Nehemiah 11

Now the leaders of the people settled in Jerusalem. The rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of every ten of them to live in Jerusalem, the holy city, while the remaining nine were to stay in their own towns. Nehemiah 11:1

This verse tells us that the leaders of the people had settled in Jerusalem. This was obvious from the fact that 150 officials dined regularly at Nehemiah’s table (5:17). [1] Still, the city for the most part was sparsely settled. That posed an imminent danger. Dummelow says, “The city had received fortifications; but these were useless unless they were manned.” [2] It would only be a matter of time until Jerusalem’s deadly enemies would realize that the city was weak and undermanned. In some ways, the city was like a ghost town. Nehemiah desired that the Jerusalem be occupied by holy covenant people who would be intent upon defending her.

In order to solve this urgent population problem, Nehemiah came up with a plan of tithing the people. A tenth of the Israelites would be required to live in Jerusalem and nine tenths would be able to continue living in the rest of the country. This plan showed some genius but it surely worked a great hardship on many settlers who were not especially qualified or gifted for city living. Yet, Kidner says: “This is no rabble of refugees, settling down anywhere: they have the dignity of order and of known relationships; above all, of their calling to be ‘a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Ex. 19:6).’” [3]

Choosing the tithe of people to live in Jerusalem was carried out by casting lots (cf. Num. 26:55-56; 1 Chr. 24:5; 25:8). We talked about this practice earlier in 10:34-36. There had been a long tradition of the high priest casting lots using the sacred Urim and Thummim but that priestly system was lost in the earlier fall of the city. Now the lot was cast between individuals as we see in Proverbs 16:33: “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.”

Barnes notes: “Artificial enlargements of capitals by forcible transfers of population to them, were not unusual in ancient times. About 500 B.C., Syracuse became a great city in this way. Tradition ascribed the greatness of Rome, in part, to this cause.” [4]

“The people commended all who volunteered to live in Jerusalem” ( 11:2). Along with those chosen by lot, there were some loyal souls who volunteered to live in Jerusalem. Obviously, living in the capital city was no easy task.

I think of the twelve years that my wife and I lived in Jerusalem. While it was a glorious holy city and we loved it, the city did present some very real problems. It was crowded with lots of traffic; housing was scarce and terribly expensive; there seemed to always be a rush of the people; and it was a prime target for terrorists.

Since Jerusalem is considerably over two thousand feet in elevation the weather can be a problem too. In the winter there can be snow and even an occasional freeze. This is hard to take while living inside uninsulated stone buildings. The winter rain never seems to come down but is mostly driven sideways by hard winds. There are usually umbrellas turned wrong-side-out and thrown away along the sidewalks. When the winter rainy season comes one might as well count on getting completely soaked at some point. We had to remind ourselves that rain was a blessing.

Probably because of the Temple Mount, there is a certain tenseness felt while living in the city. We always tried to get away from town at least once a month for this reason. Usually, when we started down the hill there was a sigh of relief as the Jerusalem pressure lifted. There is even a well-documented spiritual affliction known as the Jerusalem Syndrome that tends to affect some visitors to the city. Those afflicted may decide they are some prophet from of old or another holy person. Usually, the cure for this illness is to take the person back to their home country.

“These are the provincial leaders who settled in Jerusalem (now some Israelites, priests, Levites, temple servants and descendants of Solomon’s servants lived in the towns of Judah, each on their own property in the various towns, while other people from both Judah and Benjamin lived in Jerusalem):” (11:3-4a). We note here that some of the ministering people like priests and Levites lived in the countryside and probably came into the city for their scheduled times of ministry. Other people, even from the tribe of Benjamin, lived in the city. The tribal area of Benjamin began within the city of Jerusalem and ran northward from there.

Utley says of the temple servants: “This term…in post-exilic texts always has the article and is plural. It designates a temple labor force. The origin of the term may be ‘the given ones,’ referring to those non-Israelites defeated in battle by King David and given to the temple to help the Levites (cf. Ezra 8:20); therefore, they are like ‘Solomon’s servants’ (cf. Ezra 2:58; Neh. 7:60; 11:3).” [5]

The Descendants Of Judah

From the descendants of Judah: Athaiah son of Uzziah, the son of Zechariah, the son of Amariah, the son of Shephatiah, the son of Mahalalel, a descendant of Perez; and Maaseiah son of Baruch, the son of Kol-Hozeh, the son of Hazaiah, the son of Adaiah, the son of Joiarib, the son of Zechariah, a descendant of Shelah. The descendants of Perez who lived in Jerusalem totaled 468 men of standing. Nehemiah 11:4b-6.

Commentators are prone to say that there are only minor differences between this list and the one in 1 Chronicles 9:4-6. However, when we check closely, we find quite a number of differences in the whole list. Utley says that only about half of the names are the same. [6] Some of the differences may involve variations in spelling or pronunciation. Compare Athaiah here with Uthai in Chronicles or Maaseiah here with Asaiah in Chronicles. Kidner notes that Chronicles adds the descendants of Zerah, the twin brother of Perez (Gen. 38:27-30). [7]

The Descendants Of Benjamin

From the descendants of Benjamin: Sallu 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, and his followers, Gabbai and Sallai – 928 men. Joel son of Zikri was their chief officer, and Judah son of Hassenuah was over the New Quarter of the city. Nehemiah 11:7-9

When compared with the list in 1 Chronicles 9:7-9, we find that it is fuller and has a small difference in numbers (956). [8] In the Chronicles list we have Sallu the same, with the addition of Ibneiah, Elah and Meshullam. We have noted here that Joel was the chief officer and Judah was over the New Quarter. It is possible that Joel was an assistant to Hanani, Nehemiah’s brother (cf. Neh. 7:2). [9] It seems that Gabbai and Sallai were followers of Sallu rather than being leaders themselves.

The Priests

From the priests: Jedaiah; the son of Joiarib; Jakin; Seraiah son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, the official in charge of the house of God, and their associates, who carried on work for the temple – 822 men; Adaiah son of Jeroham, the son of Pelaliah, the son of Amzi, the son of Zechariah, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malkijah, and his associates, who were heads of families – 242 men; Amashsai son of Azarel, the son of Ahzai, the son of Meshillemoth, the son of Immer, and his associates, who were men of standing – 128. Their chief officer was Zabdiel son of Haggedolim. Nehemiah 11:10-14

When we compare the priestly list to 1 Chronicles 9:10-13, we note that Jedaiah (Jediah) is the same. So is Jakin and Adiah. Chronicles has Azariah in place of Seraiah. This is a difference in spelling only since both are sons of Hilkiah. 1 Chronicles adds Jehoiarib and deletes Amashsai. Seraiah is listed as being in charge of the house of God. Clarke feels that he had command over the secular matters while the high priest ruled over the spiritual matters. [10]

Nehemiah takes pains to list the lineage of several of these priests. This was a very important thing, especially for the priesthood. Anders says, “They demonstrate a cohesive, core population that was considered ethnically and religiously pure.” [11] Chronicles gives a total list of the priests who were heads of families amounting to 1760. The “men of standing” are seen by Pett as making up a military unit for the defense of the temple and even the city. [12]

The Levites

From the Levites: Shemaiah son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Bunni; Shabbethai and Jozabad, two of the heads of the Levites, who had charge of the outside work of the house of God; Mattaniah son of Mika, the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph, the director who led in thanksgiving and prayer; Bakbukiah, second among his associates; and son of Shammua, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun. The Levites in the holy city totaled 284. Nehemiah 11:15-18

Let us look at 1 Chronicles 9:14-16 and make some comparisons. Shemaiah is listed first but Shabbethai and Jozabad are not listed. Mattaniah is listed and Bakbukiah might be Bakbukkar in Chronicles. The 1 Chronicles list also shows Heresh, Galal and Obadiah among the Levite leaders. When we are dealing with complicated lists that are thousands of years old we can understand how Bible translators may have various ideas as to the meaning of the original.

We see here that Mattaniah who had an Asaph in his family line led out in the praises. Clark calls him “The precentor, pitcher of the tune, or master-singer.” [13] It is thought by some commentators that Bakbukiah was the assistant to Mattaniah. I believe that God still has some Levite types in our congregations. These people with their heavenly gifts of music make us want to stand up and sing God’s praises.

The Levites in the Holy City totaled 284. However, it is thought that many Levites lived outside of the city (cf. Neh. 11:3, 20). [14]

The Gatekeepers

The gatekeepers: Akkub, Talmon and their associates, who kept watch at the gates – 172 men. Nehemiah 11:19

Only two gatekeepers are named here but we are told that they had associates. We see two of these, Shallum and Ahiman named in 1 Chronicles 9:17. Pett comments: “In some ways the title gate-keepers gives a wrong impression. These men did not just watch the gates. They held a position of trust and had responsibility for the treasury and the chambers in the Temple (1 Chronicles 9:26), as well as the furniture and worship accessories (fine flour, wine, oil, frankincense and spices – 1 Chronicles 9:29). They had overall responsibility for the security of the Temple area.” [15]

The Bible gives us much more information on gatekeepers in 1 Chronicles 9:17-29. Although we are not told that gatekeepers were Levites, they are listed as such in 1 Chronicles 9:23-26; 26:1-19. Some of these had part-time residence in Jerusalem (1 Chr. 9:22, 25).

The Rest Of The People

The rest of the Israelites, with the priests and Levites, were in all the towns of Judah, each on their ancestral property. Nehemiah 11:20

This verse is almost a repetition of Nehemiah 11:3. Utley says about the Levites: “Originally the tribe of Levi did not inherit land. The Lord Himself was their inheritance (cf. Num. 18:20, 24; Deut. 10:9; 18:1-2; Jos. 13:14, 33). The Levites asked Joshua for houses in certain special cities called ‘Levitical cities’ (cf. Joshua 21) along with a small part of the surrounding pastureland. In this way, they could grow vegetable gardens or raise an animal.” [16]

“The temple servants lived on the hill of Ophel, and Ziha and Gishpa were in charge of them” (11:21). As we have mentioned earlier, the temple servants were originally prisoners of war who did menial tasks relating to the temple. By this time they were fully integrated into Israel. They lived on the hill Ophel which was near the temple on the southeast side. They were also near the spring of Gihon so they could have quick access to the water supply.

“The chief officer of the Levites in Jerusalem was Uzzi son of Bani, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Mika. Uzzi was one of Asaph’s descendants, who were the musicians responsible for the service of the house of God. The musicians were under the king’s orders, which regulated their daily activity” (11:22-23). Coffman mentions how the Persian king favored the Levities. He gave them a regular payment and exempted them from customs and taxes (Ezra 7:24). It is likely that the king was aware of the general corruption of the priesthood and thus he favored the Levites. [17]

Uzzi and his associates were under the orders of the king. There may not have been another time in history when the worship of God was under the king’s orders. It seems that many kings and political leaders have often been opposed to the Lord’s worship and have even resisted it.

“Pethahiah son of Meshezabel, one of the descendants of Zerah son of Judah, was the king’s agent in all affairs relating to the people” (11:24). Pethahiah was the king’s governmental representative in all affairs related to the Jewish people. He was himself of Jewish descent so he was well aware of all the nation’s concerns. He was likely a representative of the Jewish people in the Persian court as well. [18]

“As for the villages with their fields, some of the people of Judah lived in Kiriath Arba and its surrounding settlements, in Dibon and its settlements, in Jekabzeel and its villages, in Jeshua, in Moladah, in Beth Pelet, in Hazar Shual, in Beersheba and its settlements, (11:25-27). Kiriath Arba was the ancient name for Hebron (Gen. 23:2; Josh. 14:15). It was originally named for one of the giants. It is interesting that the newer Israeli settlement founded in 1968 on the outskirts of Hebron is called by this ancient name, Kiryat Arba. Kidner thinks that Jewish settlement in Kiriath Arba was certainly beyond their allotted area of Yehud (Judah) and was likely in the area of Idumea. [19] This would have then fallen in the area of Geshem the Arab. It may illustrate that the Jews were free to settle anywhere in the Persian Empire.

Beersheba is a city on the edge of Israel’s great desert wilderness. It is about 20 miles (32 km.) south of Jerusalem. Kidner thinks it was almost certainly in the area of Idumea. [20] Today the modern Israeli city of Be’er Sheva is referred to as the “capital of the Negev,” and boasts a population approaching a quarter of a million people.

“in Ziklag, in Mekonah and its settlements, in En Rimmon, in Zorah, in Jarmuth, Zanoah, Adullam and their villages, in Lachish and its fields, and in Azekah and its settlements. So they were living all the way from Beersheba to the Valley of Hinnom” (11:28-30). We probably remember that Ziklag was the city where David and his men dwelt when they were in the territory of the Philistines. While David and his men were away the Amalekites captured and burned the city. They then carried off all the plunder including David’s two wives. Although he and his men were extremely tired and fatigued, they pursued the Amalekites, defeated them and recovered everything and everyone. This account is told to us in 1 Samuel 30:1-31.

Lachish was a major biblical city (cf. Josh.12:3-16; 2 Chron. 11:9). Today it exists only as a tel or archaeological site. It is located in the Shephelah, or the hills and valleys leading up to Israel’s highlands.

“The descendants of the Benjamites from Geba lived in Mikmash, Aija, Bethel and its settlements, in Anathoth, Nob and Ananiah, in Hazor, Ramah and Gittaim, in Hadid, Zeboim and Neballat, in Lod and Ono, and in Ge Harashim. Some of the divisions of the Levites of Judah settled in Benjamin” (11:31-36). Now Nehemiah describes the settlement of the Benjamites. Mikmash, in the hills northeast of Jerusalem, was the site where Jonathan and his armor-bearer routed a very large Philistine force and brought about a great victory for Israel (1 Sam. 14:1ff). Bethel, of course was an important city where Father Abraham first pitched his tent (Gen. 12:8). It was the place where Jacob saw the vision of a ladder to heaven (Gen. 28:12). Unfortunately, it was also the place where Jeroboam set up a golden calf (1 Ki. 12:29).

Anathoth was the home of the prophet Jeremiah. Hazor was not the same as the important site in the upper Galilee but was a different one. Ramah was the home of the prophet Samuel (1 Sam. 7:17). Lod nearer the coast is today the area of Ben Gurion Airport. So most tourists to Israel start off in the area of Lod. All this tells us that the exiles from Babylon had settled over a rather large area of what was ancient Israel.

Footnotes

1. Anders, g. ed. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Holman Old Testament Commentary, p. 254.

2. Dummelow, Commentary on Nehemiah, John Dummelow’s Commentary on the Bible, vs. 11:1-36.

3. Kidner, Ezra & Nehemiah, p. 117.

4. Barnes, Commentary on Nehemiah, Barnes’ Notes on the Whole Bible, v. 11:1.

5. Utley, Bible Lessons International, Nehemiah, v. 11:3.

6. Ibid.

7. Kidner, Ezra & Nehemiah, p. 118.

8. Ibid.

9. Utley, Bible Lessons International, Nehemiah, v. 11:9.

10. Clarke, Commentary on Nehemiah, The Adam Clarke Commentary, v. 11:11.

11. Anders, g. ed. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Holman Old Testament Commentary, p. 254.

12. Pett, Commentary on Nehemiah, Peter Pett’s Commentary on the Bible, v. 11:14.

13. Clarke, Commentary on Nehemiah, The Adam Clarke Commentary, v. 11:17.

14. Utley, Bible Lessons International, Nehemiah, v. 11:18.

15. Pett, Commentary on Nehemiah, Peter Pett’s Commentary on the Bible, vs. 11:19-20.

16. Utley, Bible Lessons International, Nehemiah, v. 11:20.

17. Coffman, Commentary on Nehemiah, Coffman Commentaries on the Bible, v. 11:22.

18. Guthrie, et. al., The New Bible Commentary, p. 409.

19. Kidner, Ezra & Nehemiah, pp.120-121.

20. Ibid.