Nehemiah 11 Study Notes

11:1-2 Here the author returns to the Nehemiah Memoir (see “Structure” in the Introduction to Ezra, p. 699) and the narrative about the repopulation of Jerusalem first introduced in 7:4-5. Jerusalem was underpopulated and consisted largely of the leaders (Hb sarim) of the people. There may be some degree of overstatement in the passage since the towns and villages would have needed local leadership as well. The solution to the problem was to have a tenth of the population come to live in Jerusalem, chosen by the casting of lots, a practice common in the OT and even into NT times (Ac 1:26). While this was a burden for those selected, this would not have been the selection of individuals but of families. It is not clear whether the men who volunteered were in addition to those chosen by lot.

11:3-21 This list offers many textual challenges—a common phenomenon with names and numbers. The Septuagint (LXX) reflects a much shorter version of vv. 12-21 than does the Hebrew text. This list is also challenging in that it is clearly related to the list in 1Ch 9:1-17. Both lists (1Ch 9; Neh 11) originated in the postexilic era (1Ch 9:2) and recorded the names of those living in Jerusalem. Both have the same order of presentation: Israelites, priests, Levites, temple servants. Both list many of the same individuals, albeit with slightly different spellings of their names. Yet they differ greatly, with each including material not found in the other, and the 1Ch 9 list is longer. A comparison of this list (Neh 11) with 1Ch 9, along with the census lists of Ezr 2 and Neh 7, suggests that this list must be selective and representative. Its purpose was to demonstrate that a representative cross section of the nation was now living in the holy city.

Descendants of the musicians Asaph and Jeduthun are mentioned, but not of Heman (cp. 1Ch 25:1). This is probably a result of the few Levites who returned from Babylon (Ezr 2:40; 8:15-20).

11:22-24 It is likely that Uzzi son of Bani was a great-grandson of Mattaniah, who is listed first among the Levites (v. 17). The role of the Levites (v. 23) was regulated by the command of the king. While some regard this as a reference to the Persian king, this does not appear likely. The “command of the king” probably refers back to King David’s ordering of temple worship (1Ch 23; 25), an identification supported by the reference to David and the Levites in Neh 12:45-46. Pethahiah son of Meshezabel, mentioned only here (v. 24) in the Bible, served as the king’s agent (Hb leyad hammelek; lit “at the hand of the king”), probably in Judah.

11:25-36 An enigmatic chapter concludes with a puzzling description of the regions of Judah (vv. 25-30) and Benjamin (vv. 31-36). This list of towns and villages is unusual in what it contains as well as in what it omits. Towns that were far beyond the borders of Yehud (Hb for Judah) are mentioned, yet towns referred to in Ezra-Nehemiah are not mentioned, including Bethlehem, Mizpah, Gibeon, and Jericho. In general, the towns listed for Judah were south of Jerusalem, extending all the way into the Negev, while the towns listed for Benjamin were northwest of Jerusalem extending into the Shephelah. While many proposed solutions have been offered for this passage, the most likely is that the list is of those towns that were not destroyed by the Babylonians in the sixth century BC and whose inhabitants remained in the land (Y. Aharoni, The Land of the Bible). This proposal accords well with the archaeological record that shows continuity of settlement in the region of Benjamin during this period.