More Genealogical Records – Nehemiah 7

Joy: You’re listening to Season 2 of the Lifting Her Voice podcast.  This is Episode #146 and today we’ll read Nehemiah chapter 7 together.   More genealogical records.  If you were a priest, a Levite, a singer or a gatekeeper, you had to prove it.  

Welcome

Welcome to the Lifting Her Voice podcast, Season 2!  I’m your host, Joy Miller, and I invite you to grab your Bible and join me – from the beginning – simply reading God’s word together.  We built some spiritual muscles in 2020 with just the New Testament.  But this year we’re going all out, cover-to-cover, Old Testament and New.  So, whether with your first cup in the morning, your commute to work, or as the last thing on your mind before sleep, God’s Word will equip you for every good work.  I’m really glad you’re here!

Nehemiah Chapter 7

The Exiles Return

When the wall had been rebuilt and I had the doors installed, the gatekeepers, singers, and Levites were appointed. Then I put my brother Hanani in charge of Jerusalem, along with Hananiah, commander of the fortress, because he was a faithful man who feared God more than most. I said to them, “Do not open the gates of Jerusalem until the sun is hot, and let the doors be shut and securely fastened while the guards are on duty. Station the citizens of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some at their homes.”

The city was large and spacious, but there were few people in it, and no houses had been built yet. Then my God put it into my mind to assemble the nobles, the officials, and the people to be registered by genealogy. I found the genealogical record of those who came back first, and I found the following written in it:

These are the people of the province who went up among the captive exiles deported by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Each of them returned to Jerusalem and Judah, to his own town. They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah.

The Israelite Men

The number of the Israelite men included

Parosh’s descendants | 2,172
Shephatiah’s descendants | 372
Arah’s descendants | 652
Pahath-moab’s descendants:
Jeshua’s and Joab’s descendants | 2,818
Elam’s descendants | 1,254
Zattu’s descendants | 845
Zaccai’s descendants | 760
Binnui’s descendants | 648
Bebai’s descendants | 628
Azgad’s descendants | 2,322
Adonikam’s descendants | 667
Bigvai’s descendants | 2,067
Adin’s descendants | 655
Ater’s descendants: of Hezekiah | 98
Hashum’s descendants | 328
Bezai’s descendants | 324
Hariph’s descendants | 112
Gibeon’sdescendants | 95
Bethlehem’sand Netophah’s men | 188
Anathoth’s men | 128
Beth-azmaveth’s men | 42
Kiriath-jearim’s, Chephirah’s, and Beeroth’s men | 743
Ramah’s and Geba’s men | 621
Michmas’s men | 122
Bethel’s and Ai’s men | 123
the other Nebo’s men | 52
the other Elam’s people | 1,254
Harim’s people | 320
Jericho’s people | 345
Lod’s, Hadid’s, and Ono’s people | 721
Senaah’s people | 3,930.

The Priests

The priests included

Jedaiah’s descendants of the house of Jeshua | 973
Immer’s descendants | 1,052
Pashhur’s descendants | 1,247
Harim’s descendants | 1,017.

The Levites

The Levites included

Jeshua’s descendants: of Kadmiel
Hodevah’s descendants | 74.

The Singers

The singers included

Asaph’s descendants | 148.

The Gatekeepers

The gatekeepers included

Shallum’s descendants, Ater’s descendants,
Talmon’s descendants, Akkub’s descendants,
Hatita’s descendants, Shobai’s descendants | 138.

The Temple Servants

The temple servants included

Ziha’s descendants, Hasupha’s descendants,

Tabbaoth’s descendants, Keros’s descendants,

Sia’s descendants, Padon’s descendants,

Lebanah’s descendants, Hagabah’s descendants,

Shalmai’s descendants, Hanan’s descendants,

Giddel’s descendants, Gahar’s descendants,

Reaiah’s descendants, Rezin’s descendants,

Nekoda’s descendants, Gazzam’s descendants,

Uzza’s descendants, Paseah’s descendants,

Besai’s descendants, Meunim’s descendants,

Nephishesim’s descendants, Bakbuk’s descendants,

Hakupha’s descendants, Harhur’s descendants,

Bazlith’s descendants, Mehida’s descendants,

Harsha’s descendants, Barkos’s descendants,

Sisera’s descendants, Temah’s descendants,

Neziah’s descendants, Hatipha’s descendants.

The descendants of Solomon’s servants included

Sotai’s descendants, Sophereth’s descendants,

Perida’s descendants, Jaala’s descendants,

Darkon’s descendants, Giddel’s descendants,

Shephatiah’s descendants, Hattil’s descendants,

Pochereth-hazzebaim’s descendants, Amon’s descendants.

All the temple servants
and the descendants of Solomon’s servants | 392.

The following are those who came from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer, but were unable to prove that their ancestral families and their lineage were Israelite:

Delaiah’s descendants,
Tobiah’s descendants,
and Nekoda’s descendants | 642

and from the priests: the descendants of Hobaiah, the descendants of Hakkoz, and the descendants of Barzillai — who had taken a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and who bore their name. These searched for their entries in the genealogical records, but they could not be found, so they were disqualified from the priesthood. The governor ordered them not to eat the most holy things until there was a priest who could consult the Urim and Thummim.

The Whole Assembly

The whole combined assembly numbered | 42,360
not including their 7,337 male and female servants,
as well as their 245 male and female singers.
They had 736 horses, 245 mules,
435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.

Some of the family heads contributed to the project. The governor gave 1,000 gold coins, 50 bowls, and 530 priestly garments to the treasury. Some of the family heads gave 20,000 gold coins and 2,200 silver minas to the treasury for the project. The rest of the people gave 20,000 gold coins, 2,000 silver minas, and 67 priestly garments. The priests, Levites, gatekeepers, temple singers, some of the people, temple servants, and all Israel settled in their towns.

Public Reading of the Law

When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns,

Close

Okay, here’s my confession for the day:  I tried to cheat.  I thought, “Hey!  This is exactly like the first chapter of Ezra! Why not just use the same audio file?”  Well, as you probably already know, it’s not the same.  In my defense, I was thinking of my overworked Husband-Editor.  But the difference does beg the question…why is it different?  I mean, Nehemiah says he found the genealogical records.  But we have to remember that these two events happened up to ninety years apart.  No doubt families had grown, corrections to the original could have been made, and there were apparently different modes of counting.  I’ll let you chase that rabbit further.  Let me know what you find out at Lifting Her Voice.com, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

And oh, by the way…I know what you’re thinking…that’s a weird ending to Chapter 7.  It picks up tomorrow right where it left off today.

Thank you for joining me here today.  I pray that by spending time in His Word every day, you will by changed.  Visit me at Lifting Her Voice.com with your comments and questions.  And don’t forget to visit the Blog page while you’re there.  If you like the podcast, it would be great if you’d give it a five-star review and share it with everyone you know.  Don’t forget to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.  See you tomorrow!

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Christian Standard Bible(r), Copyright (c) 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible(r) and CSB(r) are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.