Nehemiah 7:2

2 I commanded to Hanani, my brother, and to Hananiah, the prince of the house of Jerusalem (I put my brother Hanani, and Hananiah, the commander of the stronghold, or the fortress, in charge of Jerusalem); for he seemed a soothfast man, and dreading God more than other men did;

Nehemiah 7:2 Meaning and Commentary

Nehemiah 7:2

That I gave my brother Hanani
Who first brought him the melancholy account of the state of Jerusalem, ( Nehemiah 1:2 Nehemiah 1:3 ) ,

and Hananiah the ruler of the palace;
the king's palace, in which the viceroy of the king of Persia dwelt, and now Nehemiah; to these two men he gave

charge over Jerusalem;
committed it to their care during his absence, who may be supposed now to return to Persia, as he had promised, ( Nehemiah 2:6 ) ,

for he was a faithful man;
this is said of Hananiah, and given as a reason why such a trust was committed to him; Hanani's character was well known, and his journey from Jerusalem to Shushan was a full proof of his hearty concern for the interest of it:

and feared God above many;
Hananiah was exemplary in his fear of God, few were equal to him, and none exceeded him; or of many days, as Jarchi; of a long time he had feared the Lord, and served him many years.

Nehemiah 7:2 In-Context

1 And after that the wall of Jerusalem was builded, and I had set up the gates thereof, and had numbered the porters, and singers, and deacons, (And after that the wall of Jerusalem was rebuilt, and I had put up its gates, or its doors, and had appointed the guards, or the doorkeepers, and the singers, and the Levites,)

2 I commanded to Hanani, my brother, and to Hananiah, the prince of the house of Jerusalem (I put my brother Hanani, and Hananiah, the commander of the stronghold, or the fortress, in charge of Jerusalem); for he seemed a soothfast man, and dreading God more than other men did;

3 and I said to them, The gates of Jerusalem be not opened till to the heat of the sun (and I said to them, Do not let the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the heat of the sun); and, when I was yet present, the gates were closed, and locked. And I set keepers thereof (out) of the dwellers of Jerusalem, all men by their whiles, or times, and each man over against his own house.

4 And the city was full broad and great, and little people in the midst thereof (but there were few people living there), and the houses were not yet builded.

5 And God gave in mine heart, and I gathered together the principal men, and (the) magistrates, and the common people, for to number them; and I found a book of the number[ing] of them, that had gone up first from the captivity. And it was found written therein, (And God put in my heart, to gather together the leaders, and the magistrates, and the common people, to list, or to register, them; and I found a book listing those who had first returned from the captivity. And I found written in it,)