Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible
Nehemiah 7:25-38
Those Enrolled By Domicile (Nehemiah 7:25).
We now come to those families who submitted their numbers in terms of domicile. This may simply have been as a consequence of the choice of the particular submitter, or it may have been though custom. Or, indeed, it may have been because it was easier to prove connection with a pre-exilic town than it was to prove family connection. It may be significant that most of the towns are Benjamite towns, whilst the exception, ‘Bethlehem and Netophah', are very close to Benjamite territory. It will be noted that in Ezra 2:21 some submitters spoke of ‘the sons of --' while others spoke of ‘the men of --'. Each was then listed as submitted. Here these descriptions are regularised so that Nehemiah 7:26 (compare Ezra 2:21) are all listed as ‘men of --', with what follows being ‘sons of --'. This suggests again that the list in Nehemiah comes later than that in Ezra. It is difficult to see why the regularised pattern should have become disorganised, but easy to see why someone should seek to regularise the pattern.
It should, however, be pointed out that in what follows most, but not all, of the towns and cities are identifiable. Some therefore see these verses as a mix of domicile and family connection.
‘The sons of Gibeon, ninety five.'
In Ezra 2 these are listed as ‘sons of Gibbar'. Gibbar means ‘hero'. Here they are called ‘sons of Gibeon'. This may have been because of the connection of the sons of Gibbar with the city of Gibeon, in which case this list in Nehemiah appears to transfer them to the list of those enrolled by domicile which now commences. But that that might not be so is indicated by his continued use of ‘sons of' in this verse. However, compare Nehemiah 7:34 where ‘sons of' are connected with the name of cities. Thus Gibeon would may well be an alternative name for Gibbar.
‘The men of Beth-lehem and Netophah, a hundred and eighty eight.'
Ezra 2:21 lists the to towns separately, numbering one hundred and twenty three from Bethlehem, and fifty six from Netophah. There is thus here an increase of nine, due to men reaching adulthood, less deaths, or possibly more arriving with the Azgar party.
Bethlehem (of Judah) was a town nine kilometres (five miles) south of Jerusalem. The name means ‘house of food (bread)'. It was the town in which David was reared, and one of the places in which Samuel offered sacrifices. Depending on how we see Gibeon, this is the first mention of an incoming group in terms of its town. The listing here of the sons of Bethlehem and the men of Netophah as one group may suggest that at the time of this second list one submitter submitted the increase in the number of the two groups as a combined figure, necessitating the conjunction of the two in the list.
Netophah was seemingly also in Judah and was the birthplace of two of David's heroes, Maharai and Heleb (2 Samuel 23:28), and also of Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, one of the captains who came to offer allegiance to Gedaliah (2 Kings 25:23; Jeremiah 40:8). In 1 Chronicles 9:16 "the villages of the Netophathites" are mentioned as the dwellingplaces of certain Levites, whilst in Nehemiah 12:28 they are the dwellingplaces of some of the "sons of the singers." Being placed in the list in Ezra between Bethlehem and Anathoth it would appear to be in the vicinity of Bethlehem, something confirmed by the uniting of the numbers here. The change to ‘the men of --' was possibly the consequence of the description used by the one who submitted the numbers. Others said ‘the sons of --.'
‘The men of Anathoth, a hundred and twenty eight.'
Anathoth was a town which lay between Michmash and Jerusalem (Isaiah 10:30), in the territory of Benjamin, being about three kilometres (two and a quarter miles) north east of Jerusalem. It was assigned to the Levites (Joshua 21:18). It was the native town of Abiathar (1 Kings 2:26), and of the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:1; Jeremiah 11:21 ff, etc.), and it was in the vicinity of Anathoth that Jeremiah bought a field in order to demonstrate that land would once more be bought and sold in Judah (Jeremiah 32:7 ff). Two of David's distinguished soldiers, Abiezer (2 Samuel 23:27) and Jehu (1 Chronicles 12:3), also came from Anathoth. As we gather here, it was again occupied by Benjamites after the return from the Exile (compare Nehemiah 11:32, etc.). It is identified with `Anata, which is currently a small village of some fifteen houses but which contains remains of ancient walls.
‘The men of Beth-azmaveth, forty two.'
In Ezra 2 they are called ‘the sons of Azmaveth', but the name here suggests the name of a town. Azmaveth was the name of one of David's 30 mighty men (2 Samuel 23:31; 1 Chronicles 11:33), and of the father of two warriors who joined David at Ziklag (1 Chronicles 12:3). It was also the name of a descendant of Jonathan, the son of Saul (1 Chronicles 8:36; 1 Chronicles 9:42), and of one who was set over David's treasures (1 Chronicles 27:25). No town of this name is known, but there may well have been such a town, (in those days people were often named after the town with which they were connected).
‘The men of Kiriath-jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred and forty three.
The only difference between this and the reference to it in Ezra 2 is that here we have ‘the men of --' whilst Ezra 2 has ‘sons of'. Indeed as we have seen the list here in Nehemiah regularises all the references in regard to cities in Ezra 2:21 to ‘the men of --'. These three cities (the first as Kiriath-jearim - the city of the forests) were members of the Gibeonite confederacy (Joshua 9:17), and were in Judah/Benjamin (Joshua 15:60; Joshua 18:14; Joshua 18:25; Judges 18:12). Kiriath-jearim was on the border of Judah and Benjamin, and was also known as Kiriath-Baal) (Joshua 18:14). In Joshua 15:9 it was also known as Baalah. It had clearly been a sanctuary of the Canaanite god Baal. It was in Judah, although if we identify it with Kiriath, it was also seen as in Benjamin (Joshua 18:28). It was in Kiriath-jearim that the ark rested for twenty years (1 Samuel 7:1). The prophet Uriah, who was martyred by King Jehoiakim in the days of Jeremiah, was born there (Jeremiah 26:20). The site is as yet unidentified. Chephirah and Beeroth were both in Benjamin (Joshua 18:25).
‘The men of Ramah and Geba, six hundred and twenty one.'
Ezra 2 has ‘sons of'. Ramah (‘the height') was Ramah of Benjamin, near Bethel, in the area of Gibeon and Beeroth (Joshua 18:25). It was here that the Levite and his concubine planned to rest for the night on that tragic occasion (Judges 19:13). Deborah the prophetess lived close by (Judges 4:5). Here Baasha of Israel built a fortress, which Asa of Judah demolished (1 Kings 15:17; 1 Kings 15:21). It was here that Nebuzaradan gathered the people being taken into exile after the fall of Jerusalem, and from which Jeremiah was released (Jeremiah 40:1). Geba (‘a hill') was in Benjamin, eleven kilometres (seven miles) north of Jerusalem. Its modern name is Jeba. It was assigned to the Levites (Joshua 21:17; 1 Chronicles 6:60), and from its slopes Jonathan, with his armour-bearer, revealed himself to the Philistines in a daring attack (1 Samuel 14:1 ff.). It was fortified by King Asa (1 Kings 15:22) as on the northern border of Judah (2 Kings 23:8). From here came some of ‘the sons of the singers' who sang at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 12:29). Both Ramah and Geba are described as occupied by the sons of Benjamin in the time of Nehemiah (Nehemiah 11:31; Nehemiah 11:33).
‘The men of Michmas, a hundred and twenty two.'
Michmas was also known as Michmash. It was a town in the territory of Benjamin, and its settlement by Benjamites after the exile is confirmed in Nehemiah 11:31. It was apparently not of sufficient importance in the time of Joshua to secure mention in the list of cities given in Joshua 18:21 ff. Michmash first appears as occupied, along with the Mount of Bethel, by Saul with 2,000 men, at the time when Jonathan, advancing from Gibeah, smote the Philistine garrison in Geba (1 Samuel 13:2). To avenge this injury, the Philistines came up in force and encamped in Michmash (1 Samuel 13:5; 1 Samuel 13:16), from which they sent out ‘spoilers'. Saul and Jonathan with 600 men meanwhile held Geba, which had been taken from the Philistine garrison (1 Samuel 13:16). During the Assyrian advance on Jerusalem in Isaiah 10:28, they ‘laid up their stores at Michmash, crossed the pass, and spent the night at Geba'. Thus the two sites are fairly close to each other. Michmash is represented by the modern Mukhmas, which is about 12 kilometres (7 miles) North of Jerusalem.
‘The men of Beth-el and Ai, a hundred and twenty three.'
The list in Ezra 2 shows one hundred more. This reduction in numbers here may have been due to an outbreak of pestilence or violence, or it may have been caused by some who were dissatisfied with the situation and returned to Babylon. The ‘hundred' may not have been an exact number. The submitter may well have simply used ‘a hundred' as a round number signifying a fairly large number (a thousand, a hundred and a ten were often used to indicate groups of different sizes regardless of actual number, see Exodus 18:25; Deuteronomy 1:15). This would then be used to alter the number as given in the earlier Ezra list to produce the number in Nehemiah. The settlement of Bethel by the Benjamites is confirmed in Nehemiah 11:31.
Ai was east of Bethel, but close enough for both to be seen from a mid-point (Genesis 12:8). Bethel and Ai were the first two towns that the Israelites encountered when they went up the pass after destroying Jericho. Ai was taken but, while Bethel's army was defeated, Bethel was probably not captured at that time (Joshua 8). Their sites are disputed although we can assess that Bethel (formerly called Luz) was about 19 kilometres (12 miles) north of Jerusalem. Abraham built an altar and offered sacrifices in its vicinity (Genesis 12:8). It was in its vicinity also that Jacob had his dream of the steps leading up to Heaven. It is named as a border town in the lists of both Joseph (Ephraim) and Benjamin (Joshua 16:1; Joshua 18:13), and was possibly initially shared by the two tribes. The Ark rested there for a time in the early days (Judges 20:18), and it was included in Samuel's circuit as judge (1 Samuel 7:16). After the division into Judah and Northern Israel it became an important shrine in Northern Israel, and was roundly criticised by the prophets for its idolatrous associations (1 Kings 12:29 ff; Amos 7:13). It became part of Judah in the days of Josiah (2 Kings 23:15).
‘The men of the other Nebo (or ‘Nebo Acher), fifty two.'
Ezra 2 speaks simply of ‘the sons of Nebo'. This second list names it as Nebo Acher (or ‘the other Nebo'), and refers to ‘the men of --.' This difference in name may suggest that what is found in Nehemiah may have been the submission of a different submitter, who used different terms. The town possibly had the longer name of Nebo Acher to distinguish it from Nebo in Reuben (Numbers 32:3; Numbers 32:38). From its position here it would appear to have been a Benjamite town. It may be represented by Beit Nuba, 19 kilometres (12 miles) northwest of Jerusalem.
‘The sons of the other Elam, one thousand two hundred and fifty four.'
Compare Nehemiah 7:12 for an ‘Elam', and see the note there. That may be why it speaks of ‘the other Elam'. On the other hand Nehemiah 7:33 spoke of ‘the other Nebo' or ‘Nebo Acher', so that Elam Acher may, on the same basis, be the name of a town. Certainly from its position here Elam Acher would appear to be the name of a Benjamite town (a Benjamite of the name is mentioned in 1 Chronicles 8:24), even though at this point the writer has reverted back to ‘the sons of --'. The references to ‘the sons of Jericho' and ‘the sons of Lod, Hadid and Ono' appear to confirm that he is still speaking of domicile.
‘The sons of Harim, three hundred and twenty.'
‘Sons of Harim' are mentioned among those who married idolatrous foreign wives (Ezra 10:31), and we find an Harim among those who sealed Nehemiah's covenant (Nehemiah 10:27), although it may be that it was sealed in the family name. In Nehemiah 3:11 Malchijah, son of Harim, is mentioned as one of the wall-builders. These ‘sons of Harim' may well, however, have been named after their town. Such a town is not mentioned elsewhere, but it may have been a small one.
‘The sons of Jericho, three hundred and forty five.'
This confirms that the writer is still thinking in terms of towns. Jericho was probably named after the god Yarich. It was in the Jordan rift valley in Benjamite territory (Joshua 18:21), at the bottom of the pass that led up to Jerusalem, and was known as ‘the city of the Palm Trees' (Deuteronomy 34:3; 2 Chronicles 28:15). It was the first ‘city' captured by Joshua after crossing the Jordan. Elijah had a school of the prophets there (2 Kings 2:5). The men of Jericho, which was by then only a small town, assisted Nehemiah in the building of the walls of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 3:2).
‘The sons of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred and twenty one.'
In Ezra 2 this description comes after the sons of Jericho, and the ‘sons' number seven hundred and twenty five. The difference is no doubt due to deaths being more than comings of age. Life was very precarious. Ono and Lod with their ‘towns' are said to have been ‘built' (fortified?) by Shemed, a Benjamite (1 Chronicles 8:12). The towns lay in the Shephelah (lowland hills), perhaps in ge ha-charashim, "the valley of craftsmen", and their habitation by Benjamites after the Exile is mentioned in Nehemiah 11:35. As we have seen it was in one of the villages in the plain of Ono that Sanballat and his friends vainly tried to inveigle Nehemiah into a conference in order to do him harm (Nehemiah 6:2). Ono is represented by modern Kefr `Ana, which lies to the Northwest of Lydda. In the New Testament Lod appears as Lydda. Here the apostle Peter visited the saints and healed the palsied Arenas, and from here he was summoned by messengers from Joppa on the death of Dorcas (Acts 9:32 ff).
‘The sons of Senaah, three thousand nine hundred and thirty.'
In Ezra 2 the number was three thousand six hundred and thirty. This suggests that a fairly large party of them accompanied the later arrivals of the sons of Azgad, or came in their own caravan, the increase possibly being of three ‘hundreds' using the non-numerative significance of ‘a hundred'. In Nehemiah 3:3 the name occurs with the definite article, ha-senaah, referring to wall builders. The people may be identical with the Benjamite clan Hassenuah (1 Chronicles 9:7).
Some cavil at the number on the grounds of its size, but it is not so large as to be impossible, if we compare, for example the sons of Pahath-Moab who number two thousand eight hundred and twelve. Archaeology suggests that the Benjamite towns appear to have suffered less at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, and Senaah, probably in the Jordan rift valley (it comes after Jericho), was not in the direct path of his advance. This may help to account for the numbers who had survived and been exiled.