruption and abandonment of the truth.
Commentators differ on the cause. One writer points to the ordinary hazards of copying numbers by hand.
The two lists agree in the main. The overall total in both is the same. Yet the details differ sharply, and it may not be easy to say how this happened. We know that numbers are open to corruption, whether through careless copyists or bold ones. For instance, in Ezra 2:5 the sons of Arah are 775; in Nehemiah 7:10 they are 652. The sons of Bebai here are 5 more than in Ezra, and the sons of Azgad 1,100 more.
Another writer sets that explanation aside and works with the numbers instead.
Set aside the guess that copyists made mistakes. That guess is as easy to make as it is unlikely. Notice first that the list of the leaders of the people in Nehemiah contains a name, Nahamani (v. 7), which Ezra 2 does not mention. Second, Zerubbabel drew up the genealogical registers, and they were kept up to date over a period of time, long or short (see Neh. 12:23). Third, one fact is quite remarkable. Add to Ezra's genealogy the 1,396 people who came to live at Jerusalem in Nehemiah 11, and you get 25,540 for the people. That corresponds almost exactly to the 25,406 in Nehemiah 7.
The name is not confined to this verse. A reference work gathers up every place it appears.
Ancestor of some who returned from exile, one of whom, bearing the same name, sealed the covenant. Ezra 2:2, 14; Ezra 8:14; Neh. 7:7, 19; Neh. 10:16.
A register settled a question of qualification. One writer carries that question straight through to the believer.
Then they found the answer. Only those who could "show their father's house," or could find "their register," had the scriptural qualification for a place at the table of the Lord. In other words, we must have peace with God. We must know we are children of God because we have the Spirit of adoption. Then we can show our Father's house and trace our genealogy. Without that, we do not have the divine title required. Profession is not enough.
One writer looks at a list like this and sees God's own record book.
Here is another register of names recorded in God's book, and not forgotten by Him. … Some day the Lord will be their Rewarder for their faithful service, as He will be the Rewarder of all His people.
- Recorded. This list survives for a reason. God kept the names of the people who answered His call, down to the family and the number.
- Recorded twice. The two copies of this register do not match in every figure. Commentators differ on why: mistakes in copying numbers, or a register updated as more people came up.
- Recorded across books. The same family name appears at the first return, again with Ezra, and again among those who sealed the covenant.
- Recorded as title. The register was the proof of belonging. Profession was not enough, and knowing you are God's child still matters more than claiming it.
- Recorded for reward. The names are not forgotten. The Lord Himself will one day reward the faithful service behind them.
The children of Adin, six hundred and fifty-five.
One line in a long register: the family of Adin, and the number who came back. Why did God keep such a list twice over? And what does one counted family show about the worth He puts on His people?
This verse sits inside a document Nehemiah did not write himself. One commentator explains where it came from:
There can be no doubt that this man of God wrote chapters 1 to 7:5; it is an autobiography. Chapter 7:6-73 is a quotation of a register of names, which differs in many places from the register in Ezra 2:1-70. Both were probably copied from public documents... The discrepancies between Ezra 2 and Nehemiah 7 show that Nehemiah did not copy from Ezra's record.
So the meaning of Adin's line is the meaning of the whole register. Another writer reads its survival as a sign of God's pleasure:
There are several interesting things to notice in the record. The first is this: the fact that it exists at all shows how precious to God was the response His grace had produced in the hearts of His people — however weakly they grasped His thoughts about His house. For this reason He has kept this list in existence. It proves that He looks with joy on the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work. It proves too that the very names of His people are known and announced, to encourage everyone to walk in His ways, to stand with His interests, and to stay faithful in times of corruption and apostasy.
The 655 of Adin's house are a number to us. To God they were persons:
This chapter contains the names of the returning remnant. It is a sample page from the records God keeps. From it we learn that He remembers His people. He knows them by name, and He does not forget their works... He has a book of remembrance (Mal. 3:16). The apostle reminded the Hebrew believers of this when he wrote: "For God is not unrighteous so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do" (Heb. 6:10).
A family total mattered because descent mattered. It settled who could build God's house:
So we see that the remnant are watchful to stand plain and clear as sons of the covenant. Genealogy according to the flesh in the line of promise was as momentous to them as being born of God is to the Christian... none but Israelites can be allowed to build a temple to the God of Israel.
One writer applies the same test to readers today:
The answer was this: only those who could "show their father's house," or could find "their register," had the scriptural qualification for a place at the table of the Lord. In other words, we must have peace with God. We must know that we are children of God, because we have the Spirit of adoption. Only then can we show our Father's house and trace our family line. Without that, we do not have the divine title required. Profession is not enough.
The two registers do not match number for number. One writer sets aside the idea of copying mistakes and offers a count that can be checked:
Eighteen of the figures given in Ezra vary here: sometimes lower, but usually higher... Set aside the guess that copyists made mistakes — a guess as easy to make as it is unlikely. First, the list of the leaders of the people in Nehemiah contains a name, Nahamani (v. 7), which Ezra 2 does not mention. Second, the genealogical registers Zerubbabel drew up were brought up to date over a longer or shorter period (see Neh. 12:23). Third, one remarkable fact: add to the genealogy of Ezra the 1,396 persons who came to live at Jerusalem in Nehemiah (Neh. 11), and we get 25,540 for the people — a number that matches almost exactly the 25,406 in Nehemiah 7.
Adin's sons came up about eighty years before Nehemiah built the wall. By copying their names, Nehemiah ties his own work to theirs:
The rest of the chapter shows how Nehemiah connects the work he had done with the work of the remnant who first returned with Zerubbabel some eighty years before. Many who formed that remnant must have died by Nehemiah's day. Yet they are still held in honour, and their varied services recalled. The work they did in their day made the work in Nehemiah's day possible.
- Recorded — God kept the list because He valued what His grace produced in His people, weak as it was.
- Remembered — the register is a sample page of God's records. He knows His people by name and does not forget their work.
- Required — the count rested on proved descent. Whoever could not show his father's house had no title to build.
- Reckoned — the figures vary from Ezra 2. One writer points to registers kept up to date, not to copying mistakes.
- Relayed — a family counted eighty years earlier made Nehemiah's work possible. Faithfulness in one generation lays the ground for the next.
The children of Ater of [the family of] Hezekiah, ninety-eight.
One line in a long census names a family by its forefather and counts it at ninety-eight. Most readers skim a verse like this, yet God kept a roll of the people who came back from exile in Babylon, and He kept it name by name.
The verse records no deed. It gives a household and the two forefathers it is traced from, Ater and Hezekiah. A dictionary of Bible names has only this to say about him:
Ancestor of some of those who returned from exile and dwelt in Jerusalem. Ezra 2:16; Neh. 7:21.
One writer places the register inside Nehemiah's story:
The genealogy of the captives who returned under Zerubbabel appears here in Nehemiah 7, as Nehemiah fills Jerusalem with people again and builds houses in it.
Because the chapter repeats an earlier register, the commentary on it is largely borrowed from there:
As the significance of this register of the genealogy of the people has already been given in our exposition of Ezra 2, it is not necessary to repeat it here... for, as will be seen, Nehemiah 7:6-73 is the repetition of Ezra 2.
Before asking what the numbers mean, one writer asks why a list of families was worth preserving at all:
The first thing to notice is that this record exists at all. It shows how precious to God was the response His grace had produced in the hearts of His people. They may have entered only feebly into His thoughts about His house. For this reason He has kept this list on record. It is evidence that He looks with joy on the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work. It shows that He knows and announces the very names of His people. That encourages everyone to walk in His ways, to take His interests as their own, and to stay faithful in times of corruption and apostasy.
On that reading, a family of ninety-eight is not too small to be worth writing down.
This register also stands in Ezra 2, where many of the totals differ. Commentators differ on the reason. One traces the gap to the copying of numbers:
On the whole the lists agree. The overall total in both is the same. Yet the details differ sharply, and the reason may not be easy to settle. We know that numbers are easily corrupted, either by careless copyists or by bold ones.
Another sets that explanation aside and argues from the registers themselves:
Leaving aside the conjecture of copyists' errors — a conjecture as easy to make as it is unlikely — we notice first that the list of the leaders of the people in Nehemiah contains a name, Nahamani (v. 7), which Ezra 2 does not mention. Second, the genealogical registers drawn up by Zerubbabel were brought up to date over a longer or shorter period of time (see Neh. 12:23).
Another suggests the two numbers count different things: those who signed up, and those who went:
If some of the numbers do not agree with Nehemiah's record, there is no doubt a good reason for it. For instance, the descendants of Arah are here 775, and in Nehemiah we find only 652 recorded. Probably 775 had enrolled their names but only 652 went.
In Babylon a family record like this had no obvious use:
Happy the man who had kept his own genealogy, and who valued the Lord's heritage enough to prize it! It was a proof of faith. Someone might have asked, What use are these genealogies in Babylon?
Being on this roll decided a family's standing among the returned people. One writer reads that as a small picture of something far greater:
In the old days, some had faithfully kept clear of any link with the world that God had disowned. Their names had a place in the register of "those enrolled in the genealogies." Anyone not found there lost his place of honour among men. The privileges of those written on an earthly roll may be high. Even so, such a roll is only a faint picture of that divine register in which He keeps the name of the overcomer.
- Recorded — Ater is named only as the forefather of a household that came back from exile and lived in Jerusalem.
- Repeated — the roll of those who returned under Zerubbabel reappears here, as Nehemiah fills Jerusalem with people again.
- Reckoned — that such a list survives shows God's joy in the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work. He names His people to encourage others.
- Rival readings — commentators differ on the totals that do not match Ezra. Some blame copyists' slips with numbers. Others think one list counts names enrolled and the other those who went.
- Rewarded — keeping a genealogy in Babylon looked useless, and it proved faith. That roll is only a faint sketch of the register where God keeps the overcomer's name.
The children of Hashum, three hundred and twenty-eight.
One line in a long roll-call: the family of Hashum, counted at 328 among those who first came back from exile in Babylon. It raises two plain questions. Why did God keep a list of names and numbers at all? And why do some of these totals differ from the same list in Ezra 2?
Nehemiah did not count heads out of curiosity. He had finished the wall. Now he had to settle who had a right to be inside it.
The aim was to test the people's right to be where they were. They had kept up constant dealings with the enemy, and they had made alliances with them. They had forgotten that the Lord had chosen them out of all the peoples on the earth as His own special people. So there were no doubt many who could not show their family line, and so had no claim to be counted with Israel. Now the wall stood, declaring the truth of separation, and such a mixture inside could no longer be allowed. Those who stood on this holy ground and claimed the blessed privileges of God's house had to have a title no one could overturn.
A family total looks like dry bookkeeping. One writer reads its survival in Scripture as a sign of how God valued a weak response to His call.
Several details in this record are worth noticing. The first is that the record exists at all. That shows how precious to God was the response His grace had produced in the hearts of His people, however weakly they had entered into His thoughts about His house. For this reason He has kept this list. It proves that He looks with joy on the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work. It proves too that He makes the very names of His people known, and announces them, to encourage everyone to walk in His ways, to stand with His interests, and to stay faithful in times of corruption and open turning away from God.
Another writer makes the same point from the other side. The names of those who stayed behind are missing:
God has made sure to record, in a lasting way, the names of those who stirred themselves to answer His call to return to the land. The names of those who did not stir themselves are almost entirely lost.
Hashum is named. His 328 descendants are only a number to us. They are not outside God's knowledge.
Their individual names are not recorded but the Lord knows them all, and cared for each member and sustained them in the journey homeward. Even so He knows all His sheep and keeps every member of His body, leading them home to glory.
Many totals in this list do not match the same list in Ezra 2. Commentators differ on the cause. Some treat the figures as damaged in copying:
In the main the lists agree. The overall total in both is the same, yet the details differ in a striking way. Why that is may not be easy to decide. We know that numbers are especially easy to corrupt, whether through the carelessness or the boldness of copyists.
Others set that explanation aside. They point to a register that was updated over time, and to totals that agree once later arrivals are counted in:
Set aside the guess that copyists made mistakes. It is an easy guess to make, and an unlikely one. First, we notice that Nehemiah's list of the leaders of the people contains a name, Nahamani (v. 7), which Ezra 2 does not mention. Second, we see that the family registers drawn up by Zerubbabel were updated over a longer or shorter period of time... Third, here is a remarkable fact. Add to Ezra's genealogy the 1,396 people who came to live at Jerusalem in Nehemiah, and we get 25,540 for the people. That almost exactly matches the 25,406 in Nehemiah 7.
Nehemiah kept the record of an earlier group of returned exiles. His own work stood on theirs.
Many who made up that small returning group must have died by Nehemiah's day. Yet they are still held in honour, and their various services remembered. The work they did in their day made the work in Nehemiah's day possible.
Rossier does not pretend the figures are fully settled, and draws a lesson from that:
We could add other details. But whatever we assume, we learn here, as always, not to trust our own reasoning, even about the factual details of the word of God. We learn to wait on Him to explain them, if He sees fit to give us the light we need at the right moment.
- Counted — The register tested title. Only those who could show their family line had a claim to be inside the rebuilt city.
- Kept — God preserved the list because the response of His people, however weak, was precious to Him. The names of those who stayed behind are almost lost.
- Known — The 328 of Hashum's family are a number to us and people to God, who cared for each one on the journey home.
- Questioned — Some totals here differ from Ezra's. Commentators differ on why: some point to copyists, others to a register kept up to date over time.
- Honoured — Nehemiah copied out an earlier generation's list. Their work made his own possible.
The children of Bezai, three hundred and twenty-four.
One line in a long list: the family of Bezai, 324. Nehemiah found this old register of the returned exiles and copied it out, which raises two questions: why keep such a list at all, and why do some of its totals differ from the first count?
The existence of the roll is itself the first thing worth noticing. One commentator reads its survival as evidence of how God valued the movement His grace had produced in people who had left Babylon for a ruined city.
There are several interesting things to notice in this record. The first is that its very existence shows how precious to God was the response His grace had produced in the hearts of His people. They may have entered only feebly into His thoughts about His house. Even so, He has kept this list on record. It is evidence that He sees with joy the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work. It shows too that the very names of His people are known and announced. That is an encouragement to everyone to walk in His ways, to stand with His interests, and to stay faithful in times of corruption and of turning away from God
What the list leaves out matters too. Many stayed behind, and the record does not name them.
The heads are named and the families counted. God took note of them and put their names into His record. Those whose hearts did not stir them up to go are passed over in silence. Let us take note of this.
Bezai's 324 are a total, not a set of names. One writer sees no loss in that, and he also explains why some of the totals differ.
Their individual names are not recorded. But the Lord knows them all. He cared for each one and kept them going on the journey home. In the same way He knows all His sheep and keeps every member of His body, leading them home to glory. If some of the numbers do not agree with Nehemiah's record, there is no doubt a good reason for it. For instance, the descendants of Arah are 775 here, and in Nehemiah we find only 652. Probably 775 had enrolled their names, but only 652 went.
Nehemiah did not compile this list on a whim; he traces the impulse to God. Commentators differ on the cause of the differing totals — another writer, surveying the same variations, points to the fragility of numerals in copying rather than to enrolment figures.
On the whole the lists agree. The total in both is the same. Yet the details differ in a striking way, and why this is may not be easy to decide. We know that numbers are especially open to error, whether through the carelessness or the rashness of copyists… What is plain is that the totals of the servants, the houses, the males, and the ages agree. How good it is for the heart to know that the living God takes a real interest not only in His people, but in everything that is theirs!
A family like Bezai's could only appear in this list if it had kept proof of its descent through the long years away from home.
These genealogies were imperfect. Israel's condition bore the mark of the ruin that had come upon them. But it also bore the mark of the goodness of God. He had brought back a remnant, and He had preserved all that was needed to place those who formed it in the record of His people… Happy the man who had kept his own genealogy, and who valued the inheritance of Jehovah enough to treat it as precious! It was a proof of faith. Someone might have said, What use are these genealogies in Babylon?
By copying the old roll into his own account, Nehemiah ties his completed wall to people most of whom were long dead.
The rest of the chapter shows how Nehemiah connects the work he had done with the work of the remnant who first returned with Zerubbabel about eighty years before. Many of those who formed that remnant must have died by Nehemiah's day. Yet they are still held in honour, and their varied services recalled. The work they did in their day made the work in Nehemiah's day possible.
The name does not stop here either. It reappears a few chapters later among those who bound themselves to God in writing.
One whose descendants returned from exile, and one who sealed the covenant. Ezra 2:17; Neh. 7:23; Neh. 10:18.
- Recorded — The list survives because God values the response His grace produces. He makes the names of His people known.
- Recorded, not omitted — Those who came are counted. Those who stayed in Babylon are passed over in silence.
- Recorded, though unnamed — Bezai's 324 are a total only, yet the Lord knew each one and kept them on the journey home.
The children of Hariph, a hundred and twelve.
Nehemiah 7:24 is one line in a long list of names and numbers from the return from exile in Babylon. Why does Scripture record such a list twice, and what does one entry say about how God treats people who answer His call?
The names in this chapter are not new. Nehemiah found an old record and copied it out.
Israel was God's earthly people, so their genealogies mattered, and they had to keep them carefully. God stirred Nehemiah's heart about this. He then found that someone had made a careful register years before, when the first group went back. That record stands at the beginning of the book of Ezra. Because the register matters so much, we have it written out again here. Our chapter repeats Ezra 2:1-67 almost word for word, in verses 6-69.
Because the two chapters run parallel, writers treat the meaning of one as the meaning of the other.
As the significance of this register of the genealogy of the people has been already given in our exposition of Ezra 2, it is not necessary to repeat it here.
A page of families and totals can look like dead weight. But the fact that God kept this list says something about Him.
The very existence of this list shows how precious to God was the response His grace had produced in the hearts of His people. They may have grasped His thoughts about His house only feebly, yet He treasured their answer. That is why He has kept this list. It is evidence that He looks with joy on the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work. It also shows that He knows the very names of His people and announces them. This encourages everyone to walk in His ways, to stand with His interests, and to stay faithful in times of corruption and apostasy. (Compare Luke 12:8 and Revelation 3:5.)
Nehemiah traces the plan behind the count to God, not to himself.
He says, "And my God put it into my heart to gather together the nobles, the rulers, and the people, so that they might be registered by genealogy." This gives us a glimpse of how close his walk with God was… And the object in view was to examine the title of the people to be in the place where they were. They were constantly dealing with the enemy, and they had made alliances with them. They forgot that the Lord had chosen them out of all the peoples on the earth as His own people. So there would surely be many who could not show their genealogy, and they had no claim to be counted with Israel… Those who occupied this holy ground, and claimed the blessed privileges of God's house, must have a title that could not be overturned.
Dennett is quoting Nehemiah 7:5 from an older translation.
The matching entry in Ezra's list carries a different family name with the same total of 112.
Ancestor of some who returned from exile, Ezra 2:18. Apparently called HARIPH in Nehemiah 7:24.
Elsewhere in the two lists the names agree but the figures do not, and commentators differ on the reason. One traces it to the copying of documents:
Substantially the lists agree. The total in both is the same; yet the details differ strangely: how this came about may not be so easy to decide. We know that numbers are especially easy to get wrong, whether copyists were careless or too bold. For instance, in Ezra 2:5 the sons of Arah are 775, in Nehemiah 7:10 they are 652.
Another suggests the gap lies between intention and action:
Scripture does not record their individual names, but the Lord knows them all. He cared for each member and sustained them on the journey home… If some of the numbers do not agree with Nehemiah's record, there is no doubt a good reason for it. For instance, the descendants of Arah are here 775 and in Nehemiah we find only 652 recorded. Probably 775 had enrolled their names but only 652 went.
This verse is a family name with a number beside it. That kind of record has two sides.
The heads are named and the families counted. God took note of them and put their names into His record, while those whose hearts did not stir them up to go are passed over in silence. Let us take note of this.
- Stirred — God moved hearts to return home. He then kept the record, because He looks with joy on the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work.
- Recorded — this chapter repeats Ezra's list almost word for word. God knows the very names of His people and announces them.
- Tested — the count examined who had a right to be there. The privileges of God's house needed a title that could not be overturned.
- Numbered — 112 came from this one family, called Jorah in Ezra's list. Commentators explain the differing totals either by copyists or by people who enrolled but never went.
- Silent — Scripture passes over those whose hearts did not stir them to go. God's record holds everyone who came.
The children of Gibeon, ninety-five.
Nehemiah 7:25 is one line in a long register of families. It names a town, Gibeon, and ninety-five men. The line looks like filler. Then you ask why the wall-builder stopped to read a census, and why Gibeon is on it at all.
The list is not a detour. It ties Nehemiah's generation back to the first group who came home from exile in Babylon.
The rest of the chapter shows how Nehemiah connects the work he had finished with the work of the remnant who first returned with Zerubbabel, some eighty years before. Many of that remnant must have died by Nehemiah's day. Yet they are still held in honour, and their varied services recalled. The work they did in their day made the work in Nehemiah's day possible.
Family records also suited the kind of nation Israel was.
Next, since this was a nation joined by natural descent, good order called for careful attention to family ties.
A copyist could have dropped ninety-five men without hurting the history. God kept them in.
This list exists, and that alone shows how precious to God was the response His grace had produced in the hearts of His people. They may have entered only feebly into His thoughts about His house. Even so, He has kept this list. It is evidence that He sees with joy the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work. It shows too that He knows and announces the very names of His people. That encourages everyone to walk in His ways, to take His side in what He cares about, and to stay faithful in times of corruption and falling away.
Gibeon had a past. Its people won a treaty with Israel by deceit, and the treaty cost them.
The people of Gibeon, and perhaps of the three towns allied with it... They were Hivites, and "mighty" men. Having deceived Joshua into making a treaty with them, they were made hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of God... Some of them returned from exile and helped to build the wall of Jerusalem.
One writer traces the Nethinim — servants attached to God's house — back to these spared men, and finds mercy in their sentence.
Here, then, we probably find the origin of the Nethinim. They were the ones spared from the just judgment of God. If their work was slave labour, it was slave labour in His mercy, and it tied them to His house. So the very curse resting on them turned into a blessing. For what do we find? The sword of the Lord's army did not destroy them. They were rescued instead. And now, centuries later, they stand in honourable company with the Lord's people. They have a heart for the Lord's house too, since they returned from Babylon with their fellow-captives at this special moment.
Men of Gibeon later helped repair the wall. One writer draws meaning from the name of one of them.
The name Melatiah means "one whom Jehovah sets free." As Gibeonites they were bound to slave service. God plainly stepped in as sovereign and, as this man's name suggests, set them free so that they might be available for the work.
Compare this register with Ezra 2, and the totals agree while many single entries do not. Commentators differ on why. One points to hand-copied numbers.
On the whole the lists agree. The overall total in both is the same. Yet the details differ a great deal, and how that happened may not be easy to decide. We know that numbers are easily corrupted, either by careless copyists or by reckless ones.
Another writer finds that answer too easy. He points to a register that people kept updating.
Eighteen of the figures given in Ezra vary here... Some guess that copyists made mistakes. That guess is as easy to make as it is unlikely. Set it aside, and notice first that Nehemiah's list of the leaders of the people holds a name, Nahamani, which Ezra 2 does not mention. Second, the registers drawn up by Zerubbabel were kept up to date over a longer or shorter period of time... Whatever we suppose, we learn here, as always, to mistrust our own reason, even in the material details of the word of God, and to wait on Him to explain them, if He judges it good to give us the light we need at the right moment.
- Counted. The register ties Nehemiah's finished wall to the first exiles who came home. Their work made his work possible.
- Named. God kept this list. He sees the smallest fruit of His Spirit's work with joy, and He announces the very names of His people.
- Cursed. Gibeon's people got in by deceit. Their sentence was to cut wood and carry water for God's house.
- Freed. That bondage was mercy in disguise. God turned the curse into blessing and set men of Gibeon free to build the wall.
- Kept. Centuries later these outsiders stand in honoured company with the Lord's people, and they care about His house.
The men of Bethlehem and Netophah, a hundred and eighty-eight.
Nehemiah 7:26 is one line inside a long register of people who came back from Babylon. Why would God keep such a small detail, and what does a number like 188 say about the people it counts?
Commentators read the list's very survival as God's own comment on the people who answered His call.
There are several interesting details to notice in the record. The first is that the record exists at all. That shows how precious to God was the response which His grace had produced in the hearts of His people. They may have entered only weakly into His thoughts about His house. For this reason He has made sure this list was preserved. It is evidence that He looks with joy on the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work. It also shows that He knows the very names of His people and announces them. This encourages all to walk in His ways, to stand with His interests, and to stay faithful in times of corruption and apostasy.
A family could show its line only because someone had kept the record through the years in Babylon, when it looked useless.
Happy the man who had kept his own record! He valued Jehovah's heritage, and so he counted that record precious. It was a proof of faith. Someone could easily have asked, "What use are these genealogies in Babylon?"
Nehemiah traces the idea to God. Its aim was a question: who had a right to be inside the walled city?
He says, "And my God put into my heart to gather together the nobles, and the rulers, and the people, that they might be reckoned by genealogy." This gives us a glimpse into how closely he walked with God... The aim was to test the people's right to be in the place where they were. They dealt constantly with the enemy, and they had formed alliances with them. They forgot that the Lord had chosen them out of all the peoples on the earth as His own special people. So there would doubtless be many who could not show their genealogy, and who therefore had no claim to be counted with Israel.
This line groups men by their hometown, not by their ancestor. The first of the two towns carries weight far beyond its size.
A city of Judah, also called Bethlehem-Judah. It is first mentioned in connection with the death and burial of Rachel... David was anointed in the house of Jesse the Bethlehemite, so it seems this was the place of David's birth. This is why Luke 2:11 calls it the "city of David." It was also the birthplace of Jesus. Though it was "little among the thousands of Judah," it suited His humiliation better. Bethlehem means "house of bread." That is a very fitting name for the place the Saviour would come from as a man — He who was the living bread that came down from heaven.
188 men is a thin showing for two towns. The chapter admits that weakness instead of hiding it.
It reminds us that the remnant were very weak on the outside. Their zeal may have been bright, and a real revival in their moral condition may have taken place. God had opened a door of escape from captivity, but only a "few" made use of God's goodness. God's city is "large and great," even though few of God's people value its greatness.
Yet by copying out the older list, Nehemiah honours the first group who came back.
Many who formed that remnant must have died by Nehemiah's day. Yet they are still held in honour, and their varied services recalled. The work they did in their day made the work of Nehemiah's day possible.
Commentators differ on why some numbers here do not match Ezra 2. One explanation points to later updates to the register:
Eighteen of the figures given in Ezra show variations here... Some guess that copyists made mistakes, but that guess is as easy to make as it is unlikely. We see instead that the genealogical registers Zerubbabel drew up were updated over a longer or shorter period of time.
Another compares Ezra's count with Nehemiah's, and finds a gap between signing up and going:
If some of the numbers do not agree with Nehemiah's record, there is no doubt a good reason for it. For instance, the descendants of Arah are here 775 and in Nehemiah we find only 652 recorded. Probably 775 had enrolled their names but only 652 went.
- Named. God kept this list to show that the smallest fruit of His work pleases Him. He knows His people by name.
- Kept. Holding on to a genealogy in Babylon, where it seemed useless, was a proof of faith.
- Tested. Nehemiah's census asked one question: did these people have a real right to stand inside the walls?
- Small. 188 men from two towns fits a city large and great with few in it — weakness owned, not hidden.
- Honoured. Small names last. Bethlehem, little among Judah's towns, would give the world its Saviour, and the first returners' work made Nehemiah's work possible.
The men of Anathoth, a hundred and twenty-eight.
Nehemiah 7:27 is one line inside the register Nehemiah found and copied out: a town named, and its men counted. Why would God keep a town's headcount in Scripture at all?
Anathoth was not just any village. It was priestly ground, and the home of the prophet Jeremiah.
Jeremiah is known as a prophet, but he came from the family of "the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin." As far as we know, he never served as a priest. His village of Anathoth lay a little over three miles northeast of Jerusalem. It had been given to the priests, the descendants of Aaron, from the family of the Kohathites (Josh. 21:18; 1 Chron. 6:60). Abiathar the priest came from Anathoth (1 Kings 2:26). In Zerubbabel's time 128 of its people came back from captivity and settled there again, after the edict of Cyrus, king of Persia. Jeremiah was a Levite, but people counted him a Benjaminite, because his birthplace lay in the territory of the tribe of Benjamin.
after-note: reason follows
That is the exact figure this verse gives.
The register in this chapter is not fresh work. Nehemiah discovered an older document and had it written out again.
Israel was God's earthly people, so their genealogies mattered and had to be kept with care. God stirred Nehemiah's heart about this. He found that a careful register had been made years before, when the first group went back, as recorded at the start of the book of Ezra. Because it mattered so much, we have the register recorded again. Ezra 2:1-67 is repeated almost word for word in our chapter, in verses 6-69.
A page of names and numbers can look like dead record-keeping. One writer says God kept it on purpose.
The record holds several interesting details. The first is this: the fact that it exists at all shows how precious to God was the response His grace had produced in the hearts of His people, however feebly they may have grasped His thoughts about His house. That is why He has kept this list. It shows that He looks with joy on the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work. It shows that the very names of His people are known and announced, to encourage everyone to walk in His ways, to identify with His interests, and to stay faithful in times of corruption and apostasy. (Compare Luke 12:8 and Rev. 3:5.)
Each city in this register gets its own count. That is not mere bookkeeping.
This chapter shows the definite interest God had in every individual who returned from the captivity. The number from each city is recorded, and the total number too. Verse 1 reminds us that it was Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, who had taken these people captive. Babylon means "confusion," so Judah is pictured as captive to a state of confusion. The same thing repeats in the history of the professing church. Only by the power and grace of God can any measure of recovery happen.
Anathoth's 128 are on the page. Those who stayed away are handled very differently.
The heads are named and the families counted. God took note of them and put their names into His record. Those whose hearts did not stir them up to go are passed over in silence. Let us take note of this.
Anathoth's number is the same in both lists. Many other numbers in the chapter are not, and commentators differ on why. One points to copyists:
On the whole the lists agree. The total in both is the same. Yet the details differ in striking ways, and why that is may not be easy to decide. We know that numbers are especially open to corruption, either through the carelessness or the boldness of copyists.
Another looks instead to what happened between signing up and setting out:
If some of the numbers do not agree with Nehemiah's record, there is no doubt a good reason for it. For instance, the descendants of Arah are here 775 and in Nehemiah we find only 652 recorded. Probably 775 had enrolled their names but only 652 went.
This verse counts 128 men and names none of them.
Their individual names are not recorded, but the Lord knows them all. He cared for each one and supported them on the journey home. In the same way He knows all His sheep and keeps every member of His body, leading them home to glory.
- Named — Anathoth was priestly ground and Jeremiah's home village. This verse counts the 128 men who settled there again.
- Named again — Nehemiah found the older register and had it written out a second time. These genealogies had to be kept with care.
- Named by God — God kept the list, because He looks with joy on the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work.
- Named one by one — each city's number is written down. God had a definite interest in every individual who came out of Babylon, the place of confusion.
- Not named — those whose hearts did not stir them up to go are passed over in silence.
The men of Beth-azmaveth, forty-two.
One line in a long census names a village and a number: forty-two men from Beth-azmaveth. Why does such a list exist, and why did God keep the count of forty-two men from a village most readers have never heard of?
Nehemiah did not write this register. He found it.
Israel was God's earthly people, so their genealogies mattered and had to be kept with care. God stirred Nehemiah's heart about this, and Nehemiah found that someone had made a careful register years before, at the time of the first return — the register we read at the start of the book of Ezra. Because it mattered so much, we have that register written out again here. Ezra 2:1-67 is repeated almost word for word in our chapter, in verses 6-69.
Because of that repetition, one writer working through Nehemiah simply points the reader back:
As the significance of this register of the genealogy of the people has already been given in our exposition of Ezra 2, it is not necessary to repeat it here. The reader is therefore referred to it to help him understand the rest of this chapter, for, as will be seen, Nehemiah 7:6-73 is the repetition of Ezra 2.
The village has two names in these lists, and the fuller one appears only here.
Village lying on the borders of Judah and Benjamin. Ezra 2:24; Neh. 12:29. Called BETH-AZMAVETH in Neh. 7:28.
So the forty-two came from a small village on the border, a place named again later in Nehemiah's book.
One writer draws a lesson from the mere fact that such a list survives:
The very existence of this list shows how precious to God was the response His grace had produced in the hearts of His people. They may have grasped His thoughts about His house only faintly. Even so, He has kept this list on record. It is evidence that He looks with joy on the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work. It also shows that the very names of His people are known and announced, to encourage everyone to walk in His ways, to stand with His interests, and to stay faithful in times of corruption and in times when people turn away from God.
Another writer notes who is left out of a record like this:
God took note of them and put their names into His record, while those whose hearts did not stir them up to go are passed over in silence. Let us take note of this.
For Beth-azmaveth the figure of forty-two is the same in both registers. Elsewhere the totals do not match, and commentators differ on why. One writer traces it to copying:
Even here we should notice Nahamani, added to the eleven named in Ezra 2. The rest are the same people, though some names are given in different forms... On the whole the two lists agree. The overall total in both is the same, yet the details differ in odd ways, and why that is may not be easy to decide. We know that numbers are very open to error, either through the carelessness or the boldness of copyists. For example, in Ezra 2:5 the sons of Arah are 775; in Nehemiah 7:10 they are 652.
Another writer sees a different cause. In this example, "probably 775 had enrolled their names but only 652 went" (Arno Clemens Gaebelein).
Whatever explains the numbers, one writer notes what is clear:
How good it is for the heart to know that the living God takes a real interest not only in His people, but in everything that is theirs!
The forty-two are counted at a moment when the numbers were painfully thin, and the register is Nehemiah's way of tying his own generation to the one before it.
The rest of the chapter shows how Nehemiah links his own finished work to the work of the remnant who first came back with Zerubbabel, some eighty years earlier. Many of that first group must have died by Nehemiah's day. Yet they are still held in honour, and their many services remembered. What they did in their day made Nehemiah's work possible.
- Counted. Beth-azmaveth's forty-two men are one line of a register Nehemiah found and copied, because Israel's family records had to be kept with care.
- Named. The village lay on the border between Judah and Benjamin, and this longer form of its name appears only here.
- Kept. The list survives as evidence that God looks with joy on the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work, and that the names of His people are known.
- Contrasted. Those who went are written down; those whose hearts did not stir them to go are passed over in silence.
- Connected. Forty-two is a small number, yet the earlier remnant is still held in honour, because their work made Nehemiah's work possible.
The men of Kirjath-jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred and forty-three.
Nehemiah had found the old register of those who came back from exile, and this line of it counts 743 men from three towns outside Jerusalem. Why does Scripture keep a number like this, and why does it matter which towns these men came from?
One writer asks why such a roll of names and numbers exists at all:
The list exists, and that shows how precious to God was the response which His grace had produced in the hearts of His people — however feebly they may have entered into His thoughts about His house. For this reason He has made sure this list survived. It is evidence that He looks with joy on the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work. It also shows that He knows the very names of His people and makes them known. This is meant to encourage everyone to walk in His ways, to take His interests as their own, and to stay faithful in times of corruption and apostasy.
These were not random villages. Chephirah, the middle name in the list, had once belonged to another people entirely:
Chephirah. City of the Benjamites, which once belonged to the Gibeonites, whose people returned with Zerubbabel. Joshua 9:17; Joshua 18:26; Ezra 2:25; Neh. 7:29.
The Gibeonites lost their freedom, but not their lives. One writer links them to the Nethinim — the servants attached to God's house — and reads their history as mercy:
This is probably where the Nethinim began — the people God spared from His just judgment. If they were brought into slavery, it was slavery in His mercy, tied to His house. So the very curse that rested on them turned into a blessing. And what do we find? Instead of dying by the sword of the Lord's army, they were rescued. Centuries later they stand in honourable company with the Lord's people. They have a heart for the Lord's house too, since they returned from Babylon with their fellow captives at this special moment.
Kiriath-jearim, the first town named in the verse, is where the ark of God once stayed for twenty years. Its name means "the city of the woods":
So the ark cannot yet find a resting place among the nation. They send it off to Kirjath-Jearim, "the city of the woods." What a strange contradiction — a city in name and yet a forest. It pictures the practical banishment the people were pushing God into. David finds it there (Ps. 132:6): "We found it in the fields of the wood" (ESV: "in the fields of Jaar," the same word as "woods"). This is surely no place for the throne of God. Yet here it stays for twenty years (1 Sam. 7:2), until the needed work of repentance is finished.
This same register appears in the book of Ezra, where many of the numbers differ. Commentators differ on why. One points to the copying of numerals:
On the whole the lists agree. The overall total in both is the same, yet the details differ sharply. How this happened may not be so easy to decide. We know that numbers are especially easy to corrupt, whether through the carelessness or the boldness of copyists.
Another writer sets that explanation aside:
Eighteen of the figures given in Ezra vary here: sometimes lower, but more often higher... Set aside the guess that copyists made mistakes. That guess is as easy to make as it is unlikely. Notice first that Nehemiah's list of the leaders of the people contains a name, Nahamani (v. 7), which Ezra 2 does not mention. Second, the genealogical registers that Zerubbabel drew up were brought up to date over a longer or shorter stretch of time (see Neh. 12:23).
The men of this verse did not live in Jerusalem. That did not put them in a second class:
The closing sentence of chapter 7 (which begins this fresh section of the book) states that "the people of Israel were in their towns." The story continues at once in chapter 8: "And all the people gathered as one man."... The people, whether inside the walls or outside, were "one" and gathered "as one man." The walls were there to protect the house, not to divide the people.
- Counted by name — God kept this register. He notices even the smallest response His grace produces in His people.
- Counted though outsiders — Chephirah was Gibeonite. A sentence of slavery turned into an honourable place beside the Lord's people.
- Counted though forgotten — Kiriath-jearim was the "city of the woods," where the ark stayed twenty years. Its men are now back in the land.
- Counted though outside the city — living in a town instead of Jerusalem did not divide them. The walls guarded the house; they did not split the people.
- Counted and counted again — Ezra's numbers and Nehemiah's do not always match. Commentators differ: some blame copyists, others say the register was brought up to date over time.
The men of Ramah and Geba, six hundred and twenty-one.
This verse is one line in an old register Nehemiah found and copied into his book: 621 men from two small towns in Benjamin. So why does God keep a record like this, and why does it count men by their towns?
One writer draws the first lesson from the fact that the list survived at all:
The first thing to notice is this. The very existence of this record shows how precious to God was the response His grace had produced in the hearts of His people. They may have entered only feebly into His thoughts about His house. That is why He has kept this list. It is evidence that He looks with joy on the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work. It also shows that He knows and proclaims the very names of His people. He does this to encourage everyone to walk in His ways, to stand with His interests, and to stay faithful in times of corruption and falling away.
The record holds a silence as well as a sound. Not everyone went up:
God took note of them and put their names into His record. The record passes over in silence those whose hearts did not stir them up to go. Let us take note of this.
This line counts men by their town, and the register does the same city after city. One writer explains why:
This chapter shows the definite interest God had in every individual who returned from the captivity. So it records the number from each city, and the total number.
Both towns lay in Benjamin. Geba appears here under a different spelling, and it was a city set apart for the tribe of Levi:
A Levitical city in Benjamin… It seems that while Saul was king the Philistines had a garrison there, and Jonathan struck it down. Asa built or rebuilt the city long afterwards. It is called GABA in Joshua 18:24; Ezra 2:26; Nehemiah 7:30.
Ramah sat on the border between two kingdoms, and kings fought over it:
City of Benjamin. It was on the frontier between Judah and Israel. Baasha, king of Israel, tried to build up the place as a fort against Asa, king of Judah. But Asa sent the king of Syria a rich present of gold and silver and asked him to act. The king of Syria attacked Israel, and that stopped Baasha… Called RAMA in Matthew 2:18.
This same line stands in Ezra 2:26 with the same total. Many figures nearby do not agree, and commentators differ on why. One writer points to hand-copying:
The two lists mostly agree. The total in both is the same. Yet the details differ sharply, and it may not be easy to decide how this happened. As we know, numbers easily go wrong when copyists are careless or reckless.
Another writer rejects that explanation. He points to a name Ezra lacks, a register updated over time, and a total that nearly matches once later arrivals are added:
Set aside the guess that copyists made mistakes. That guess is as easy to make as it is unlikely. Notice first that Nehemiah's list of the leaders of the people contains a name, Nahamani (v. 7), which Ezra 2 does not mention. Second, Zerubbabel drew up the genealogical registers, and people kept them up to date over a longer or shorter period of time. Third, here is a remarkable fact. Add to Ezra's genealogy the 1,396 people who came to live at Jerusalem in Nehemiah 11, and the people come to 25,540 — almost exactly the 25,406 of Nehemiah 7.
Neither explanation settles the matter. The same writer draws the lesson:
We could add other details. But whatever assumptions we make, we learn here, as always, to distrust our own reasoning. That holds even for the material details of the word of God. We are to wait on Him to explain them, if He judges it good to give us the light we need at the right moment.
- Kept. God kept this record. He looks with joy on the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work.
- Named. God put the names of those who came into His record. The record is silent about those whose hearts did not stir them to go.
- Counted. The list gives the number from each city. God had a definite interest in every individual who returned.
- Located. Geba was a Levitical town in Benjamin, spelled Gaba here. Ramah stood on the frontier between Judah and Israel.
- Unsettled. Commentators differ on why Ezra's and Nehemiah's figures differ. Some point to copyist error, others to a register updated over time. The lesson is to distrust our own reasoning and wait on God for light.
The men of Michmas, a hundred and twenty-two.
With the wall of Jerusalem finished, Nehemiah copied out an old list of names and numbers, and one line in it counts the men of a small town in Benjamin. Why does a book about rebuilding stop to count villagers, and why has God kept the tally?
This line is not a new census. Nehemiah found an older register and copied it out.
The object in view was to examine the right of the people to be in the place where they were. Those who occupied this holy ground, and claimed the blessed privileges of God's house, must have a right that no one could challenge. This is the meaning of this next step of Nehemiah. He found a register of the genealogy of those who came up at the first, and by it he could easily tell whether those inside the rebuilt walls were all of Israel. As will be seen, Nehemiah 7:6-73 is the repetition of Ezra 2.
Michmas was a place, not a family name, and it had seen fighting before.
City and mountain pass in the tribe of Benjamin. It was where Jonathan struck down the Philistine garrison. The victory might have been greater if Saul had not distressed the people by forbidding them to eat until evening. Men of this town returned from the exile. 1 Sam. 13:2-23; 1 Sam. 14:5, 31; Ezra 2:27; Neh. 7:31; Neh. 11:31; Isa. 10:28.
The lists tied each man to his family for a legal reason.
It was important then to keep the genealogies. This was because the law said that each of the children of Israel should enjoy the inheritance of his fathers. The inheritance must not move from tribe to tribe.
Why should such a list survive at all?
The fact that this record exists shows how precious to God was the response which His grace had produced in the hearts of His people. That is true however feebly they had entered into His thoughts about His house. This is why He has preserved this list. It is evidence that He looks with joy on the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work. The very names of His people are known and proclaimed, to encourage everyone to walk in His ways, to be identified with His interests, and to stay faithful in times of corruption and falling away from God. (Compare Luke 12:8 and Rev. 3:5.)
Notice also who is missing from the list.
Some stirred themselves to answer His call to return to the land. God has seen to it that their names went on record in a very lasting way. The names of those who did not stir themselves are almost entirely lost.
Michmas is counted in both Ezra and Nehemiah, but some entries in the two lists do not match. Commentators differ on why. One explanation points to the copying of numerals.
The lists agree in the main. The overall total in both is the same, yet there are striking differences in the details. How this happened may not be easy to decide. We know that numbers are especially easy to corrupt, whether through the carelessness or the rashness of copyists.
These men are counted, not named. The same writer sees another reason behind the differing totals.
Their individual names are not recorded, but the Lord knows them all. He cared for each member and sustained them on the journey home. Even so He knows all His sheep and keeps every member of His body, leading them home to glory. If some of the numbers do not agree with Nehemiah's record, there is no doubt a good reason for it. For instance, the descendants of Arah are here 775 and in Nehemiah we find only 652 recorded. Probably 775 had enrolled their names but only 652 went.
A hundred and twenty-two men would not refill Michmas. Yet a thinly settled town still carried weight.
The numbers in the cities would be small compared with their size before the captivity. Yet each city would be a testimony to the restoring grace of God. Today also, each little assembly that God restores is a testimony to His grace and faithfulness. Such testimonies are far from being grounds for our own pride. While we are thankful for God's goodness, we are only humbled by our own weakness.
- Copied, not composed. Nehemiah 7:6-73 repeats the list of Ezra 2. The register proved who had a right to be inside the rebuilt walls.
- Counted by home. Michmas was a town and mountain pass in Benjamin, where Jonathan struck down the Philistine garrison. Its men came back from exile.
- Kept for a reason. Israel kept the genealogies so each man could hold the inheritance of his fathers. No inheritance moved from tribe to tribe.
- Named because loved. The list is evidence that God takes joy in the smallest fruit of His Spirit's work. The names of those who never answered His call are almost entirely lost.
- Small but real. A thinly settled town still testified to God's restoring grace. It gives no ground for pride, only thanks and humility.
The men of Bethel and Ai, a hundred and twenty-three.
Nehemiah 7:32 is one line in a long list. After he finished the wall, Nehemiah copied out a record of who came back from exile, counted family by family and town by town. Two questions press on a line like this. Why would God keep a headcount of 123 men? And why does the matching line in Ezra give a different figure?
The bulk of this chapter is not new material. As one commentator notes, the meaning of the register belongs first to the earlier book:
Since the meaning of this register of the genealogy of the people has already been given in our exposition of Ezra 2, there is no need to repeat it here. The reader is therefore referred to it to help in understanding the rest of this chapter, for, as will be seen, Nehemiah 7:6-73 is the repetition of Ezra 2.
Nehemiah's reason for reaching back to an old document is itself instructive:
The rest of the chapter shows how Nehemiah links the work he had finished with the work of the remnant who first returned with Zerubbabel about eighty years before. Many of that remnant must have died by Nehemiah's day. Yet they are still held in honour, and their varied services recalled. The work they did in their day made the work in Nehemiah's day possible.
Ai's past makes its appearance in this list surprising:
A royal city of Canaan. Abraham knew it, and he pitched his tent between Ai and Bethel (Genesis 12:8). Joshua took it by a clever plan, after an earlier defeat caused by the sin of Achan. The town was burnt and left a "heap" (Joshua 7:2-5; 8:1-29; 10:1-2). It stood near Bethel, in Benjamin's share of the land, and it seems someone rebuilt it, since Ezra 2:28 and Nehemiah 7:32 mention it.
One writer takes these returning townsmen as a sign that the exiles came from more than the southern kingdom:
Are we to suppose that only those belonging to the southern kingdom came back to the land in Ezra's and Nehemiah's time? There are signs that it was not so, here and there. For instance, Ezra 2:28 tells us of 223 men of Bethel and Ai returning. Bethel lay in Ephraim, and it was the centre of the idol worship set up by Jeroboam.
Commenting on the same register in Ezra, Dennett finds God's pleasure in it:
This record exists. That shows how precious to God was the response His grace had produced in the hearts of His people — even though they had only a weak grasp of His thoughts about His house. For this reason He has kept this list. It shows that He looks with joy on the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work. It shows too that He knows the very names of His people and speaks them out. That encourages everyone to walk in His ways, to stand openly with His interests, and to stay faithful in times of corruption and turning away from God.
The silence around the list says as much as the list:
The heads are named and the families counted. God took note of them and put their names into His record, while those whose hearts did not stir them up to go are passed over in silence. Let us take note of this.
Ezra 2:28 reads 223; this verse reads 123. Commentators differ on how to account for such gaps. One writer points to how easily numbers get corrupted by copyists:
In the main the lists agree. The overall total in both is the same. Yet the details differ in puzzling ways, and how that came about may not be easy to decide. We know that numbers in particular are open to corruption, either through careless copyists or through reckless ones.
The totals of the servants, the houses, the males, and the ages agree. How good it is for the heart to know that the living God takes a real interest not only in His people, but in all that is theirs!
Another writer leaves the question open and draws a lesson from the difficulty itself:
We could add other details. But whatever assumptions we make, we learn here, as always, to mistrust our own reasoning — even about the material details of the word of God. We learn to wait on Him to explain them, if He judges it good to give us the light we need at the right moment.
The two names themselves carry a lesson:
Notice where Abraham pitched his tent and altar — it was between Bethel and Ai. Bethel means the house of God, and Ai a heap of ruins. This is the place for one who has risen to the call of God.
- Counted. God kept the headcount of a small band of returning townsmen. He looks with joy on the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work.
- Named. Those who came are named; those who stayed behind are passed over in silence.
- Recalled. Nehemiah copied a register eighty years old. He held in honour the earlier remnant whose work made his own possible.
- Reclaimed. Ai had been burnt to a heap. Bethel was Jeroboam's centre of idol worship. Yet men from both towns are back in the land.
- Restrained. Where the figures here differ from Ezra's, we learn to mistrust our own reasoning and wait on God to give light at the right moment.
The men of the other Nebo, fifty-two.
A single line in a long roll call: fifty-two men, identified not by ancestry but by the town they came from. Why would God keep a headcount this small, and why does this line sit in a list already written out in Ezra 2?
This chapter quotes an older register of names. It does not match Ezra's copy at every point.
Chapter 7:6-73 is a quotation of a register of names, which differs in many places from the register in Ezra 2:1-70. Both were probably copied from public documents, perhaps from the book of Chronicles mentioned in chapter 7:23. The differences between Ezra 2 and Nehemiah 7 show that Nehemiah did not copy from Ezra's record.
These men are listed by their town rather than by an ancestor.
A city whose inhabitants or "children" returned from exile. Ezra 2:29; Neh. 7:33.
Fifty-two men from one small town is a modest figure. That God had it written down says something about how He values a small response to His call.
The very existence of this list shows how precious to God was the response His grace had produced in the hearts of His people. They may have entered only feebly into His thoughts about His house, yet their response was precious to Him. For this reason He has caused this list to be preserved. It is evidence that He looks with joy on the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work. It also shows that the very names of His people are known and announced, to encourage everyone to walk in His ways, to be identified with His interests, and to stay faithful in times of corruption and falling away.
This register is a sample of something larger: the record God keeps of His people and their work.
It is a specimen page of the records God keeps. From it we may learn that He remembers His people. He knows them by name, and He does not forget their works. Nehemiah's book repeats this list (chapter 7) and adds a record of those who helped build the wall. God has a book of remembrance (Mal. 3:16). The apostle reminded the Hebrew believers of this fact when he wrote: "For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do" (Heb. 6:10).
Nebo's fifty-two sits in a chapter where many figures do not match Ezra's. Commentators differ on the reason. One points to what happens to numbers in hand-copying, and to God's interest in everything that belongs to His people.
Substantially the lists agree. The overall total in both is the same; yet the details differ strangely, and how this happened may not be easy to decide. We know that numbers are especially easy to corrupt, whether through the carelessness or the boldness of copyists… How good it is for the heart to know that the living God takes a real interest not only in His people, but in all that is theirs!
Another writer sets that explanation aside. He points to a register that was updated over the years, and to figures that line up once a later group is counted in.
Eighteen of the figures given in Ezra vary here: sometimes lower, but usually higher… Some guess that copyists made mistakes. That guess is as easy to make as it is unlikely. Set it aside, and notice first that Nehemiah's list of the leaders of the people has a name, Nahamani (v. 7), which Ezra 2 does not mention. Second, the genealogical registers drawn up by Zerubbabel were kept up to date over a longer or shorter period (see Neh. 12:23). Third, here is a striking fact. Add to Ezra's genealogy the 1,396 people who came to live in Jerusalem in Nehemiah 11, and the count for the people reaches 25,540 — almost exactly the 25,406 in Nehemiah 7.
Nehemiah reprints a list of people who came back long before his own work. Many of them had died by his day.
The rest of the chapter shows how Nehemiah links his own work with the work of those who first returned with Zerubbabel some eighty years before. How many of that group must have died by Nehemiah's day! Yet they are still held in honour, and their various services recalled. The work they did in their day made the work of Nehemiah's day possible.
- Counted — Fifty-two men from one town were worth recording. God takes account of the smallest response His grace produces.
- Named — Nebo's people came back from exile, and they are entered by their home town, not lost in a total.
- Copied — The list is quoted from an older register, not from Ezra's book. Commentators explain the differing figures by copyists' errors or by a register updated over the years.
- Remembered — The register is a sample page of God's own books. He knows His people by name and does not overlook their work.
- Continued — Nehemiah reprints the old list to honour the earlier returnees. Their work made his own possible.
The children of the other Elam, a thousand two hundred and fifty-four.
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.
The children of Harim, three hundred and twenty.
This verse names one family among dozens in a long register of those who came back from exile in Babylon. Why did God keep such a list at all, and why does the same list appear twice in Scripture with some of its figures differing?
The presence of this register says something about how God viewed the people who took the hard road home.
The very fact that this list exists shows how precious to God was the response His grace had produced in the hearts of His people. They may have entered only feebly into His thoughts about His house. Even so, He has kept this list on record. It is evidence that He looks with joy on the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work. He knows the very names of His people, and He announces them. All of this encourages everyone to walk in His ways, to be identified with His interests, and to stay faithful in times of corruption and falling away. (Compare Luke 12:8 and Revelation 3:5.)
Another writer notes what the list does with everyone else:
God took note of them and put their names into His record, while those whose hearts did not stir them up to go are passed over in silence. Let us take note of this.
Harim is named; his 320 descendants are not. That silence is not neglect.
Their individual names are not recorded, but the Lord knows them all, and He cared for each member and sustained them on the journey home. In the same way He knows all His sheep and keeps every member of His body, leading them home to glory.
Nehemiah reads this record of the earlier return because he already has an aim in mind.
So we find this purpose in his heart at the opening of Nehemiah 7. He makes himself familiar with the returned captives. He reads the list and the account of them as they had been in the days of Zerubbabel. That record would guide him in his present aim.
Nehemiah ties his own finished work back to the people named on this list.
Many of those who made up that remnant must have died by Nehemiah's day. Yet they are still held in honour, and their various services are recalled. The work they did in their day made the work of Nehemiah's day possible.
Commentators differ on why some numbers here differ from the earlier list in Ezra. One points to hand-copying:
Substantially the lists agree. The total in both is the same, yet the details differ in a striking way. Why that is may not be easy to decide. We know that numbers are especially easy to corrupt. A copyist may be careless, or he may be too sure of himself. For instance, in Ezra 2:5 the sons of Arah are 775; in Nehemiah 7:10 they are 652.
Another writer suggests a simpler cause for the same gap:
If some of the numbers do not agree with Nehemiah's record, there is no doubt a good reason for it. For instance, the descendants of Arah are 775 in Ezra, and in Nehemiah we find only 652 recorded. Probably 775 had enrolled their names, but only 652 went.
One writer traces both lists back to older public records rather than to each other:
Nehemiah 7:6-73 quotes a register of names which differs in many places from the register in Ezra 2:1-70. Both were probably copied from public documents. The differences between Ezra 2 and Nehemiah 7 show that Nehemiah did not copy from Ezra's record.
To appear in this list, a family had to keep its own records right through captivity.
These genealogies were imperfect. Israel's condition carried the mark of the ruin that had come on them. But it carried the mark of the goodness of God too. He brought back a remnant, and He preserved everything needed to place those who formed it in the record of His people. ... These genealogies served as the way to recognise who belonged to the people. Happy the man who had kept his own record, and who valued the inheritance of the Lord enough to care about it! It was a proof of faith, for someone might have said, What use are these genealogies in Babylon?
- Kept — A family that held on to its record through exile showed faith. In captivity such a record looked useless, so keeping it was the proof.
- Counted — We never learn the names of Harim's 320. The Lord knew each one, cared for each one and carried them home, as He knows all His sheep.
- Recorded — God writes down those who went and says nothing of those who stayed. He delights in even the smallest response to His grace.
- Used — Nehemiah read this old list for a present aim, and the record of the past guided his next step.
- Honoured — The returning exiles named here were long dead, yet their work made Nehemiah's work possible. This chapter still holds them in honour.
The children of Jericho, three hundred and forty-five.
Nehemiah found an old register of the families who came back from Babylon, and copied it into his book. One line in it counts 345 sons of Jericho, which raises a question: why does God keep a list like this, and why keep it twice?
One writer reads the survival of the list as evidence of what God values:
On this account He has caused this list to be preserved. It is evidence that He looks with joy on the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work. It also shows that the very names of His people are known and announced, to encourage all to walk in His ways, to be identified with His interests, and to stay faithful in times of corruption and falling away.
Another writer draws out what God wants each of His people to know:
Isn't it a precious truth that God takes pleasure in letting His people know that every one of them is prized by Him? … God always waits to bless His own, and to give them the proof and the sense of His blessing. We see it even in the numbering of those who returned from Babylon.
Counting people is not always safe. One census sprang from pride:
David numbered the people in the pride of his heart, as if they were his and not Jehovah's. He paid a high price for the wrong: he lost many thousands of his warriors.
Nehemiah's count had another source. One commentator ties it to the housing of the people:
At this time God put into Nehemiah's heart the desire to gather the nobles, the rulers and the people, in order to register them by genealogy. This fitted the desire that the houses should be built, because it stresses that every individual believer is precious to God. So all should have houses — a sphere of family responsibility that stresses unity in diversity.
This line names a town, not an ancestor, and Jericho carries a heavy history. A reference work follows the city from curse to blessing:
A curse was pronounced on the man who would rebuild the city. This was proved true when Hiel built it (1 Kings 16:34). … Afterwards the "sons of the prophets" lived there. They said the position of the city was pleasant, but the water was bad. Elisha's first miracle was there — he threw in salt and the water was healed. It was heavenly blessing given in the place of the curse (2 Kings 2:18-22). Some who returned from exile are described as "children of Jericho" (Ezra 2:34; Neh. 7:36).
One writer notes where men of Jericho put their labour:
The next in order deserve attention, because they belonged to Jericho; yet they gave themselves to the work of Jerusalem.
The list was not sentiment; it was a test. One commentator explains why proof of descent mattered so much to those who came back:
In the land of their exile they had not taken the same care about title and qualification. Babylon stands for the corruption that holds God's people in bondage through their sins, and so the time of their captivity was a time of carelessness … But now, through the mercy of their God, a recovery had come. It was only a partial recovery, true, yet it contained a real work of the Spirit of God. And now that Jehovah's house was to be their centre once more, they were right to be concerned about the title of everyone who had returned from Babylon.
Ezra 2 carries this same line about Jericho. Elsewhere the two lists disagree, and commentators differ over why. One writer sets the two lists side by side:
In the main the lists agree. The overall total in both is the same, yet the details differ in a striking way. How this came about may not be easy to decide. We know that numbers are especially open to error, through the carelessness or the rashness of copyists. For instance, in Ezra 2:5 the sons of Arah are 775, in Neh. 7:10 they are 652. … How good it is for the heart to know that the living God takes a real interest not only in His people, but in all that is theirs!
Another sees two separate sources behind the lists:
Chapter 7:6-73 is a quotation of a register of names, which differs in many places from the register in Ezra 2:1-70. Both were probably copied from public documents … The differences between Ezra 2 and Nehemiah 7 show that Nehemiah did not copy from Ezra's record.
- Recorded — The list exists because God takes pleasure in letting each of His people know they are prized by Him.
- Counted — David counted in pride and paid a high price; Nehemiah counted because God put it into his heart.
- Named — Jericho lay under a curse, and there blessing later came; its 345 sons now stand in the list of those who returned.
- Tested — Babylon had bred carelessness about descent; with God's house at their centre again, each family had to prove its title.
- Remembered — The figures vary between the two lists, and commentators differ over why; the same families stand in both.
The children of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred and twenty-one.
This verse names three small towns and gives one total, tucked inside a long roll of families who came back from exile in Babylon. It raises three questions: why the count was made, why God kept the record, and why these numbers differ from the same list in the book of Ezra.
Nehemiah's roll is not new material. Commentators point out that this whole section reproduces an earlier record in the book of Ezra, so the reader is meeting these towns for the second time.
A duplicated census can look like wasted paper. One writer reads it the opposite way: the very existence of the list says something about God.
His people may have entered only weakly into His thoughts about His house. Even so, the very existence of this list shows how precious to God was the response His grace had produced in their hearts. That is why He has kept this list on record. It is evidence that He looks with joy on the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work. It also shows that the very names of His people are known and proclaimed. That is an encouragement to everyone: walk in His ways, stand with His interests, and stay faithful in times of corruption and falling away.
This verse groups people by place, not by ancestor. One of the three towns turns up again much later in the Bible.
It may interest some to know that Lydda in the New Testament is none other than the Lod of Ezra 2:33 and Nehemiah 7:37. It is called Ludd or Lidi to this day. Ono, Hadid, and Neballat were linked with Lod long ago, and each can still be recognised clearly enough under its modern name.
Ono gave its name to more than a village:
City and plain in Benjamin, some men of which returned from exile. 1 Chronicles 8:12; Ezra 2:33; Nehemiah 6:2; Nehemiah 7:37; Nehemiah 11:35.
The roll had a practical purpose. Anyone claiming a place among the returned people had to be traceable in it, and that mattered as much to them as certainty of new birth matters to a Christian.
So we see that the remnant are watchful to stand plain and clear as sons of the covenant. Genealogy according to the flesh in the line of promise was as weighty a matter to them as being born of God is to the Christian.
One commentator applies the same test to Christians today:
We need peace with God. We need to know that we are children of God, because we have the Spirit of adoption. Only then can we show our Father's house and trace our genealogy. Without that, we do not have the divine title required. Profession is not enough.
Several numbers here differ from the same list in Ezra. Commentators differ on the reason. One points to copying errors, and notes that the totals still agree:
The overall total in both lists is the same, yet the details differ in a striking way. Why this is may not be so easy to decide. We know that numbers are especially easy to corrupt. A copyist may be careless, or he may be too bold.
Another prefers a different explanation:
Some guess that copyists made mistakes. That guess is as easy to make as it is unlikely, so set it aside. Notice first that Nehemiah's list of the leaders of the people contains a name, Nahamani (v. 7), which Ezra 2 does not mention. Second, the registers Zerubbabel drew up were updated over a period of time, whether long or short (see Nehemiah 12:23).
Nehemiah copied out the old roll, and so tied his own finished work to an earlier generation.
The rest of the chapter shows how Nehemiah links the work he had done with the work of the remnant who first returned with Zerubbabel, some eighty years earlier. Many of them must have died before Nehemiah's day. Yet they are still held in honour, and their various services are recalled. The work they did in their day made the work in Nehemiah's day possible.
The children of Senaah, three thousand nine hundred and thirty.
A single line closes the long roll of family groups who came back from exile. Senaah's 3,930 is the largest figure in the whole register. Two questions press on a verse like this. Why did God preserve a list of names and numbers at all? And why do the totals here differ from the same list in Ezra 2?
Senaah appears earlier in Nehemiah in a slightly different form. One reference work links the two:
The man whose sons built the Fish Gate at Jerusalem (Nehemiah 3:3). Probably the same as Senaah in Nehemiah 7:38 and Ezra 2:35, with the article added in Nehemiah 3:3.
Commentators differ on whether Senaah is a man or a place. Either way, the biggest number in the register belongs to a group we meet again with tools in their hands, on one of the wall's most exposed stretches:
After them, the sons of Senaah (Nehemiah 3:3) stand out. Senaah may be a city, or a district near Jericho. They built the Fish Gate; "they laid its beams and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars." This gate stood on the northern side of Jerusalem. Along with the gate of the old wall, it was especially open to enemy attack. The Assyrian armies used to come from the north to surround the city and besiege it. The sons of Senaah understood how important this gate was. They did not stop working until its bolts and bars were in place.
A list of clans and numbers can look like filler. One writer starts from the fact that it survived at all:
The first thing to notice is that this record exists at all. Its existence shows how precious to God was the response His grace had produced in the hearts of His people. That is true however weakly they may have entered into His thoughts about His house. For this reason He has caused the list to be preserved. It is evidence that He looks with joy on the smallest fruit of His Spirit's work. It shows that He knows and announces the very names of His people. This encourages everyone to walk in His ways, to take His interests as their own, and to stay faithful in times of corruption.
The list names some and says nothing about others:
The heads are named and the families counted. God took note of them and put their names into His record, while those whose hearts did not stir them up to go are passed over in silence. Let us take note of this.
Nehemiah's figures do not match Ezra's everywhere, and commentators differ on the reason. One traces the differences to copyists:
The overall total in both is the same, yet the details differ in odd ways. How this happened may not be easy to decide. We know that numbers are especially easy to corrupt, whether through careless copyists or reckless ones. For instance, in Ezra 2:5 the sons of Arah are 775; in Nehemiah 7:10 they are 652.
Another writer thinks that explanation is unlikely. He points to two other facts:
Set aside the guess that copyists made mistakes. That guess is as easy to make as it is unlikely. We notice first that Nehemiah's list of the leaders of the people contains a name, Nahamani (v. 7), which Ezra 2 does not mention. Second, Zerubbabel drew up the genealogical registers, and they were kept up to date for a longer or shorter time afterwards (see Nehemiah 12:23).
Whatever the reason for the differences, one thing in the two lists is not in doubt:
It is clear that the totals of the servants, the houses, the males, and the ages agree. How good it is for the heart to know that the living God takes a real interest not only in His people, but in all that is theirs!
Being able to say which family you belonged to was not a formality for these people:
So we see that the remnant are careful to stand clear and simple as sons of the covenant. Natural descent in the line of promise mattered as much to them as being born of God does to the Christian.
That is why the same chapter that counts Senaah also records those who failed the test:
Some looked for their names in the register of those enrolled by genealogy, but their names were not found. They were counted as unclean and barred from the priesthood. They could not eat the most holy things until a priest with Urim and Thummim should arise.
- Counted. The register survives because God valued the response His grace produced. He made the names of His people known.
- Named. God listed those who went up. He passed over in silence those who stayed behind.
- Placed. Senaah is the largest family group in the count. The same name turns up again building the Fish Gate, on the city's most exposed side.
- Disputed. Nehemiah's numbers differ from Ezra's, and commentators differ on why. Some blame copyists. Others point to registers updated over time.
- Proved. Each family had to show its descent. Those who could not produce their record could not serve as priests.
The priests the children of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred and seventy-three.
Nehemiah has finished the wall, and now he counts the people, using the old list of those who first came back from Babylon. Verse 39 begins the priests with one family and a number — so why does a rebuilding record stop to check priests by descent?
The whole census of Nehemiah 7 is the register of Ezra 2 brought forward. One writer treats that repetition as a deliberate mark of value on the people named in it:
Chapter 2 gives us the number and the names of the group that went up. The Spirit of God attaches such importance to this group that their names are written down a second time in the book of Nehemiah.
The two lists are not identical. One writer takes the differences as a sign that Nehemiah worked from his own source, not from Ezra's:
Chapter 7:6-73 quotes a register of names. It differs in many places from the register in Ezra 2:1-70. Both probably came from public documents... The differences between Ezra 2 and Nehemiah 7 show that Nehemiah did not copy from Ezra's record.
The counting was not Nehemiah's own idea. He traces it to God at work in him, and the list that follows runs by family.
Next, since this was an earthly people, order called for careful attention to family ties. "And my God put into my heart to gather together the nobles and the rulers, and the people for registration by genealogy. And I found a register of the family lines of those who came up first."
One group in the count got the closest check of all:
One thing is the care they took, as we see with the priests. They insisted on seeing their genealogy.
Jedaiah's house has its descent on record. Other families of priests could not produce theirs. One writer, commenting on the same list in Ezra, spells out what that cost them:
If any could not show their genealogy, they had no claim to take part in the work they had been called to. For the priests the result was even more serious. If they could not find their register, they were treated as unclean and put out of the priesthood. Nobody told them they were not priests. The ruling was only that their claim was not proven. It might be proved at a later time, so the governor told them not to eat of the most holy things until a priest stood up with Urim and Thummim. When that time came, the priest — given divine understanding again through God's light and perfection (Urim and Thummim) — might judge them to be true priests. But meanwhile their claim was forfeited. Grace could restore what was lost under law; but for this they had to wait patiently.
Before the exile, nobody had needed written proof of who they were. The captivity changed that:
The captivity in Babylon completed the confusion that sin had caused long before. But those who feared the Lord were all the more careful, in a way that was not needed in the days when everything was known and in order. Restoration is usually difficult. True grace bows to Scripture, while the flesh always craves what we do not have, despises what we do have, and tries out imitations, substitutes, and inventions of its own.
Jedaiah's 973 is one of several large totals for the priests here. The Levites, who did the practical service, are counted a few lines later:
It is good to see the people taking up the work of priests again, as well as the service of the Levites. But Levites always seem to be in short supply. Here we find just 74 Levites for about 4,000 priests... Those who are willing to do the practical work that helps God's people are famously few. But praise the Lord, there are some!
The count is exact, down to the last three men. That care points to God Himself:
How good it is for the heart to know that the living God takes a real interest not only in His people, but in all that is theirs!
- Ruin — the captivity left such confusion that family lines, once known to all, now had to be proved in writing.
- Register — God put it into Nehemiah's heart to count the people by family, so the old list of the first returnees became the standard.
- Priests — the priests faced the closest check of all. Jedaiah's house had its record; others could not find theirs and lost their place.
- Reserve — nobody called them false priests. Their claim was only unproven, and grace could still restore what was lost under law.
- Remembered — God counts 973 men in one family. He takes a real interest not only in His people, but in all that is theirs.
The children of Immer, a thousand and fifty-two.
Nehemiah 7:40 sits in a long list of names copied out after the wall was finished, where Immer's house is one of four priestly families. The obvious question is why God kept a count of 1,052 men — and what that number says about His people.
The whole section Nehemiah is quoting here has already appeared once in Scripture, in Ezra's account of the first company that came home from exile.
I have already explained the meaning of this register of the people's genealogy in my exposition of Ezra 2, so there is no need to repeat it here. Read it alongside the rest of this chapter, because Nehemiah 7:6-73 is a repetition of Ezra 2.
Why keep a list like this at all?
This record exists, and that fact alone tells us something. God valued the response His grace had produced in the hearts of His people, however feebly they entered into His thoughts about His house. That is why He has kept this list. It shows that He looks with joy on the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work. It shows that He knows the very names of His people and makes them known. This encourages everyone to walk in His ways, to identify with His interests, and to stay faithful in times of corruption and apostasy.
Immer's name turns up elsewhere in Scripture, and one gap in the record is worth noticing.
A family of priests bore this name. One of them had charge of the sixteenth course of priestly service. Some returned from exile, and two of them had married foreign wives. But there is no genealogy tracing their descent from Aaron.
Set beside the Levites, the priestly families in this list stand out.
The priests belonged to four families of the sons of Aaron. They proved eager to take up their place and duties again in the house of God that was about to be built. They numbered 4,289 (Ezra 2:36-39). Out of the three families of the Levites, only one family appeared, and even that family sent far too few men.
Another writer counts the Levites next to the priests, and finds both something to praise and something missing.
It is good to see that there were priests among them (v.36), and also Levites (v.40). It is good to see a recovery of priestly activity among the people, as well as of levitical service. But Levites always seem to be in short supply. Here we find just 74 Levites for about 4,000 priests (and we will find an even greater shortage in chapter 8). Those who are willing to do practical work for the good of the people of God are notoriously few. But praise the Lord there are some!
Some who claimed priesthood could not produce their entry in the register. What happened to them shows what the register was for.
If any could not show their genealogy, they had no claim to take part in the work to which they had been called. For the priests the consequence was even more serious. If they could not find their register, they were put out of the priesthood as defiled. No one told them they were not priests. The point was that their claim was not proven. It might be proven later, and so the governor told them not to eat of the most holy things until a priest stood up with Urim and Thummim — one who could judge by the light and perfection of God. Grace could restore what was lost under law; but for that they had to wait patiently.
The same writer moves from the old register to how priests are made.
People forget, or never knew, the truth that all true believers — and no one else — are priests (1 Peter 2). So they have invented a way of making priests: filling their "holy" offices by a human ordination… God alone makes priests. Everyone who is washed with water (born again) comes under the value of the one sacrifice of Christ. He is sprinkled with Christ's precious blood, and also with the anointing oil — the anointing of the Holy Spirit. God Himself sets him apart for this office.
- Counted. The list Nehemiah copies is Ezra 2 over again. God repeats the names of the returned exiles instead of mentioning them once and moving on.
- Named. Keeping the register shows that God takes joy in the smallest fruit of His work. He knows the names of His people and makes them known.
- Placed. Immer was a priestly house with a share in the old temple courses. The record does not trace its descent from Aaron.
- Few. Four priestly families supplied 4,289 men. The Levites sent one family, and far too few of them. Willing servants are always in short supply.
- Proven. A claim to priesthood had to appear in the register, or it was set aside as unproven. Grace could restore later what law had shut out. Today the claim rests on new birth and the blood of Christ, not on human ordination — and that makes every believer a priest.
The children of Pashhur, a thousand two hundred and forty-seven.
This verse sits inside a register Nehemiah found and copied out. It counts, family by family, the people who came home from exile in Babylon generations earlier. The priestly houses stand near the end. Why would God preserve a bare family name and a number, and preserve it twice?
Edward Dennett finds the reason God kept such a list:
The list exists, and that alone shows how much God valued the response His grace had produced in the hearts of His people. They may have entered only feebly into His thoughts about His house. For this reason He kept this list. It shows that He sees with joy the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work. It also shows that He knows the very names of His people and announces them. That encourages everyone to walk in His ways, to make His interests their own, and to stay faithful in times of corruption and apostasy.
This same list appears in Ezra 2. Hamilton Smith explains why Nehemiah repeats it here:
The rest of the chapter shows Nehemiah linking the work he had finished to the work of the small group who first returned with Zerubbabel, some eighty years before. Many of that group must have died by Nehemiah's day. Yet they are still held in honour, and their varied services recalled. The work they did in their day made the work of Nehemiah's day possible.
Another writer ties the Lord's pleasure in these names to a day still to come:
There is little to say here, except that the Lord takes pleasure in recording even the names of His servants... He honours those who honour Him. He records their names in His word now, and He will glorify those same people in the great day that is rushing toward us.
Pashhur is one of only four priestly families in this list. H. L. Rossier notes what those families came back to do:
The priests came from four families of the sons of Aaron. They were eager to take up their place and duties again in the house of God that was about to be built. They numbered 4,289.
Michael Hardt puts numbers to that gap:
Levites always seem to be in short supply. Here we find just 74 Levites for about 4,000 priests... Those willing to do practical work for the good of God's people are notoriously few. But praise the Lord, there are some!
Being counted here mattered. A few verses later, other men who claimed the priesthood could not produce their entry, and they lost their place. Dennett explains the ruling and its limit:
If they could not find their register they were, as unclean, put out of the priesthood. They were not told that they were not priests. The ground taken was that their claim was not proven. It might be proven at a future time, and so the governor told them not to eat of the most holy food until a priest with Urim and Thummim should arise. When that time came, the priest would again be given divine intelligence and discernment through the light and perfection of God — Urim and Thummim. He might then judge them to be true priests. In the meantime their claim was forfeited. Grace could restore what was lost under law; only for this they must wait patiently.
Dennett then says who counts as a priest today:
God alone makes priests. Everyone who is washed with water — that is, born again — comes under the value of the one sacrifice of Christ. God sprinkles such a person with His precious blood, and with the anointing oil as well (the anointing of the Holy Spirit). He sets that person apart for this office.
Many of the totals in this chapter do not match the list in Ezra. Rossier sets aside the easiest explanation and offers two others:
Eighteen of the figures given in Ezra vary here: sometimes lower, but usually higher. Set aside the guess that copyists made mistakes; that guess is as easy to make as it is unlikely. Notice first that Nehemiah's list of the leaders of the people contains a name, Nahamani, which Ezra 2 does not mention. Second, the family registers Zerubbabel drew up were brought up to date over a longer or shorter period of time.
- Recorded. God kept this list because He delights in the names of those who answered His call. Their grasp of His purpose was weak; He recorded them anyway.
- Recalled. Nehemiah copies out a register eighty years old. The work of the first group who returned made his own work possible.
- Rewarded. The Lord writes names into His word now. He will glorify those same people in the coming day.
- Rare. Priests came back in their thousands, Levites by the dozen. Hands for the practical work were few.
- Reckoned. A name in the register was the right to serve. Today God alone makes priests, and He sets apart every believer who is born again.
The children of Harim, a thousand and seventeen.
Nehemiah's register of returned exiles ends its list of priests with the sons of Harim. One family is counted and named, and the count still stands eighty years after the return from Babylon. Why does Scripture keep a bare head-count of one priestly family? And what did that number cost the men in it?
One writer begins with the simple fact that such a list exists at all:
There are several interesting points to notice in the record. The first is this: the fact that such a list exists shows how precious to God was the response His grace had produced in the hearts of His people. They may have entered only feebly into His thoughts about His house. Even so, He has kept this list on record. It is evidence that He looks with joy on the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work. The very names of His people are known and proclaimed, as an encouragement to all to walk in His ways, to stand with His interests, and to stay faithful in times of corruption and falling away.
Harim's 1,017 sounds like a lot. Set it beside the older order of the priesthood, and it shrinks. Israel's priests had once been divided into twenty-four groups, called "courses":
The record names the priests first. 1 Chronicles 24 lists twenty-four courses. Chronicles names Jedaiah, Immer and Harim. In all, 4,289 priests went back. And these made up four courses only.
The four families that came back did not stay as four:
Only four heads of these courses had returned from the captivity: Jedaiah, Immer, Pashur and Harim. Zerubbabel and Jeshua divided these into the original twenty-four. But this record mentions only twenty-two.
Count the Levites a few verses later, and the imbalance is hard to miss. One writer traces it to the exile:
Notice in passing how many were the priests, and how few the Levites in comparison. Before the captivity the Levites had shone by comparison. The priests had profited by the recent trial and by God's intervention.
Another writer links that shortage to those who do the practical work:
It is good to see a recovery of priestly activity among the people, as well as of levitical service. But Levites always seem to be in short supply. Here we find just 74 Levites for about 4,000 priests... Those who are willing to do practical work for the good of the people of God are known to be very few. But praise the Lord there are some!
A name in this register was not sentiment. It was a claim, and holding onto the proof of it in Babylon took faith:
Happy the man who had kept his own, and who valued the heritage of Jehovah so highly that he held onto it! It was a proof of faith, for someone might have said, "What use are these genealogies in Babylon?"
Later in the chapter, some priests could not produce such a record. What happened to them shows what a counted family had:
If any could not show their genealogy, they had no claim to take part in the work to which they had been called. For the priests the consequence was still graver. If they could not find their register, they were put out of the priesthood as polluted. No one told them they were not priests. The ground taken was that their claim was not proven. It might be proven at a future time. Grace could restore what was lost under law; but for that they had to wait patiently.
The chapter closes by looking backwards, to people who returned long before Nehemiah:
The rest of the chapter shows how Nehemiah links his own finished work with the work of the remnant who first returned with Zerubbabel, some eighty years before. Many of that remnant must have died by Nehemiah's day. Yet they are still held in honour, and their various services recalled. The work they did in their day made the work of Nehemiah's day possible.
- Recorded — God treasures even the smallest response His grace produces. So the list survives, and it proclaims the names of those who stay faithful in a corrupt time.
- Reduced — Only four of the twenty-four priestly courses came home, Harim among them. Zerubbabel and Jeshua spread the 4,289 returning priests back over the original twenty-four.
- Restored — Priests came back in strength; Levites did not. Commentators read this as the priests gaining from the trial of exile.
- Proven — A number beside a family name meant a register the family could show. Priests without one were set aside — not as false priests, but as men whose claim was unproven.
- Remembered — Nehemiah honours a generation already dead. Their work in their day made his own work possible.
The Levites the children of Jeshua [and] of Kadmiel, of the children of Hodvah, seventy-four.
Nehemiah had finished the wall, and his next step was to register the people by family. In the middle of a long list stand the Levites: three ancestral names, and a total of seventy-four. That is a tiny number for a whole tribe. Commentators ask why so few of the men set apart to serve God's house came home.
One writer starts from something easy to miss — that such a list survives at all:
The list exists, and that alone shows how precious to God the response of His people was. His grace had produced it in their hearts. They may have entered only feebly into His thoughts about His house. For this reason He has made sure this list was kept. It is evidence that He looks with joy on the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work. It also shows that He knows and announces the very names of His people. This encourages everyone to walk in His ways, to make His interests their own, and to stay faithful in times of corruption and falling away.
One writer weighs these seventy-four against an earlier count, then looks at what the few actually did:
There were only seventy-four. In the wilderness, counting only those "from thirty years old up to fifty years old," they numbered 8,580 (Numbers 4:46-48). So when the Lord opened the door of escape from their captivity in Babylon, very few cared to take it. They had found a home in the land of their exile. They had forgotten Jerusalem and stopped remembering Zion. The faithfulness of these seventy-four was all the more precious to the Lord. With His presence and blessing they were enough for His service as overseers of the workmen in the house of God. Grace had worked in their hearts too, for they stood "together," or, as the margin reads, "as one," in their office. This was true fellowship. It came from being in communion with the mind of God about His house.
The same gap appears beside the priests, who come just before them in the list:
It is good to see that there were priests among them, and also Levites. It is good to see a recovery of priestly activity among the people, as well as of levitical service. But Levites always seem to be in short supply. Here we find just 74 Levites for about 4,000 priests. Very few are willing to do practical work for the good of God's people. But praise the Lord there are some!
One writer traces the shortage to what a Levite had to live on:
Only seventy-four Levites returned. This was a very small number. (Hodaviah should be read as Judah; compare Ezra 3:9.) ... But why were so few Levites ready to go back? According to the instruction God gave in the Law they were to have no inheritance except in the LORD. It was a test of faith to return in those circumstances, and for this reason many Levites must have stayed on in Babylon, where things were plentiful.
One writer reads the Levites as a picture of service among God's people now:
But we feel the absence of Levites painfully! Their work matches the ministries in the Christian Assembly. There was no lack of people, as we shall see in Ezra 8. But on their part there was indifference, spiritual laziness, and love of their own comfort, no doubt. So only seventy-four people come forward to accompany the priests, the people, and their leaders! ... Some have received gifts from the Lord for evangelising, teaching, and feeding the flock of Christ. They are afraid to go forward with the strength given to them. They are afraid to exercise the ministry as the Lord has entrusted it to them. Instead of feeling their responsibility, they pass it to others and prefer to give them the place, rather than keep their own charge.
A Bible dictionary lists this ancestor under the name Hodaviah:
Ancestor of some Levites who returned from exile, Ezra 2:40. Called HODEVAH in Nehemiah 7:43.
Differences like this run through the whole chapter. One writer faces them directly:
Substantially the lists agree. The overall total in both is the same. Yet the details differ sharply, and it may not be easy to say how this happened. We know how easily numbers get corrupted, through copyists who are careless or too bold.
- Recorded — God preserved this list because He values the smallest fruit of His own work, and knows His people by name.
- Reduced — a tribe that once counted 8,580 working men sent back 74. The rest had settled in exile and stopped remembering Zion.
- Risky — Levi had no inheritance but the Lord, so returning was a test of faith, while Babylon offered plenty.
- Repeated — the same shortage runs on today. Gifts for evangelising, teaching and shepherding go unused, through indifference and love of comfort.
- Remnant — the seventy-four were precious to the Lord. They stood as one, and with His presence and blessing they were enough for His service.
The singers the children of Asaph, a hundred and forty-eight.
Nehemiah's register of the first returned exiles gives the singers a line of their own. One short count raises two questions. Why does God record worshippers by family at all? And why does Ezra's list of the same returning group give a different number?
Lists like this one can look like leftover paperwork. One writer comments on the same register as it appears in Ezra 2. He reads its survival as proof of how God values a small response to His grace:
Notice first what it means that this record exists at all. It shows how precious to God was the response His grace had produced in the hearts of His people. They may have entered only feebly into His thoughts about His house. Because that response was precious to Him, He has preserved this list. It is evidence that He looks with joy on the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work. The very names of His people are known and proclaimed, to encourage everyone to walk in His ways, to stand with His interests, and to stay faithful in times of corruption and falling away.
One writer notes the unusual care taken over this one service, and asks what it was for:
Song matters in the service given to God. You can see that in the care taken that the leaders of the choir — Heman, Asaph, and Ethan — should have a kind of double witness to their right to the name of Levi, and so to their fitness to lead the singing. There is no such care shown for any other branch of Levitical service. Why such particular care about the singers? Because only those who have the right may sing. And who now has the right to sing? Redemption gives the right. Should there be songs for slaves? Whether the slave is willing or groaning, deliverance must come first. With deliverance comes the appointment to sing.
Few Levites came home. One writer reads the gap between their number and the singers' as a sign that the exile's silence had ended:
Only seventy-four Levites returned. This was a very small number. There were more singers than Levites... No doubt they encouraged the returning exiles in song, by the spirit of praise and worship. The experience of Babylon, so beautifully expressed in Psalm 137, was over... Everything was different now. God was working. Deliverance had come, and no doubt singing rang out again among the returning crowds.
Another writer, commenting on the same list in Ezra, turns that imbalance into a question:
The singers, the sons of Asaph, outnumbered the sons of Levi: the Word mentions 128 of them. What a precious work it is to sing the praises of God! But in the assemblies of the saints, do we not often see many take up the role of the "children of Asaph", so as to avoid a service that is more demanding and calls for greater responsibility?
Commentators differ on the gap between the two lists. One points to copyists mishandling numbers all through the register:
On the whole the lists agree. The overall total in both is the same, yet the details differ in a striking way. How that came about may not be easy to decide. We know that numbers are especially easy to corrupt. Copyists can be careless, or too bold. For instance, in Ezra 2:5 the sons of Arah are 775, in Nehemiah 7:10 they are 652... And one might point out variations all through, including the singers, the sons of Asaph.
Another writer calls that explanation too easy. He points instead to a list that grew after Zerubbabel's day:
Eighteen of the figures given in Ezra vary here: sometimes lower, but usually higher... The guess that copyists made errors is as easy to make as it is unlikely, so set it aside. Notice first that Nehemiah's list of the leaders of the people contains a name, Nahamani, which Ezra 2 does not mention. Second, the registers of family lines that Zerubbabel drew up were updated over a longer or shorter period.
Israel's singers held an appointed office. One writer asks whether praise works that way now:
Singers were also appointed in Jerusalem, those who by singing expressed praise to the God of Israel. Surely in the Church of God praise should be prominent. It should overflow even more than in Judaism. For we praise the Lord as the One who won a full redemption for us through the sufferings of the cross, and whom God has raised in glory to His right hand. Do we need appointments to offer such praise? Certainly not. The Spirit of God draws forth the praise and thanksgiving of our hearts in voluntary worship.
- Counted — God kept this register because the smallest fruit of His work brings Him joy. He knows His people by name.
- Qualified — God guarded the singers' family line with unusual care. Redemption gives the right to sing.
- Outnumbered — the singers outnumbered the Levites. Babylon's silence was over. But song must never crowd out harder service.
- Disputed — why 148 here and 128 in Ezra? Some point to copyists' slips with numbers, others to a list that grew over time.
- Continued — praise in the church needs no appointment. The Spirit draws it out, and it should overflow more than it ever did in Israel.
The doorkeepers the children of Shallum, the children of Ater, the children of Talmon, the children of Akkub, the children of Hatita, the children of Shobai, a hundred and thirty-eight.
Six family names, a small total, and a humble job title: this is how the returning exiles counted the men who guarded the doors of Jerusalem and the temple. The list repeats an earlier register, the two totals differ, and the question is why such plain servants are named twice at all.
One writer draws his lesson from the survival of the list itself.
The first thing to notice is that this record exists at all. Its survival shows how precious to God was the response His grace had produced in the hearts of His people. They may have entered only weakly into His thoughts about His house. Even so, their response was precious to Him. For this reason He has kept this list. It is evidence that He looks with joy on the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work. It shows that He knows the names of His people and announces them. That is an encouragement to all: walk in His ways, stand with His interests, and stay faithful in times of corruption and falling away.
"Gatekeepers" are men posted at the entrances. Older versions call them "porters". Their work had two sides, and the first was a filter.
The porters had charge of the gates. Their responsibility was to admit only those who had the proper qualifications to enter the city and approach the house, and to refuse all others.
The second side is easy to forget. The doors also had to stay open.
The doorkeepers had charge of all the gates of the temple. They had to be able to drive back any attack on the house of God. They had to watch with constant energy, so that no defiled person could enter the courts of the Lord. But they also had to keep the doors open. They must not shut out any member of the priesthood who had the right to enter the temple.
The list names the singers just before the gatekeepers. One group depends on the other.
The singers gave the Lord His portion. Only the redeemed can sing the songs of Zion. So the porters had to carry out their duties faithfully, if the Lord was to have His portion. To let in those without divine qualifications is to admit people who cannot sing. Slackness by the porters will mean loss to the singers. Worship is lost where the porters are lax. Today, the loss of worship in any gathering of God's people usually goes together with careless reception.
The earlier register in Ezra 2 lists the same six families, but with a different total. Commentators differ on why. Some point to slips by copyists.
The lists agree in substance. The overall total in both is the same, yet the details differ a great deal. How this happened may not be easy to decide. We know that numbers are liable to corruption, whether through the carelessness or the boldness of copyists.
Others look for the reason in the events themselves.
If some of the numbers do not agree with Nehemiah's record, there is no doubt a good reason for it. For instance, the descendants of Arah number 775 in Ezra, and only 652 in Nehemiah. Probably 775 had enrolled their names, but only 652 went.
Standing at a door is not a celebrated task. The Lord's estimate of it is different.
These modest functions are very valuable in the eyes of the Lord. See how God gladly records all the names of their fathers. The same is true today. Serving tables, passing the bread and the cup, caring for the "upper room" — the Lord forgets none of it. He records the names of those who kept this service just as deservedly as any other. More than once we shall see the result. The child of God who took the last place, forgetting himself to serve others, will occupy a place of honour. Meanwhile a striking gift that tended to glorify man rather than Christ will take the last place in shame.
- Written. God kept this register, because He counts the smallest response of His people worth naming.
- Guarded. The gatekeepers' first duty was to admit only the qualified and refuse everyone else.
- Opened. Their second duty balanced the first: they had to let in everyone with a real right of entry.
- Sung. Slack gatekeeping costs the singers. Those let in without the right to be there cannot sing, and worship is lost.
- Rewarded. Writers explain the differing totals in different ways. They agree on the point of the list: the Lord remembers humble service, and the one who took the last place will receive a place of honour.
The Nethinim the children of Ziha, the children of Hasupha, the children of Tabbaoth,
Nehemiah's list of returning exiles moves down from priests, Levites, singers and gatekeepers to the temple servants. Why does Scripture keep the names of men who only helped at the sanctuary?
Older translations call this group the Nethinim. The name itself tells you their place:
The name means "given, devoted ones." It was applied to those who helped the Levites in the service of the tabernacle and the temple. The Gibeonites were made "cutters of wood and drawers of water for the congregation and for the altar" (Joshua 9:27). These are not mentioned after 2 Samuel, so they and their descendants may have been the Nethinim. God does not appear to have appointed them, as He did the Levites. Instead, "David and the princes" appointed them "for the service of the Levites" (Ezra 8:20). After the return from exile the Nethinim are called the "ministers of this house of God." Along with the priests and Levites they were exempt from "toll, tribute, or custom" (Ezra 7:24).
If these families go back to the Gibeonites, their story starts with mercy, not merit.
Here, then, we probably find the origin of the Nethinim — those who were spared from the just judgment of God. If they were reduced to servile bondage, it was bondage in His mercy, in connection with His house. So the very curse resting on them (see Joshua 9:23) was turned into a blessing. For what do we find? Instead of being destroyed with the sword of the Lord's host, they were rescued. Now, centuries later, they stand in honourable association with the Lord's people. They have a heart for the Lord's house as well, since they returned from Babylon with their fellow captives at this special moment. They are surely no small picture of the objects of grace even in this dispensation.
Not every Israelite was willing to go home. These servants came anyway.
We have said that the Nethinim were likely Gibeonites who entered the congregation in the time of Joshua. He told them, "some of you shall never be anything but servants, cutters of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God" (Josh. 9:23). We do not read of any of them refusing this place of submission to Israel. Their willingness to return to Judah shows a remarkable allegiance to the God of Israel, since they were Gentiles and had been away from Judah for seventy years. After so long an absence, not all of the Jews were prepared to return to their own country. So the faith of their Gentile adherents shines out all the more brightly.
Readers who have come through Ezra will recognise this catalogue. One commentator simply points back there rather than repeating himself:
Since the significance of this register of the genealogy of the people has already been given in our exposition of Ezra 2, there is no need to repeat it here. The reader is therefore referred to it to help him understand the rest of this chapter, for, as will be seen, Nehemiah 7:6-73 is the repetition of Ezra 2.
Lists like this are not filler. One writer draws out what a record of names means:
Here is another register of names recorded in God's book, and not forgotten by Him. The children of Judah, the children of Benjamin, the priests who acted as temple officials, the Levites, the Nethinim, and those with special callings are all named. Some day the Lord will be their Rewarder for their faithful service, as He will be the Rewarder of all His people.
Their work was support, not prominence. One writer finds encouragement in that:
It is remarkable that it was the Nethinim who were there maintaining the source of refreshment for the people of God. That should encourage all those who may not be able to take on any prominent service. Many a simple service can be used to set the affections of the saints free, and so enrich the service of God.
The writers quoted here call the Gibeonite link likely, not proven.
- Given. The name means "given, devoted ones." David and the princes, not a direct command of God, appointed them to serve the Levites.
- Spared. If they came from the Gibeonites, their bondage was mercy, not ruin. The curse on them turned into blessing, and they picture the objects of grace.
- Loyal. Gentiles by birth, and seventy years away from Judah, they still came home with the exiles. Their faith shines brighter than that of Israelites who stayed behind.
- Named. God does not lose the small names. The register stands in His book, and He will one day be the Rewarder of such faithful service.
- Hidden. Their work was to support others. That encourages everyone whose service is never seen: simple help still enriches the service of God.
the children of Keros, the children of Sia, the children of Padon,
Nehemiah found an old register of the first people to return from exile, and this verse sits inside its list of temple servants — three family names, no story, no deeds. So why did God keep names like Keros, Sia and Padon, and who were these families?
The register is not filler. One commentator reads its very survival as evidence of what pleases God.
Notice first that this record exists at all. That shows how precious to God was the response His grace had produced in the hearts of His people, however weakly they may have entered into His thoughts about His house. For this reason He has kept this list on record. It is evidence that He looks with joy on the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work. And He makes the very names of His people known and proclaimed, to encourage everyone to walk in His ways, to stand with His interests, and to stay faithful in times of corruption and apostasy.
These three families belong to a group called the Nethinim. The name itself says how they came to be there.
The word appears to mean "those who are given." The place their names occupy in the chapter has led to this conclusion: they came from another race, but were first given to the Levites for their service. In the same way, the Levites had been given to Aaron for the Lord's service in His tabernacle — the Levites by God's own command, and in the place of the firstborn of Israel.
One writer traces this group back to people who stood under God's judgment.
This is probably where we find the origin of the Nethinim — those who were spared from the just judgment of God. And if they were reduced to servile bondage, it was bondage in His mercy, tied to His house. So the very curse resting on them turned into a blessing. Instead of dying by the sword of the Lord's host, they were rescued. Centuries later we find them in honourable company with the Lord's people, and with a heart for the Lord's house too, since they returned from Babylon with their fellow captives at this special moment. They are no small picture of the objects of grace even in this age.
Their work was to serve others, out of sight. One writer brings it into the present.
In Ezra 8:20 we read that David and the princes had appointed the Nethinim for the service of the Levites. In our day they would perhaps be like those who do many services behind the scenes. Many things are necessary week by week. People may often take them for granted, but someone has to do them.
Ezra later needed servants for God's house, and these families came in numbers.
God gave effect to his desire, and nearly forty Levites answered the call, along with more than two hundred Nethinim, who, if their service was lowly, were all to their honour named individually.
This chapter repeats the list of Ezra 2, yet many figures do not match. Writers explain the gap differently. One points to the copying of numbers:
In the main the lists agree, and the overall total in both is the same. Yet the details differ strangely, and why may not be easy to decide. We know that numbers are especially liable to corruption through the carelessness or rashness of copyists.
Another sets that aside and looks at how the register grew:
Set aside the guess that copyists made mistakes — a guess as easy to make as it is unlikely. Notice first that Nehemiah's list of the leaders contains a name, Nahamani, which Ezra 2 does not mention. Second, the registers of family lines drawn up by Zerubbabel were kept up to date over a longer or shorter period.
Their place among God's people went further than a register.
When the people gathered in solemn assembly, the leaders sealed the covenant; and the Nethinim entered into a curse and an oath to walk in God's law and not to intermarry with the peoples of the land! Though they were descendants of the Amorites, they were now fully joined to the nation of Israel. With the faithful in Israel, these men of faith were blessed.
- Given. The name Nethinim means "those who are given." They were handed over to serve the Levites, just as the Levites were given for service in God's house.
- Spared. Their line began under judgment. The bondage that fell on them was mercy, and the curse turned into blessing.
- Named. Their service was lowly, yet God recorded each family. He takes joy in the smallest fruits of His work and makes His people's names known.
- Serving. They match the people who do the needed work behind the scenes — tasks taken for granted, but someone has to do them.
- Sealed. Outsiders by birth, they ended up swearing to keep God's law with Israel — men of faith, blessed with the faithful.
the children of Lebana, the children of Hagaba, the children of Salmai,
Verse 48 sits deep inside a long list of family names, all belonging to the Nethinim — the helpers who served the Levites at God's house. Why did God keep three bare names on record twice over, once in Ezra and again here?
This list is not Nehemiah's own work. He found an older document and copied it.
Israel were God's people on earth, so their genealogies mattered and had to be kept with care. God stirred Nehemiah's heart about this. He found that a careful register had been made years before, when the first group came back, as recorded at the start of the book of Ezra. Because the register mattered so much, we have it recorded again here. Ezra 2:1-67 is repeated almost word for word in our chapter, verses 6-69.
The register did practical work. With the wall finished, Nehemiah had to settle who truly belonged inside it.
The aim was to test the right of the people to be in the place where they were. They had kept up constant trade with the enemy. They had also made alliances, forgetting that the Lord had chosen them out of all the peoples on the earth as His own special people. So no doubt many could not show their genealogy, and so had no claim to be counted with Israel. Now that the wall was built, and so the truth of separation declared, such a mixture inside could no longer be allowed.
The three families in this verse belong to a class whose very name describes what happened to them.
The name means "given, devoted ones." It was used of those who helped the Levites in the service of the tabernacle and the temple. The Gibeonites were made "cutters of wood and drawers of water for the congregation and for the altar." Joshua 9:27. These are not mentioned after 2 Samuel, so they and their descendants may have been the "Nethinim." It does not appear that God appointed them, as He did the Levites. Instead "David and the princes" appointed them "for the service of the Levites." Ezra 8:20. After the return from exile the Nethinim are called the "ministers of this house of God."
The commentators are careful here: they call the Gibeonite link probable, not certain.
The Gibeonites escaped destruction and took up a life of hard labour instead. Centuries later their descendants stand in this list — mercy, not misfortune.
This is probably where we find the origin of the Nethinim — those who were spared from the just judgment of God. If they were brought down to slavery, it was slavery in His mercy, tied to His house. So the very curse that rested on them turned into a blessing. Instead of dying by the sword of the Lord's host, they were rescued. Now, centuries later, we find them in honourable company with the Lord's people, and with a heart for the Lord's house too, since they returned from Babylon with their fellow captives at this special moment.
Their willingness to make that journey stands out, because many Israelites stayed behind.
We do not read of any of them refusing this place of submission to Israel. Their willingness to return to Judah shows a remarkable loyalty to the God of Israel, since they were Gentiles and had been away from Judah for 70 years. After such a long absence, not all the Jews were ready to return to their own country. So the faith of these Gentile followers shines out all the brighter.
These were humble duties, and God still wrote the names down.
These humble duties are very valuable in the eyes of the Lord. See how gladly God records all the names of their fathers. It is the same today. Whether it is serving tables, passing the bread and the cup, or caring for the "upper room", the Lord forgets none of it. The names of those who have kept up this service are written down just as deservedly as any others. And we shall see, in more than one case, that the child of God who took the last place, forgetting himself to serve others, will hold a place of honour.
The keeping of the document itself carries the same message.
The fact that this list exists shows how precious to God was the response His grace had produced in His people, however weakly they had grasped His thoughts about His house. So He kept it on record, as proof that He sees with joy the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work, and that He knows His people's names and announces them, to encourage everyone to walk in His ways.
- Given — "Nethinim" means given, devoted ones. They helped the Levites and were later called ministers of God's house. David appointed them, not a direct command from God.
- Spared — the Gibeonites, their likely ancestors, escaped destruction and got hard labour at God's house instead. Their curse turned into mercy.
- Returned — after 70 years away these Gentiles chose to go back, while many Israelites stayed. Their loyalty shines out all the brighter.
- Registered — the smallest duties are valuable to the Lord. He writes down the names of those who do them, just as He does the well-known names.
- Rewarded — God kept the list as proof that He sees the smallest fruits of His work. And the one who takes the last place in service will hold a place of honour.
the children of Hanan, the children of Giddel, the children of Gahar,
Three names pass by in a single line here: Hanan, Giddel, Gahar. They sit inside a long block of names belonging to the temple servants, the Nethinim. Why did God keep a register of such people, and why is it written out twice?
The whole section is a copy of an earlier record, so the writers treat it as a deliberate repetition rather than new material.
Since the meaning of this register of the genealogy of the people has already been given in our exposition of Ezra 2, there is no need to repeat it here. The reader is therefore referred to it to help him understand the rest of this chapter, for, as will be seen, Nehemiah 7:6-73 is the repetition of Ezra 2.
How the register came to be reproduced is traced to Nehemiah's own heart, and the small differences between the two copies are faced openly.
"And my God put into my heart to gather together the nobles and the rulers, and the people for registration by genealogy. And I found a genealogical register of them that came up at the first"… Substantially the lists agree. The total in both is the same; yet the details differ strikingly: how this happened may not be so easy to decide. We know that numerals are especially liable to corruption, whether through the carelessness or the boldness of copyists.
The word itself explains the group these three families belong to, and the tasks they carried.
A name meaning "given, devoted ones," applied to those who assisted the Levites in the service of the tabernacle and the temple. The Gibeonites were made "cutters of wood and drawers of water for the congregation and for the altar" (Joshua 9:27). They are not mentioned after 2 Samuel, so they and their descendants may have been the Nethinim. It does not appear that God appointed them, as He did the Levites. "David and his officials" set them apart "to attend the Levites" (Ezra 8:20)… After the return from exile the Nethinim are called "servants of this house of God." They were, along with the priests and Levites, exempt from "tribute, custom, or toll" (Ezra 7:24).
If these families came from Gibeon, their low standing was itself an act of mercy.
Here, then, we probably find the origin of the Nethinim. God spared them from His just judgment. If they were reduced to slavery, it was bondage in His mercy, tied to His house. So the very curse resting on them was turned into a blessing. For what do we find? Instead of being destroyed by the sword of the Lord's army, they were rescued. Centuries later they stand in honourable association with the Lord's people. They even have a heart for the Lord's house, since they returned from Babylon with their fellow-captives at this special moment. They are surely no small picture of the objects of grace even in this age.
Their presence in the returning company is read as evidence of real devotion, measured against those who stayed behind.
We do not read of any of them refusing this place of submission to Israel. Their willingness to return to Judah shows a remarkable loyalty to the God of Israel. They were Gentiles, and they had been away from Judah for 70 years. After such a long absence, not all of the Jews were prepared to return to their own country. So the faith of these Gentile followers shines out all the more brightly.
Why record such obscure family names at all?
These modest duties are very valuable in the eyes of the Lord. See how God gladly registers all the names of their fathers. It is the same today. Whether it is serving tables, passing the bread and the cup, or taking care of the "upper room," the Lord forgets none of it. He registers the names of those who have kept the charge of this service just as deservedly as any others. And we shall see, in more than one case, that the one among God's children who took the last place, forgetting himself to serve others, will hold a place of honour. Meanwhile a certain remarkable gift, which tended to glorify man rather than Christ, will sit down in confusion in the last place.
Another writer draws the same line into ordinary congregational life today.
In our day they would perhaps answer to those who do many services behind the scenes, as we may say. Many things which are necessary, and have to be done week by week; things which may often be taken for granted, but someone has to do them.
- Given. The name Nethinim means "given, devoted ones" — helpers of the Levites, later called servants of the house of God and free from tax.
- Spared. If they came from Gibeon, their servitude was mercy, not merely judgment: the curse on them was turned into blessing, and they end up in honourable association with the Lord's people.
- Returned. No record shows them refusing that lowly place. They came back from Babylon when many Jews would not, so their faith shines the brighter.
- Registered. The register proved who had a right to be there, and it holds the modest names of Hanan, Giddel and Gahar as deservedly as any others.
- Rewarded. The one who took the last place to serve will hold a place of honour, while a gift that glorified man sits down in confusion.
the children of Reaiah, the children of Rezin, the children of Nekoda,
Three family names sit in the middle of a long roll call: Reaiah, Rezin, Nekoda. They belonged to the Nethinim, the temple servants who came back from exile. Why does Scripture copy out such names twice, and what does their place in the list say about who God keeps?
This section is not new material. It repeats an earlier list almost word for word. One commentator explains why:
Israel was God's earthly people, so their genealogies were important and had to be kept with care. God stirred Nehemiah's heart on this matter. He then found a careful register made years before, when the first group came back from exile, as recorded at the beginning of the book of Ezra. Because it was so important, we have the register recorded again. Ezra 2:1-67 is repeated almost word for word in our chapter, verses 6-69.
The existence of the list is itself the message:
The first thing to notice is this. The very existence of this record shows how much God valued the response His grace had produced in the hearts of His people, however weakly they may have entered into His thoughts about His house. For this reason He has kept this list. It is evidence that He looks with joy on the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work, and that He knows the names of His people and announces them, to encourage everyone to walk in His ways.
Commentators differ on where these families came from. They agree on what the name means:
The Nethinim were temple servants. The word means "given" or "devoted" — that is, to God. We find this name in only one other passage (1 Chron. 9:2). According to Ezra 8:20 this order began with King David. Jewish tradition identifies them with the Gibeonites, whom Joshua appointed as helpers to the Levites (Josh. 9:3-27). Whatever their origin, they were devoted servants of God assigned to certain duties in the temple.
If they came from the Gibeonites, these names carry a remarkable history:
Here, then, we probably find the origin of the Nethinim. They were people spared from the just judgment of God. And if they were reduced to slavery, it was slavery in His mercy, connected with His house. So the very curse resting on them turned into a blessing. For what do we find? Instead of dying by the sword of the Lord's army, they were rescued. And now, centuries later, they stand in honourable association with the Lord's people, with a heart for the Lord's house too, since they returned from Babylon with their fellow captives at that special moment.
Their service was lowly, and their names easy to overlook:
And God even takes account of those we might have forgotten: the Nethinim and Solomon's servants. These may not have been of Jewish descent, and they were occupied with lowly service. But God is pleased to mention all the names of the fathers of those who went up to Jerusalem. In the same way, members of the body of Christ have different tasks, duties and abilities. The most prominent ones may not be the most important ones (1 Cor. 12).
By the time the nation bound itself to God's law, these families stood inside the covenant:
When the people gathered in solemn assembly, their leaders sealed the covenant. The Nethinim entered into a curse and an oath to walk in God's law and not to intermarry with the peoples of the land. Though they were descendants of the Amorites, they were now fully part of the nation of Israel. With the faithful in Israel, these men of faith were blessed.
The men behind these names had long since died when Nehemiah copied the list out. Their work still stood:
The rest of the chapter shows how Nehemiah links the work he had done to the work of those who first returned with Zerubbabel, some eighty years before. How many of that group must have died by Nehemiah's day! Yet they are still held in honour, and their various services recalled. The work they did in their day made the work of Nehemiah's day possible.
- Given. The title over this verse means "given" or "devoted" — these families existed to serve at God's house.
- Spared. If they came from the Gibeonites, their servitude became mercy. They were rescued instead of destroyed, and the curse turned into blessing.
- Named. God records men of the lowest rank and of non-Jewish descent along with everyone else. The small fruits of His work are the ones He preserves.
- Included. These families later swore themselves to God's law. They were no longer outsiders attached to Israel, but counted within it.
- Remembered. Their service outlived them. Nehemiah's generation built on it, and God still keeps the record when the workers are gone.
the children of Gazzam, the children of Uzza, the children of Phaseah,
This verse sits deep inside a long list of the Nethinim — the temple servants — and gives only three family names. So why does God's book keep names like these at all, and why does it keep them twice?
This same register already stands in Ezra chapter 2. One writer sees the repeat itself as significant:
Chapter 2 gives us the number and the names of the company that went up. The Spirit of God attaches such importance to this company that their names are recorded a second time, in the book of Nehemiah.
Another writer asks what the existence of such a list shows about God:
The fact that this list exists shows how precious to God was the response His grace had produced in the hearts of His people, even though they grasped His thoughts about His house only weakly. That is why He has kept this list: to show that He looks with joy on the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work. The very names of His people are known and announced, to encourage everyone to walk in His ways, to stand with His interests, and to stay faithful in times of corruption and falling away from God.
The name itself tells us what they were:
The Nethinim were temple servants. The word means "given" or "devoted" — that is, given to God. We find this name in only one other passage (1 Chron. 9:2). According to Ezra 8:20 this order began with King David. Jewish tradition identifies them with the Gibeonites. Joshua appointed those men as helpers to the Levites (Josh. 9:3-27). Whatever their origin, they were devoted servants of God, with set duties in the temple.
Commentators differ over where they came from. Some trace them to Gibeon; others leave the question open.
If that link holds, names like Gazzam and Uzza belong to people who were once under God's judgment:
So this is probably where the Nethinim began: people spared from the just judgment of God. If they were forced into slave service, it was service in His mercy, tied to His house. The very curse resting on them turned into a blessing. Instead of being destroyed by the sword of the Lord's army, they were rescued. Centuries later we find them in honourable company with the Lord's people, and with a heart for the Lord's house too, since they returned from Babylon with their fellow-captives at this special moment. They are surely no small picture of the objects of grace even in our own day.
Later in the same book, they bind themselves by oath along with everyone else:
When the people gathered in solemn assembly and the leaders sealed the covenant, the Nethinim took a curse and an oath on themselves: to walk in God's law, and not to intermarry with the peoples of the land! They really were descendants of the Amorites, yet they were now fully joined to the nation of Israel. With the faithful in Israel, these men of faith were blessed.
One writer turns these modest duties into a lesson for today:
These modest duties are very valuable in the eyes of the Lord. See how gladly God registers all the names of their fathers. It is the same today. Whether it is a matter of serving tables, of passing the bread and the cup, or of taking care of the "upper room", the Lord forgets none of it. He records the names of those who have kept charge of this service just as rightly as the others. And in more than one case we shall see this: the one among the children of God who took the last place, forgetting himself to serve others, will hold a place of honour, while a remarkable gift that tended to glorify man rather than Christ will sit down in shame in the last place.
- Given. The name Nethinim means "given" or "devoted" — men set apart for duties in the temple, and known by that gift of themselves.
- Spared. If they came from Gibeon, their slave service was mercy. The curse on them became a blessing, and they picture the objects of grace.
- Joined. Amorites by descent, they took the oath with everyone else and shared the blessing of the faithful in Israel.
- Named. God records the fathers of the lowest servants as fully as anyone else's, and He keeps the list twice over.
- Rewarded. Whoever takes the last place to serve will hold a place of honour, while a gift that glorified man ends in shame.
the children of Besai, the children of Meunim, the children of Nephishesim,
The three names in Nehemiah 7:52 belong to the Nethinim — the lowest rank of workers attached to God's house. Why would God keep a record of temple servants nobody remembers?
The whole block of names in this chapter is not new material. One writer simply points the reader back to the earlier list rather than going over the same ground:
Since the meaning of this register of the genealogy of the people has already been given in our exposition of Ezra 2, there is no need to repeat it here. The reader is therefore referred to it to help him understand the rest of this chapter, for, as will be seen, Nehemiah 7:6-73 is the repetition of Ezra 2.
Besai, Meunim and Nephushesim head families among the Nethinim, a group whose very name describes what they were:
The Levites were the tribe set apart for work at the sanctuary. The Nethinim came under them, as their helpers. Yet these woodcutters and water-carriers paid no tax, exactly like the priests.
So these families may descend from a people once put under a curse and sentenced to slavery. That makes their place in this register worth explaining:
It is here, then, that we probably find the origin of the Nethinim. They were spared from the just judgment of God. And if they were brought down into slavery, it was slavery in His mercy, tied to His house. So the very curse resting on them (see Joshua 9:23) turned into a blessing. For what do we find? Instead of being destroyed by the sword of the Lord's host, they were rescued. And now, centuries later, they stand in honourable company with the Lord's people. They have a heart for the Lord's house too, since they returned from Babylon with their fellow captives at this special moment. They are surely no small picture of those who receive grace, even in our own day.
The list does not stop at leaders and priests. It runs down to the very bottom of the workforce:
And God even takes account of those we might have forgotten: the Nethinim (v.43) and Solomon's servants (v.55). These may not have been of Jewish descent, and they were occupied with lowly service. But God is pleased to mention all the names of the fathers of those who went up to Jerusalem. In the same way, members of the body of Christ have different tasks, duties, and abilities. The most prominent members may not be the most important ones (1 Corinthians 12).
Another writer draws a warning from it about who ends up honoured:
These modest duties are very valuable in the eyes of the Lord. See how, from verse 43 to verse 57, God gladly registers all the names of their fathers. It is the same today. Serving tables, passing the bread and the cup, caring for the "upper room" — the Lord forgets none of it… And we shall see, in more than one case, that the child of God who took the last place, forgetting himself to serve others, will hold a place of honour. Meanwhile a remarkable gift that tended to glorify man instead of Christ will sit down in shame in the last place.
Nehemiah did not compile these names out of curiosity. The purpose was to test who had a right to be there at all:
The aim was to examine the people's right to be in the place where they were. They dealt with the enemy constantly, and they had formed alliances. They forgot that the Lord had chosen them out of all the peoples on the earth as His own people. So there would doubtless be many who could not show their genealogy, and had no claim to be counted with Israel. The wall was now built, and the truth of separation was proclaimed with it. A mixture like that could no longer be allowed inside.
- Given — "Nethinim" means given, devoted ones. These families existed to help the Levites at God's house.
- Spared — they were probably descended from a people under judgment. Their slavery became mercy, and the curse on them turned into blessing.
- Returned — they came up from Babylon with Israel, with a heart for the Lord's house.
- Recorded — God names the lowest servants as fully as the leaders. Small service is not forgotten service.
- Reckoned — the register was also a test. The same list that honours humble workers shuts out those who could not prove they belonged.
the children of Bakbuk, the children of Hakupha, the children of Harhur,
Nehemiah 7:53 names three families — Bakbuk, Hakupha and Harhur — from deep inside a long list of temple servants called the Nethinim. Names like these are easy to skip, so why does Scripture record them twice?
This list had already been written down once. One writer explains why it appears a second time.
Israel was God's earthly people, so their family records mattered and had to be kept with care. God stirred Nehemiah's heart about this. Nehemiah then found that someone had drawn up a careful register years before, when the first group went back — the register recorded at the start of the book of Ezra. Because it matters so much, we have that register recorded here again.
The list also says something about God.
The list exists, and that shows how much God valued the response His grace had produced in the hearts of His people. They may have entered only weakly into His thoughts about His house. Even so, He has kept this list, as evidence that He looks with joy on the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work. It shows too that the very names of His people are known and announced, to encourage everyone to walk in His ways, to stand with His interests, and to stay faithful in times of corruption and falling away.
The name "Nethinim" itself tells us who these families were.
Writers treat the link with the people of Gibeon as likely, not certain.
If that link holds, these names carry a past that began under God's judgment.
Here, then, we probably find where the Nethinim came from. They were the people God spared from His just judgment. If they were brought down to slavery, it was slavery in His mercy, tied to His house. So the very curse resting on them (see Joshua 9:23) turned into a blessing. What do we find? Instead of being destroyed by the sword of the Lord's army, they were rescued. Now, centuries later, they stand in honoured company with the Lord's people, and they have a heart for the Lord's house too, because they came back from Babylon with their fellow captives at this special moment. They are surely no small picture of the objects of grace even in this age.
One writer sets their return beside the Jews who stayed in Babylon.
We never read of any of them refusing this place of submission to Israel. Their willingness to return to Judah shows a remarkable loyalty to the God of Israel. They were Gentiles, and they had been away from Judah for 70 years. After so long away, not all of the Jews were willing to return to their own country. So the faith of these Gentile followers shines out all the brighter.
God gives whole verses to naming these families, and one writer draws out what that means for quiet service today.
These humble jobs are very valuable in the eyes of the Lord. See how, from verse 43 to verse 57, God gladly writes down all the names of their fathers. It is the same today. Serving tables, passing the bread and the cup, looking after the "upper room" — the Lord forgets none of it. He writes down the names of those who have kept this service just as fittingly as the names of others.
One writer carries the thought into the church, where roles differ.
These families may not have been Jewish by descent, and their service was lowly. But God is pleased to mention all the names of the fathers of those who went up to Jerusalem. In the same way, in the body of Christ, members have different tasks, duties, and abilities. The most prominent ones may not be the most important ones (1 Cor. 12).
- Given — "Nethinim" means "given, devoted ones." They helped the Levites, and David and the princes appointed them.
- Spared — Their line likely runs back to people marked for destruction. Bondage came instead, and in God's mercy the curse became a blessing.
- Devoted — Outsiders by birth, they came back from Babylon when many Jews would not. Their loyalty shines all the brighter.
- Recorded — God names Bakbuk, Hakupha and Harhur here because He knows His people. He delights in the smallest fruit of His work.
- Rewarded — The lesson holds now. God records quiet service as surely as public service. The most visible workers may not be the most important.
the children of Bazlith, the children of Mehida, the children of Harsha,
Nehemiah 7:54 sits deep inside a long list of family names from the people who came back from exile in Babylon. The three families named here belong to the Nethinim, the temple servants. Why would God keep the names of such obscure people?
The same register appears earlier in Ezra 2. One writer compares the two:
These are the same people, though some names appear in different forms. On the whole the lists agree. The total in both is the same, yet the details differ sharply. It may not be easy to decide why. Numbers are very open to corruption, whether by careless or bold copyists. For instance, in Ezra 2:5 the sons of Arah are 775, in Nehemiah 7:10 they are 652.
The families of verse 54 are not Israelite heads of tribes. They belong to a distinct class with a name that describes them:
The name means 'given, devoted ones'. It describes those who helped the Levites serve at the tabernacle and the temple. Joshua made the Gibeonites "cutters of wood and drawers of water for the congregation and for the altar" (Joshua 9:27). The Gibeonites are not mentioned after 2 Samuel, so they and their descendants may have been the Nethinim. Some of the captives taken from Midian were also given to the Levites (Numbers 31:46-47). There is no sign that God appointed them, as He appointed the Levites. David and his officials did that (Ezra 8:20). After the return from exile the Nethinim are called the 'ministers of this house of God'. Along with the priests and Levites, they were free from tribute, custom, and toll (Ezra 7:24).
Writers put the Nethinim's descent from the Gibeonites as likely, not certain.
That descent would make their place in this register remarkable. One writer reads their slavery as mercy:
It is probably here that we find the origin of the Nethinim — those who were spared from the just judgment of God. If they were brought into slavery, it was slavery in His mercy, tied to His house. So the very curse resting on them (see Joshua 9:23) became a blessing. For what do we find? The sword of the Lord's host did not destroy them; they were rescued instead. Now, centuries later, we find them in honourable company with the Lord's people. They had a heart for the Lord's house too, since they returned from Babylon with their fellow captives at this special moment. They are surely no small picture of the objects of grace in this present time.
God had His own reason for keeping a chapter of names:
The very existence of this record shows something. God prized the response His grace had produced in the hearts of His people. They had grasped His thoughts about His house only weakly, yet He prized their response. So He kept this list. It shows that He sees the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work with joy. It shows that He knows the names of His people and announces them. All of this encourages us to walk in His ways, to stand with His interests, and to stay faithful in times of corruption and falling away.
Another writer looks at the same list and sees how God keeps account:
This chapter contains the names of the returning remnant. It is a specimen page of the records God keeps. From it we may learn that He remembers His people. He knows them by name, and He does not forget their works... He has a book of remembrance (Malachi 3:16). The apostle reminded the Hebrew believers of this when he wrote: "For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do" (Hebrews 6:10).
One writer connects their work to the present day:
Their whole work was to serve the Levites; they laboured for the Levites. In Ezra 8:20 we read, "Also of the temple servants, whom David and his officials had set apart to attend the Levites." In our day they might match those who do many services behind the scenes, as we might say. Many things are necessary week by week. People may take them for granted, but someone has to do them.
- Given. The name "Nethinim" means given, or devoted. Their work was to help the Levites at God's house.
- Spared. What began as a curse on a defeated people became bondage in mercy, tied to God's house.
- Returned. Centuries later these families left Babylon with Israel. They had a heart for the house they served.
- Named. God kept the list because He sees the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work with joy. He knows His people by name.
- Rewarded. He is not unjust so as to overlook work done for His name — including the work nobody sees.
the children of Barkos, the children of Sisera, the children of Thamah,
Three names and nothing more: Barkos, Sisera, Temah. They sit deep inside a list of temple servants that Nehemiah copied out and filed away. Why does Scripture keep such a list, and why do these particular families stand in it?
The register in this chapter is not fresh writing by Nehemiah. He copied an older document. Its differences from the matching list in Ezra tell their own story.
Chapter 7:6-73 quotes a register of names. It differs in many places from the register in Ezra 2:1-70. Both lists probably come from public documents... The differences between Ezra 2 and Nehemiah 7 show that Nehemiah did not copy from Ezra's record.
Barkos, Sisera and Temah head families of the Nethinim, the temple servants. Their name says what they were, and it matters who put them in that place.
The name means "given, devoted ones." It was used of those who helped the Levites in the service of the tabernacle and the temple... There is no sign that God appointed them, as He appointed the Levites. Instead "David and the princes" appointed them "for the service of the Levites." Ezra 8:20... After the return from exile the Nethinim are called the "ministers of this house of God." Like the priests and Levites, they paid no "toll, tribute, or custom."
Where did these families come from? Commentators look outside Israel.
The Gibeonites were made to cut wood and carry water "for the congregation and for the altar." Joshua 9:27. They are not mentioned after 2 Samuel, so they and their descendants may have been the "Nethinim."... Some of the Midianite captives were also given to the Levites. Num. 31:46-47.
If that is right, this list is a record of mercy.
This is probably where the Nethinim came from: people who were spared from the just judgment of God. If they were brought into slavery, it was slavery in His mercy, tied to His house. So the very curse that rested on them (see Joshua 9:23) was turned into a blessing. For what do we find? Instead of being destroyed by the sword of the Lord's host, they were rescued. Now, centuries later, we find them honourably joined to the Lord's people, and with a heart for the Lord's house too, since they came back from Babylon with their fellow captives at this special moment. Surely they are no small picture of the objects of grace in our own day.
One of these three names has a history. It belonged to a commander who fought Israel and lost.
Captain of the army of Jabin, king of the northern Canaanites. God stepped in, and Deborah and Barak destroyed his army. Sisera, thirsty and tired, took shelter in the tent of Jael. She killed him by hammering a tent peg through his head.
(Correct link: Morrish Bible Dictionary.) The dictionary lists the Sisera of this verse separately, simply as an ancestor of some of the Nethinim who returned from exile — but a name once attached to Israel's enemy now sits in the roll of those who came home to serve God's house.
The Nethinim helped others do the work. Yet God slows down to name family after family.
These modest jobs are very valuable in the eyes of the Lord. See how, from verse 43 to verse 57, God takes pleasure in recording all the names of their fathers. It is the same today. Whether it is serving tables, passing the bread and the cup, or taking care of the "upper room", none of this is forgotten by the Lord. He records the names of those who have kept up this service just as rightly as any other. And we shall see, in more than one case, that the child of God who took the last place, forgetting himself to serve others, will have a place of honour.
The practical parallel is not hard to find. Every gathering of God's people runs on work nobody applauds.
In Ezra 8:20 we read, "Also of the Nethinim, whom David and the princes had appointed for the service of the Levites". In our day they would perhaps answer to those who do many services behind the scenes, as we may speak. Many things which are necessary, and have to be done week by week; things which may often be taken for granted, but someone has to do them.
- Given. The Nethinim were "given, devoted ones" — helpers for the service of the Levites. David and the princes appointed them, not a direct command of God.
- Spared. Commentators trace them to outsiders spared from judgment. Their slavery turned out to be mercy, and the curse on them became a blessing.
- Named. Barkos, Sisera and Temah did nothing famous. God still records their families, name by name.
- Placed. Their work supported others. The Lord counts such modest jobs very valuable.
- Rewarded. Whoever takes the last place to serve others will end up in a place of honour.
the children of Neziah, the children of Hatipha.
Two more family names close the list of the Nethinim, the temple servants, in the register Nehemiah copied out. Most readers have never heard of them. So why did God keep their names, and who were these servants?
"Nethinim" is not a family name. It describes a whole class of workers attached to the temple. A Bible dictionary explains the name and the work:
The name means "given, devoted ones." It describes those who helped the Levites in the service of the tabernacle and the temple. The name first appears in 1 Chronicles 9:2, and then in Ezra and Nehemiah. The Gibeonites were made "cutters of wood and drawers of water for the congregation and for the altar" (Joshua 9:27). Scripture does not mention the Gibeonites after 2 Samuel, so they and their descendants may have been the Nethinim. God does not appear to have appointed them, as He did the Levites. Instead, David and his officials set them apart to attend the Levites (Ezra 8:20). After the return from exile, the Nethinim are called servants of this house of God. Like the priests and Levites, they paid no tribute, custom, or toll (Ezra 7:24).
If the Gibeonites were their ancestors, these families began under a life sentence of servitude. One writer sees mercy in it, not only punishment:
It is here, then, that we probably find the origin of the Nethinim — those whom God spared from His just judgment. If they were brought into servile bondage, it was bondage in His mercy, tied to His house. So God turned the very curse resting on them (see Joshua 9:23) into a blessing. For what do we find? Instead of dying by the sword of the Lord's host, they were rescued. Centuries later, we find them in honourable association with the Lord's people. They had a heart for the Lord's house too, since they returned from Babylon with their fellow captives at this special moment. In this they are surely no small picture of those who receive grace even in our own day.
The writers are careful here. One says the Nethinim "may have been" the Gibeonites' descendants; another calls Gibeon their probable origin.
Names like Neziah and Hatipha stand on a list of people who chose to come back:
We do not read of any of them refusing this place of submission to Israel. Their willingness to return to Judah shows a remarkable loyalty to the God of Israel. They were Gentiles, and they had been away from Judah for 70 years. After so long an absence, not all of the Jews were ready to return to their own country. So the faith of these Gentiles who joined Israel shines out all the more brightly.
They also took on the same obligations as everyone else:
When the people gathered in solemn assembly, their leaders sealed the covenant. The Nethinim entered into a curse and an oath to walk in God's law, and not to intermarry with the peoples of the land! They really were descendants of the Amorites. Yet they were now fully part of the nation of Israel. With the faithful in Israel, these men of faith were blessed.
The register names the well known and the unknown with the same care. One writer draws a line from that to Christian service today:
And God even takes account of those we might have forgotten: the Nethinim and Solomon's servants. These may not have been of Jewish descent, and they did lowly work. But God is pleased to mention all the names of the fathers of those who went up to Jerusalem. In the same way, members of the body of Christ have different tasks, duties, and abilities. The most prominent ones may not be the most important ones (1 Corinthians 12).
Their work has a plain modern parallel:
In our day they would perhaps answer to those who do many services behind the scenes. Many necessary things have to be done week by week. People may often take them for granted, but someone has to do them.
A list of unfamiliar names is easy to skip. God kept this one, in Ezra and again here:
Here is another register of names recorded in God's book, and not forgotten by Him. Judah, Benjamin, the priests, the Levites, the Nethinim, and those with special callings are all named. One day the Lord will be their Rewarder for their faithful service, as He will be the Rewarder of all His people.
- Given. "Nethinim" means "given, devoted ones" — helpers set apart for the Levites by David and his officials, not by God's direct command.
- Spared. If they descended from Gibeon, their bondage was mercy in disguise: the curse of Joshua 9:23 became their link to the house of God.
- Returned. After seventy years away, these outsiders chose Jerusalem when many Jews would not. Then they bound themselves by oath to God's law alongside Israel.
- Serving. Their work was the unseen kind that still has to be done every week. In the body of Christ, the most prominent members may not be the most important.
- Remembered. Neziah and Hatipha mean nothing to us. They mean everything to God, who wrote them down and will reward the service behind them.
The children of Solomon's servants the children of Sotai, the children of Sophereth, the children of Perida,
Nehemiah's list of returned exiles ends with its lowest ranks: three families descended from Solomon's servants. Why does God keep the names of men whose fathers were forced labourers, and what does their place in Jerusalem say about who belongs to Him?
This group is harder to identify than the Nethinim, the temple helpers listed just before them. One writer says plainly how little is known:
Then comes the record of the children of Solomon's servants. These with the Nethinim were three hundred and ninety-two. Nothing certain is known about these extra servants. Their duty seems to have been similar to that of the Nethinim. Some regard them as the descendants of the foreigners whom Solomon enlisted to build the temple (1 Kings 5:13).
Another writer traces them to the peoples Israel failed to drive out, whom Solomon put to forced labour:
We read that Solomon put the children of the Amorites and others left in the land under forced labour lasting to this day, whom the people of Israel had not been able to destroy completely (1 Kings 9:19-21). It might have been the descendants of these who received the name "Solomon's servants." However that might have been, the lesson already drawn is again significant: the least connection with the Lord's people and the Lord's things becomes a means of blessing.
The same writer says of the Nethinim that bondage tied to God's house was itself mercy:
Here, then, we probably find the origin of the Nethinim — those who were spared from the just judgment of God. If they were reduced to servile bondage, it was bondage in His mercy, tied to His house. So the very curse that rested on them (see Joshua 9:23) was turned into a blessing... Instead of being destroyed with the sword of the Lord's army, they were rescued. Centuries later we find them in honourable association with the Lord's people, and with a heart for the Lord's house too. They are surely no small foreshadowing of those who receive grace even in our own day.
Their fathers were forced to serve. These sons came back by their own choice:
But with "the servants of Solomon," as with the Nethinim, there must have been more than this; for through grace they had returned, of their own desire, to help in building the house of God at Jerusalem.
Another writer looks back to where this servant class began, and to who was willing to come home:
The Nethinim were likely Gibeonites who joined Israel back in Joshua's day. Joshua told them that none of them would be freed from being servants, cutters of wood and drawers of water for the house of his God (Joshua 9:23). We do not read of any of them refusing this place of submission to Israel. Their willingness to return to Judah shows a remarkable loyalty to the God of Israel, since they were Gentiles who had been away from Judah for 70 years. After so long an absence, not all the Jews were ready to return to their own country. So the faith of these Gentiles who had joined Israel shines out all the brighter.
Three obscure family names fill this verse, and the care taken over them is itself the message:
These modest duties are very valuable in the eyes of the Lord. See how, from verse 43 to verse 57, God gladly registers all the names of their fathers. It is the same today. Whether it is a matter of serving tables, of passing the bread and the cup, or of taking care of the "upper room", the Lord forgets none of it. He records the names of those who have kept the charge of this service just as deservedly as others. More than once we shall see that the one among the children of God who took the last place, forgetting himself to serve others, will occupy a place of honour.
The list reaches back to an earlier generation of returned exiles. One writer explains why:
The rest of the chapter shows how Nehemiah links his own finished work to the work of the remnant who first returned with Zerubbabel some eighty years before. Many of that remnant must have died by Nehemiah's day. Yet they are still held in honour, and their varied services recalled. The work they did in their day made the work of Nehemiah's day possible.
- Origin. Commentators differ on who these servants were. Some link them to the foreigners Solomon used to build the temple. Others link them to the peoples he put under forced labour. No one claims certainty.
- Mercy. What began as bondage became nearness to God's house. God turned the curse into a blessing.
- Reach. The least connection with the Lord's people and the Lord's things becomes a means of blessing. Outsiders end up named with honour among the returned.
- Desire. They came back of their own will to help build God's house. Their faith shines out, since many born Israelites stayed behind.
- Record. God forgets no modest service. He registers these names as deservedly as any, and the one who takes the last place will occupy a place of honour.
the children of Jaala, the children of Darkon, the children of Giddel,
Three family names appear here: Jaala, Darkon and Giddel. They sit deep inside a long list of servants who worked at God's house. Yet God had their names written down twice in Scripture. Why keep a record like that?
Nehemiah did not draw up this list himself. The same names had already been recorded once, in the book of Ezra.
Israel was God's people on earth, so their family records mattered and had to be kept with care. God stirred Nehemiah's heart about this. He found that a careful register had been made years before, when the first group went back — the record we have at the start of the book of Ezra. Because that register mattered so much, we have it written out again. Ezra 2:1-67 is repeated almost word for word in our chapter, verses 6-69.
Commentators differ about where this group came from. One writer counts them with the Nethinim, the temple helpers listed just before them, and says the facts are not clear:
Then comes the record of the children of Solomon's servants. Together with the Nethinim they numbered three hundred and ninety-two. No one knows for certain who these extra servants were. Their work seems to have been like the work of the Nethinim. Some think they were descendants of the foreigners Solomon put to work building the temple (1 Kings 5:13).
Another writer traces them back to slave labour taken from nations Israel never drove out.
But we read that Solomon made slaves of the Amorites and others who were left in the land, whom Israel had not been able to destroy completely (1 Kings 9:19-21). It may have been their descendants who were called "Solomon's servants." Either way, the lesson already drawn matters again here: the least connection with the Lord's people and the Lord's things becomes a means of blessing — if not always spiritual blessing, then nearly always blessing in this life. But with "the servants of Solomon" there must have been more than this. By grace they had returned, of their own desire, to help build the house of God at Jerusalem.
Their work was humble, and the list still spells out every father's name. One writer takes that straight into the small jobs done for God today.
These humble jobs are very valuable in the eyes of the Lord. See how, from verse 43 to verse 57, God gladly registers all the names of their fathers. It is the same today. Whether it is serving tables, passing the bread and the cup, or taking care of the "upper room," the Lord forgets none of it. He registers the names of those who have kept the charge of this service just as deservedly as the rest. And we shall see, in more than one case, that the child of God who took the last place, forgetting himself to serve others, will hold a place of honour, while a certain remarkable gift, which tended to glorify man rather than Christ, will sit down in shame in the last place.
The list does more than count people. It shows what God thought of them.
The very fact that this list exists shows how precious to God was the response His grace had produced in the hearts of His people — even if they grasped His thoughts about His house only weakly. That is why He has kept this list. It proves that He looks with joy on the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work. It proves that He knows the very names of His people and makes them known, to encourage everyone to walk in His ways, to take His interests as their own, and to stay faithful in times of corruption and falling away.
These servants are counted with the Nethinim, and the Nethinim show where such families ended up. Men of foreign blood did not stay on the fringe of Israel.
When the people gathered in solemn assembly, the leaders sealed the covenant, and the Nethinim bound themselves by a curse and an oath to walk in God's law, and not to marry the peoples of the land! Though they were in fact descendants of the Amorites, by now they were fully part of the nation of Israel. With the faithful in Israel, these men of faith were blessed.
- Named, not numbered. Jaala, Darkon and Giddel were servants, yet Scripture names each family twice — in Ezra 2 and again here.
- Named though foreign. Their forefathers may have been slaves taken from nations Israel never destroyed. Even the least connection with the Lord's people became a means of blessing.
- Named though lowly. Serving tables or caring for the upper room is never forgotten; God gladly registers the names.
- Named though absorbed. Families of foreign blood became full members of the nation, swearing the same covenant as the leaders.
- Named for our encouragement. The list stands as proof that God looks with joy on the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work. It calls us to stay faithful when everything around is corrupt.
the children of Shephatiah, the children of Hattil, the children of Pochereth-Hazzebaim, the children of Amon.
Nehemiah 7:59 names four families among "the sons of Solomon's servants," a group counted in the register alongside the temple servants. Why does a register of returning exiles name servant families at all, and why is the whole list written out twice?
The list containing this verse is not new material. It reappears almost word for word from the earlier record of the first return under Zerubbabel, and one commentator on Nehemiah simply points the reader back to his own exposition of that earlier chapter.
Since the significance of this register of the genealogy of the people has already been given in our exposition of Ezra 2, there is no need to repeat it here. The reader is therefore referred to it to help him understand the rest of this chapter, for, as will be seen, Nehemiah 7:6-73 is the repetition of Ezra 2.
That double record is itself the point. God did not treat the returning company as a passing detail.
Ezra 2 gives us the number and the names of the company that went up, and the Spirit of God attaches such importance to this company that their names are recorded a second time in the book of Nehemiah.
Commentators differ over where these families came from. One view traces them to the peoples left in the land whom Solomon put to forced labour, and finds a lesson in it.
We read that Solomon put the children of the Amorites and others left in the land under forced labour, which went on to that day. Israel had not been able to destroy these peoples completely (1 Kings 9:19-21). Their descendants may be the ones who were called "Solomon's servants." However that may be, the lesson already drawn is again significant: the least connection with the Lord's people and the Lord's things becomes a means of blessing — if not always spiritual blessing, then nearly always blessing in this life. But with "the servants of Solomon" there must have been more than this. Through grace they had returned, of their own desire, to help build the house of God at Jerusalem.
Others leave the question open. They note only that these servants worked much like the temple servants they are listed with.
Then comes the record of the children of Solomon's servants. We know nothing certain about these servants. Their duty seems to have been like that of the Nethinim. Some think they were descended from the foreigners Solomon enlisted to build the temple (1 Kings 5:13).
("Nethinim" is the older word for the lower servants of the sanctuary.)
Only a handful of these servant families reach the record of the return. One writer asks whether the reason lies in how they did their work.
1 Kings 9:20-21 makes very clear who these people descended from. They were bond-servants in the glorious days of the first kingdom. When Israel came back from captivity, the children of eleven of these original inhabitants are named with honour as sharing the nation's fortunes. Had these eleven, whose names are written down, stood out by their whole-hearted devotion, each to his own lowly task?
One writer finds God's own valuation of humble service in that patient list of names. He also sees a reversal coming at the end.
The Nethinim were the lower servants of the sanctuary. Together with Solomon's servants they numbered 392 (v. 58). These modest duties are very valuable in the eyes of the Lord. See how, from verse 43 to verse 57, God gladly registers all the names of their fathers. It is the same today. Serving tables, passing the bread and the cup, caring for the upper room — the Lord forgets none of it. He registers the names of those who have kept the charge of this service just as deservedly as He registers others. And more than once we shall see this: the child of God who took the last place, forgetting himself to serve others, will be given a place of honour. Meanwhile a remarkable gift that tended to glorify man instead of Christ will sit down in shame in the last place.
The list closes Nehemiah's account of his own building work. It reaches back eighty years, to what an earlier generation did.
The rest of the chapter shows how Nehemiah links the work he had done with the work of the remnant. That remnant first returned with Zerubbabel, some eighty years before. Many of them must have died by Nehemiah's day. Yet they are still held in honour, and their varied services recalled. The work they did in their day made the work in Nehemiah's day possible.
- Recorded twice — The whole list is written out a second time. The Spirit of God attaches that much importance to the company that came back.
- Recorded despite origin — Some writers trace them to labourers forced into Solomon's service; others leave the question open. Either way, through grace they came back of their own desire, and the least link with the Lord's people became a means of blessing.
- Recorded by name — Out of a whole class of bond-servants, eleven families are named with honour. One writer asks whether whole-hearted devotion to a lowly task is the reason.
- Recorded as valuable — Small duties are precious to the Lord. The one who takes the last place to serve others ends in a place of honour.
- Recorded for later — Eighty years on, workers long dead are still held in honour. What they did made the next generation's work possible.
All the Nethinim, and the children of Solomon's servants, three hundred and ninety-two.
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.
And these are they that went up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub-Addon and Immer; but they could not shew their father's house, nor their seed, whether they were of Israel.
One writer notes that this whole register simply repeats Ezra 2, so the meaning is drawn out there:
As the significance of this register of the genealogy of the people has already been given in our exposition of Ezra 2, it is not necessary to repeat it here.
They came up with everyone else, and no one sent them back. But travelling with the people was not the same as proving descent.
These verses show the great care the people took. They would not tolerate anyone among them whose origin was doubtful in any way… There were six hundred and fifty-two who had joined the company from the Babylonian places Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon and Immer… These could not show their descent. They were allowed to return with the rest, but their names are not found in Ezra 10:25-43 or in Nehemiah 10:15-28.
Before the exile no one had to prove anything. A son stepped into his father's place. The return changed that.
The gap in these families' records grew out of where they had been living.
But now, through the mercy of their God, there had been a recovery… and now that Jehovah's house was once more to become their centre, they were properly exercised about the title of all who had returned from Babylon.
Others in the same company could show their genealogy. Keeping a family record in Babylon looked useless, and that is why it proved faith.
These genealogies were imperfect.
The returned exiles did not invent a shortcut. They admitted the limit and lived inside it.
A day of weakness demands care not to exceed our measure… Some could not prove their title, and so they lost their place. But whatever the cause, failing to show the father's house was fatal!
Believers today face the same choice:
The best course of action is to take account of our weakness and not to pretend to have what we do not have. It must have been hard to refuse those priests, but doing so showed that they put God first, not human feelings.
Commentators turn the missing register into a personal test of assurance.
were many Israelites who could not show their genealogy; and there are many Christians who cannot show it.
Another writer puts the question directly:
If a Jew could be certain about his ancestry, why should a Christian not be certain about his?
- Ruin — captivity was a time of carelessness. That is where the records went missing.
- Return — coming home ended privilege passed down without proof. Israel was to be unmixed, and proved to be so.
- Register — keeping a genealogy where it seemed useless was faith. God preserved all that was needed to put His people on record.
- Refusal — these families came home, yet they drop out of the later lists. Being in the company was not the same as proven descent.
- Reality — a day of weakness calls for care not to exceed our measure. So the question comes home: can you show your own descent?
The children of Delaiah, the children of Tobijah, the children of Nekoda, six hundred and forty-two.
Delaiah, Tobiah and Nekoda head a group of 642 people who came back from Babylon with the exiles. They could not produce the family record that proved they belonged to Israel, so the leaders had to decide what to do with them.
No one pressed the question of who belonged while the people were scattered. One writer traces the change to what the returning group now gathered around:
In the land of their exile they had not taken the same care about title and qualification. Babylon stands for the corruption that holds God's people in bondage through their sins. So their captivity was a careless time. They were suffering under the hand of their God, but it was still a time of confusion and disorder. It had to be, since they were without the temple, without sacrifices, and without Jehovah's presence. But now, through the mercy of their God, there had been a recovery. It was a partial recovery, it is true, but it held within it a distinct action of the Spirit of God. And now Jehovah's house was to be their centre again. So they rightly searched into the title of everyone who had returned from Babylon.
The missing paperwork was not a random accident. It grew out of a moment when the nation had also lost the means of settling such questions:
First of all, it is important to see that this problem would not have arisen in the early days. Back then, everyone knew who the priests and their families were. The problem could only arise because 70 years had interrupted priestly service, and because of all the confusion that came with the Babylonian captivity. In other words, it was a consequence of the ruin of the people... A further difficulty was that they no longer had the Urim and Thummim, as they used to. These would have let them find out the truth.
Nothing in the record says these families were foreigners. The leaders withheld recognition, but they left the door open:
They were not told that they were not priests; the ground taken was that their claim was not proven. It might be proved at a future time. So the governor told them not to eat of the most holy things until a priest arose with Urim and Thummim. ... Grace could restore what was lost under law; only for this they must patiently wait.
Another writer draws the same line:
They did not disown them as Israelites, but they could not recognise their claim. God might discern them as His; they could not pretend to divine discernment when they had not the Urim and the Thummim.
One writer names the resolve behind the census, and its outcome:
The children of the captivity resolve that Israel shall be an unmixed Israel, and proved to be so. ... To mark out the family of God was now the essential thing... Even among those who had come back to Judea, whoever could not produce his genealogy was set aside; and every priest in that case was put away from the priesthood as polluted.
The same families appear in Ezra's parallel list with a different total. Commentators differ over such variations. One view treats them as copying slips:
The lists agree in the main. The total in both is the same, yet the details differ oddly. Why this is may not be so easy to decide. We know that numbers are especially easy to corrupt, whether by careless or reckless copyists.
Another writer finds that explanation too easy, and draws a different lesson:
Eighteen of the figures given in Ezra vary here: sometimes lower, but usually higher... Leaving aside the conjecture of errors made by copyists, a conjecture as easy to make as it is unlikely... we learn here, as always, to mistrust our own reason, even when material details of the word of God are concerned, and to wait on Him to explain them.
One writer turns this uncertainty into a personal question:
Is it not also most true, that if we do not know this, we cannot eat of the most holy things? We must know Jesus, the Great High Priest in the presence of God — He who once bore our sins on the cross, but who is now crowned with glory... How can you enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus if you are uncertain whether you are saved? Oh, search the register; never rest, my reader, until this first question is solved.
- Babylon blurred it. In exile there was no temple, no sacrifice, no presence of God — and no care about who belonged.
- Recovery searched it. Once God's house became their centre again, they had to settle who truly belonged.
- They inherited the gap. Seventy years without priestly service, and no Urim and Thummim, left a question these families could not answer.
- The verdict stayed open. No one told them they were not Israel. Their claim was simply unproven, left for grace to settle.
- The register is personal. Doubt kept the priests from the most holy things. So do not rest until you know where you stand with God, through Christ.
And of the priests the children of Hobaiah, the children of Koz, the children of Barzillai, who took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called after their name.
Nehemiah's register of returned exiles stops at three priestly families whose papers were missing, one of them carrying a wife's family name instead of its own. The verse raises a hard question: what happens to a God-given place when the proof of it is lost?
Commentators trace the lost register back to a marriage that looked like a step up.
And what was the cause of this shame and degradation? Why could these people not trace their genealogy? Long years before, one of their forefathers married a daughter of Barzillai the Gileadite. No doubt people thought it a very good match for the young priest, and it surely brought wealth, riches and honour with it. Barzillai was a very great man, and his name itself meant "Iron of the Lord" — most firm and true. He was so immensely wealthy that he could take care of the king out of his own money while the king was rejected.
The verse notes that he "was called by their name" — the wife's name, not his own.
It was no small thing to become the son-in-law of such a man. Against God's order, the young priest gave up his own name and took the name of his wife. So in Ezra he stands under the name "Barzillai." But his own priestly name is lost — lost, it seems, in the desire for worldly advancement, riches, wealth and honour. He probably thought the price he paid was very small. But how little he realised what his act would do! Some five hundred years later it cost his children their blessed, privileged place as priests. We cannot gain advancement in the things of the world without loss in the things of Heaven.
Some families still had their papers when they came back from Babylon.
Happy the man who had preserved his own record, and who so valued the heritage of the Lord that he counted it precious! It was a proof of faith; for it might have been said, What use are these genealogies in Babylon?
The ruling set the three families aside, but its wording was careful.
If any could not show their genealogy, they had no claim to take part in the work they had been called to. For the priests the consequence was still more serious. These — if they could not find their register — were treated as defiled and put out of the priesthood. They were not told that they were not priests; the ground taken was that their claim was not proven. It might be proved at a future time. Then a priest would stand up, once more given divine intelligence and discernment through the light and perfection of God (Urim and Thummim). He might then judge them to be truly priests. Grace could restore what was lost under law; only for this they must wait patiently.
One writer applies the same honesty to the church today.
It is essential to realise that the church, in its practical testimony and state, is in ruins today. Under the circumstances, the best course of action is to take account of our weakness and not to pretend to have what we do not have. It must have been hard to refuse those priests, but doing so simply showed that they put God first, not human feelings.
Yet weakness did not stop them from acting.
But did they plead their feebleness and do nothing? Zerubbabel, Ezra and Nehemiah do what they can. They cannot recover everything, but they do what they can. Among other services, they read the genealogies, and they do not let unproved claimants to the priesthood eat the holy things.
The case stayed open, and commentators differ on when it closes. One reads the promised priest as still to come:
"Until a priest with Urim and Thummim should arise." That is, until the Lord Jesus comes in due time. He will no doubt be the King, and He will also act in the full power of priesthood, the power of Urim and Thummim in the light and perfections of God. He will then untangle all the confusion and supply all that is lacking.
Another finds the comfort already in hand:
I may point to the end of the passage as a blessed message of hope. For us a priest has stood up with Urim and Thummim, and He knows the heart. He knows whether the genealogy is really true, and whether there has been the new birth. Years of contact with the world may have hidden it from the eyes of others.
- Cause. A priest married into wealth and honour, and let his wife's name replace his own. The trade looked cheap at the time.
- Cost. Gain in the things of the world came with loss in the things of Heaven. The bill arrived five hundred years later, on his children.
- Record. Keeping a genealogy in Babylon served no earthly purpose, which is what made it a proof of faith.
- Ruling. No one called the three families impostors. Their claim was unproven, and an unproven claim could not eat the most holy things.
- Hope. The case waited for a priest with Urim and Thummim — the One who reads hearts, not registers, and untangles what weakness cannot.
These sought their genealogical register, but it was not found; therefore were they, as polluted, removed from the priesthood.
The men listed here came home from exile in Babylon claiming a place among the priests. Their names were not in the official family records. One missing document decided their standing. So what should God's people do when a claim cannot be proved either way?
In settled times nobody needed paperwork to prove he was a priest. The exile changed that. It broke off the whole order of worship for decades.
First of all, it is important to see that this kind of problem would not have come up in the early days. Back then everyone knew who the priests and their families were. It could only arise because priestly service had stopped for 70 years, and because of all the confusion that came with the Babylonian captivity. In other words, it came from the ruin of the people — and, of course, from a certain carelessness in these priests (if they really were priests) about keeping their documents together. There was an added difficulty: they no longer had the Urim and Thummim, as they once did, which would have let them find out the truth.
Read carefully, the verse does not say these men were frauds. It says no one could verify their claim, and it leaves the door open for a later ruling.
If any could not show their family record, they had no claim to share in the work they had been called to. For the priests the result was even more serious. These men — if they could not find their register — were put out of the priesthood as unclean. They were not told that they were not priests. The ground taken was that their claim was not proven. It might be proven at a future time... When that time came, the priest — once more given divine understanding and discernment through the light and perfection of God (Urim and Thummim) — might judge them to be true priests. But meanwhile their claim was forfeited. Grace could restore what was lost under law; only for this they had to wait patiently.
The easy course was to settle it by human judgment. Baines treats the refusal to do that as faith.
"Settle it by human rules of evidence," is the natural reply. "Decide their standing one way or the other, by the best light we have." That is how man brings his own wisdom into the things of God. But Zerubbabel was a man of faith. He would not act without God. No thought of convenience, no wish to strengthen the priesthood, would make him admit them without God's approval... What a lesson for a day of ruin! How blessed and refreshing is the faith that, when God gives no guidance, refuses to act by human wisdom or by what is convenient, but simply stands still and waits patiently for God!
One family in this list carried the name of Barzillai, a rich man of Gilead. They gained it by marriage. Willis traces the lost record back to that choice.
It was no small thing to become the son-in-law of such a man. The young priest, against God's order, gave up his own name and took his wife's name... But his own priestly name is lost — lost, it seems, in the desire for worldly advancement, riches, wealth and honour. No doubt he gained all these. He probably thought the price he paid was very small. But how little he thought that his act would cost his children their blessed, privileged place as priests, some five hundred years later! We cannot gain advancement in the things of the world without loss in the things of heaven.
Kelly applies this checking of genealogies to Christians today. A weak day, he argues, is no excuse for carelessness.
What I call your attention to is this principle. It was a day of weakness and humiliation, but it was not to be a day of carelessness. It was to be a day of the greatest care. God's people were to be as watchful and alert for His name as when everything stood in the full power and beauty of divine order... And so we are entitled to demand that they prove their genealogy. The reason is plain: people now commonly take the place of Christians without being real.
Willis also points forward: what these men lacked, believers now have.
For us a priest has stood up with Urim and Thummim, and He knows the heart. He knows if the genealogy is really true, if there has been the new birth, even though years of contact with the world may have hidden it from others.
- Register — Descent had to be on paper. Where the paper was missing, the claim failed. A day of weakness called for more care, not less.
- Ruin — The captivity caused the crisis, not the law. Seventy years without service, and lost papers, made the question unavoidable.
- Refusal — The verdict was not "false" but "not proven". The men were kept back, not condemned.
- Restraint — The leaders would not settle the case by the best human guess. They stood still and waited on God. That is the pattern for any day of confusion.
- Restoration — What a grasp at worldly gain lost, only grace could restore. And the One who knows the heart reads a genealogy no register holds.
And the Tirshatha said to them that they should not eat of the most holy things, till there stood up the priest with Urim and Thummim.
Some priests came back from Babylon, but no one could find their names in the register. The governor did not settle the matter. He suspended it. These men were not condemned and not cleared. They were told to wait for something no one there could give them.
They were kept from the most holy food. One writer reads that as a loss of priestly enjoyment, and looks ahead to the One who will put the whole matter right (older translations read "the most holy things"):
"That they should not eat of the most holy things" — that is, they should not have the full enjoyment of priestly privilege — "till there stood up a priest with Urim and with Thummim." That is, until the Lord Jesus comes by and by. He will no doubt be the King. He will also act in the full power of priesthood, the power of Urim and Thummim in the lights and perfections of God. He will then untangle all the confusion, and supply all that is lacking.
The two Hebrew words are a description in themselves, and their meaning shows what the returned people had lost:
The meaning of these Hebrew words is "lights" and "perfections." They were distinct from the gems on the breastplate. We know this because Moses put the breastplate on Aaron, and then "in the breastplate he put the Urim and the Thummim" (Leviticus 8:8). It is clear that God answered questions by means of the Urim and Thummim (Numbers 27:21; Deuteronomy 33:8; 1 Samuel 28:6)... This great privilege has never yet been restored.
A problem like this would have been unthinkable in earlier days. It belongs to a time when everything had broken down:
First of all, it is important to see that this kind of problem would not have arisen in the early days. Back then, everyone knew who the priests and their families were. The problem could only arise because priestly service had stopped for 70 years, and because of all the confusion that came with the Babylonian captivity. In other words, it was a result of the ruin of the people. These priests — if indeed they were priests — had also been careless about keeping their documents together. There was a further difficulty. They no longer had the Urim and Thummim, as they once did. These would have let them find out the truth.
The distinction matters. Nothing stood against these men except a missing document, and no one there could rule either way:
When the remnant returned from captivity, they found certain priests who could not show their genealogy. These men were put out of the priesthood. That was not because anyone could disprove their claim, but because no one could prove it. No one could settle the question of whether they were really priests. There was no recognised way of getting an answer from God. So they were told to wait until a priest stood up with Urim and Thummim. God might raise up a prophet and send a message through him. He did just that at the time, through Haggai and Zechariah. But there was no regular way of access to God to get the kind of answer this case needed.
The governor delayed the decision instead of forcing it. That left these men something to wait for:
They were not told that they were not priests; the ground taken was that their claim was not proven. It might be at a future time... When that time came, the priest would once more be given divine intelligence and discernment through the light and perfection of God (Urim and Thummim). He might then judge them to be true priests. But in the meantime they lost their claim. Grace could restore what was lost under law; only for this they must patiently wait.
One writer applies the same rule to the Lord's table today:
But it is objected: do you not make yourselves judges of others? By no means. As the governor said in effect to the priests in this chapter, who were put away, "You may really be priests, only you cannot produce your title. It must therefore be left over until a priest arises with the Urim and Thummim — one who can judge according to God." So now the burden of proof lies on the one who wants to come to the Lord's table and be identified with His people. If he fails to produce it, the people around him do not shut him out. His own inability to declare his genealogy shuts him out. And if he really is a member of the body of Christ, the Lord Himself will fully acknowledge his title in a future day — though all is of grace.
- Ruin — The missing register was not a filing mistake. It came from the captivity, which broke off priestly service for seventy years.
- Loss — With the Urim and Thummim gone, no one had a regular way to get an answer from God, so the question stayed open.
- Restraint — The governor refused to pretend. He barred these men from the most holy food, yet never told them they were not priests.
- Patience — Their claim was suspended, not destroyed. What law could not restore, grace might. For that they had to wait.
- Hope — No one shuts out the man who cannot produce his title; his own inability does. And the Lord Himself will acknowledge every true claim in His day.
The whole congregation together was forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty,
Nehemiah has finished the wall, and now he counts the people inside it. The total is small for a nation once numbered in millions, yet God chose to preserve the list.
The chapter does not offer a fresh census. One commentator simply points the reader back to an earlier book:
Since the meaning of this register of the genealogy of the people has already been given in our exposition of Ezra 2, there is no need to repeat it here. The reader is therefore referred to it to help him understand the rest of this chapter, for, as will be seen, Nehemiah 7:6-73 is a repetition of Ezra 2.
Reaching back for that old list has a point. Nehemiah ties what he has just built to what others began long before him:
The rest of the chapter shows how Nehemiah connects the work he had done with the work of an earlier remnant. They first returned with Zerubbabel some eighty years before. Many of them must have died by Nehemiah's day. Yet they are still held in honour, and people still remember their varied services. The work they did in their day made the work of Nehemiah's day possible.
A list of families and figures looks like filler. One writer argues that its very survival in Scripture is the message:
The fact that it exists at all shows how precious to God was the response which His grace had produced in the hearts of His people, however weakly they may have entered into His thoughts about His house. For this reason He has caused this list to be preserved, as evidence that He looks with joy on the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work, and that the very names of His people are known and announced, to encourage everyone to walk in His ways, to be identified with His interests, and to stay faithful in times of corruption.
Measured against the nation's past strength, this assembly was almost nothing. A writer sets the two figures side by side:
To the casual observer the restoration of about 42,000 Jews to the land of their fathers under Zerubbabel must have seemed quite a small matter (Ezra 2). And when we remember that in the days of Jehoshaphat Judah could keep a standing army of 1,160,000 men, the returned remnant was poor indeed (2 Chronicles 17:12-18). It was "a day of small things," as Zechariah 4:10 puts it.
The total does not stand alone. Servants, singers and livestock follow it, and one writer finds that detail striking:
For even their animals are counted. How little man knows of God! How good for His people, who may learn from His word of His interest both in them and in everything that belongs to them! Even though their situation is low, His notice of them is all the more impressive. Is this the way of man, Lord Jehovah?
The count was also a test. One commentator explains what Nehemiah was checking:
The aim was to examine the people's title to be in the place where they were. They dealt constantly with the enemy, and they had made alliances with them. In doing so they forgot that the Lord had chosen them out of all the peoples on earth as His own people. So there would no doubt be many who could not show their genealogy. Such people had no claim to be counted with Israel. Now that the wall was built, and the truth of separation therefore proclaimed, such a mixture inside could no longer be allowed.
The grand total here matches Ezra 2, but many of the family figures do not, and commentators differ on why. One points to the copyists:
Substantially the lists agree. The total in both is the same, yet the details differ oddly; how this happened may not be so easy to decide. We know that numbers are especially open to corruption, whether through the carelessness or rashness of copyists.
Another sets that explanation aside and looks instead at how the records were kept:
Setting aside the guess that copyists made mistakes — a guess as easy to make as it is unlikely — we notice first that the list of the leaders of the people in Nehemiah contains a name, Nahamani (v. 7), which is not mentioned in Ezra 2. Second, we see that the genealogical registers drawn up by Zerubbabel were brought up to date over a longer or shorter period of time (see Nehemiah 12:23).
- Counted — The total of 42,360 repeats the register in Ezra 2. It ties Nehemiah's work to the remnant who returned eighty years earlier.
- Kept — The list survives because God values what His grace produces in His people. He knows their names, and that calls us to stay faithful.
- Small — Judah once kept an army of over a million men. This company was poor beside that: a day of small things, yet still God's work.
- Cared for — The count includes servants, singers and even animals. The lower their situation, the more striking God's notice of all they own.
- Claimed — Family records tested who had a right to live inside the finished wall. Once it stood, mixture inside could no longer be allowed.
besides their servants and their maids, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred and thirty-seven; and they had two hundred and forty-five singing-men and singing-women.
Nehemiah's register ends by counting two groups beyond the family names: 7,337 household servants and 245 singers. Commentators disagree about the singers, and that count of 245 does not match the older register, which has 200.
The register could have stopped at the free families. It goes on to the servants. One writer asks what that says about God, and what these singers were for.
Earlier the register speaks of the servants of the sanctuary. These verses tell us of the servants and maid-servants of the people, because God does not forget them either. In one way or another, they carry out their service. It may be washing the feet of the saints. It may be filling the humblest role toward those who belong to the Lord. It may be giving only a cup of water to one of these little ones. God takes notice of it and records it. There were also, among this company, 200 singing men and singing women. This singing is something other than the praise of the holy place, which the sons of Asaph celebrated. Its purpose was to keep the people of God in communion with one another, outside the set service of worship.
This company was on the move, heading home out of captivity. One writer listens to their singing on that road, and hears more in it than that.
Singing was clearly a very prominent occupation on the journey toward the homeland. Their groans had ended. The captivity was behind them and freedom ahead. How beautiful the chanting of their great psalms must have been as they travelled on. But greater still will be the time when the wandering remnant comes home. They have been scattered among the nations for so long. Through the coming of their King their groans will end forever. Then they will sing the Hallelujah chorus in the kingdom of righteousness and peace.
Not every writer reads the singers as a good sign. One looks at the same line and sees something out of place.
A closer look at the parts making up this multitude will uncover the sure signs of coming decline and decay. What, for example, had these pilgrims to do with singing men and singing women? Their land lay desolate. Fire had destroyed their sanctuary, and it lay in ruins. They themselves were only a feeble remnant, just set free from captivity. Surely it was no time for mirth and song! Sadly, every work of the Spirit of God that brings revival in the hearts of His people is soon limited by man. It is limited by his own thoughts and desires.
Nehemiah's figures do not always match the older register, and the singers are one case. One writer sets the two lists side by side.
On the whole the two lists agree. The overall total in both is the same, yet the details differ in a striking way. How this came about may not be easy to decide. We know how easily numbers get corrupted, whether by careless copyists or by bold ones. One can point out variations right through the lists, including a slight one in the number of the singing men and women. Yet to put differences as frequent and marked as these down to a copyist's slip is hard to accept. The totals of the servants do agree. How good it is for the heart to know that the living God takes a real interest not only in His people, but in all that is theirs! This at least is clear and simple.
Another writer draws a lesson from the difficulty itself.
Whatever assumptions we may make, we learn here, as always, to distrust our own reasoning. This holds true even for the material details of the word of God. We wait for Him to explain them, if He judges it good to give us the light we need at the right moment.
The register Nehemiah found was not new, and neither were the people in it.
The rest of the chapter shows how Nehemiah links the work he had finished with the work of the remnant who first returned with Zerubbabel about eighty years before. How many who made up that remnant must have died by Nehemiah's day, yet they are still held in honour, and their various services are recalled. The work they did in their day made the work in Nehemiah's day possible.
- Counted. The register runs past the free families to the servants, because God notices service in the humblest role and writes it down.
- Counted and singing. The 245 singers kept song alive outside the temple's set worship, holding the people together in communion.
- Why they sang. The captivity was behind them and freedom ahead. Their song points on to a greater homecoming still to come.
- Song questioned. Commentators differ. One asks what a feeble remnant with a ruined sanctuary was doing with singers at all, and reads them as an early sign of decline.
- Counted still. The totals differ from the older register, so we learn to distrust our own reasoning. Yet God takes a real interest in His people and in all that is theirs, and those old names still stand honoured.
Their horses were seven hundred and thirty-six; their mules, two hundred and forty-five;
This verse sits in a long register, and the list has just moved from the returning people to their animals. Why would God's Word stop to count animals, and why do these totals not always match the same list in Ezra 2?
The register does not stop at the people, and one writer sees God's own care in that.
Lastly, so that nothing might be forgotten, God even takes account of the animals (vv. 66, 67), of everything which is useful to His people and helpful to them. These are also carefully counted, without overlooking a single one. What care this numbering speaks to us of! All along the journey that was to bring them to the house of God, God Himself had watched over His people. He had prepared the relief they needed when they grew weary. He had provided in advance for the needs of the weak, the women and the little children. What a God is ours!
The same detail shows how little people know of God.
Even their animals are counted. How ignorant man is of God! How good for His people, who may learn from His word His interest both in themselves and in all that belongs to them! Their condition may be low, but His notice is all the more striking.
Set beside Israel's past, these figures are tiny.
The whole assembly totalled 42,360, plus servants and singers adding 7,537 to the number. This was only a small percentage of Judah and Benjamin, but the Lord took account of every one. Their livestock numbered 736 horses, 245 mules and 6,720 donkeys. As to the number of horses alone, this was as nothing compared to Solomon's 40,000 stalls of horses (1 Kings 4:26). But at least Judah did have "a little strength" (compare Revelation 3:8).
Horses also carried a warning for Israel's kings, and the issue behind it was trust.
But there is a warning for any king who might arise: he was not to multiply horses, or send his people to Egypt to bring horses back. Of course people thought war horses were necessary to protect the kingdom. Could faith not depend on God for such protection rather than on horses? See Psalm 33:17; Hosea 14:3. Despite this warning, Solomon, wealthy king as he was, "had horses imported from Egypt," along with chariots (1 Kings 10:28-29). Reports say he had 40,000 stalls of horses (1 Kings 4:26). These did not protect the kingdom from division soon after the death of Solomon (1 Kings 12). Depending on these things is not depending on God.
This section repeats the list in Ezra 2, but the numbers do not all match. Commentators differ on why. One points to the hazards of copying numbers by hand.
Substantially the lists agree. The overall total in both is the same; yet the details differ strangely: how this came about may not be so easy to decide. We know that numbers go wrong easily, through a copyist's carelessness or recklessness. For instance, in Ezra 2:5 the sons of Arah are 775, but in Nehemiah 7:10 they are 652. The sons of Zattu are 100 fewer in Nehemiah, and those of Azgad 1,100 more.
Another writer calls that explanation unlikely and points to signs that the register itself changed over the years.
Eighteen of the figures given in Ezra differ here: sometimes lower, but usually higher… The guess that copyists made errors is as easy to make as it is unlikely. Set it aside, and notice first this: the list of the leaders of the people in Nehemiah contains a name, Nahamani (v. 7), which Ezra 2 does not mention. Second, the genealogical registers Zerubbabel drew up received updates over a longer or shorter period of time (see Neh. 12:23).
Copying out an old list is how Nehemiah ties his own achievement to work done long before he arrived.
The rest of the chapter shows how Nehemiah connects his own finished work with the work of the remnant who first returned with Zerubbabel some eighty years before. How many of that remnant must have died by Nehemiah's day! Yet they are still held in honour, and their varied services recalled. The work they did in their day made the accomplishment of the work in Nehemiah's day possible.
- Counted. The register runs past the people to the horses and mules. God's reckoning misses nothing useful to His people.
- Cared for. The counting is care. God watched over the whole journey, with relief ready for the weary and provision for the weak, the women and the children.
- Contrasted. 736 horses is nothing against Solomon's 40,000 stalls — yet it is "a little strength," and Solomon's huge stables never kept his kingdom from splitting.
- Compared. Eighteen totals differ from Ezra 2. Commentators split on why: some point to copyists, others to a register updated over the years.
- Connected. By copying the old list, Nehemiah honours a generation eighty years gone, whose work made his own possible.
the camels, four hundred and thirty-five; the asses, six thousand seven hundred and twenty.
Nehemiah 7 closes with a long list of the people who first came back from exile in Babylon, and verse 69 reaches the pack animals — the camels and donkeys that carried them home. Why keep a count of livestock in Scripture, and why record it again when Ezra already had?
Nehemiah did not compile this list himself. He found an older register and had it recorded again.
Israel was God's earthly people, so their genealogies mattered and had to be kept with care. God stirred Nehemiah's heart about this. He found a careful register made years before, when the first group came back — the one recorded at the start of the book of Ezra. Because it matters so much, we have that register recorded again here. Ezra 2:1-67 is repeated almost word for word in our chapter, verses 6-69.
The list does not stop at people. It runs down to the animals. One writer sees there the care of a God who provided for the journey before it began.
Lastly, so that nothing might be forgotten, God even takes account of the animals, of everything which is useful to His people and helpful to them. These are also carefully counted, without overlooking a single one. What care this counting shows us! God Himself had watched over His people all along the journey that was to bring them to the house of God. He had prepared the relief they needed when they grew tired. He had provided in advance for the needs of the weak, the women and the little children. What a God is ours! Shall we look for a better guide, a better guardian? Is not our Father the Creator and Keeper of all things?
The company owned little. One writer finds God's notice of what they had all the more striking for that.
Even their animals are counted. How little man knows of God! How good for His people, who can learn from His word that He takes an interest both in them and in all that belongs to them! Even though they own little, His notice is all the more impressive.
The 6,720 donkeys of this verse belong to a small company. One writer sets their livestock beside Solomon's.
The whole assembly totaled 42,360, plus servants and singers adding 7,537 to the number. This was only a small percentage of Judah and Benjamin, but the Lord took account of every one. Their livestock numbered 736 horses, 245 mules and 6,720 donkeys. As to the number of horses alone, this was as nothing compared to Solomon's 40,000 stalls of horses (1 Kings 4:26). But at least Judah did have "a little strength" (compare Revelation 3:8).
The phrase "a little strength" comes from an older translation; the ESV of Revelation 3:8 reads "you have but little power."
Compare Ezra 2 with Nehemiah 7 and the grand total matches, but many of the smaller figures do not. Commentators differ on why. One points to the copying of the numbers.
On the whole the lists agree. The total in both is the same, yet the details differ sharply. How that happened may not be easy to decide. We know how easily copyists corrupt numbers, whether through carelessness or through boldness. For instance, in Ezra 2:5 the sons of Arah are 775, in Nehemiah 7:10 they are 652.
Another writer keeps both numbers as they stand. He separates those who put their names down from those who went.
Their individual names are not written down, but the Lord knows them all. He cared for each one and kept them going on the journey home... If some of the numbers do not agree with Nehemiah's record, there is no doubt a good reason for it. For instance, the descendants of Arah are here 775 and in Nehemiah we find only 652 recorded. Probably 775 had enrolled their names but only 652 went.
So why did God keep this list in Scripture?
The very existence of this list shows how precious to God was the response His grace had produced in the hearts of His people, however feebly they may have entered into His thoughts about His house. That is why He has kept it. It is evidence that He looks with joy on the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work. It also shows that He knows the names of His people and announces them, to encourage everyone to walk in His ways, to stand with His interests, and to stay faithful in times of corruption and turning away from God.
- Counted names. The register survives because God treasures the response His grace produced in His people. He records even its smallest fruits.
- Counted animals. The count reaches past the people to the camels and donkeys. God notices everything that belongs to His people and serves them.
- Counted care. The animals were help prepared in advance, for tired travellers and for the weak, the women and the children on the road.
- Counted small. The totals are nothing beside Solomon's thousands, yet the Lord took account of every one. A little strength still counts.
- Counted twice. Nehemiah found Ezra's list and had it recorded again. Where the figures differ, commentators point either to copyists' slips or to a gap between those who enrolled and those who came.
And some of the chief fathers gave to the work. The Tirshatha gave to the treasure a thousand darics of gold, fifty basons, five hundred and thirty priests' coats.
Nehemiah 7:70 closes the long register of returned families with a different record: what the people gave. Three questions follow — who this governor is, why his totals differ from Ezra 2, and what giving God approves.
Older translations keep the Persian word "Tirshatha," where the ESV simply says governor. One commentator explains the title, and why this list runs longer than the one in Ezra:
The gifts for the work are mentioned more fully by Nehemiah. See Ezra's record, chapter 2:68-70. The amounts in the two records do not agree, and many charge this to different traditions or to copyists' errors. But there is no real discrepancy. Ezra mentions what some of the chiefs of the fathers offered. Nehemiah records what he himself gave (Tirshatha is Nehemiah's Persian title as governor) besides the chiefs and the rest of the people.
Commentators differ on the cause of the variation between the two lists. One suggests a simple matter of timing:
Our chapter, verses 6-69, repeats Ezra 2:1-67 almost word for word. Then the four verses that close our chapter do differ from the closing verses of Ezra 2. They concern the gifts of the chief of the fathers, and of the people more generally. We presume that later gifts, which had come in up to Nehemiah's time, account for the much larger gifts recorded here. The title "Tirshatha" applied to Nehemiah as well as to Zerubbabel.
Another draws a lesson from the fact that some details resist explanation:
We could add other details. But whatever assumptions we make, we learn here, as always, to mistrust our own reason — even when it comes to the material details of the word of God. We learn to wait on Him to explain them, if He judges it good to give us the light we need at the right moment.
The governor had a right to be supported by the people. Instead he heads the list of givers, and he does it without writing his own name:
It is good to read that some of the heads of the fathers' houses contributed to the work of the Lord (v. 70). The governor (though Nehemiah does not say, "I") gave 1000 gold drachmas. This was no small amount! … Nehemiah, instead of "receiving" as he had a right to do, was a generous giver. Of course, the same is true of the Lord Jesus, whose giving is beyond anything we can calculate.
Among the gold and silver, the verse lists fifty basins. The Hebrew word behind it names a specific vessel used in the temple service:
mizraq, 'large basin or bowl,' used for holding the blood that had to be sprinkled, and for similar uses. Ex. 27:3; Num. 7:13-85 'bowls'; 1 Kings 7:40; 2 Chr. 4:8; Neh. 7:70.
The temple was still in ruins. So what moved these people to give, and what set the size of their gifts?
The house still existed before the eye of God, whatever its outward condition, and even though it had been leveled to the ground. … It seems that God used the desolation of His sanctuary to touch the hearts of these chief of the fathers. When they came to the Lord's house and saw its condition, they were moved, and they "offered freely" out of what they owned. And the Spirit of God is careful to note — so setting His seal of approval on the act — that "they gave after their ability." In this they are examples for all time to those of the Lord's people who have the privilege of ministering to the Lord.
That measure — ability rather than a fixed percentage — carries straight into Christian practice:
They were faithful in their giving — not by the Law's tenth part, but according to their ability. And in the New Testament the rule for the Church about giving is stated in 1 Cor. 16:2: "On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper."
(Older translations of this verse read "as God has prospered him.")
- Governor. "Tirshatha" is Nehemiah's Persian title as governor. The fuller list here adds his own gift to those of the chiefs and the people.
- Gift. The man with a right to be supported by the people heads the list of givers instead — a generosity the commentator links to the giving of the Lord Jesus.
- Measure. They gave "after their ability," and the Spirit of God set His seal on that standard. The New Testament rule keeps it: each one gives as he prospers.
- Motive. What opened their hands was seeing the state of God's house — the sight of the ruin moved the heart before it moved the purse.
- Mystery. The totals here differ from Ezra 2. One writer points to later gifts; another says the honest response is to distrust our own reasoning and wait for God to explain.
And [some] of the chief fathers gave to the treasure of the work twenty thousand darics of gold, and two thousand two hundred pounds of silver.
Nehemiah 7 reprints the old list of those who first came back from exile, and it closes with the gifts given for the work at Jerusalem. This verse names the leaders who gave and weighs out their gold and silver, which raises two questions: what moved them, and why does Ezra's record of the same gifts not match?
The verse sits in a short list of givers. One writer notes that the governor gave too, though Nehemiah keeps his own name out of it:
It is good to read that some of the heads of the fathers' houses contributed to the work of the Lord (v. 70). The governor (though Nehemiah does not say, "I") gave 1000 gold drachmas and 2,200 silver minas. This was no small amount!... Nehemiah, instead of "receiving" as he had a right to do, was a generous giver. Of course, the same is true of the Lord Jesus, whose giving is beyond our counting.
Ezra's account says they gave when they "came to the house of the LORD" — though the building lay in ruins. One writer finds in that wording both a truth about God and the motive for their gift:
Notice the form of the statement — "When they came to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem." It shows that the house still existed before the eye of God, whatever its outward condition, and even though it had been torn down to the ground... It seems that God used the ruins of His sanctuary to touch the hearts of these chief fathers. When they came to the Lord's house — when they saw its condition — their hearts were stirred, and they "offered freely" out of what they owned. The Spirit of God is careful to note this, and so puts His approval on the act: "they gave after their ability." In this they are examples for all time to those of the Lord's people who have the privilege of serving the Lord.
Next to what earlier givers raised for Solomon's temple, these totals are small. One writer shows where their real worth lies:
Here we see a second mark of the returned people: zeal for building the house of God, the devotion that sacrifices its own interests for the work of the Lord. The chief fathers freely give a sum worth about two and a half million in our currency... This was little indeed, compared with what the chief fathers had once offered for building Solomon's temple (1 Chr. 29:6-9). But in a time of extreme poverty, this gift had great value in the eyes of the Lord of the temple. He owns all the treasures of the universe, and He valued it according to the zeal that moved them to offer it — just as later He valued the widow's small coin more than the money the rich gave out of their plenty.
No fixed fraction lies behind these amounts, and one writer carries the same rule into the New Testament:
They were faithful in their giving, not by the Law's tenth part, but as much as they were able. And in the New Testament, 1 Cor. 16:2 gives the rule for the Church about giving: "On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper."
Ezra's record of the same gifts does not match Nehemiah's figures. Commentators differ on why. One holds that the two lists cover different givers:
The amounts in both records do not agree. People often blame different traditions or copyists' errors. But there is no real discrepancy. Ezra mentions what some of the chiefs of the fathers offered. Nehemiah records what he himself gave (Tirshatha is Nehemiah's Persian title as governor) besides the chiefs and the rest of the people.
Another suggests the gap is one of time rather than of persons:
We presume the much larger gifts recorded here come from later gifts that had built up by Nehemiah's time.
One writer explains why such a register was kept at all:
Israel were God's earthly people, so their genealogies were important and had to be carefully preserved.
Reprinting it now also does something for the people named in it:
The rest of the chapter shows how Nehemiah links the work he had done with the work of those who first returned with Zerubbabel about eighty years before. How many of them must have died by Nehemiah's day! Yet they are still held in honour, and their many services recalled. The work they did in their day made the work in Nehemiah's day possible.
- Moved — the sight of God's ruined house touched the hearts of the family heads, and they offered freely.
- Measured — they gave as much as they were able, not a fixed tenth; the New Testament keeps that measure: each one gives as he prospers.
- Valued — the sum was small next to Solomon's day, yet God prized it for the zeal behind it, as He prized the widow's small coin.
- Led — the governor gave instead of taking what was his by right, and his giving points to the Lord Jesus, whose giving is beyond counting.
- Linked — the old register keeps the first returned exiles in honour: their work made Nehemiah's work possible.
And that which the rest of the people gave was twenty thousand darics of gold, and two thousand pounds of silver, and sixty-seven priests' coats.
Nehemiah ends his long register of the returned exiles the way Ezra does: with a record of gifts for God's work. Three questions follow: why repeat an eighty-year-old list, why the totals differ from Ezra's, and why God records what ordinary people gave.
The chapter is not mere record-keeping. Nehemiah ties his own generation back to the people who first came home under Zerubbabel.
The rest of the chapter shows how Nehemiah connects his own finished work with the work of the remnant. They were the ones who first returned with Zerubbabel some eighty years before. Many of them must have died by Nehemiah's day. Yet they are still held in honour, and their varied services recalled. The work they did in their day made Nehemiah's work possible.
Verse 72 is the last of three entries. Two groups have already given: the heads of families and the governor — and the governor was Nehemiah himself.
It is good to read that some of the heads of the fathers' houses contributed to the work of the Lord (v. 70). The governor (though Nehemiah does not say "I") gave 1,000 gold drachmas and 2,200 silver minas. This was no small amount! The rest of the people gave 20,000 gold drachmas, 2,200 silver minas and 67 priestly garments. Nehemiah, instead of "receiving" as he had a right to do, was a generous giver.
Ezra's record of the same giving does not match these totals. Some blame copying mistakes; commentators answer that the two lists count different givers.
Nehemiah mentions the gifts for the work more fully. See Ezra's record, chapter 2:68-70. The amounts in both records do not agree. People generally charge that this is due to different traditions or copyists' errors. But there is no real discrepancy. Ezra mentions what some of the chiefs of the fathers offered. Nehemiah records what he himself gave, as well as what the chiefs and the rest of the people gave. (Tirshatha is Nehemiah's Persian title as governor.)
Ezra's account of the same giving adds one phrase: they gave "according to their ability." The state of God's ruined house is what moved them.
God seems to have used the ruin of His sanctuary to touch the hearts of these heads of families. When they came to the Lord's house and saw its condition, they were moved, and they "offered freely" of what they had. The Spirit of God is careful to note this, setting His approval on the act: "they gave according to their ability." In this they are examples for all time to those of the Lord's people who have the privilege of ministering to the Lord, whether by sharing with His needy saints or by meeting the needs of His service.
Compared with what an earlier generation raised for Solomon's temple, these sums are small. That is why they count.
This was little compared with what the heads of families had once offered for the building of Solomon's temple (1 Chr. 29:6-9). But in a time of extreme poverty, this gift had great value in the eyes of the Lord of the temple. He owns all the treasures of the universe, and He valued the gift by the zeal that prompted them to offer it. In the same way, He later valued the widow's small coins more than the surplus of the rich.
The list ends with a small, exact item: sixty-seven sets of priests' garments. Priests wore what God gave them to wear.
The sons of Aaron were also clothed. Their natural nakedness was not to appear, but the glory and the honour with which God clothed them. The girdle of service also marked them out.
God's record of giving names small amounts as well as large ones.
In noting the contributions, we may observe that the Spirit of God mentions not only the talents but the drams. So whatever is done for God in the name of the Lord Jesus has a value set on it, however little it may seem to people. Even a cup of cold water is not overlooked.
- Remembered. The repeated register honours the first returnees; their work made Nehemiah's work possible.
- Led. The governor gave a large amount without naming himself; he had the right to receive, and gave instead.
- Shared. The giving runs all the way down to "the rest of the people," so the whole company has a stake in the house.
- Measured. The standard is ability, not amount; God weighs a small gift in a poor time by the zeal behind it.
- Recorded. God notes the small coins and the sixty-seven garments alike. He overlooks nothing done for Him.
And the priests, and the Levites, and the doorkeepers, and the singers, and [some] of the people, and the Nethinim, and all Israel, dwelt in their cities. And when the seventh month came, and the children of Israel were in their cities,
The long list of returned exiles ends quietly: everyone is back home in their own town as the seventh month arrives. Commentators read this closing line in two ways — as the proper end of a finished work, or as a first hint of self-interest.
The walls were up and the people counted. The next step was ordinary life in ordinary towns. That life had to match what God had done for them.
The work of rebuilding the temple and the wall was finished. We are then told that the people settled in their own cities. Since God had met their special needs, it was now time to live lives that matched the blessing He had given.
This verse closes a long list of names and families. One writer sees in the list's survival something about how God treats small and feeble obedience.
That this list exists at all shows how precious to God the response of His people was. His grace had produced that response in their hearts, however feebly they may have entered into His thoughts about His house. This is why He has preserved the list. It is evidence that He looks with joy on the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work. He knows the very names of His people and announces them. That encourages everyone to walk in His ways, to be identified with His interests, and to stay faithful in times of corruption and falling away.
Commentators differ here. One sees settled blessing. Another asks whether going home was already a cooling of the first zeal, and reads the verse in the light of Haggai 1.
A reader with spiritual discernment may fairly ask whether this record shows the decay of their first energy. Read it in the light of what happened afterwards, as told in Haggai 1. Does it not reveal the tendency to think of themselves and their own houses before the interests of the Lord's house? Solomon spent thirteen years building his own house, and only seven on the temple. Knowing what man is, it is not surprising if the restored remnant began by minding their own things first. But if so, the next chapter will show that the word of God was still at work in their souls, to the praise of Him who had redeemed them from captivity.
The date is not filler. The seventh month opened with the feast of trumpets. One writer sees the people's gathering at that moment as a sign of real spiritual understanding.
"All Israel" — in fact the remnant, but taking the place of the nation before God — lived in their cities. In the book of Numbers we read, "On the first day of the seventh month you shall have a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work. It is a day for you to blow the trumpets." This feast of trumpets pictured the restoration of Israel in the last days. So it was with true spiritual perception that the people gathered at Jerusalem at this time. That perception, joined to their perfect unity, showed that both they and their leaders had been taught by God and were under the power of His word.
Being small and being right are not opposites.
The people of Israel were in their cities, few and feeble, yet in their right place. Long sin and judgment had come first, and now restoration in some measure. It was the seventh month, and the promise of that month had stood before blind or dim eyes for many years.
Walls, officers and an accurate register are all good. None of them can hold a people in place.
Chapter 6 gives the completion of the wall. Chapter 7 gives the means for securing the city and the reckoning of the people by family line. In chapter 8 we have the establishment of the authority of the word of God. This order is most instructive. The walls might be built, and the people gathered and put in order; but only obedience to the Word could keep them in the place into which they had been brought. Obedience gives the Lord His place and the people theirs — the Lord the highest place, the people the place of submission. Obedience is therefore the way of holiness, since it shuts out everything inconsistent with the Lord's supreme claims.
- Finished — walls up, people counted. Going home to their towns was the proper end of the work, and the moment to live up to the blessing God had given.
- Named — God kept this list. He takes joy in the smallest fruits of His Spirit's work, and He knows His people by name.
- Questioned — commentators differ. One sees settled blessing. Another asks whether going home to their own houses put self before God's house, as Haggai 1 later showed.
- Timed — the seventh month opened with the feast of trumpets, a picture of Israel's future restoration. The people's gathering at that date showed they were under the power of God's word.
- Held — few and feeble, yet in their right place. Walls and registers cannot keep a people there. Obedience to the Word can, and it gives the Lord His place and the people theirs.