Nehemiah11
New King James Version
1Now the leaders of the people dwelt at Jerusalem; the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to dwell in Jerusalem, the holy city, and nine-tenths were to dwell in other cities.
2And the people blessed all the men who willingly offered themselves to dwell at Jerusalem.
3These are the heads of the province who dwelt in Jerusalem. (But in the cities of Judah everyone dwelt in his own possession in their cities—Israelites, priests, Levites, Nethinim, and descendants of Solomon’s servants.)
4Also in Jerusalem dwelt some of the children of Judah and of the children of Benjamin. The children of Judah: Athaiah the son of Uzziah, the son of Zechariah, the son of Amariah, the son of Shephatiah, the son of Mahalalel, of the children of Perez;
5and Maaseiah the son of Baruch, the son of Col-Hozeh, the son of Hazaiah, the son of Adaiah, the son of Joiarib, the son of Zechariah, the son of Shiloni.
6All the sons of Perez who dwelt at Jerusalem were four hundred and sixty-eight valiant men.
7And these are the sons of Benjamin: Sallu the son of Meshullam, the son of Joed, the son of Pedaiah, the son of Kolaiah, the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ithiel, the son of Jeshaiah;
8and after him Gabbai and Sallai, nine hundred and twenty-eight.
9Joel the son of Zichri was their overseer, and Judah the son of Senuah was second over the city.
10Of the priests: Jedaiah the son of Joiarib, and Jachin;
11Seraiah the son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, was the leader of the house of God.
12Their brethren who did the work of the house were eight hundred and twenty-two; and Adaiah the son of Jeroham, the son of Pelaliah, the son of Amzi, the son of Zechariah, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malchijah,
13and his brethren, heads of the fathers’ houses, were two hundred and forty-two; and Amashai the son of Azarel, the son of Ahzai, the son of Meshillemoth, the son of Immer,
14and their brethren, mighty men of valor, were one hundred and twenty-eight. Their overseer was Zabdiel the son of one of the great men.
15Also of the Levites: Shemaiah the son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Bunni;
16Shabbethai and Jozabad, of the heads of the Levites, had the oversight of the business outside of the house of God;
17Mattaniah the son of Micha, the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph, the leader who began the thanksgiving with prayer; Bakbukiah, the second among his brethren; and Abda the son of Shammua, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun.
18All the Levites in the holy city were two hundred and eighty-four.
19Moreover the gatekeepers, Akkub, Talmon, and their brethren who kept the gates, were one hundred and seventy-two.
20And the rest of Israel, of the priests and Levites, were in all the cities of Judah, everyone in his inheritance.
21But the Nethinim dwelt in Ophel. And Ziha and Gishpa were over the Nethinim.
22Also the overseer of the Levites at Jerusalem was Uzzi the son of Bani, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micha, of the sons of Asaph, the singers in charge of the service of the house of God.
23For it was the king’s command concerning them that a certain portion should be for the singers, a quota day by day.
24Pethahiah the son of Meshezabel, of the children of Zerah the son of Judah, was the king’s deputy in all matters concerning the people.
25And as for the villages with their fields, some of the children of Judah dwelt in Kirjath Arba and its villages, Dibon and its villages, Jekabzeel and its villages;
26in Jeshua, Moladah, Beth Pelet,
27Hazar Shual, and Beersheba and its villages;
28in Ziklag and Meconah and its villages;
29in En Rimmon, Zorah, Jarmuth,
30Zanoah, Adullam, and their villages; in Lachish and its fields; in Azekah and its villages. They dwelt from Beersheba to the Valley of Hinnom.
31Also the children of Benjamin from Geba dwelt in Michmash, Aija, and Bethel, and their villages;
32in Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah;
33in Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim;
34in Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat;
35in Lod, Ono, and the Valley of Craftsmen.
36Some of the Judean divisions of Levites were in Benjamin.
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Nehemiah 11.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: The distribution of the people. (1-36).
vv1-36
In all ages, men have preferred their own ease and advantage to the public good. Even the professors of religion too commonly seek their own, and not the things of Christ. Few have had such attachment to holy things and holy places, as to renounce pleasure for their sake. Yet surely, our souls should delight to dwell where holy persons and opportunities of spiritual improvement most abound. If we have not this love to the city of our God, and to every thing that assists our communion with the Saviour, how shall we be willing to depart hence; to be absent from the body, that we may be present with the Lord? To the carnal-minded, the perfect holiness of the New Jerusalem would be still harder to bear than the holiness of God's church on earth. Let us seek first the favour of God, and his glory; let us study to be patient, contented, and useful in our several stations, and wait, with cheerful hope, for admission into the holy city of God.
Key Words
שַׂר: a head person (of any rank or class)
עַם: a people (as a congregated unit); specifically, a tribe (as those of Israel); hence (collectively) troops or attendants; figuratively, a flock
יָשַׁב: properly, to sit down (specifically as judge. in ambush, in quiet); by implication, to dwell, to remain; causatively, to settle, to marry
יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם: Jerushalaim or Jerushalem, the capital city of Palestine
שְׁאָר: a remainder
נָפַל: to fall, in a great variety of applications (intransitive or causative, literal or figurative)
גּוֹרָל: properly, a pebble, i.e. a lot (small stones being used for that purpose); figuratively, a portion or destiny (as if determined by lot)
בּוֹא: to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)
אֶחָד: properly, united, i.e. one; or (as an ordinal) first
מִן: properly, a part of; hence (prepositionally), from or out of in many senses
Cross References
Nehemiah 11Direct parallel list of the first post-exilic settlers from Judah and Benjamin in Jerusalem.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Parallel designation of the ruler of the house of God under the high priest's administration.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Identifies the outward business of the Levites, managing external duties and administrative collection.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Illustrates the practice of using lots to decide difficult and critical civic distributions.
Supported by JFB
Identifies Jerusalem by its formal biblical title: the holy city.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Parallel list identifying the specific priestly families (Jedaiah, Joiarib, Jachin) who settled in Jerusalem.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Provides the Pentateuchal precedent of chief priests acting as rulers over the house of God.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
New Testament usage of the term 'the holy city' in reference to Jerusalem.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Echoes the blessing given to leaders and citizens who willingly offered themselves for service.
Supported by JFB
Details the hierarchy of rulers and officers established over the house of the Lord.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Corroborates Ophel as the specific residential quarter of the temple-serving Nethinim.
Supported by JFB
Confirms the pattern of priests, Levites, and Nethinim residing in their own ancestral cities.
Supported by JFB
Parallels the Levitical lineage of Mattaniah, son of Micah, descendant of Asaph.
Supported by JFB
Parallels the identity of Abda (Obadiah) and the descendants of Jeduthun.
Supported by JFB
Identifies the Shilonites as descendants of Perez who dwelt in Jerusalem.
Supported by JFB