Nehemiah 7
7:1 a the wall was finished: The actual dedication of the wall is reported in 12:27-34 b.• The Levites usually assisted with caring for the Temple area, including guarding its gates.
7:2 c a faithful man who feared God: Hanani displayed two leadership characteristics favored by Nehemiah and God (see also 5:9 d, 15 e; Dan 6:4 f; Luke 16:10-12 g; 1 Pet 5:12 h).
7:3 i The gatekeepers were apparently supposed to close the gates during the time in the afternoon when people were resting and were not prepared to defend the city from attack. Elsewhere, similar language refers to the portion of the day when the sun is the hottest and people retreat inside (Gen 18:1 j; 2 Sam 4:5 k).
Summary for Neh 7:4-5: 7:4-5 l Most people lived in the country near their fields, so the population of Jerusalem was small. Apparently, a registration would encourage more people to settle in and near Jerusalem (7:73 m).
7:6 n Jewish exiles ... returned to Jerusalem and the other towns: These lists were not complete (the individual numbers do not add up to the total number in 7:66 o), but they were the best records available to verify who truly was a Jew.
7:7 p Their leaders: Sheshbazzar (see Ezra 1:8 q) is omitted here and in Ezra 2:2 r, suggesting that both lists were developed after the people had settled in their towns and after Sheshbazzar had died.
Summary for Neh 7:8-38: 7:8-38 s the family of: This list is similar to that in Ezra 2:3-35 t, with some differences in names and the number of people in each family. People were listed by family (Neh 7:8-25 u) and by the town where they settled (7:26-38 v). Most of the towns were north of Jerusalem.
Summary for Neh 7:39-60: 7:39-60 w Nehemiah wanted to be sure that only legitimate priests and Levites served in God’s Temple.
7:60 x The descendants of Solomon’s servants apparently assisted the Levites by carrying wood or sweeping the floor (cp. Ezra 2:55-58 y). They might have been Gibeonites (Josh 9:23-27 z; 1 Chr 9:35-44 aa) or war captives (Num 31:30-47 ab).
Summary for Neh 7:61-62: 7:61-62 ac they could not prove that they ... were descendants of Israel: They had no genealogical records.
7:65 ad Urim and Thummim ... sacred lots: See study notes on Exod 28:30; Lev 8:8.
7:66 ae The total number 42,360 agrees with Ezra 2:64 af, but the numbers for the families listed total only 31,089. The individual numbers for each family might not include young children, or the list might simply be incomplete.
Summary for Neh 7:70-72: 7:70-72 ag Some of the family leaders gave gifts as their forefathers had done when sacred buildings were built (Exod 25:2-7 ah; 35:4-9 ai; 2 Kgs 12:1-21 aj). This money supplemented gifts by Israelites who stayed in Babylon (Ezra 1:6 ak) and by the Persian kings (Ezra 6:8 al).
Summary for Neh 7:73-10:39: 7:73–10:39 am This section, perhaps originally a part of Ezra’s personal memoirs, describes how Ezra’s teaching of God’s law brought renewal of the people’s commitment to serve God and follow his instructions. Spiritual revival accompanied the civic work of Ezra and Nehemiah. 7:73 an their own towns throughout Israel: Each family settled in the land that had been inhabited by their ancestors before the Exile.
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