Nehemiah 11:3-36

3 1These are the chiefs of the province who lived in Jerusalem; but in the towns of Judah 2everyone lived on his property in their towns: Israel, the priests, the Levites, 3the temple servants, 4and the descendants of Solomon's servants.
4 And in Jerusalem lived certain of the sons of Judah and of the sons of Benjamin. Of the sons of Judah: Athaiah the son of Uzziah, son of Zechariah, son of Amariah, son of Shephatiah, son of Mahalalel, of the sons of 5Perez;
5 and Maaseiah the son of Baruch, son of Col-hozeh, son of Hazaiah, son of Adaiah, son of Joiarib, son of Zechariah, son of the Shilonite.
6 All the sons of Perez who lived in Jerusalem were 468 valiant men.
7 And these are the sons of Benjamin: Sallu the son of Meshullam, son of Joed, son of Pedaiah, son of Kolaiah, son of Maaseiah, son of Ithiel, son of Jeshaiah,
8 and his brothers, men of valor, 928.[a]
9 Joel the son of Zichri was their overseer; and Judah the son of Hassenuah was second over the city.
10 Of the priests: Jedaiah the son of Joiarib, Jachin,
11 Seraiah the son of Hilkiah, son of Meshullam, son of Zadok, son of Meraioth, son of Ahitub, ruler of the house of God,
12 and their brothers who did the work of the house, 822; and Adaiah the son of Jeroham, son of Pelaliah, son of Amzi, son of Zechariah, son of Pashhur, son of Malchijah,
13 and his brothers, heads of fathers' houses, 242; and Amashsai, the son of Azarel, son of Ahzai, son of Meshillemoth, son of Immer,
14 and their brothers, mighty men of valor, 128; their overseer was Zabdiel the son of Haggedolim.
15 And of the Levites: Shemaiah the son of Hasshub, son of Azrikam, son of Hashabiah, son of Bunni;
16 and Shabbethai and 6Jozabad, of the chiefs of the Levites, who were over 7the outside work of the house of God;
17 and 8Mattaniah the son of Mica, son of Zabdi, son of Asaph, who was the leader of the praise,[b] who gave thanks, and Bakbukiah, the second among his brothers; and Abda the son of Shammua, son of Galal, son of Jeduthun.
18 All the Levites in 9the holy city were 284.
19 The gatekeepers, Akkub, Talmon and their brothers, who kept watch at the gates, were 172.
20 And the rest of Israel, and of the priests and the Levites, were in all the towns of Judah, 10every one in his inheritance.
21 11But the temple servants lived on Ophel; and Ziha and Gishpa were over the temple servants.
22 The overseer of the Levites in Jerusalem was Uzzi the son of Bani, son of Hashabiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Mica, of the sons of Asaph, the singers, over the work of the house of God.
23 12For there was a command from the king concerning them, and a fixed provision for the singers, 13as every day required.
24 And Pethahiah the son of Meshezabel, of the sons of Zerah the son of Judah, was at the king's side[c] in all matters concerning the people.

Villages Outside Jerusalem

25 And as for the villages, with their fields, some of the people of Judah lived in 14Kiriath-arba and its villages, and in Dibon and its villages, and in Jekabzeel and its villages,
26 and in Jeshua and in Moladah and Beth-pelet,
27 in Hazar-shual, in Beersheba and its villages,
28 in Ziklag, in Meconah and its villages,
29 in En-rimmon, in Zorah, in Jarmuth,
30 Zanoah, Adullam, and their villages, Lachish and its fields, and Azekah and its villages. So they encamped from Beersheba to 15the Valley of Hinnom.
31 The people of Benjamin also lived from Geba onward, at Michmash, Aija, Bethel and its villages,
32 Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah,
33 Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim,
34 Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat,
35 Lod, and 16Ono, the valley of craftsmen.
36 And certain divisions of the Levites in Judah were assigned to Benjamin.

Nehemiah 11:3-36 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO NEHEMIAH 11

This chapter treats of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, those of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, who settled there by lot, or of their own accord, their names and numbers, Ne 11:1-9, and of the priests and Levites who dwelt there, Ne 11:10-19, and of the rest of the people, priests, and Levites, that dwelt in the other cities and villages of Judah and Benjamin, Ne 11:20-36.

Cross References 16

Footnotes 3

  • [a]. Compare Septuagint; Hebrew Jeshaiah, and after him Gabbai, Sallai, 928
  • [b]. Compare Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew beginning
  • [c]. Hebrew hand
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.