Chapter 7

1 Nehemiah committeth the charge of Jerusalem to Hanani and Hananiah. 5 A register of the genealogy of them which came at the first out of Babylon, 9 of the people, 39 of the priests, 43 of the Levites, 46 of the Nethinims, 57 of Solomon’s servants, 63 and of the priests which could not find their pedigree. 66 The whole number of them, with their substance. 70 Their oblations.

1. The porters. According to ancient custom it was the duty of the doorkeepers to keep watch over the house of God, and to open and close the gates of the Temple courts (1 Chron. 9:17–19; 26:12–19).

The singers. Ordinarily the singers and the Levites appointed to assist the priests were not expected to do guard duty for the Temple. Under the present extraordinary circumstance Nehemiah assigned to these two groups the additional task of keeping watch over the walls and gates of the city.

2. My brother Hanani. See on ch. 1:2. It was in keeping with Oriental practice that Nehemiah appointed Hanani to be one of the two mayors of the city of Jerusalem. His loyalty to Nehemiah was certain. Rephaiah and Shallum were in charge of the outlying districts and suburbs of Jerusalem (ch. 3:9, 12).

Hananiah. The name Hananiah recurs frequently (Ezra 10:28; Neh. 3:8; 10:23; 12:12, 41), but whether one or several persons are indicated is difficult to say. This Hananiah, however, seems to have been a different person from those mentioned elsewhere. Nehemiah gave him a position of trust on account of his character, as being a faithful man and God-fearing “above many.”

Ruler of the palace. Probably the Temples fortress (see on ch. 2:8).

3. Until the sun be hot. The gates of towns were usually opened at sunrise, but during this critical period extra precautions were needed. Hence the gates were not to be opened until later in the morning when all the guards would be at their posts.

Shut the doors. The time for shutting the doors is not given. The explanatory phrase “while they stand” probably means that the doors were to be shut and bolted before the guards went off duty.

Appoint watches. The meaning of the last part of v. 3 is that during the night, when the gates were closed, the inhabitants of Jerusalem were to be alert and available for defense against attack.

Every one in his watch. This phrase implies a regular military type of organization. The guards were divided into watches, being on duty a certain number of hours each day and during the night.

4. Houses were not builded. This does not mean that there were no houses at all, for the city had now been inhabited again for 90 years. It means that in proportion to the size of the city, comparatively few houses had been rebuilt and that there was still much unoccupied space on which houses were yet to be built. When Nehemiah came to Jerusalem he found the Temple restored, but the greater part of the city still in ruins. The new state was basically agricultural, and had functioned without a real capital. Now the city had walls and was safe as a residence and suitable for a capital. The problem confronting Nehemiah was one of inducing people to live in the city and to see that they had shelter.

5. Put into mine heart. Contemplating the vast empty spaces within the city walls, Nehemiah considered what he should do to remedy the situation. He was impressed to take a census of the people, which would provide information on the relative populations of city and country. From this it could also be determined which towns and districts could best afford to contribute to the resettlement of Jerusalem. Such a census, according to ordinary Jewish usage, was by families (see Num. 1:17–47; 1 Chron. 21:5, 6).

I found a register. That is, of the exiles who came from Babylon under the leadership of Zerubbabel and Jeshua (Ezra 2). Nehemiah included a copy of this register in his memoirs, in this way preserving two copies—one in Ezra 2:1–70 and the other in Neh. 7:6–73.

The two lists are almost identical but show minor differences (see on Ezra 2:2). For comments on the names in Nehemiah’s list, see on these names in Ezra 2:1–70. Only the more important variations will be considered here.

7. Nahamani. To the eleven names given in Ezra 2:2 that of Nahamani is here added. There are also slight differences in the spelling of the names—Azariah for Seraiah, Raamiah for Reelaiah, Mispereth for Mizpar, etc. Most commentators account for the variations by assuming scribal errors. But these differences may as well be explained on the basis that one list was made in Babylon before the caravan set out for Judea, while the other is a copy of a revised list made at a later time in Palestine.

25. Gibeon. For Gibeon, Ezra 2:20 has Gibbar, a name otherwise unknown. Gibbar may be a variant form of the name Gibeon, or a scribal error. But Gibeon is considered preferable.

43. Of Jeshua. The parallel text of Ezra 2:40 seems to offer a better reading for Neh. 7:43 (see also Ezra 3:9). The passage here should probably read “Jeshua and Kadmiel of the children of Hodevah.” This ancestor of Jeshua and Kadmiel appears under the three forms of Hodevah, Hodaviah (Ezra 2:40), and Judah (Ezra 3:9).

70. The Tirshatha gave. The governor gave (see on Ezra 2:63). This is additional to the information contained in Ezra 2:68, 69. In the former list Zerubbabel’s offering is not listed separately from that of the other heads of families. The account in Nehemiah’s list is more detailed and perhaps more exact than that given in the other copy.