Tyndale Open Study NotesNehemiah 7

• the wall had been rebuilt: The dedication of the wall is described in Nehemiah 12:27–34.

• The Levites typically helped care for the temple area and guarded its gates.

a faithful man who feared God: He showed two leadership traits that Nehemiah and God valued (see also Nehemiah 5:9, 15; Daniel 6:4; Luke 16:10–12; 1 Peter 5:12).

The gatekeepers were meant to close the gates in the afternoon when people rested and were not ready to defend the city. In other texts, similar language describes the hottest part of the day when people go inside (Genesis 18:1; 2 Samuel 4:5).

Most 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).

the exiles...returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town: These lists were incomplete (the individual numbers do not match the total in Nehemiah 7:66), but they were the best records available to verify Jewish identity.

accompanied by: Sheshbazzar (see Ezra 1:8) is not mentioned here and in Ezra 2:2. This suggests both lists were made after the people settled in their towns and after Sheshbazzar died.

the descendants of: This list is similar to the one in Ezra 2:3–35, but there are some differences in names and family sizes. People were listed by family (Nehemiah 7:8–25) and by the town where they settled (7:26–38). Most of these towns were north of Jerusalem.

Nehemiah wanted to ensure that only true priests and Levites served in God's temple.

The descendants of Solomon’s servants likely helped the Levites by carrying wood or sweeping the floor (see Ezra 2:55–58). They might have been Gibeonites (see Joshua 9:23–27; 1 Chronicles 9:35–44) or war captives (see Numbers 31:30–47).

they could not prove that their families were descended from Israel: They had no family records.

Urim and Thummim: See study notes on Exodus 28:30 and Leviticus 8:8.

The total number 42,360 matches Ezra 2:64, but the family numbers add up to only 31,089. The family numbers might not include young children, or the list might be incomplete.

Some family leaders gave gifts, following their ancestors' traditions when building sacred structures (Exodus 25:2–7; 35:4–9; 2 Kings 12:1–21). This money added to gifts from Israelites who remained in Babylon (Ezra 1:6) and from the Persian kings (Ezra 6:8).

This section, possibly from Ezra’s personal memoirs, explains how Ezra’s teaching of God’s law renewed the people's commitment to serve God and follow his instructions. Spiritual revival occurred alongside the civic work of Ezra and Nehemiah.

the Israelites...in their own towns: Each family settled in their ancestral towns throughout Israel, where their ancestors lived before the Exile.