Nehemiah 11:25-36

6. Towns occupied in Judah and Benjamin.

TEXT, Nehemiah 11:25-36

25

Now as for the villages with their fields, some of the sons of Judah lived in Kiriath-arba and its towns, in Dibon and its towns, and in Jekabzeel and its villages,

26

and in Jeshua, in Moladah and Beth-pelet,

27

and in Hazar-shual, in Beersheba and its towns,

28

and in Ziklag, in Meconah and in its towns,

29

and in En-rimmon, in Zorah and in Jarmuth,

30

Zanoah, Adullam, and their villages, Lachish and its fields, Azekah and its towns. So they encamped from Beersheba as far as the valley of Hinnom.

31

The sons of Benjamin also lived from Geba onward, at Mich-mash and Aija, at Bethel and its towns,

32

at Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah,

33

Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim,

34

Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat,

35

Lod and Ono, the valley of craftsmen.

36

And from the Levites, some divisions in Judah belonged to Benjamin.

COMMENT

Nehemiah 11:25-30 list the populated towns of Judah, south of Jerusalem. Kiriath-arba is the ancient name for Hebron. Many of these towns are also named in Joshua 15, when Israel was entering the land. The distance from Beersheba to the valley of Hinnom at the edge of Jerusalem, from one extreme to the other, is 50 miles: a little farther than they had occupied previously, in Ezra.

Nehemiah 11:31-35 list the settlements in Benjamin, north of Jerusalem (cf. Joshua 18:21-28).

Nehemiah 11:36 speaks of the necessity of transferring Levites occasionally to serve both areas.

WORD STUDY

LOT (Nehemiah 11:1, Goral; sound like gravel?): a small stone. Sometimes a number of stones, including one or more of an odd color, were shaken in a container and thrown onto the ground, thus deciding matters by chance; or they were shaken together and thrown into a vase, and each person drew one out, seeking for the odd-colored one. Eventually they were made into cubes and the faces numbered to form dice.

SUMMARY

In order to increase the population and strengthen the situation of Jerusalem (where no one seemed to want to live), lots were cast and one tenth of the people were chosen as residents; the others remained in the villages. Names are given of families of the people of Israel, priests, Levites, and gatekeepers of the Temple. Temple servants lived just outside the wall. The Persian king furnished aid for the Levites, and the people had a representative at the Persian court.
A list of settlements, both in Judah and Benjamin, follows; Levites were stationed in both areas.