6 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;
7 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:
8 The children of Parosh, two thousand one hundred and seventy-two.
9 The children of Shephatiah, three hundred and seventy-two.
10 The children of Arah, six hundred and fifty-two.
11 The children of Pahath-Moab, of the children of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand eight hundred and eighteen.
12 The children of Elam, a thousand two hundred and fifty-four.
13 The children of Zattu, eight hundred and forty-five.
14 The children of Zaccai, seven hundred and sixty.
15 The children of Binnui, six hundred and forty-eight.
16 The children of Bebai, six hundred and twenty-eight.
17 The children of Azgad, two thousand three hundred and twenty-two.
18 The children of Adonikam, six hundred and sixty-seven.
19 The children of Bigvai, two thousand and sixty-seven.
20 The children of Adin, six hundred and fifty-five.
21 The children of Ater of [the family of] Hezekiah, ninety-eight.
22 The children of Hashum, three hundred and twenty-eight.
23 The children of Bezai, three hundred and twenty-four.
24 The children of Hariph, a hundred and twelve.
25 The children of Gibeon, ninety-five.
26 The men of Bethlehem and Netophah, a hundred and eighty-eight.
27 The men of Anathoth, a hundred and twenty-eight.
28 The men of Beth-azmaveth, forty-two.
29 The men of Kirjath-jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred and forty-three.
30 The men of Ramah and Geba, six hundred and twenty-one.
31 The men of Michmas, a hundred and twenty-two.
32 The men of Bethel and Ai, a hundred and twenty-three.
33 The men of the other Nebo, fifty-two.
34 The children of the other Elam, a thousand two hundred and fifty-four.
35 The children of Harim, three hundred and twenty.
36 The children of Jericho, three hundred and forty-five.
37 The children of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred and twenty-one.
38 The children of Senaah, three thousand nine hundred and thirty.
39 The priests: the children of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred and seventy-three.
40 The children of Immer, a thousand and fifty-two.
41 The children of Pashhur, a thousand two hundred and forty-seven.
42 The children of Harim, a thousand and seventeen.
43 The Levites: the children of Jeshua [and] of Kadmiel, of the children of Hodvah, seventy-four.
44 The singers: the children of Asaph, a hundred and forty-eight.
45 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.
46 The Nethinim: the children of Ziha, the children of Hasupha, the children of Tabbaoth,
47 the children of Keros, the children of Sia, the children of Padon,
48 the children of Lebana, the children of Hagaba, the children of Salmai,
49 the children of Hanan, the children of Giddel, the children of Gahar,
50 the children of Reaiah, the children of Rezin, the children of Nekoda,
51 the children of Gazzam, the children of Uzza, the children of Phaseah,
52 the children of Besai, the children of Meunim, the children of Nephishesim,
53 the children of Bakbuk, the children of Hakupha, the children of Harhur,
54 the children of Bazlith, the children of Mehida, the children of Harsha,
55 the children of Barkos, the children of Sisera, the children of Thamah,
56 the children of Neziah, the children of Hatipha.
57 The children of Solomon's servants: the children of Sotai, the children of Sophereth, the children of Perida,
58 the children of Jaala, the children of Darkon, the children of Giddel,
59 the children of Shephatiah, the children of Hattil, the children of Pochereth-Hazzebaim, the children of Amon.
60 All the Nethinim, and the children of Solomon's servants, three hundred and ninety-two.
61 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.
62 The children of Delaiah, the children of Tobijah, the children of Nekoda, six hundred and forty-two.
63 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.
64 These sought their genealogical register, but it was not found; therefore were they, as polluted, removed from the priesthood.
65 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.
66 The whole congregation together was forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty,
67 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.
68 Their horses were seven hundred and thirty-six; their mules, two hundred and forty-five;
69 the camels, four hundred and thirty-five; the asses, six thousand seven hundred and twenty.
70 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.
71 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.
72 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.
73 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,
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Nehemiah 7
Commentary on Nehemiah 7 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 7
The success of one good design for God and our generation should encourage us to proceed and form some other; Nehemiah did so, having fortified Jerusalem with gates and walls, his next care is,
Neh 7:1-4
God saith concerning his church (Isa. 62:6), I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem! This is Nehemiah's care here; for dead walls, without living watchmen, are but a poor defence to a city.
Neh 7:5-73
We have here another good project of Nehemiah's; for wise and zealous men will be always contriving something or other for the glory of God and the edification of his church. He knew very well that the safety of a city, under God, depends more upon the number and valour of the inhabitants than upon the height or strength of its walls; and therefore, observing that the people were few that dwelt in it, he thought fit to take an account of the people, that he might find what families had formerly had their settlement in Jerusalem, but were now removed into the country, that he might bring them back, and what families could in any other way be influenced by their religion, or by their business, to come and rebuild the houses in Jerusalem and dwell in them. So little reason have we to wish that we may be placed alone in the earth, or in Jerusalem itself, that much of our safety and comfort depends upon our neighbours and friends; the more the stronger, the more the merrier. It is the wisdom of the governors of a nation to keep the balance even between the city and country, that the metropolis be not so extravagantly large as to drain and impoverish the country, nor yet so weak as not to be able to protect it. Now observe,