Nehemiah 7:4

The List of Returning Exiles

4 Now the city was large and spacious, but there were few people in it, and the houses had not yet been rebuilt. ¹

Nehemiah 7:4 Meaning and Commentary

Nehemiah 7:4

Now the city was large and great
The circumference of it, all within the wall; for that was built on its old foundation, and enclosed as much ground as ever it did: Hecataeus ^F2, an Heathen writer, says the circumference of Jerusalem was fifty furlongs, which was more than six miles; but Josephus ^F3 makes the circuit of it but thirty three furlongs or about six miles:

but the people were few therein;
in comparison of the largeness of the place; for though there were 42,360 that came up at first with Zerubbabel, and many more with Ezra, yet a great number chose to settle in the towns and cities in the country, Jerusalem being in such a desolate condition:

and the houses were not builded;
some were, but they were but few, many of them still lay in ruins.

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FOOTNOTES:

F2 Apud Euseb. Praepar. par. Evangel. l. 9. c. 4. p. 408. & apud Joseph. contr. Apion, l. 1. c. 22.
F3 De Bell. Jud. l. 5. c. 4. sect. 3.

Nehemiah 7:4 In-Context

2 Then I put my brother Hanani in charge of Jerusalem, along with Hananiah the commander of the fortress, because he was a faithful man who feared God more than most.

3 And I told them, “Do not open the gates of Jerusalem until the sun is hot. While the guards are on duty, keep the doors shut and securely fastened. And appoint the residents of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some at their own homes.”

4 Now the city was large and spacious, but there were few people in it, and the houses had not yet been rebuilt.

5 Then my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles, the officials, and the people to be enrolled by genealogy. I found the genealogical register of those who had first returned, and I found the following written in it:

6 These are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles carried away to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar its king. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town,

Cross References

• 1. (Ezra 2:1–67)