Nehemiah 11

1 The leaders of the people took up residence in Yerushalayim; while the rest of the people cast lots to bring one-tenth of them to live in Yerushalayim the holy city, with the other nine-tenths in the other cities.

2 The people blessed all those who volunteered to live in Yerushalayim.

3 In the cities of Y'hudah, everyone lived on his own property - the people of Isra'el, the cohanim, the L'vi'im, the temple servants and the descendants of Shlomo's servants. But the leaders of the province lived in Yerushalayim.

4 Some of those living in Yerushalayim were from people of Y'hudah, and others were from people of Binyamin. Those from the people of Y'hudah were: 'Atayah the son of 'Uziyah, the son of Z'kharyah, the son of Amaryah, the son of Sh'fatyah, the son of Mahalal'el, from the descendants of Peretz;

5 and Ma'aseiyah the son of Barukh, the son of Kol-Hozeh, the son of Hazayah, the son of 'Adayah, the son of Yoyariv, the son of Z'kharyah, who belonged to the family of Shelah.

6 The total number of descendants of Peretz living in Yerushalayim was 468 courageous men.

7 These are the people of Binyamin: Salu the son of Meshulam, the son of Yo'ed, the son of P'dayah, the son of Kolayah, the son of Ma'aseiyah, the son of Iti'el, the son of Yesha'yah.

8 After him: Gabai, Salai; 928 in all.

9 Yo'el the son of Zikhri was their overseer, and Y'hudah the son of Hasnu'ah was second in charge of the city.

10 From the cohanim: Y'da'yah the son of Yoyariv, Yakhin,

11 S'rayah the son of Hilkiyah, the son of Meshulam, the son of Tzadok, the son of M'rayot, the son of Achituv, the supervisor of the house of God,

12 and their kinsmen who did the work for the house; in all 822; and 'Adayah the son of Yerocham, the son of P'lalyah, the son of Amtzi, the son of Z'kharyah, the son of Pash'chur, the son of Malkiyah;

13 with his kinsmen, heads of fathers' clans, 242; and 'Amash'sai the son of 'Azar'el, the son of Achzai, the son of Meshillemot, the son of Immer;

14 with his kinsmen, courageous men, 128; their overseer was Zavdi'el the son of HaG'dolim.

15 From the L'vi'im: Sh'ma'yah the son of Hashuv, the son of 'Azrikam, the son of Hashavyah, the son of Buni,

16 and Shabtai and Yozavad, from the leaders of the L'vi'im, who were in charge of external affairs for the house of God;

17 and Matanyah the son of Mikha, the son of Zavdi, the son of Asaf, the leader who began the thanksgiving prayer; and Bakbukyah, the second among his kinsmen; and 'Avda the son of Shamua, the son of Galal, the son of Y'dutun.

18 All the L'vi'im in the holy city numbered 284.

19 The gatekeepers: 'Akuv, Talmon and their kinsmen, who kept watch at the gates, numbered 172.

20 The rest of Isra'el, [the rest of] the cohanim and [the rest of] the L'vi'im were in all the cities of Y'hudah, each on his own property.

21 The temple servants lived in the 'Ofel; Tzicha and Gishpa were in charge of the temple servants.

22 The overseer of the L'vi'im in Yerushalayim was 'Uzi the son of Bani, the son of Hashavyah, the son of Matanyah, the son of Mikha, from the descendants of Asaf the singers; [he was] in charge of the work of the house of God.

23 For they were subject to the king's orders; and there was a fixed schedule for the singers, assigning them their daily duties.

24 P'tachyah the son of Mesheizav'el, from the descendants of Zerach the son of Y'hudah, was the king's deputy in all affairs concerning the people.

25 As for the villages and their surrounding fields: some of the people of Y'hudah lived in Kiryat-Arba and its villages, in Divon and its villages, in Y'kabze'el and its villages,

26 in Yeshua, in Moladah, in Beit-Pelet,

27 in Hatzar-Shu'al and its villages, in Be'er-Sheva and its villages,

28 in Ziklag, in M'khonah and its villages,

29 in 'Ein-Rimmon, in Tzor'ah, in Yarmut,

30 Zanoach, Adulam and their villages, in Lakhish and its surrounding fields, and in 'Azekah and its villages. Thus they occupied the territory from Be'er-Sheva as far as the Hinnom Valley.

31 The people of Binyamin lived from Geva onward, in Mikhmas and 'Ayah, in Beit-El and its villages,

32 and in 'Anatot, Nov, 'Ananyah,

33 Hatzor, Ramah, Gittayim,

34 Hadid, Tzvo'im, N'valat,

35 Lud, Ono and Gei-Harashim.

36 Of the L'vi'im, some divisions from Y'hudah settled in Binyamin.

Nehemiah 11 Commentary

Chapter 11

The distribution of the people.

- 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.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO NEHEMIAH 11

This chapter treats of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, those of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, who settled there by lot, or of their own accord, their names and numbers, Ne 11:1-9, and of the priests and Levites who dwelt there, Ne 11:10-19, and of the rest of the people, priests, and Levites, that dwelt in the other cities and villages of Judah and Benjamin, Ne 11:20-36.