EasyEnglish Bible 2018
Nehemiah 11:1
1The leaders of the Israelite people lived in Jerusalem. The other people threw dice to choose which other families would live there too. From every group of ten families they chose one family to live in Jerusalem, God's special city. The other families would stay in their own towns.
Nehemiah 11:1 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And the rulers of the people dwelt at Jerusalem: the rest of the people also cast lots, to bring one of ten to dwell in Jerusalem the holy city, and nine parts to dwell in other cities.
- New International Version (NIV)Now the leaders of the people settled in Jerusalem. The rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of every ten of them to live in Jerusalem, the holy city, while the remaining nine were to stay in their own towns.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Now the leaders of the people lived in Jerusalem. And the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to live in Jerusalem the holy city, while nine out of ten remained in the other towns.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Now the leaders of the people dwelt at Jerusalem; the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to dwell in Jerusalem, the holy city, and nine-tenths were to dwell in other cities.
Context of Nehemiah 11:1
The leaders of the Israelite people lived in Jerusalem. The other people threw dice to choose which other families would live there too. From every group of ten families they chose one family to live in Jerusalem, God's special city. The other families would stay in their own towns. 2The people asked God to bless all the men who chose to live in Jerusalem. 3These are the leaders of the region of Judah who went to live in Jerusalem. Other Israelites, priests, Levites, temple servants and descendants of King Solomon's servants lived in the other towns of Judah. Each of them lived in their own homes.
Read all of Nehemiah 11Nehemiah 11:1 word by word
וַיֵּשְׁב֥וּ שָׂרֵֽי־הָעָ֖ם בִּירוּשָׁלִָ֑ם וּשְׁאָ֣ר הָ֠עָם הִפִּ֨ילוּ גוֹרָל֜וֹת לְהָבִ֣יא׀ אֶחָ֣ד מִן־הָעֲשָׂרָ֗ה לָשֶׁ֙בֶת֙ בִּֽירוּשָׁלִַ֙ם֙ עִ֣יר הַקֹּ֔דֶשׁ וְתֵ֥שַׁע הַיָּד֖וֹת בֶּעָרִֽים׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And the rulersשַׂרώar · rulerH8269
- of the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
- dweltיָשַׁבyâshab · to dwellH3427
- at Jerusalemיְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵםyerûshâlaim yerûshâlayim · JerusalemH3389
- the restשְׁאָרshe'âr · remnantH7605
- also castנָפַלnâphal · to fall: allotH5307
- lotsגּוֹרָלgôrâl gôrâl · allottedH1486
- to bringבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): bringH935
- oneאֶחָד'echâd · oneH259
- of tenעֶשֶׂר‛eώer ‛ăώârâh · tenH6235
- the holyקֹ֫דֶשׁqôdesh · holinessH6944
- cityעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
- and nineתֵּ֫שַׁעtêsha‛ tish‛âh · nineH8672
- partsיָדyâd · hand: timesH3027
Cross-references for Nehemiah 11:1
- Nehemiah 7:4Jerusalem was a large city, but not many people lived in it. We had not yet built many houses.
- Deuteronomy 17:8It may be difficult for the judges in your towns to decide what is true. This may happen when one person has attacked or killed another person. It may happen when people cannot agree about some land. It may be anything that people in your towns are arguing about. If you do not know who is right, you must take those people to the place that the Lord your God will choose.
- Psalms 122:5Israel's leaders sit there to judge the people. They sit on the thrones of King David's descendants.
- Nehemiah 10:34Each year we will throw dice to decide when different families must bring wood to the temple of our God. The priests, the Levites and the other people must do this. The wood will burn sacrifices on the altar of the Lord our God. We will do this in the way that the Law of the Lord our God teaches.
- Joshua 18:10There at Shiloh, Joshua used lots to see how the Lord wanted to divide the land. He told each of the seven Israelite tribes which part of the land they would receive.
- 1 Chronicles 26:13They used lots to decide which family group would be the guards for each gate of the temple. They chose the jobs for everyone in the same way, important people and ordinary people.
- Proverbs 16:33People throw dice to choose what is right. But it is the Lord who decides the answer.
- Acts 1:24Then the whole group prayed, ‘Lord, you know what everybody is really like. Please show us which man you have chosen.
- Judges 20:9Instead, this is what we will do to the people of Gibeah. We will use lots to decide who should attack the city.
- Nehemiah 11:18284 Levites lived in the holy city, Jerusalem.
- Isaiah 48:2Your people are proud to say that they live in the holy city. They trust in Israel's God, whose name is the Lord Almighty.
- Isaiah 52:1Wake up, Zion! Be ready to show your strength! Jerusalem, God's holy city, Put on your beautiful clothes! Foreign people who do not serve God will not attack your city again.
- Matthew 4:5Then the Devil led Jesus to Jerusalem. He made him stand on the highest part of the temple.
- Matthew 27:53After Jesus became alive again, those people came up out of those places. They went into God's city, Jerusalem. Many people saw them there.
Commentaries on Nehemiah 11:1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1To bring one of ten - Jerusalem certainly had many inhabitants at this time; but not sufficient to preserve the city, which was now encompassed with a wall, and the rebuilding of which was going on fast. Nehemiah therefore obliged one tenth of the country people to come and dwell in it, that the population might be sufficient for the preservation and defense of the city. Ten were set apart, and the lot cast among them to see which one of the ten should…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1To bring one of ten - Artificial enlargements of capitals by forcible transfers of population to them, were not unusual in ancient times. About 500 B.C., Syracuse became a great city in this way. Tradition ascribed the greatness of Rome, in part, to this cause.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1The distribution of the people. --In all ages, men have preferred their own ease and advantage to the public good. Even the professors of religion too commonly seek their own, and not the things of Christ. Few have had such attachment to holy things and holy places, as to renounce pleasure for their sake. Yet surely, our souls should delight to dwell where holy persons and opportunities of spiritual improvement most abound. If we have not this love to the…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-2Sacred lots were likely the Urim and Thummim (Nehemiah 10:34; Joshua 7:14, 16–18; 14:2).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1Ne 11:1, 2. The Rulers, Voluntary Men, and Every Tenth Man Chosen by Lot, Dwell at Jerusalem. 1. the rulers ... dwelt at Jerusalem--That city being the metropolis of the country, it was right and proper that the seat of government should be there. But the exigency of the times required that special measures should be taken to insure the residence of an adequate population for the custody of the buildings and the defense of the city. From the annoyances of…Read the comment
Topics related to Nehemiah 11:1
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Nehemiah 11
- 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
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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