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 gave the responsibility of governing Jerusalem to my brother Hanani, along with Hananiah, the commander of the fortress, for he was a faithful man who feared God more than most. 3I said to them, “Do not leave the gates open during the hottest part of the day. And even while the gatekeepers are on duty, have them shut and bar the doors. Appoint the residents of Jerusalem to act as guards, everyone on a regular watch. Some will serve at sentry posts and some in front of their own homes.” At that time the city was large and spacious, but the population was small, and none of the houses had been rebuilt. 5So my God gave me the idea to call together all the nobles and leaders of the city, along with the ordinary citizens, for registration. I had found the genealogical record of those who had first returned to Judah. This is what was written there: 6Here is the list of the Jewish exiles of the provinces who returned from their captivity. King Nebuchadnezzar had deported them to Babylon, but now they returned to Jerusalem and the other towns in Judah where they originally lived.

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 58:12Some of you will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities. Then you will be known as a rebuilder of walls and a restorer of homes.
• Haggai 1:4“Why are you living in luxurious houses while my house lies in ruins?
• Matthew 6:33Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

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