Nehemiah 7:4

Nehemiah 7:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Now the city was large and great: but the people were few therein, and the houses were not builded.
• New International Version (NIV)Now the city was large and spacious, but there were few people in it, and the houses had not yet been rebuilt.
• English Standard Version (ESV)The city was wide and large, but the people within it were few, and no houses had been rebuilt.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Now the city was large and spacious, but the people in it were few, and the houses were not rebuilt.

Context of Nehemiah 7:4

2I put my brother Hanani, with Hananiah the commander of the fortress, in charge of Jerusalem, for Hananiah was a more faithful and God-fearing man than many [of the others]. 3I said to them, “Do not let the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot; and while the watchmen are still standing guard, have them shut and bar the doors. Appoint guards from the residents of Jerusalem, each at his post [on the wall], and each in front of his own house.” Now the city was spacious and large, but there were few people in it and the houses had not [yet] been built. 5Then my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles, the officials, and the people to be registered by genealogy. Then I found the register of the genealogy of those who came [from Babylon] first, and I found the following record: 6These are the sons (descendants, people) of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had deported [to Babylon]; they returned to Jerusalem and to Judah, each to his city,

Nehemiah 7:4 word by word

וְהָעִ֞יר רַחֲבַ֤ת יָדַ֙יִם֙ וּגְדוֹלָ֔ה וְהָעָ֥ם מְעַ֖ט בְּתוֹכָ֑הּ וְאֵ֥ין בָּתִּ֖ים בְּנוּיִֽם׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Now the cityעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
• largeיָדyâd · hand: spaciousH3027
• largeרָחָבrâchâb · broad: wideH7342
• and greatגָּדוֹלgâdôl gâdôl · great: largeH1419
• but the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
• fewמְעַטme‛aţ me‛âţ · littleH4592
• thereinתָּ֫וֶךְtâvek · midstH8432
• and the housesבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: homeH1004
• not buildedבָּנָהbânâh · to buildH1129

Cross-references for Nehemiah 7:4

• Isaiah 58:12And your people will rebuild the ancient ruins; You will raise up and restore the age-old foundations [of buildings that have been laid waste]; You will be called Repairer of the Breach, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
• Haggai 1:4“Is it time for you yourselves to live in your [expensive] paneled houses while this house [of the Lord] lies in ruins?”
• Matthew 6:33But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of God], and all these things will be given to you also.

Commentaries on Nehemiah 7:4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4The houses were not builded - The city was not yet rebuilt, only a row of houses in the inside of the wall all round.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4The people were few - The number of those who returned with Zerubbabel was no more than 42,360 Nehemiah 7:66. Less than 2,000 people had come with Ezra Ezra 8:1-20.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4-5Most people lived in the countryside near their fields, so Jerusalem's population was small. A registration would likely encourage more people to settle in and near Jerusalem (Nehemiah 7:73).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. Now the city was large and great--The walls being evidently built on the old foundations, the city covered a large extent of surface, as all Oriental towns do, the houses standing apart with gardens and orchards intervening. This extent, in the then state of Jerusalem, was the more observable as the population was comparatively small, and the habitations of the most rude and simple construction--mere wooden sheds or coverings of loose, unmortared…Read the comment

In the dictionaries

• Charge
• Acud
• Addus
• Adin
• Ammidioi; Ammidoi
• Augia
• Baiterus
• Barodis
• Canon of the Old Testament
• Ezra-Nehemiah

Commentaries on Nehemiah 7

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings