Berean Standard Bible
Nehemiah 7:4
4Now the city was large and spacious, but there were few people in it, and the houses had not yet been rebuilt.
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
2Then I put my brother Hanani in charge of Jerusalem, along with Hananiah the commander of the fortress, because he was a faithful man who feared God more than most. 3And I told them, “Do not open the gates of Jerusalem until the sun is hot. While the guards are on duty, keep the doors shut and securely fastened. And appoint the residents of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some at their own homes.” Now the city was large and spacious, but there were few people in it, and the houses had not yet been rebuilt. 5Then my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles, the officials, and the people to be enrolled by genealogy. I found the genealogical register of those who had first returned, and I found the following written in it: 6These are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles carried away to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar its king. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town,
Read all of Nehemiah 7Nehemiah 7:4 word by word
וְהָעִ֞יר רַחֲבַ֤ת יָדַ֙יִם֙ וּגְדוֹלָ֔ה וְהָעָ֥ם מְעַ֖ט בְּתוֹכָ֑הּ וְאֵ֥ין בָּתִּ֖ים בְּנוּיִֽם׃Read the interlinear
- Now the cityעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
- was largeגָּדוֹלgâdôl gâdôl · great: largeH1419
- and spaciousרָחָבrâchâb · broad: wideH7342
- and spaciousיָדyâd · hand: spaciousH3027
- but there were fewמְעַטme‛aţ me‛âţ · littleH4592
- peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
- in itתָּ֫וֶךְtâvek · midstH8432
- and the housesבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: homeH1004
- had not yetאַ֫יִן'ayin · nothingH369
- been rebuiltבָּנָהbânâh · to buildH1129
Cross-references for Nehemiah 7:4
- Isaiah 58:12Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins; you will restore the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of the Breach, Restorer of the Streets of Dwelling.
- Haggai 1:4“Is it a time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?”
- Matthew 6:33But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.
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
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
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Commentaries