Nehemiah 11

Listen to Nehemiah 11

The Leaders in Jerusalem

1 Now the leaders of the people 1lived in Jerusalem. And the rest of the people 2cast lots to bring one out of ten to live in Jerusalem 3the holy city, while nine out of ten[a] remained in the other towns.
2 And the people blessed all the men 4who willingly offered to live in Jerusalem.
3 5These are the chiefs of the province who lived in Jerusalem; but in the towns of Judah 6everyone lived on his property in their towns: Israel, the priests, the Levites, 7the temple servants, 8and the descendants of Solomon's servants.
4 And in Jerusalem lived certain of the sons of Judah and of the sons of Benjamin. Of the sons of Judah: Athaiah the son of Uzziah, son of Zechariah, son of Amariah, son of Shephatiah, son of Mahalalel, of the sons of 9Perez;
5 and Maaseiah the son of Baruch, son of Col-hozeh, son of Hazaiah, son of Adaiah, son of Joiarib, son of Zechariah, son of the Shilonite.
6 All the sons of Perez who lived in Jerusalem were 468 valiant men.
7 And these are the sons of Benjamin: Sallu the son of Meshullam, son of Joed, son of Pedaiah, son of Kolaiah, son of Maaseiah, son of Ithiel, son of Jeshaiah,
8 and his brothers, men of valor, 928.[b]
9 Joel the son of Zichri was their overseer; and Judah the son of Hassenuah was second over the city.
10 Of the priests: Jedaiah the son of Joiarib, Jachin,
11 Seraiah the son of Hilkiah, son of Meshullam, son of Zadok, son of Meraioth, son of Ahitub, ruler of the house of God,
12 and their brothers who did the work of the house, 822; and Adaiah the son of Jeroham, son of Pelaliah, son of Amzi, son of Zechariah, son of Pashhur, son of Malchijah,
13 and his brothers, heads of fathers' houses, 242; and Amashsai, the son of Azarel, son of Ahzai, son of Meshillemoth, son of Immer,
14 and their brothers, mighty men of valor, 128; their overseer was Zabdiel the son of Haggedolim.
15 And of the Levites: Shemaiah the son of Hasshub, son of Azrikam, son of Hashabiah, son of Bunni;
16 and Shabbethai and 10Jozabad, of the chiefs of the Levites, who were over 11the outside work of the house of God;
17 and 12Mattaniah the son of Mica, son of Zabdi, son of Asaph, who was the leader of the praise,[c] who gave thanks, and Bakbukiah, the second among his brothers; and Abda the son of Shammua, son of Galal, son of Jeduthun.
18 All the Levites in 13the holy city were 284.
19 The gatekeepers, Akkub, Talmon and their brothers, who kept watch at the gates, were 172.
20 And the rest of Israel, and of the priests and the Levites, were in all the towns of Judah, 14every one in his inheritance.
21 15But the temple servants lived on Ophel; and Ziha and Gishpa were over the temple servants.
22 The overseer of the Levites in Jerusalem was Uzzi the son of Bani, son of Hashabiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Mica, of the sons of Asaph, the singers, over the work of the house of God.
23 16For there was a command from the king concerning them, and a fixed provision for the singers, 17as every day required.
24 And Pethahiah the son of Meshezabel, of the sons of Zerah the son of Judah, was at the king's side[d] in all matters concerning the people.

Villages Outside Jerusalem

25 And as for the villages, with their fields, some of the people of Judah lived in 18Kiriath-arba and its villages, and in Dibon and its villages, and in Jekabzeel and its villages,
26 and in Jeshua and in Moladah and Beth-pelet,
27 in Hazar-shual, in Beersheba and its villages,
28 in Ziklag, in Meconah and its villages,
29 in En-rimmon, in Zorah, in Jarmuth,
30 Zanoah, Adullam, and their villages, Lachish and its fields, and Azekah and its villages. So they encamped from Beersheba to 19the Valley of Hinnom.
31 The people of Benjamin also lived from Geba onward, at Michmash, Aija, Bethel and its villages,
32 Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah,
33 Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim,
34 Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat,
35 Lod, and 20Ono, the valley of craftsmen.
36 And certain divisions of the Levites in Judah were assigned to Benjamin.

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.

Cross References 20

  • 1. [1 Chronicles 9:3]
  • 2. Nehemiah 10:34
  • 3. ver. 18; Isaiah 48:2; Isaiah 52:1; Matthew 4:5; Matthew 27:53
  • 4. [Judges 5:9; 2 Chronicles 17:16]
  • 5. For ver. 3-19, see 1 Chronicles 9:2-34
  • 6. ver. 20
  • 7. Ezra 2:43
  • 8. Ezra 2:55
  • 9. [Genesis 38:29]
  • 10. Ezra 8:33
  • 11. 1 Chronicles 26:29
  • 12. Nehemiah 12:8, 24
  • 13. See ver. 1
  • 14. ver. 3
  • 15. Nehemiah 3:26
  • 16. Ezra 6:8, 9; Ezra 7:20
  • 17. Nehemiah 12:47; 2 Chronicles 31:16
  • 18. Joshua 14:15; Joshua 21:11
  • 19. See Joshua 15:8
  • 20. Nehemiah 6:2; 1 Chronicles 8:12

Footnotes 4

  • [a]. Hebrew nine hands
  • [b]. Compare Septuagint; Hebrew Jeshaiah, and after him Gabbai, Sallai, 928
  • [c]. Compare Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew beginning
  • [d]. Hebrew hand

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.

Nehemiah 11 Commentaries

The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.