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 and Hananiah, the commander of the fortress, in charge of Jerusalem. Hananiah was a trustworthy man, and he feared God more than most people do. 3I told them, “The gates of Jerusalem should not be opened at the hottest time of the day. While the ⌞gatekeepers⌟ are still standing there, they should shut the doors and bar them. Order some of the men in Jerusalem to stand guard, some at their posts and others in front of their homes.” The city was large and wide-open. Few people were in it, and no houses were being built. 5Then my God put the idea into my head that I should gather the nobles, leaders, and people so that they could check their genealogy. I found the book with the genealogy of those who came back the first time. I found the following written in it: 6These were the people in the province. They were the ones who left the place where the exiles had been taken captive. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had taken them captive. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah. All of them went to their own cities.

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 58:12Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the foundations of past generations. You will be called the Rebuilder of Broken Walls and the Restorer of Streets Where People Live.
• Haggai 1:4“Is it time for you to live in your paneled houses while this house lies in ruins?
• Matthew 6:33But first, be concerned about his kingdom and what has his approval. Then all these things will be provided for 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

• 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