Click on Add to cart button below shopping cart.

Nehemiah 7:4-73 (ANIV)
The list of the exiles who returned
4 Now the city was large and spacious, but there were few people in it, and the houses had not yet been rebuilt. 5 So my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles, the officials and the common people for registration by families. I found the genealogical record of those who had been the first to return. This is what I found written there:
6 These are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken captive (they returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town, 7 in company with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum and Baanah):

The list of the men of Israel:
8 the descendants of Parosh — 2,172
9 of Shephatiah — 372
10 of Arah — 652
11 of Pahath-Moab (through the line of Jeshua and Joab) — 2,818
12 of Elam — 1,254
13 of Zattu — 845
14 of Zaccai — 760
15 of Binnui — 648
16 of Bebai — 628
17 of Azgad — 2,322
18 of Adonikam — 667
19 of Bigvai — 2,067
20 of Adin — 655
21 of Ater (through Hezekiah) — 98
22 of Hashum — 328
23 of Bezai — 324
24 of Hariph — 112
25 of Gibeon — 95

26 the men of Bethlehem and Netophah — 188
27 of Anathoth — 128
28 of Beth Azmaveth — 42
29 of Kiriath Jearim, Kephirah and Beeroth — 743
30 of Ramah and Geba — 621
31 of Michmash — 122
32 of Bethel and Ai — 123
33 of the other Nebo — 52
34 of the other Elam — 1,254
35 of Harim — 320
36 of Jericho — 345
37 of Lod, Hadid and Ono — 721
38 of Senaah — 3,930

39 The priests:
the descendants of Jedaiah (through the family of Jeshua) — 973
40 of Immer — 1,052
41 of Pashhur — 1,247
42 of Harim — 1,017

43 The Levites:
the descendants of Jeshua (through Kadmiel through the line of Hodaviah) — 74

44 The singers:
the descendants of Asaph — 148

45 The gatekeepers:
the descendants of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita and Shobai — 138

46 The temple servants:
the descendants of Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth,
47 Keros, Sia, Padon,
48 Lebana, Hagaba, Shalmai,
49 Hanan, Giddel, Gahar,
50 Reaiah, Rezin, Nekoda,
51 Gazzam, Uzza, Paseah,
52 Besai, Meunim, Nephussim,
53 Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur,
54 Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha,
55 Barkos, Sisera, Temah,
56 Neziah and Hatipha

57 The descendants of the servants of Solomon:
the descendants of Sotai, Sophereth, Perida,
58 Jaala, Darkon, Giddel,
59 Shephatiah, Hattil, Pokereth-Hazzebaim and Amon

60 The temple servants and the descendants of the servants of Solomon — 392

61 The following came up from the towns of Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon and Immer, but they could not show that their families were descended from Israel:
62 the descendants of Delaiah, Tobiah and Nekoda — 642

63 And from among the priests:
the descendants of Hobaiah, Hakkoz and Barzillai (a man who had married a daughter of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by that name).
64 These searched for their family records, but they could not find them and so were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. 65 The governor, therefore, ordered them not to eat any of the most sacred food until there should be a priest ministering with the Urim and Thummim.

66 The whole company numbered 42,360, 67 besides their 7,337 menservants and maidservants; and they also had 245 men and women singers. 68 There were 736 horses, 245 mules, 69 435 camels and 6,720 donkeys.

70 Some of the heads of the families contributed to the work. The governor gave to the treasury 1,000 drachmas of gold, 50 bowls and 530 garments for priests. 71 Some of the heads of the families gave to the treasury for the work 20,000 drachmas of gold and 2,200 minas of silver. 72 The total given by the rest of the people was 20,000 drachmas of gold, 2,000 minas of silver and 67 garments for priests.
73 The priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers and the temple servants, along with certain of the people and the rest of the Israelites, settled in their own towns. When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns,…

[1]
Or, Hanani, that is…

DRAWING NOTES:

TIME OF DAY:
Unspecified by Bible narrative. Daytime.

LIGHTING NOTES:
The sun (unseen, above & to the left) casts shadows below and to the right of figures and objects.

CHARACTERS PRESENT:
Unnamed Hebrew people returning from exile in Babylon to Jerusalem.

RESEARCH/ADDITIONAL NOTES:
Verse 4 explains what Nehemiah was facing: The people in Jerusalem were few, and the houses were not yet rebuilt. Although the protective walls of the city had just recently been rebuilt, Nehemiah recognised that the population was low and there were many abandoned or derelict houses… which was quite a problem for him! However, verse 5 onwards reveals that Nehemiah knew that God was not finished with him or the Jewish people yet. He the population was low and there were many abandoned houses. He attributed God with stirring Nehemiah’s heart to help Jerusalem grow & prosper. Before that could happen, Nehemiah needed to know how many people were present to bring this prosperity forth, so he took a census and looked at the registry of returning exiles first written by Ezra (see Ezra 2:1-70). This list was important because it showed who among the Jewish people in exile had the pioneering spirit & resolve to return to their broken, occupied homeland & commence the rebuild… no mean feat given that they had been away from Israel for 70 years. These few people were willing to endure hardship and discomfort because they had a call from God that was much more important to them. Although life might seem EASIER in Babylon, these pioneers realised that their lives were BETTER to be in Jerusalem.

Because specific family & individual names are noted in the list above, we can deduce that each person so listed was important to God. Even the generosity of their gifts to support the work were important, since they were specifically listed towards the end of the chapter.

The significance of the wall repair work wasn’t so much in the rebuild itself, although that allowed the people to feel secure & safe in Jerusalem & removed their since of guilt & shame. But even more important was the psychological benefit the building work gave to the Jewish people; it taught them to work together, to work facing stiff opposition, and to work hard to achieve their goals.

Here’s the scene without the figures.

Background of Nehemiah 07 – The list of exiles returning

Click on the colour bar below to view/buy this Background:
Background of Nehemiah 07 – The list of the exiles who returned