Why are the numbers in Ezra so different from Nehemiah?
Answered from the commentary of Arno Clemens Gaebelein, Henri L. Rossier, H. L. Rossier and 1 other
The numbers differ chiefly because the lists were made at different times, so they do not record exactly the same people: some who enrolled in Ezra’s time may not have gone, and later people or gifts may have been added. They also draw on genealogical registers that could be incomplete or difficult to prove; names might stand for families or places, and a person might be known by more than one name. The details therefore vary even though the total congregation is the same.
Some differences may also come from errors made in copying, since numerals are especially liable to corruption; however, the passages do not settle every difference, and one account says the details are difficult to explain.
Verses: Ezra 2:1, Ezra 2:2, Ezra 2:3, Ezra 2:4, Ezra 2:5, Ezra 2:6, Ezra 2:7, Ezra 2:8, Ezra 2:9, Ezra 2:10, Ezra 2:11, Ezra 2:12, Ezra 2:13, Ezra 2:14, Ezra 2:15, Ezra 2:16, Ezra 2:17, Ezra 2:18, Ezra 2:19, Ezra 2:20, Ezra 2:21, Ezra 2:22, Ezra 2:23, Ezra 2:24, Ezra 2:25, Ezra 2:26, Ezra 2:27, Ezra 2:28, Ezra 2:29, Ezra 2:30, Ezra 2:31, Ezra 2:32, Ezra 2:33, Ezra 2:34, Ezra 2:35, Ezra 2:36, Ezra 2:37, Ezra 2:38, Ezra 2:39, Ezra 2:40, Ezra 2:41, Ezra 2:42, Ezra 2:43, Ezra 2:44, Ezra 2:45, Ezra 2:46, Ezra 2:47, Ezra 2:48, Ezra 2:49, Ezra 2:50, Ezra 2:51, Ezra 2:52, Ezra 2:53, Ezra 2:54, Ezra 2:55, Ezra 2:56, Ezra 2:57, Ezra 2:58, Ezra 2:59, Ezra 2:60, Ezra 2:61, Ezra 2:62, Ezra 2:63, Ezra 2:64, Ezra 2:65, Ezra 2:66, Ezra 2:67, Ezra 2:68, Ezra 2:69, Ezra 2:70, Nehemiah 7:5, Nehemiah 7:6, Nehemiah 7:7, Nehemiah 7:8, Nehemiah 7:9, Nehemiah 7:10, Nehemiah 7:11, Nehemiah 7:12, Nehemiah 7:13, Nehemiah 7:14, Nehemiah 7:15, Nehemiah 7:16, Nehemiah 7:17, Nehemiah 7:18, Nehemiah 7:19, Nehemiah 7:20, Nehemiah 7:21, Nehemiah 7:22, Nehemiah 7:23, Nehemiah 7:24, Nehemiah 7:25, Nehemiah 7:26, Nehemiah 7:27, Nehemiah 7:28, Nehemiah 7:29, Nehemiah 7:30, Nehemiah 7:31, Nehemiah 7:32, Nehemiah 7:33, Nehemiah 7:34, Nehemiah 7:35, Nehemiah 7:36, Nehemiah 7:37, Nehemiah 7:38, Nehemiah 7:39, Nehemiah 7:40, Nehemiah 7:41, Nehemiah 7:42, Nehemiah 7:43, Nehemiah 7:44, Nehemiah 7:45, Nehemiah 7:46, Nehemiah 7:47, Nehemiah 7:48, Nehemiah 7:49, Nehemiah 7:50, Nehemiah 7:51, Nehemiah 7:52, Nehemiah 7:53, Nehemiah 7:54, Nehemiah 7:55, Nehemiah 7:56, Nehemiah 7:57, Nehemiah 7:58, Nehemiah 7:59, Nehemiah 7:60, Nehemiah 7:61, Nehemiah 7:62, Nehemiah 7:63, Nehemiah 7:64, Nehemiah 7:65, Nehemiah 7:66, Nehemiah 7:67, Nehemiah 7:68, Nehemiah 7:69, Nehemiah 7:70, Nehemiah 7:71, Nehemiah 7:72, Nehemiah 7:73
The above is AI generated summary based on the writers below.
What the commentators say
The passages the answer is drawn from, the most direct first, with the words that bear on the question marked.
Next, as having to do with a people in the flesh, order called for a careful consideration of birth-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 genealogical register of them that came up at the first; and I found written therein: these [are] the sons of the province that went up out of the captivity of those that had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away, and who came again to Jerusalem, and to Judah every one to his city; those who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nahum, Baanah" (vers. 5-7). Even here is to be noticed Nahamani in addition to the eleven named in Ezra 2, for the rest are the same persons, though some be given with variations. So it is with those enumerated in the census after the twelve leaders. Substantially the lists agree. The gross amount in both is the same; yet the details singularly differ: how this is may not be so easy to decide. We know that numerals are peculiarly liable to corruption whether through the carelessness or temerity of copyists. For instance, in Ezra 2:5 the sons of Arah are 775, in Neh. 7:10 are 652; the sons of Pahath-moab and of Binuni are each 6 more in Nehemiah; the sons of Zattu 100 less; the sons of Bebai exceed by 5; and those of Azgad by 1100. And so one might point out variations throughout, as also in the singers, the sons of Asaph, and the porters, as well as a slight one in the number of the singing men and women. To set such frequent and marked difference down to clerical mistake is a hard saying, though Lord A. Hervey speaks of the ingenious corrections suggested with assurance. But it is another question to account for the varying statements satisfactorily; which must be left to those who, accepting the divine authority of scripture, have made this particular case a matter of conscientious and thorough research. The difference in the contributions also needs explanation, though this seems not so difficult. It is obvious 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! This at least is clear and simple, but of interest and moment to appropriate in practice.
From verses 5 to 73, we find the repetition of the genealogies contained in Ezra 2. Rationalists have not failed to attack this passage. Eighteen of the figures indicated in Ezra offer variations here: sometimes being a lower figure, but ordinarily being a higher figure. The people, priests, servants of the sanctuary, etc. number 29,818 in Ezra, with a total of 42,360 persons, including those not enrolled. Among this same total of 42,360 persons, Nehemiah indicates 31,089 enrolled persons. Leaving aside the conjecture of errors made by copyists, a conjecture as easy to be made as it is unlikely, we observe firstly, that the enumeration of the leaders of the people contains a name, Nahamani (v. 7), in Nehemiah which is not mentioned in Ezra 2. Secondly, we see that the genealogical registers drawn up by Zorobabel were brought up to date during a longer or shorter period of time (see Neh. 12:23). Thirdly, a rather remarkable fact is that, if we add to the genealogy of Ezra the 1396 persons who came to dwell at Jerusalem in Nehemiah (Neh. 11), we obtain the number of 25,540 for the people: a number which corresponds almost exactly to the number of 25,406 in Nehemiah 7.
The descendants of the different persons are now given. In all we find 24,144 descendants. 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. 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. All the names recorded may be traced in other portions of the Scriptures.
Israel being God's earthly people, their genealogies were of importance and had to be carefully preserved. God having stirred the heart of Nehemiah on this matter, he found that a careful register had been made years before, when the first migration took place, as recorded at the beginning of the book of Ezra, and in view of its importance we have the register again recorded. Ezra 2:1-67, is repeated almost word for word in our chapter, verses 6-69. Then the four verses that close our chapter concerning the gifts of the chief of the fathers and of the people more generally, do differ from the record of the closing verses of Ezra 2. The much larger gifts recorded here are accounted for, we presume, by later gifts that had accrued up to Nehemiah's time. The title 'Tirshatha' applied to Nehemiah as well as to Zerubbabel. The gifts were large, and the priests and people were in their cities.
The gifts for the work are mentioned more fully by Nehemiah. See Ezra's record, chapter 2:68-70. The amounts in both records do not agree, and it is generally charged that it 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 (Tirshatha is Nehemiah's Persian title as governor) besides the chiefs and the rest of the people.
It is however questionable whether it has always been one single book. Ezra 2 and Nehemiah 7 contain a nearly identical list of the returning Jewish genealogies, which would be a repetition difficult to understand if contained in a single work. But if the two books were individual books to start with the reason for the importance of the genealogies after the exile in each book would be a very good explanation. Later the books were differentiated and separated again as we know it in modern Bible editions.
The number of the whole congregation is given as 42,360. If we turn to Ezra 2:64 we find the same statement. There are differences between these two lists which prove that they are not identical.
This chapter contains the names of the returning remnant. It is a specimen page of the records which God keeps, and from which we may learn that He remembers His people, whom He knows by name and whose works are not forgotten by Him. In the book of Nehemiah this list is repeated (chapter 7) with an additional record of those who helped in building the wall. He has a book of remembrance (Mal. 3:16); and the apostle reminded the Hebrew believers of this fact when he wrote: "For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which ye have showed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints and do minister" (Heb. 6:10). There were twelve leaders. Only eleven are given by Ezra; in Nehemiah's record we find an additional name (Nahamani), making twelve in all. Zerubbabel was the leader of the returning captives. His name means "seed of Babylon." He is called the son of Shealtiel, the son or grandson of Jeconiah, and was therefore a descendant of David. His name appears in the two genealogies of Matthew (1:12) and Luke (3:27). In 1 Chronicles 3:19 he is called the son of Pedaiah, who was Shealtiel's brother. This double ascription of parentage may probably be accounted for by Pedaiah having contracted a levirate marriage with Shealtiel's widow. 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 of Christ. (See Zech. 4 and 6.) Nehemiah is not the Nehemiah who led the other expedition years later, nor is Mordecai the uncle of Queen Esther, who was an old man and evidently remained in Shushan (Esther 10:3). The names Nehemiah and Mordecai were quite common among the Jews. The names of some of the others appear in a slightly changed form in Nehemiah; it was a Jewish custom to call a person by different names.
*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. The reader is therefore referred to it to aid him in the understanding of the rest of this chapter, for, as will be perceived, Nehemiah 7:6-73 is the repetition of Ezra 2.
The list is headed by Nehemiah with his official title as Governor (Tirshatha). In verses 2-8 the priestly houses are given. The Levitical houses are recorded in verses 9-13. From the book of Ezra we learn that only four priestly houses and only two Levites had returned under Zerubbabel. Here we have twenty-one priestly and seventeen Levitical houses. This shows a marked increase. The chiefs of the people were forty-one houses; their names are given in verses 14-27.
Verses
- Ezra 2:1–701And 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 to Babylon, and who came again to Jerusalem and to Judah, every one to his city, 2who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Saraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel 3The children of Parosh, two thousand one hundred and seventy-two. 4The children of Shephatiah, three hundred and seventy-two. 5The children of Arah, seven hundred and seventy-five. 6The children of Pahath-Moab, of the children of Jeshua [and] Joab, two thousand eight hundred and twelve. 7The children of Elam, a thousand two hundred and fifty-four. 8The children of Zattu, nine hundred and forty-five. 9The children of Zaccai, seven hundred and sixty. 10The children of Bani, six hundred and forty-two. 11The children of Bebai, six hundred and twenty-three. 12The children of Azgad, a thousand two hundred and twenty-two. 13The children of Adonikam, six hundred and sixty-six. 14The children of Bigvai, two thousand and fifty-six. 15The children of Adin, four hundred and fifty-four. 16The children of Ater of [the family of] Hezekiah, ninety-eight. 17The children of Bezai, three hundred and twenty-three. 18The children of Jorah, a hundred and twelve. 19The children of Hashum, two hundred and twenty-three. 20The children of Gibbar, ninety-five. 21The children of Bethlehem, a hundred and twenty-three. 22The men of Netophah, fifty-six. 23The men of Anathoth, a hundred and twenty-eight. 24The children of Azmaveth, forty-two. 25The children of Kirjath-arim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred and forty-three. 26The children of Ramah and Geba, six hundred and twenty-one. 27The men of Michmas, a hundred and twenty-two. 28The men of Bethel and Ai, two hundred and twenty-three. 29The children of Nebo, fifty-two. 30The children of Magbish, a hundred and fifty-six. 31The children of the other Elam, a thousand two hundred and fifty-four. 32The children of Harim, three hundred and twenty. 33The children of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred and twenty-five. 34The children of Jericho, three hundred and forty-five. 35The children of Senaah, three thousand six hundred and thirty. 36The priests the children of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred and seventy-three. 37The children of Immer, a thousand and fifty-two. 38The children of Pashhur, a thousand two hundred and forty-seven. 39The children of Harim, a thousand and seventeen. 40The Levites the children of Jeshua and of Kadmiel, of the children of Hodaviah, seventy-four. 41The singers the children of Asaph, a hundred and twenty-eight. 42The children of 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, in all a hundred and thirty-nine. 43The Nethinim the children of Ziha, the children of Hasupha, the children of Tabbaoth, 44the children of Keros, the children of Siaha, the children of Padon, 45the children of Lebanah, the children of Hagabah, the children of Akkub, 46the children of Hagab, the children of Shamlai, the children of Hanan, 47the children of Giddel, the children of Gahar, the children of Reaiah, 48the children of Rezin, the children of Nekoda, the children of Gazzam, 49the children of Uzza, the children of Phaseah, the children of Besai, 50the children of Asnah, the children of Meunim, the children of Nephusim, 51the children of Bakbuk, the children of Hakupha, the children of Harhur, 52the children of Bazluth, the children of Mehida, the children of Harsha, 53the children of Barkos, the children of Sisera, the children of Thamah, 54the children of Neziah, the children of Hatipha. 55The children of Solomon's servants the children of Sotai, the children of Sophereth, the children of Peruda, 56the children of Jaalah, the children of Darkon, the children of Giddel, 57the children of Shephatiah, the children of Hattil, the children of Pochereth-Hazzebaim, the children of Ami. 58All the Nethinim and the children of Solomon's servants, three hundred and ninety-two. 59And these are they that went up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub-Addan, Immer; but they could not shew their fathers' house, nor their seed, whether they were of Israel. 60The children of Delaiah, the children of Tobijah, the children of Nekoda, six hundred and fifty-two. 61And of the children of the priests the children of Habaiah, 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. 62These sought their genealogical register, but they were not found; therefore were they, as polluted, removed from the priesthood. 63And the Tirshatha said to them that they should not eat of the most holy things, till there stood up a priest with Urim and with Thummim. 64The whole congregation together was forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty, 65besides their servants and their maids, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred and thirty-seven; and they had two hundred singing men and singing women. 66Their horses were seven hundred and thirty-six; their mules two hundred and forty-five; 67their camels four hundred and thirty-five; the asses six thousand seven hundred and twenty. 68And some of the chief fathers, when they came to the house of Jehovah which is at Jerusalem, offered freely for the house of God to set it up in its place. 69They gave after their ability to the treasure of the work sixty-one thousand darics of gold, and five thousand pounds of silver, and one hundred priests' coats. 70And the priests, and the Levites, and [some] of the people, and the singers, and the doorkeepers, and the Nethinim dwelt in their cities, and all Israel in their cities.