Nehemiah 7:1-4

TEXT AND VERSE-BY-VERSE COMMENT

G. Nehemiah finds the list of the first exiles to return.
1. Nehemiah makes arrangements for the continued defense and administration of the city.

TEXT, Nehemiah 7:1-4

1

Now it came about when the wall was rebuilt and I had set up the doors, and the gatekeepers and the singers and the Levites were appointed,

2

that I put Hanani my brother, and Hananiah the commander of the fortress, in charge of Jerusalem, for he was a faithful man and feared God more than many.

3

Then I said to them, Do not let the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot, and while they are standing guard, let them shut and bolt the doors. Also appoint guards from the inhabitants of Jerusalem, each at his post, and each in front of his own house.

4

Now the city was large and spacious but the people in it were few and the houses were not built.

COMMENT

The occasion for Nehemiah's activity was probably his anticipated return to his duties in Persia. Since the purpose for which he had come was now completed, he could return things to the hands of the permanent residents.

Nehemiah 7:1 speaks of the appointing of gatekeepers; we seldom read of these in the Bible, but we know they were there. These were times when their work was especially important.

Levites and singers are also mentioned, probably to help man the watchtowers, since the population of the city now consisted of such a disproportionate number of temple personnel.

Nehemiah 7:2 records two personal appointments. Nehemiah's brother, Hanani, who had alerted him to the problem at the book's beginning (Nehemiah 1:2), was one, and Hananiah, a military leader known for his religious profession and consistency, was the other.

Nehemiah 7:3 bespeaks the continued tension in the city; the gates were not to be opened until the citizens were well awake and active, rather than at the first rays of dawn. The doors were not to be shut only, but bolted for security, as in times of active threat. Sentries were to consist of security police and a citizen patrol.

Nehemiah 7:4 is another reminder that the city's greatness in the past far outstripped the present. There was still a need for restoring more of the houses for the residents and for prospective growth.

WORD STUDIES

HANANI and HANANIAH (Nehemiah 7:2): these names are, as you can see, identical except for the ending which means Jehovah on the end of one of them. The base, represented by the first two consonants, means grace, favor, kindness. Add another letter and it becomes bend, bow down, incline; bowing is an act of graciousness. Add a different letter and it becomes, incline, be favorably disposed, be gracious, merciful, compassionate. Nehemiah's brother Hanani's name then comes out, Gracious; the commander's name, (Whom) Jehovah has graciously given,