6 These are the children of the province, who went up out of the captivity of those who had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away, and who returned to Jerusalem and to Judah, everyone to his city;
7 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 seventy-two.
9 The children of Shephatiah, three hundred seventy-two.
10 The children of Arah, six hundred 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, one thousand two hundred fifty-four.
13 The children of Zattu, eight hundred forty-five.
14 The children of Zaccai, seven hundred sixty.
15 The children of Binnui, six hundred forty-eight.
16 The children of Bebai, six hundred twenty-eight.
17 The children of Azgad, two thousand three hundred twenty-two.
18 The children of Adonikam, six hundred sixty-seven.
19 The children of Bigvai, two thousand sixty-seven.
20 The children of Adin, six hundred fifty-five.
21 The children of Ater, of Hezekiah, ninety-eight.
22 The children of Hashum, three hundred Twenty-eight.
23 The children of Bezai, three hundred twenty-four.
24 The children of Hariph, one hundred twelve.
25 The children of Gibeon, ninety-five.
26 The men of Bethlehem and Netophah, one hundred eighty-eight.
27 The men of Anathoth, one hundred twenty-eight.
28 The men of Beth Azmaveth, forty-two.
29 The men of Kiriath Jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred forty-three.
30 The men of Ramah and Geba, six hundred twenty-one.
31 The men of Michmas, one hundred and twenty-two.
32 The men of Bethel and Ai, a hundred twenty-three.
33 The men of the other Nebo, fifty-two.
34 The children of the other Elam, one thousand two hundred fifty-four.
35 The children of Harim, three hundred twenty.
36 The children of Jericho, three hundred forty-five.
37 The children of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred twenty-one.
38 The children of Senaah, three thousand nine hundred thirty.
39 The priests: The children of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred seventy-three.
40 The children of Immer, one thousand fifty-two.
41 The children of Pashhur, one thousand two hundred forty-seven.
42 The children of Harim, one thousand [and] seventeen.
43 The Levites: the children of Jeshua, of Kadmiel, of the children of Hodevah, seventy-four.
44 The singers: the children of Asaph, one hundred forty-eight.
45 The porters: the children of Shallum, the children of Ater, the children of Talmon, the children of Akkub, the children of Hatita, the children of Shobai, one hundred 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 Paseah.
52 The children of Besai, the children of Meunim, the children of Nephushesim,
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 Temah,
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, were three hundred ninety-two.
61 These were those who went up from Tel-melah, Tel Harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer; but they could not show their fathers' houses, nor their seed, whether they were of Israel:
62 The children of Delaiah, the children of Tobiah, the children of Nekoda, six hundred forty-two.
63 Of the priests: the children of Hobaiah, the children of Hakkoz, 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 register [among] those who were reckoned by genealogy, but it was not found: therefore were they deemed polluted and put from the priesthood.
65 The governor said to them, that they should not eat of the most holy things, until there stood up a priest with Urim and Thummim.
66 The whole assembly together was forty-two thousand three hundred sixty,
67 besides their men-servants and their maid-servants, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred thirty-seven: and they had two hundred forty-five singing men and singing women.
68 Their horses were seven hundred thirty-six; their mules, two hundred forty-five;
69 [their] camels, four hundred thirty-five; [their] donkeys, six thousand seven hundred twenty.
70 Some from among the heads of fathers' [houses] gave to the work. The governor gave to the treasury one thousand darics of gold, fifty basins, and five hundred thirty priests' garments.
71 Some of the heads of fathers' [houses] gave into the treasury of the work twenty thousand darics of gold, and two thousand two hundred minas of silver.
72 That which the rest of the people gave was twenty thousand darics of gold, and two thousand minas of silver, and sixty-seven priests' garments.
73 So the priests, and the Levites, and the porters, and the singers, and some of the people, and the Nethinim, and all Israel, lived in their cities. When the seventh month was come, 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,