New King James Version
Nehemiah 11:1
1Now 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.
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 Living Translation (NLT)The leaders of the people were living in Jerusalem, the holy city. A tenth of the people from the other towns of Judah and Benjamin were chosen by sacred lots to live there, too, while the rest stayed where they were.
Context of Nehemiah 11:1
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. 2And the people blessed all the men who willingly offered themselves to dwell at Jerusalem. 3These are the heads of the province who dwelt in Jerusalem. (But in the cities of Judah everyone dwelt in his own possession in their cities—Israelites, priests, Levites, Nethinim, and descendants of Solomon’s servants.)
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
People and places in Nehemiah 11:1
Cross-references for Nehemiah 11:1
- Nehemiah 7:4Now the city was large and spacious, but the people in it were few, and the houses were not rebuilt.
- Deuteronomy 17:8“If a matter arises which is too hard for you to judge, between degrees of guilt for bloodshed, between one judgment or another, or between one punishment or another, matters of controversy within your gates, then you shall arise and go up to the place which the Lord your God chooses.
- Psalms 122:5For thrones are set there for judgment, The thrones of the house of David.
- Nehemiah 10:34We cast lots among the priests, the Levites, and the people, for bringing the wood offering into the house of our God, according to our fathers’ houses, at the appointed times year by year, to burn on the altar of the Lord our God as it is written in the Law.
- Joshua 18:10Then Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the Lord, and there Joshua divided the land to the children of Israel according to their divisions.
- 1 Chronicles 26:13And they cast lots for each gate, the small as well as the great, according to their father’s house.
- Proverbs 16:33The lot is cast into the lap, But its every decision is from the Lord.
- Acts 1:24And they prayed and said, “You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen
- Judges 20:9but now this is the thing which we will do to Gibeah: We will go up against it by lot.
- Nehemiah 11:18All the Levites in the holy city were two hundred and eighty-four.
- Isaiah 48:2For they call themselves after the holy city, And lean on the God of Israel; The Lord of hosts is His name:
- Isaiah 52:1Awake, awake! Put on your strength, O Zion; Put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city! For the uncircumcised and the unclean Shall no longer come to you.
- Matthew 4:5Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple,
- Matthew 27:53and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries