EasyEnglish Bible 2018
Nehemiah 7:5
5It was not easy to keep the city safe. Then God put an idea in my mind. I called the leaders, the officers and the other people to meet together. I wanted to check the lists of their families. I found the list of those people who had first returned to Jerusalem.
Nehemiah 7:5 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And my God put into mine heart to gather together the nobles, and the rulers, and the people, that they might be reckoned by genealogy. And I found a register of the genealogy of them which came up at the first, and found written therein,
- New International Version (NIV)So my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles, the officials and the common people for registration by families. I found the genealogical record of those who had been the first to return. This is what I found written there:
- English Standard Version (ESV)Then my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles and the officials and the people to be enrolled by genealogy. And I found the book of the genealogy of those who came up at the first, and I found written in it:
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then my God put it into my heart to gather the nobles, the rulers, and the people, that they might be registered by genealogy. And I found a register of the genealogy of those who had come up in the first return, and found written in it:
Context of Nehemiah 7:5
3I said to them, ‘Do not open Jerusalem's gates until the sun is high in the sky. Shut the gates and lock them while the guards are still there. Choose people who live in Jerusalem to be guards for the city. Some guards must stand at the city's gates. Other guards must stand near their own houses.’ 4Jerusalem was a large city, but not many people lived in it. We had not yet built many houses. It was not easy to keep the city safe. Then God put an idea in my mind. I called the leaders, the officers and the other people to meet together. I wanted to check the lists of their families. I found the list of those people who had first returned to Jerusalem. 6This is the list of the Jews who returned to Jerusalem and the other towns of Judah. King Nebuchadnezzar had taken them away as prisoners to Babylon. Now each of them had returned to live in his own town. 7These people came from Babylon with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum and Baanah. This is a list of the number of men in each Israelite clan who returned:
Read all of Nehemiah 7Nehemiah 7:5 word by word
וַיִּתֵּ֤ן אֱלֹהַי֙ אֶל־לִבִּ֔י וָאֶקְבְּצָ֞ה אֶת־הַחֹרִ֧ים וְאֶת־הַסְּגָנִ֛ים וְאֶת־הָעָ֖ם לְהִתְיַחֵ֑שׂ וָֽאֶמְצָ֗א סֵ֤פֶר הַיַּ֙חַשׂ֙ הָעוֹלִ֣ים בָּרִאשׁוֹנָ֔ה וָאֶמְצָ֖א כָּת֥וּב בּֽוֹ׃ פRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And my Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- putנָתַןnâthan · to give: putH5414
- into mine heartלֵבlêb · heartH3820
- to gather togetherקָבַץqâbats · to gatherH6908
- the noblesחֹרchôr chôr · nobleH2715
- and the rulersסָגָןsâgân · rulerH5461
- and the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
- that they might be reckoned by genealogyיָחַשׂyâchaώ · to enrollH3187
- And I foundמָצָאmâtsâ' · to findH4672
- a registerסֵ֫פֶרsêpher siphrâh · scroll: bookH5612
- of the genealogyיַ֫חַשׂyachaώ · genealogyH3188
- of them which came upעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: riseH5927
- at the firstרִאשׁוֹןri'shôn ri'shôn · firstH7223
- writtenכָּתַבkâthab · to writeH3789
Cross-references for Nehemiah 7:5
- Nehemiah 5:19My God, please remember the many things that I have done to help my people. Please bless me.
- Nehemiah 6:14My God, please remember all the bad things that Tobiah and Sanballat have done. Also remember the prophetess, Noadiah, and the other prophets who have tried to frighten me.
- Ezra 7:27I praise the Lord, the God that our ancestors worshipped. He has caused the king to give honour to him. He made the king decide to make the Lord's temple in Jerusalem very great.
- 1 Corinthians 15:10But God was very kind to me. He helped me to become a different person. And because God has been so kind to me, the result has been great. I have worked more than all the other apostles. But it was not really I myself who could do that work. No, I could do it because God was so kind to me.
- 2 Corinthians 3:5We know that we cannot do this work by ourselves. We never think that. But God makes us able to do it.
- 2 Corinthians 8:16Titus wants to help you just as much as we do. We thank God that he has made Titus ready to do that.
- Philippians 2:12So, my friends, you must continue to obey God. When I was with you, you always obeyed. Now that I am not with you, that is even more important. God has saved you. You must always live in a way which shows that is true. Respect God and obey him. Remember that he is great and powerful.
- Colossians 1:29That is why I work very hard. Christ works powerfully in me to make me strong for this difficult work.
- James 1:16My Christian friends, do not make a mistake.
- Nehemiah 7:64These people could not find any lists to show who their ancestors were. Because of this, they could not serve God as priests.
- 1 Chronicles 9:1All the Israelites' names were included in the lists of their ancestors. Those lists are written in the history book about Israel's kings. The people of Judah had turned away from the Lord. Their enemies took them away to Babylon as their prisoners.
- Ezra 2:62These people tried to find their names in the lists of priests' families. But they could not find anything. So they could not serve as priests.
Commentaries on Nehemiah 7:5
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5God put into mine heart - With this good man every good thing was of God. If he purposed any good, it was because God put it into his heart; if he did any good, it was because the good hand of his God was upon him; if he expected any good, it was because he earnestly prayed God to remember him for good. Thus, in all his ways he acknowledged God, and God directed all his steps.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 5It is argued by some that the entire catalogue which follows Nehemiah 7:7 and Ezra 2:2 are, however, very positive in their support of the usual view; and some of the arguments against it are thought to be met by considering the Nehemiah of Nehemiah 7:7 and Ezra 2:2 a person different from Nehemiah the governor; and “Tirshatha” an official title likely to have belonged to others besides Nehemiah (see the Ezra 2:63 note.)Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 5-73Verses 5-73 Nehemiah knew that the safety of a city, under God, depends more upon the inhabitants than upon its walls. Every good gift and every good work are from above. God gives knowledge, he gives grace; all is of him, and therefore all must be to him. What is done by human prudence, must be ascribed to the direction of Divine Providence. But woe to those who turn back from the Lord, loving this present world! and happy those who dedicate themselves…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. 5-385. my God put into mine heart to gather together the nobles, &c.--The arrangement about to be described, though dictated by mere common prudence, is, in accordance with the pious feelings of Nehemiah, ascribed not to his own prudence or reflection, but to the grace of God prompting and directing him. He resolved to prepare a register of the returned exiles, containing an exact record of the family and ancestral abode of every individual. While thus…Read the comment
Topics related to Nehemiah 7:5
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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