Nehemiah 7, A Remnant Returns

Nehemiah continues to face opposition from locals over his rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem.

Nehemiah 7: 1-3, Manning the gates
After the wall had been rebuilt and I had set the doors in place, the gatekeepers and the singers and the Levites were appointed. I put in charge of Jerusalem my brother Hanani, along with Hananiah the commander of the citadel, because he was a man of integrity and feared God more than most men do.

I said to them, "The gates of Jerusalem are not to be opened until the sun is hot. While the gatekeepers are still on duty, have them shut the doors and bar them. Also appoint residents of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some near their own houses."

The name of Nehemiah's brother, Hanani, is short for Hananiah.  Hanani is mentioned in Nehemiah 1:2 as traveling from Judah to Babylon at the beginning of Nehemiah's account. Since Hanani and Hananiah are essentially the same name, it is possible that the Hebrew could be translated "my brother Hanani, that is, Hananiah" and so that passage might refer to ony one man. Yamauchi agrees with the NIV and other translators, however, in seeing this verse as distinguishing Hanani from another Hananiah. Hananiah means "YHWH is gracious" and so might have been a common name.

Nehemiah gives orders to man the gates and only open them when "the sun is hot." Yamauchi says that the gatekeepers would originally have manned gates of the temple but that due to the recent threats, their gatekeeping duties are moved further out,

Nehemiah 7: 4-60, Remnant returns

Now the city was large and spacious, but there were few people in it, and the houses had not yet been rebuilt. So my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles, the officials and the common people for registration by families. I found the genealogical record of those who had been the first to return. This is what I found written there:

    These are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken captive (they returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town, in company with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum and Baanah): The list of the men of Israel:

    the descendants of Parosh 2,172
    of Shephatiah 372
    of Arah 652
    of Pahath-Moab (through the line of Jeshua and Joab) 2,818
    of Elam 1,254
    of Zattu 845
    of Zaccai 760
    of Binnui 648
    of Bebai 628
    of Azgad 2,322
    of Adonikam 667
    of Bigvai 2,067
    of Adin 655
    of Ater (through Hezekiah) 98
    of Hashum 328
    of Bezai 324
    of Hariph 112
    of Gibeon 95
    the men of Bethlehem and Netophah 188
    of Anathoth 128
    of Beth Azmaveth 42
    of Kiriath Jearim, Kephirah and Beeroth 743
    of Ramah and Geba 621
    of Micmash 122
    of Bethel and Ai 123
    of the other Nebo 52
    of the other Elam 1,254
    of Harim 320
    of Jericho 345
    of Lod, Hadid and Ono 721
    of Senaah 3,930

The priests: the descendants of Jedaiah (through the family
 of Jeshua) 973
    of Immer 1,052
    of Pashhur 1,247
    of Harim 1,017

The Levites: the descendants of Jeshua (through Kadmiel through the line of Hodaviah) 74

The singers: the descendants of Asaph 148

The gatekeepers: the descendants of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita and Shobai 138

The temple servants: the descendants of Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth, Keros, Sia, Padon, Lebana, Hagaba, Shalmai, Hanan, Giddel, Gahar, Reaiah, Rezin, Nekoda, Gazzam, Uzza, Paseah, Besai, Meunim, Nephussim, Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur, Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha, Barkos, Sisera, Temah, Neziah and Hatipha

The descendants of the servants of Solomon: the descendants of Sotai, Sophereth, Perida, Jaala, Darkon, Giddel, Shephatiah, Hattil, Pokereth-Hazzebaim and Amon

The temple servants and the descendants of the servants of Solomon 392
 

Descendants of previous residents are invited to return. The parallel account in Ezra 2 has numerous small changes from this one, both in names and numbers. The few name changes probably represent a person with different names or a variant spelling, for example, Jophar there becomes Hariph her, Gibbar becomes Gibeon.  Some of the conflicts in numbers are surely a result of a misprint: Azgad's 1222 becomes 2322. But the various number differences, along with a few swaps of lines, might suggest that Nehemiah has an updated list. I comment more on this in my blog post on Ezra 2.

I don't know why the medievalist who numbered verses and chapters suddenly has some many short verses.  If you want an easy Bible verse to memorize, how about 

Nehemiah 7: 10, "of Arah 652"?  

😁

Nehemiah 7: 61-69, Unclear ancestry

The following came up from the towns of Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon and Immer, but they could not show that their families were descended from Israel:
    the descendants of Delaiah, Tobiah and Nekoda 642
    

And from among the priests: the descendants of Hobaiah, Hakkoz and Barzillai (a man who had married a daughter of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by that name).
    

These searched for their family records, but they could not find them and so were excluded from the priesthood as unclean.

The governor, therefore, ordered them not to eat any of the most sacred food until there should be a priest ministering with the Urim and Thummim.

The whole company numbered 42,360, besides their 7,337 menservants and maidservants; and they also had 245 men and women singers. There were 736 horses, 245 mules, 435 camels and 6,720 donkeys.
 

Some among the priests do not have proof of their ancestry and so are not allowed to act as priests.

This material duplicates some material from Ezra 2. Most of the numbers agree but Ezra 2: 65-66 has 200 male and female singers.

Nehemiah 7: 70-72, Donations

Some of the heads of the families contributed to the work. The governor gave to the treasury 1,000 drachmas of gold, 50 bowls and 530 garments for priests. Some of the heads of the families gave to the treasury for the work 20,000 drachmas of gold and 2,200 minas of silver. The total given by the rest of the people was 20,000 drachmas of gold, 2,000 minas of silver and 67 garments for priests.

 

Nehemiah records gifts from both governor (Nehemiah, presumably) and other families.

Nehemiah 7: 73, Settlement complete

The priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers and the temple servants, along with certain of the people and the rest of the Israelites, settled in their own towns. When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns,

 

The new residents settle in. Most of the exiles come originally from towns outside of Jerusalem and so they return to the towns of their ancestors.

Some Random Thoughts

What is the role of this chapter? Why is it here? Using John Walton's adage that Scripture is written "for us but not to us," I imagine a young boy being told by his mother, "Did you know that your grandpa was one of the 652 men who returned to Jerusalem with Arah?" (See verse 10.)