The doors are set up, gatekeepers and singers and Levites appointed; the city is wide and large, the people few. God puts it into Nehemiah's heart to number the people — and he finds the register of those who came up at the first with Zerubbabel: family by family, town by town, priests and Levites, singers, gatekeepers, Nethinim, and those who could not show their fathers' houses — the whole congregation, forty-two thousand three hundred sixty, besides their servants; and the heads of houses give freely to the treasury of the work.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
Now it came to pass, when the wall was built, and I had set up the doors, and the porters and the singers and the Levites were appointed,
verse value 3834
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 57 letters. Verse gematria: 3834 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "and·it·came·to·pass" (וַיְהִ֗י, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·the·singers" (וְהַמְשֹׁרְרִ֖ים, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "was·built" (נִבְנְתָה֙). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "as·that" (root אשר, 66x in Nehemiah); "and·it·came·to·pass" (root היה, 48x in Nehemiah); "and·the·Levites" (root לוי, 45x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root פקד ("and·were·appointed") in Nehemiah. First appearance of the root שוער ("the·porters") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·doors', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיְהִ֗י [and·it·came·to·pass] (31) + כַּאֲשֶׁ֤ר [as·that] (521) + נִבְנְתָה֙ [was·built] (507) + הַחוֹמָ֔ה [the·wall] (64) + וָאַעֲמִ֖יד [and·I·set·up] (131) + הַדְּלָת֑וֹת [the·doors] (845) + וַיִּפָּ֥קְד֛וּ [and·were·appointed] (206) + הַשּׁוֹעֲרִ֥ים [the·porters] (631) + וְהַמְשֹׁרְרִ֖ים [and·the·singers] (801) + וְהַלְוִיִּֽם [and·the·Levites] (97) = 3834.
Rashi
were appointed The Levites were now made appointees over their stations to be gatekeepers and singers in the Temple.
Ralbag
'Now it came to pass, when the wall was built' — this extends to the end of the book. 'And the porters... were appointed,' etc. — meaning, that there he placed the Levites in their assigned duties, some of them as gatekeepers and some of them as singers.
Metzudat David
'Were appointed' — they appointed the porters and the singers, each man to his own task. 'And the Levites' — these are the ones in charge of the treasuries of the House of Hashem and the like.
Metzudat Zion
'were appointed' — from the language of an appointed officer (pakid) and a treasurer (gizbar).
Malbim
'And ... were appointed' — for until now the Levites had been occupied with building the wall, and now they were appointed to their posts.
that I gave my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the governor of the castle, charge over Jerusalem; for he was a faithful man, and feared God above many.
verse value 4399
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 66 letters. The shortest word is "governor·of" (שַׂ֥ר, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·Hananiah" (וְאֶת־חֲנַנְיָ֛ה, 8 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "and·I·commanded" (וָאֲצַוֶּ֞ה), "Hanani" (אֶת־חֲנָ֣נִי), "and·Hananiah" (וְאֶת־חֲנַנְיָ֛ה). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "God" (root אלהים, 62x in Nehemiah); "like·man" (root איש, 44x in Nehemiah); "over·Jerusalem" (root ירושלם, 38x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root אמת ("truth") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'over·Jerusalem', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 6 words. Full calculation: וָאֲצַוֶּ֞ה [and·I·commanded] (108) + אֶת־חֲנָ֣נִי [Hanani] (519) + אָחִ֗י [my·brother] (19) + וְאֶת־חֲנַנְיָ֛ה [and·Hananiah] (530) + שַׂ֥ר [governor·of] (500) + הַבִּירָ֖ה [the·castle] (222) + עַל־יְרוּשָׁלִָ֑ם [over·Jerusalem] (686) + כִּי־הוּא֙ [for·he] (42) + כְּאִ֣ישׁ [like·man] (331) + אֱמֶ֔ת [truth] (441) + וְיָרֵ֥א [and·feared] (217) + אֶת־הָאֱלֹהִ֖ים [God] (492) + מֵרַבִּֽים [from·many] (292) = 4399.
Rashi
over Jerusalem to guard the gates of Jerusalem. for a long time Heb. מֵרַבִּים, lit. from many; from many days.
Ibn Ezra
‘For he was a faithful man’ [ke-ish emet, lit. ‘like a man of truth’] — the letter kaf here indicates the certainty of the matter, [affirming] that he truly was such a man.
Ralbag
'That I gave my brother Hanani, and Hananiah... charge,' etc. — meaning, that they were to be the gatekeepers, to open and to close [the gates]; for this Hananiah was a man of truth, and he feared God more than many people, and therefore I trusted him to place this task in his hands, together with my brother.
Metzudat David
'That I gave [charge], etc.' — over Jerusalem, meaning, to be placed in charge of guarding the city. 'For he was' — for Hananiah appeared to be a man of truth, who had feared Hashem for many days.
Malbim
'And feared God above many' — as they said, 'Would that the fear of Heaven be upon you like the fear of flesh and blood.' Most people fear the many, and refrain from acting against their will even when it is a matter of God's word. Here, however, an officer was needed who would fear no man, for since many officials were allied with Tobiah, as noted above, he chose Hanani, who would not fear them.
And I said to them: ‘Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot; and while they stand on guard, let them shut the doors, and you bar them; and let watches be appointed of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, every one in his watch, and every one to be over against his house.’
verse value 8038
Insights
Verse structure: 24 words, 105 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "Jerusalem" (יְרוּשָׁלִַ֙ם֙, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 586: Jerusalem, Jerusalem. 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "be·opened" (יִפָּֽתְח֞וּ), "until·hot" (עַד־חֹ֣ם), "the·sun" (הַשֶּׁ֔מֶשׁ). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 19 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·them" (root הם, 67x in Nehemiah); "and·I·said" (root אמר, 66x in Nehemiah); "his·house" (root בית, 60x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root משמרת ("watches") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·bar', dividing the verse into phrases of 15 and 9 words.
Rashi
until the sun becomes hot until midday, for the day was long. and they shall stand until And as long as the doors are open, they shall stand; they shall not move until the doors are locked shut, and whoever wishes to leave may leave the city, and whoever wishes to enter may come and enter. They did all this because of the enemies. and hold them They should hold the doors to lock them. watches among the inhabitants of Jerusalem of the inhabitants of Jerusalem station watches, jetes in Old French, (groups of) watchmen.
Ibn Ezra
‘And while they stand on guard, let them shut the doors, and you bar them’ — Scripture in our language sometimes addresses a person present as though speaking of one who is absent, as in: ‘Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth’ (Song of Songs 1:2). ‘And while they stand on guard’ — an allusion to Hanani and Hananiah. The meaning is: while they stand at the gates, he instructed them to shut the gates — ‘close the doors’ before them; and he said to them, ‘you shall secure the doors with bars.’ ‘Let them shut’ — Targum renders ‘and you shall close the door’ as ‘ve-tagifin dasha.’ ‘And let...be appointed’ — this is the infinitive form.
Ralbag
'And I said to them: Let not [the gates of Jerusalem] be opened' — the gates of Jerusalem (in the morning) until the sun grows hot, because of fear of the enemies; and while the men were still standing [at their posts], before they lay down to rest, they would shut the doors and fasten them with the bars. And at night, these two [i.e., Hanani and Hananiah] would establish the watches of the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 'Every one in his watch' — as if to say: such-and-such men would guard, on a given night, those approaches that lay opposite their own house, and so throughout the entire city.
Metzudat David
'Until the sun is hot' — until the sun grows hot to its fullest heat, which is at midday. 'And while they stand [on guard]' — and while the appointed officers are standing [at their posts], they shall shut the doors, and afterward the officers shall go home. 'And you bar them [va'achazu]' — hold fast to this appointed duty, and be careful about it. 'And let [watches] be appointed' — they stationed guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 'Every one in his watch' — each man would stand guard at the gates of the city when the time of his fixed watch arrived; and besides this, each one would also guard opposite his own house.
Metzudat Zion
'let them shut' — meaning, let them close [the doors], as in 'and you shall shut the door' (II Kings 4); Targum Yonatan renders it 'vetigifun.'
Malbim
'Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened' — so that enemies plotting harm should not enter there. 'And while they stand on guard, let them shut the doors' — the gates were doubled: the large gate was on the outside, and within it was another gate with small doors set into it through which individuals could enter. He commanded that even when the gates were opened, the guard should hold the doors in his hand and keep them shut, not open, so that he could see every man who entered and could prevent anyone from entering except by permission. 'And let watches be appointed' — he also commanded that the watches guarding the city be stationed each man at his own post, so that no one would switch from one post to another, for that would make the guarding improper. And whoever had a house was to stand guard opposite his own house.
Now the city was wide and large; but the people were few in it, and the houses were not built.
verse value 2313
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 43 letters. The shortest word is "few" (מְעַ֖ט, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·the·city" (וְהָעִ֞יר, 5 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "and·the·city" (וְהָעִ֞יר), "wide·of" (רַחֲבַ֤ת), "hands" (יָדַ֙יִם֙). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "houses" (root בית, 60x in Nehemiah); "and·the·people" (root עם, 47x in Nehemiah); "hands" (root יד, 39x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·its·midst', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְהָעִ֞יר [and·the·city] (291) + רַחֲבַ֤ת [wide·of] (610) + יָדַ֙יִם֙ [hands] (64) + וּגְדֹלָ֔ה [and·large] (48) + וְהָעָ֥ם [and·the·people] (121) + מְעַ֖ט [few] (119) + בְּתוֹכָ֑הּ [in·its·midst] (433) + וְאֵ֥ין [and·there·were·no] (67) + בָּתִּ֖ים [houses] (452) + בְּנוּיִֽם [built] (108) = 2313.
Rashi
a wide place Heb. רַחֲבַת יָדַיִם, a wide and large place.
Ralbag
'Now the city was wide and large; but the people were few in it, and the houses were not built' — the city was spacious and large, but the people in it were few, and there were no houses built there [sufficient] to bring in many people. Nehemiah was therefore roused to bring it about that many would settle there and build houses within it. For this reason he made an effort to find out who the people were who had come up [from the exile], so that he could take from among them a group to settle in Jerusalem, so that the city would not remain sparsely populated. Here, then, he records the genealogical register of those who came up from Babylon, who were mentioned earlier [in Ezra]. Now the number given in the text here does not agree with the number of the particulars mentioned earlier; I think that those who came up were recorded earlier as they stood at the time of their going up, but afterward some of them increased further while others returned to Babylon, so that some [totals] came out greater than what had been recorded of their number, and some lesser. Likewise, the donations mentioned here do not agree with the donations mentioned there either, for here it mentions more with respect to the priestly garments than was mentioned there, and less with respect to the other items; it appears that here he recorded some of the particulars and omitted others. And I think that up until it says, 'And all the people gathered themselves together as one man to the broad place that was before the water gate' (8:1), he found it already written there [in the earlier source]; but from this point onward it is an account of what occurred now [in Nehemiah's own time].
Metzudat David
'Now the city' — meaning, this [requirement] was because the city was spacious; and for further clarification it says 'and large'; and because of this the people were far apart from one another, for they were few in number. 'And the houses were not built' — meaning, they were not built with great strength, [sturdy enough] to hide within from the enemy; and because of all this, excellent [vigilant] guarding was necessary.
Malbim
Questions: (4-5) What was his purpose in mentioning here that the city was wide and large but the houses were not built, and that he set his heart to record the genealogy of the people? Moreover, within the genealogical record itself there are several contradictions between what is mentioned here and what is mentioned in the Book of Ezra, and likewise the accounts of the donations of the officials and the people contradict one another. 'Now the city' — this is an introduction to what follows. Since he saw that the people were few, he wanted to settle some of the children of Israel there, as he indeed did later (below, 11:1). And since the houses were not built, he understood that people would not want to settle in a city lacking dwellings, until lots were cast — as indeed happened. He therefore needed to know the families that had come up to the land of Israel, and to raise a levy from each family according to the number of males; therefore he gathered them to record their genealogy, and so he says what follows.
And my God put into my heart to gather together the nobles, and the rulers, and the people, that they might be reckoned by genealogy. And I found the book of the genealogy of those who came up at the first, and I found written in it:
verse value 5403
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 83 letters. The shortest word is "in·it" (בּֽוֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·the·rulers" (וְאֶת־הַסְּגָנִ֛ים, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 138: and·I·found, and·I·found. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "and·put" (וַיִּתֵּ֤ן), "and·I·gathered" (וָאֶקְבְּצָ֞ה), "and·the·people" (וְאֶת־הָעָ֖ם). The root יחש appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "my·God" (root אלהים, 62x in Nehemiah); "and·the·people" (root עם, 47x in Nehemiah); "and·put" (root נתן, 45x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root יחש ("to·be·registered") in Nehemiah. First appearance of the root ספר ("book·of") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·be·registered', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 8 words.
Rashi
to trace their lineage Heb. לְהִתְיַחֵישׂ, to search for their lineage. those who went up at first of those Jews who went up with Ezra at first. and I found written in it All these words were written in that letter.
Ibn Ezra
‘The nobles’ — Targum renders ‘white’ as ‘chivar,’ which denotes a fine, distinguished appearance; and from this [word] they are called ‘chorim’ (nobles).
Metzudat David
'Into my heart' — He aroused my heart to this matter. 'That they might be reckoned by genealogy' — to investigate their lineage. 'Those who came up at the first' — of those who came up at first with Zerubbabel. 'And I found written in it' — the substance of the matters stated below on this subject.
Metzudat Zion
'that they might be reckoned by genealogy' — the term genealogy (yichus) means the recording of a book of generations, of the families and who their fathers were.
Malbim
'And my God put into my heart' — meaning that He put counsel into his heart to gather them for the genealogical record. In pursuing this, he found the genealogical record of those who had first come up, and found it written as follows — this is the same record stated in Ezra (chapter 2), except that several variations are found here as compared with Ezra. We have already discussed this there, and in our commentary on that chapter you will find everything; there is no need to repeat the matter here.
These are the children of the province, that went up out of the captivity of those who had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away, and that returned to Jerusalem and to Judah, every one to his city;
verse value 3497
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 75 letters. Notable word values: "these" (אֵ֣לֶּה) = 36, double chai. Verse gematria: 3497 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "these" (אֵ֣לֶּה, 3 letters) and the longest is "Nebuchadnezzar" (נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּ֖ר, 8 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "the·ones·who·went·up" (הָעֹלִים֙), "from·captivity·of" (מִשְּׁבִ֣י), "the·exile" (הַגּוֹלָ֔ה). 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "children·of" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah); "that" (root אשר, 66x in Nehemiah); "man" (root איש, 44x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Babylon', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 5 words.
Rashi
These are the people of the province, etc. until (10:35): “And we cast lots for the wood sacrifice.” and to Judea to the province of Judea. each one to his city lit. a man to his city.
Ibn Ezra
"These are the children of the province" — The verse above [v. 5] says "to be traced by genealogy." The reason is to show the lineage; and he found it written there: "These are the children of the province who went up." Now when the wall of Jerusalem had been finished, Nehemiah wanted the people to be traced to their fathers’ houses, so that strangers would not mingle among them. Many had been added who are not in the first count, and many had dropped out, having already died and no longer being alive in Nehemiah’s days; and many had begotten sons within the thirty-six years — two years of Cyrus, fourteen of Ahasuerus, and twenty of Artaxerxes — until Nehemiah’s arrival; and it is of those found [still living] that it speaks of being traced by genealogy. Now if someone should ask: why does it say of them, "these are the children of the province who went up," when some names are in the first list [Ezra 2] but not in this second one, and some are here but were not in the first? For in the first it says, "the children of Arah, 775," and in the second, "the children of Arah, 652" — so the first count exceeded the second by 123. [As for] "the children of Senaah" — 3,630 in the first, and 3,930 in the second, an increase in the second. And there are names mentioned in the first that are not mentioned in the second, for "the children of Jorah" number 112, and "the children of Hariph" number 112 [appears instead, in the second]. We answer this: Scripture speaks according to the majority — it says [of Gideon], "to kill the seventy sons of Jerubbaal," yet Jotham was not killed; and likewise, "those who came forth from the loins of Jacob were seventy," yet Jacob himself did not come forth from his own loins. And perhaps Jorah and Hariph are two names for one man, just as, [between the two lists,] Seraiah [became] Azariah, and Reelaiah [became] Raamiah in the second. The second count is only slightly greater than the first; rather, by saying "these who went up," it makes known that of the children of one family not a single one is missing, while of the children of another, some were added, and of the children of yet another, some dropped out and died among them. And I have already explained the whole matter above.
Metzudat David
'These, etc.' — and this is the substance of what is written there: 'these are the children of the province,' etc., meaning, these are the children of the province of the Land of Israel, who now went up from among those who had been in the captivity of exile, etc. 'And returned' — now they returned, each one to his own city from which he had been exiled.
who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel:
verse value 4763
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 77 letters. The shortest word is "people·of" (עַ֥ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "with·Zerubbabel" (עִם־זְרֻבָּבֶ֗ל, 7 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "who·came" (הַבָּאִ֣ים), "Raamiah" (רַֽעַמְיָ֨ה), "Nahamani" (נַחֲמָ֜נִי). 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "who·came" (root בוא, 47x in Nehemiah); "people·of" (root עם, 47x in Nehemiah); "men·of" (root איש, 44x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root זרבבל ("with·Zerubbabel") in Nehemiah. First appearance of the root בגוי ("Bigvai") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Baanah', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 4 words.
Rashi
who came with Zerubbabel who came from the captivity of the exile with Zerubbabel. Jeshua This is Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the High Priest. These figures sometimes coincide with the above figures (Ezra 2); sometimes there are some that do not coincide. Scripture was not so exact with the figures, but the total is the same in both places, as it is stated (Ezra 2:64, Neh. 7:66): “The entire congregation together was forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty.” The writer relied on this total and was not so exact in the figures of the individual numbers. Everything is explained above (Ezra 2).
Metzudat David
'Who came' — who now came to their place with Zerubbabel, etc. 'Jeshua' — this is Joshua the High Priest. 'The number of the men of' — this is the count of the notable ones; and so too every instance of 'man' and 'men of' in Scripture [refers to the notable ones].
The children of Parosh, two thousand a hundred and seventy-two.
verse value 1753
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "children·of" (בְּנֵ֣י, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·seventy" (וְשִׁבְעִ֥ים, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "and·seventy" (וְשִׁבְעִ֥ים). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "children·of" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah); "hundred" (root מאה, 49x in Nehemiah); "and·two" (root שנים, 23x in Nehemiah). Full calculation: בְּנֵ֣י [children·of] (62) + פַרְעֹ֔שׁ [Parosh] (650) + אַלְפַּ֕יִם [two·thousand] (161) + מֵאָ֖ה [hundred] (46) + וְשִׁבְעִ֥ים [and·seventy] (428) + וּשְׁנָֽיִם [and·two] (406) = 1753.
Metzudat David
'The children of Parosh' — some of these are named after the forefather of the family, and some of them are named after their town.
Verse structure: 6 words, 22 letters. The shortest word is "six" (שֵׁ֥שׁ, 2 letters) and the longest is "fifty" (חֲמִשִּׁ֥ים, 5 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "Arah" (אָרַ֔ח). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah); "hundred" (root מאה, 49x in Nehemiah); "two" (root שנים, 23x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root שש ("six") in Nehemiah. Full calculation: בְּנֵ֣י [sons·of] (62) + אָרַ֔ח [Arah] (209) + שֵׁ֥שׁ [six] (600) + מֵא֖וֹת [hundred] (447) + חֲמִשִּׁ֥ים [fifty] (398) + וּשְׁנָֽיִם [two] (406) = 2122.
The children of Pahath-moab, of the children of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand and eight hundred and eighteen.
verse value 3076
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 44 letters. The shortest word is "ten" (עָשָֽׂר, 3 letters) and the longest is "sons·of·Pahath" (בְּנֵֽי־פַחַ֥ת, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "sons·of·Pahath" (בְּנֵֽי־פַחַ֥ת), "and·Joab" (וְיוֹאָ֑ב). The root שמנה appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "of·son" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah); "hundred" (root מאה, 49x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root שמנה ("and·eight") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·Joab', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: בְּנֵֽי־פַחַ֥ת [sons·of·Pahath] (550) + מוֹאָ֛ב [Moab] (49) + לִבְנֵ֥י [of·son] (92) + יֵשׁ֖וּעַ [Jeshua] (386) + וְיוֹאָ֑ב [and·Joab] (25) + אַלְפַּ֕יִם [two·thousand] (161) + וּשְׁמֹנֶ֥ה [and·eight] (401) + מֵא֖וֹת [hundred] (447) + שְׁמֹנָ֥ה [eight] (395) + עָשָֽׂר [ten] (570) = 3076.
Metzudat David
'Pahath-moab' — the governor of Moab. 'Of the children of Jeshua and Joab' — meaning, from the children of Jeshua and from the children of Joab, who were among the descendants of Pahath-moab, their number was two thousand, etc.
The children of Zaccai, seven hundred and threescore.
verse value 1574
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 18 letters. The shortest word is "sons·of" (בְּנֵ֣י, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·sixty" (וְשִׁשִּֽׁים, 5 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "Zaccai" (זַכָּ֔י). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah); "hundred" (root מאה, 49x in Nehemiah); "seven" (root שבע, 21x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root ששים ("and·sixty") in Nehemiah. Full calculation: בְּנֵ֣י [sons·of] (62) + זַכָּ֔י [Zaccai] (37) + שְׁבַ֥ע [seven] (372) + מֵא֖וֹת [hundred] (447) + וְשִׁשִּֽׁים [and·sixty] (656) = 1574.
Verse structure: 6 words, 23 letters. Verse gematria: 2000 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "six" (שֵׁ֥שׁ, 2 letters) and the longest is "fifty" (חֲמִשִּׁ֥ים, 5 letters). The root חמש appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah); "hundred" (root מאה, 49x in Nehemiah). Full calculation: בְּנֵ֣י [sons·of] (62) + עָדִ֔ין [Adin] (134) + שֵׁ֥שׁ [six] (600) + מֵא֖וֹת [hundred] (447) + חֲמִשִּׁ֥ים [fifty] (398) + וַחֲמִשָּֽׁה [five] (359) = 2000.
Verse structure: 4 words, 22 letters. The shortest word is "ninety" (תִּשְׁעִ֥ים, 5 letters) and the longest is "sons·of·Ater" (בְּנֵֽי־אָטֵ֥ר, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "of·Hezekiah" (לְחִזְקִיָּ֖ה). 4 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root אטר ("sons·of·Ater") in Nehemiah. First appearance of the root תשע ("ninety") in Nehemiah. Full calculation: בְּנֵֽי־אָטֵ֥ר [sons·of·Ater] (272) + לְחִזְקִיָּ֖ה [of·Hezekiah] (160) + תִּשְׁעִ֥ים [ninety] (820) + וּשְׁמֹנָֽה [eight] (401) = 1653.
Metzudat David
'The children of Ater, of Hezekiah' — this gives an identifying mark for Ater, to say that he was of the stock of Hezekiah; or, meaning, [counted] together with the sons of Hezekiah.
Verse structure: 5 words, 17 letters. Verse gematria: 1376 is divisible by 86, the value of Elohim. The shortest word is "sons·of" (בְּנֵ֣י, 3 letters) and the longest is "Hariph" (חָרִ֔יף, 4 letters). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah); "hundred" (root מאה, 49x in Nehemiah); "two" (root שנים, 23x in Nehemiah). Full calculation: בְּנֵ֣י [sons·of] (62) + חָרִ֔יף [Hariph] (298) + מֵאָ֖ה [hundred] (46) + שְׁנֵ֥ים [two] (400) + עָשָֽׂר [ten] (570) = 1376.
The men of Beth-lehem and Netophah, a hundred fourscore and eight.
verse value 1888
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 28 letters. The shortest word is "hundred" (מֵאָ֖ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "Beth-lehem" (בֵֽית־לֶ֙חֶם֙, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "Beth-lehem" (בֵֽית־לֶ֙חֶם֙), "and·Netophah" (וּנְטֹפָ֔ה). The root שמנה appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Beth-lehem" (root בית, 60x in Nehemiah); "hundred" (root מאה, 49x in Nehemiah); "man" (root איש, 44x in Nehemiah). Full calculation: אַנְשֵׁ֤י [man] (361) + בֵֽית־לֶ֙חֶם֙ [Beth-lehem] (490) + וּנְטֹפָ֔ה [and·Netophah] (150) + מֵאָ֖ה [hundred] (46) + שְׁמֹנִ֥ים [eighty] (440) + וּשְׁמֹנָֽה [and·eight] (401) = 1888.
Verse structure: 4 words, 23 letters. Verse gematria: 2025 = 45². The shortest word is "man" (אַנְשֵׁ֥י, 4 letters) and the longest is "Beth-azmaveth" (בֵית־עַזְמָ֖וֶת, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "Beth-azmaveth" (בֵית־עַזְמָ֖וֶת). 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Beth-azmaveth" (root בית, 60x in Nehemiah); "man" (root איש, 44x in Nehemiah); "forty" (root ארבע, 23x in Nehemiah). Full calculation: אַנְשֵׁ֥י [man] (361) + בֵית־עַזְמָ֖וֶת [Beth-azmaveth] (935) + אַרְבָּעִ֥ים [forty] (323) + וּשְׁנָֽיִם [two] (406) = 2025.
The men of Ramah and Geba, six hundred twenty-one.
verse value 2378
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "six" (שֵׁ֥שׁ, 2 letters) and the longest is "twenty" (עֶשְׂרִ֥ים, 5 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "the·Ramah" (הָֽרָמָה֙), "and·Geba" (וָגָ֔בַע). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "hundred" (root מאה, 49x in Nehemiah); "man" (root איש, 44x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root גבע ("and·Geba") in Nehemiah. Full calculation: אַנְשֵׁ֤י [man] (361) + הָֽרָמָה֙ [the·Ramah] (250) + וָגָ֔בַע [and·Geba] (81) + שֵׁ֥שׁ [six] (600) + מֵא֖וֹת [hundred] (447) + עֶשְׂרִ֥ים [twenty] (620) + וְאֶחָֽד [one] (19) = 2378.
Verse structure: 5 words, 22 letters. Verse gematria: 1599 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "hundred" (מֵאָ֖ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·twenty" (וְעֶשְׂרִ֥ים, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "Michmas" (מִכְמָ֔ס). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "hundred" (root מאה, 49x in Nehemiah); "man" (root איש, 44x in Nehemiah); "two" (root שנים, 23x in Nehemiah). Full calculation: אַנְשֵׁ֣י [man] (361) + מִכְמָ֔ס [Michmas] (160) + מֵאָ֖ה [hundred] (46) + וְעֶשְׂרִ֥ים [and·twenty] (626) + וּשְׁנָֽיִם [two] (406) = 1599.
Verse structure: 5 words, 20 letters. The shortest word is "Nebo" (נְב֛וֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "fifty" (חֲמִשִּׁ֥ים, 5 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "Nebo" (נְב֛וֹ). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "man" (root איש, 44x in Nehemiah); "other" (root אחר, 29x in Nehemiah); "and·two" (root שנים, 23x in Nehemiah). Full calculation: אַנְשֵׁ֥י [man] (361) + נְב֛וֹ [Nebo] (58) + אַחֵ֖ר [other] (209) + חֲמִשִּׁ֥ים [fifty] (398) + וּשְׁנָֽיִם [and·two] (406) = 1432.
Metzudat David
'The other Nebo' — that is also the name of the town; and in Ezra it simply says 'Nebo,' just as there are variations in the other names too, because they were called by [more than] one name.
The children of the other Elam, a thousand two hundred fifty-four.
verse value 1705
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "sons·of" (בְּנֵי֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·four" (וְאַרְבָּעָֽה, 6 letters). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah); "two·hundred" (root מאה, 49x in Nehemiah); "other" (root אחר, 29x in Nehemiah). Full calculation: בְּנֵי֙ [sons·of] (62) + עֵילָ֣ם [Elam] (150) + אַחֵ֔ר [other] (209) + אֶ֕לֶף [thousand] (111) + מָאתַ֖יִם [two·hundred] (491) + חֲמִשִּׁ֥ים [fifty] (398) + וְאַרְבָּעָֽה [and·four] (284) = 1705.
Metzudat David
'The other Elam' — since [the text] counted the children of Elam above, and their number was the same as this one, it therefore says that this is a different Elam, [the two groups] happening to be equal in the number of their people.
The children of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred twenty-one.
verse value 1649
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 30 letters. Notable word values: "Hadid" (חָדִ֣יד) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "seven" (שְׁבַ֥ע, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·twenty" (וְעֶשְׂרִ֥ים, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "sons·of·Lod" (בְּנֵי־לֹד֙), "and·Ono" (וְאֹנ֔וֹ). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of·Lod" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah); "hundred" (root מאה, 49x in Nehemiah); "seven" (root שבע, 21x in Nehemiah). Full calculation: בְּנֵי־לֹד֙ [sons·of·Lod] (96) + חָדִ֣יד [Hadid] (26) + וְאֹנ֔וֹ [and·Ono] (63) + שְׁבַ֥ע [seven] (372) + מֵא֖וֹת [hundred] (447) + וְעֶשְׂרִ֥ים [and·twenty] (626) + וְאֶחָֽד [and·one] (19) = 1649.
The children of Senaah, three thousand nine hundred and thirty.
verse value 3272
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "sons·of" (בְּנֵ֣י, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·thirty" (וּשְׁלֹשִֽׁים, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "Senaah" (סְנָאָ֔ה), "three" (שְׁלֹ֣שֶׁת), "and·thirty" (וּשְׁלֹשִֽׁים). The root שלוש appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah); "hundred" (root מאה, 49x in Nehemiah). Full calculation: בְּנֵ֣י [sons·of] (62) + סְנָאָ֔ה [Senaah] (116) + שְׁלֹ֣שֶׁת [three] (1030) + אֲלָפִ֔ים [thousand] (161) + תְּשַׁ֥ע [nine] (770) + מֵא֖וֹת [hundred] (447) + וּשְׁלֹשִֽׁים [and·thirty] (686) = 3272.
The priests: The children of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred seventy-three.
verse value 3399
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 39 letters. The shortest word is "sons·of" (בְּנֵ֤י, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·priests" (הַֽכֹּהֲנִ֑ים, 6 letters). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah); "of·house·of" (root בית, 60x in Nehemiah); "hundred" (root מאה, 49x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root ידעיה ("Jedaiah") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·priests', dividing the verse into phrases of 1 and 8 words. Full calculation: הַֽכֹּהֲנִ֑ים [the·priests] (130) + בְּנֵ֤י [sons·of] (62) + יְדַֽעְיָה֙ [Jedaiah] (99) + לְבֵ֣ית [of·house·of] (442) + יֵשׁ֔וּעַ [Jeshua] (386) + תְּשַׁ֥ע [nine] (770) + מֵא֖וֹת [hundred] (447) + שִׁבְעִ֥ים [seventy] (422) + וּשְׁלֹשָֽׁה [and·three] (641) = 3399.
Metzudat David
'The priests' — meaning, this is now the count of the priests. 'The children of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua' — this gives an identifying mark for Jedaiah, to say that he was affiliated with the house of Jeshua, and was of his lineage.
Verse structure: 5 words, 16 letters. Verse gematria: 1368 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "sons·of" (בְּנֵ֣י, 3 letters) and the longest is "seven" (שִׁבְעָ֥ה, 4 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "seven" (שִׁבְעָ֥ה). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah); "seven" (root שבע, 21x in Nehemiah). Full calculation: בְּנֵ֣י [sons·of] (62) + חָרִ֔ם [Harim] (248) + אֶ֖לֶף [thousand] (111) + שִׁבְעָ֥ה [seven] (377) + עָשָֽׂר [ten] (570) = 1368.
Metzudat David
'The children of Harim' — this is not the same [Harim] mentioned above; or perhaps, above it counted the Israelites descended from Harim, and here it counts the priests descended from Harim.
The Levites: the children of Jeshua, of Kadmiel, of the children of Hodeiah, seventy-four.
verse value 1608
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 40 letters. The shortest word is "of·son" (לִבְנֵ֥י, 4 letters) and the longest is "sons·of·Jeshua" (בְּנֵֽי־יֵשׁ֧וּעַ, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "sons·of·Jeshua" (בְּנֵֽי־יֵשׁ֧וּעַ), "of·Kadmiel" (לְקַדְמִיאֵ֛ל), "of·Hodeiah" (לְהוֹדְוָ֖ה). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "of·son" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah); "the·Levites" (root לוי, 45x in Nehemiah); "four" (root ארבע, 23x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root קדמיאל ("of·Kadmiel") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·Levites', dividing the verse into phrases of 1 and 6 words. Full calculation: הַלְוִיִּ֑ם [the·Levites] (91) + בְּנֵֽי־יֵשׁ֧וּעַ [sons·of·Jeshua] (448) + לְקַדְמִיאֵ֛ל [of·Kadmiel] (215) + לִבְנֵ֥י [of·son] (92) + לְהוֹדְוָ֖ה [of·Hodeiah] (56) + שִׁבְעִ֥ים [seventy] (422) + וְאַרְבָּעָֽה [four] (284) = 1608.
Metzudat David
'The children of Jeshua, of Kadmiel' — meaning, the children of Jeshua together with the children of Kadmiel, for the [prefix] 'lamed' here stands in place of 'et,' and 'et' is like 'with.' 'Of the children of Hodeiah' — this gives an identifying mark for Jeshua and Kadmiel, to say that they were among the descendants of Hodeiah.
The singers: the children of Asaph, a hundred forty-eight.
verse value 1768
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. Verse gematria: 1768 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "sons·of" (בְּנֵ֣י, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·singers" (הַֽמְשֹׁרְרִ֑ים, 7 letters). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah); "hundred" (root מאה, 49x in Nehemiah); "forty" (root ארבע, 23x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·singers', dividing the verse into phrases of 1 and 5 words. Full calculation: הַֽמְשֹׁרְרִ֑ים [the·singers] (795) + בְּנֵ֣י [sons·of] (62) + אָסָ֔ף [Asaph] (141) + מֵאָ֖ה [hundred] (46) + אַרְבָּעִ֥ים [forty] (323) + וּשְׁמֹנָֽה [eight] (401) = 1768.
The porters: the children of Shallum, the children of Ater, the children of Talmon, the children of Akkub, the children of Hatita, the children of Shobai, a hundred thirty-eight.
verse value 3360
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 59 letters. The shortest word is "sons·of" (בְּנֵ֥י, 3 letters) and the longest is "sons·of·Talmon" (בְּנֵֽי־טַלְמֹ֣ן, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 62: sons·of, sons·of. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "sons·of·Shallum" (בְּנֵֽי־שַׁלֻּ֤ם), "sons·of·Talmon" (בְּנֵֽי־טַלְמֹ֣ן), "sons·of·Akkub" (בְּנֵֽי־עַקּ֔וּב). The root בן appears 3 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of·Talmon" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah); "hundred" (root מאה, 49x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root עקב ("sons·of·Akkub") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Shobai', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 3 words. Full calculation: הַשֹּֽׁעֲרִ֗ים [the·porters] (625) + בְּנֵֽי־שַׁלֻּ֤ם [sons·of·Shallum] (432) + בְּנֵֽי־אָטֵר֙ [sons·of·Ater] (272) + בְּנֵֽי־טַלְמֹ֣ן [sons·of·Talmon] (191) + בְּנֵֽי־עַקּ֔וּב [sons·of·Akkub] (240) + בְּנֵ֥י [sons·of] (62) + חֲטִיטָ֖א [Hatita] (37) + בְּנֵ֣י [sons·of] (62) + שֹׁבָ֑י [Shobai] (312) + מֵאָ֖ה [hundred] (46) + שְׁלֹשִׁ֥ים [thirty] (680) + וּשְׁמֹנָֽה [eight] (401) = 3360.
Metzudat David
'The porters' — those who had guarded the gates of the Temple before they were exiled; and they were the children of Shallum, etc.
The Nethinim: the children of Ziha, the children of Hasupha, the children of Tabbaoth;
verse value 1726
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 28 letters. The shortest word is "sons·of" (בְּנֵ֥י, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·Nethinim" (הַנְּתִינִ֑ים, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "sons·of·Ziha" (בְּנֵי־צִחָ֥א), "sons·of·Hasupha" (בְנֵי־חֲשֻׂפָ֖א), "Tabbaoth" (טַבָּעֽוֹת). The root בן appears 2 times in this verse. 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of·Hasupha" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·Nethinim', dividing the verse into phrases of 1 and 4 words. Full calculation: הַנְּתִינִ֑ים [the·Nethinim] (565) + בְּנֵי־צִחָ֥א [sons·of·Ziha] (161) + בְנֵי־חֲשֻׂפָ֖א [sons·of·Hasupha] (451) + בְּנֵ֥י [sons·of] (62) + טַבָּעֽוֹת [Tabbaoth] (487) = 1726.
Metzudat David
'The Nethinim' — these are the Gibeonites, called Nethinim because it says regarding them, 'and Joshua gave them [vayitnem]... as hewers of wood,' etc. (Joshua 9:27).
the children of Keros, the children of Sia, the children of Padon;
verse value 837
Insights
Verse structure: 4 words, 21 letters. The shortest word is "sons·of" (בְּנֵ֥י, 3 letters) and the longest is "sons·of·Keros" (בְּנֵי־קֵירֹ֥ס, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "sons·of·Keros" (בְּנֵי־קֵירֹ֥ס), "sons·of·Sia" (בְּנֵי־סִיעָ֖א), "Padon" (פָדֽוֹן). 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah). Full calculation: בְּנֵי־קֵירֹ֥ס [sons·of·Keros] (432) + בְּנֵי־סִיעָ֖א [sons·of·Sia] (203) + בְּנֵ֥י [sons·of] (62) + פָדֽוֹן [Padon] (140) = 837.
the children of Lebanah, the children of Hagaba, the children of Salmai;
verse value 667
Insights
Verse structure: 4 words, 21 letters. The shortest word is "sons·of" (בְּנֵ֥י, 3 letters) and the longest is "sons·of·Lebanah" (בְּנֵי־לְבָנָ֥ה, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "sons·of·Lebanah" (בְּנֵי־לְבָנָ֥ה), "sons·of·Hagaba" (בְנֵי־חֲגָבָ֖א), "Salmai" (שַׁלְמָֽי). 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root לבנה ("sons·of·Lebanah") in Nehemiah. Full calculation: בְּנֵי־לְבָנָ֥ה [sons·of·Lebanah] (149) + בְנֵי־חֲגָבָ֖א [sons·of·Hagaba] (76) + בְּנֵ֥י [sons·of] (62) + שַׁלְמָֽי [Salmai] (380) = 667.
the children of Reaiah, the children of Rezin, the children of Nekoda;
verse value 913
Insights
Verse structure: 4 words, 22 letters. The shortest word is "sons·of" (בְּנֵ֥י, 3 letters) and the longest is "sons·of·Reaiah" (בְּנֵי־רְאָיָ֥ה, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "sons·of·Reaiah" (בְּנֵי־רְאָיָ֥ה), "sons·of·Rezin" (בְנֵי־רְצִ֖ין). 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah). Full calculation: בְּנֵי־רְאָיָ֥ה [sons·of·Reaiah] (278) + בְנֵי־רְצִ֖ין [sons·of·Rezin] (412) + בְּנֵ֥י [sons·of] (62) + נְקוֹדָֽא [Nekoda] (161) = 913.
the children of Gazzam, the children of Uzza, the children of Paseah;
verse value 462
Insights
Verse structure: 4 words, 18 letters. The shortest word is "sons·of" (בְּנֵ֥י, 3 letters) and the longest is "sons·of·Gazzam" (בְּנֵי־גַזָּ֥ם, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "sons·of·Gazzam" (בְּנֵי־גַזָּ֥ם), "sons·of·Uzza" (בְּנֵי־עֻזָּ֖א), "Paseah" (פָסֵֽחַ). 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah). Full calculation: בְּנֵי־גַזָּ֥ם [sons·of·Gazzam] (112) + בְּנֵי־עֻזָּ֖א [sons·of·Uzza] (140) + בְּנֵ֥י [sons·of] (62) + פָסֵֽחַ [Paseah] (148) = 462.
the children of Besai, the children of Meunim, the children of Nephishesim;
verse value 1570
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 32 letters. The shortest word is "sons·of" (בְּנֵ֥י, 3 letters) and the longest is "sons·of·Meunim" (בְּנֵי־מְעוּנִ֖ים, 9 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "sons·of·Besai" (בְּנֵי־בֵסַ֥י), "sons·of·Meunim" (בְּנֵי־מְעוּנִ֖ים), "Nephishesim" (נְפִֽישְׁסִֽים). The root בן appears 2 times in this verse. 3 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of·Meunim" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah).
the children of Bakbuk, the children of Hakupha, the children of Harhur;
verse value 1013
Insights
Verse structure: 4 words, 24 letters. The shortest word is "sons·of" (בְּנֵ֥י, 3 letters) and the longest is "sons·of·Bakbuk" (בְּנֵי־בַקְבּ֥וּק, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "sons·of·Bakbuk" (בְּנֵי־בַקְבּ֥וּק), "sons·of·Hakupha" (בְּנֵֽי־חֲקוּפָ֖א), "Harhur" (חַרְחֽוּר). The root בן appears 3 times in this verse. 2 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of·Bakbuk" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah). Full calculation: בְּנֵי־בַקְבּ֥וּק [sons·of·Bakbuk] (272) + בְּנֵֽי־חֲקוּפָ֖א [sons·of·Hakupha] (257) + בְּנֵ֥י [sons·of] (62) + חַרְחֽוּר [Harhur] (422) = 1013.
the children of Bazlith, the children of Mehida, the children of Harsha;
verse value 1290
Insights
Verse structure: 4 words, 23 letters. Verse gematria: 1290 is divisible by 86, the value of Elohim. The shortest word is "sons·of" (בְּנֵ֥י, 3 letters) and the longest is "sons·of·Bazlith" (בְּנֵי־בַצְלִ֥ית, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "sons·of·Bazlith" (בְּנֵי־בַצְלִ֥ית), "sons·of·Mehida" (בְּנֵֽי־מְחִידָ֖א). The root בן appears 3 times in this verse. 2 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of·Bazlith" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah). Full calculation: בְּנֵי־בַצְלִ֥ית [sons·of·Bazlith] (594) + בְּנֵֽי־מְחִידָ֖א [sons·of·Mehida] (125) + בְּנֵ֥י [sons·of] (62) + חַרְשָֽׁא [Harsha] (509) = 1290.
the children of Barkos, the children of Sisera, the children of Temah;
verse value 1333
Insights
Verse structure: 3 words, 22 letters. The shortest word is "sons·of·Temah" (בְּנֵי־תָֽמַח, 6 letters) and the longest is "sons·of·Barkos" (בְּנֵי־בַרְק֥וֹס, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "sons·of·Barkos" (בְּנֵי־בַרְק֥וֹס), "sons·of·Sisera" (בְּֽנֵי־סִֽיסְרָ֖א), "sons·of·Temah" (בְּנֵי־תָֽמַח). The root בן appears 2 times in this verse. 2 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of·Barkos" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah). Full calculation: בְּנֵי־בַרְק֥וֹס [sons·of·Barkos] (430) + בְּֽנֵי־סִֽיסְרָ֖א [sons·of·Sisera] (393) + בְּנֵי־תָֽמַח [sons·of·Temah] (510) = 1333.
Verse structure: 4 words, 15 letters. Verse gematria: 390 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "sons·of" (בְּנֵ֥י, 3 letters) and the longest is "Hatipha" (חֲטִיפָֽא, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 62: sons·of, sons·of. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "Neziah" (נְצִ֖יחַ), "Hatipha" (חֲטִיפָֽא). The root בן appears 2 times in this verse. 3 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah). Full calculation: בְּנֵ֥י [sons·of] (62) + נְצִ֖יחַ [Neziah] (158) + בְּנֵ֥י [sons·of] (62) + חֲטִיפָֽא [Hatipha] (108) = 390.
The children of Solomon’s servants: the children of Sotai, the children of Sophereth, the children of Perida;
verse value 1829
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 33 letters. Notable word values: "slave" (עַבְדֵ֣י) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "sons·of" (בְּנֵ֖י, 3 letters) and the longest is "sons·of·Sotai" (בְּנֵי־סוֹטַ֥י, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 62: sons·of, sons·of. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "sons·of·Sotai" (בְּנֵי־סוֹטַ֥י), "sons·of·Sophereth" (בְּנֵי־סֹפֶ֖רֶת), "Perida" (פְרִידָֽא). The root בן appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah); "slave" (root עבד, 24x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root שלמה ("Solomon") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Solomon', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: בְּנֵ֖י [sons·of] (62) + עַבְדֵ֣י [slave] (86) + שְׁלֹמֹ֑ה [Solomon] (375) + בְּנֵי־סוֹטַ֥י [sons·of·Sotai] (147) + בְּנֵי־סֹפֶ֖רֶת [sons·of·Sophereth] (802) + בְּנֵ֥י [sons·of] (62) + פְרִידָֽא [Perida] (295) = 1829.
Metzudat David
'The children of Solomon's servants' — and they were the children of Sotai, etc.
the children of Jala, the children of Darkon, the children of Giddel;
verse value 694
Insights
Verse structure: 4 words, 21 letters. The shortest word is "sons·of" (בְּנֵ֥י, 3 letters) and the longest is "sons·of·Darkon" (בְנֵי־דַרְק֖וֹן, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "sons·of·Jala" (בְּנֵי־יַעְלָ֥א), "sons·of·Darkon" (בְנֵי־דַרְק֖וֹן), "Giddel" (גִדֵּֽל). The root בן appears 2 times in this verse. 3 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of·Darkon" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah). Full calculation: בְּנֵי־יַעְלָ֥א [sons·of·Jala] (173) + בְנֵי־דַרְק֖וֹן [sons·of·Darkon] (422) + בְּנֵ֥י [sons·of] (62) + גִדֵּֽל [Giddel] (37) = 694.
the children of Shephatiah, the children of Hattil, the children of Pochereth-hazzebaim, the children of Amon.
verse value 1663
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 35 letters. The shortest word is "sons·of" (בְּנֵ֧י, 3 letters) and the longest is "sons·of·Hattil" (בְנֵֽי־חַטִּ֗יל, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 62: sons·of, sons·of, sons·of. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "sons·of·Hattil" (בְנֵֽי־חַטִּ֗יל), "Pochereth" (פֹּכֶ֥רֶת), "the·Zebaim" (הַצְּבָיִ֖ים). The root בן appears 4 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah). Full calculation: בְּנֵ֧י [sons·of] (62) + שְׁפַטְיָ֣ה [Shephatiah] (404) + בְנֵֽי־חַטִּ֗יל [sons·of·Hattil] (119) + בְּנֵ֛י [sons·of] (62) + פֹּכֶ֥רֶת [Pochereth] (700) + הַצְּבָיִ֖ים [the·Zebaim] (157) + בְּנֵ֥י [sons·of] (62) + אָמֽוֹן [Amon] (97) = 1663.
All the Nethinim, and the children of Solomon’s servants, were three hundred ninety-two.
verse value 3447
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 38 letters. Notable word values: "slave" (עַבְדֵ֣י) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "three" (שְׁלֹ֥שׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "all·the·Nethinim" (כׇּ֨ל־הַנְּתִינִ֔ים, 9 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "all·the·Nethinim" (כׇּ֨ל־הַנְּתִינִ֔ים). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah); "hundred" (root מאה, 49x in Nehemiah); "slave" (root עבד, 24x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Solomon', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: כׇּ֨ל־הַנְּתִינִ֔ים [all·the·Nethinim] (615) + וּבְנֵ֖י [sons·of] (68) + עַבְדֵ֣י [slave] (86) + שְׁלֹמֹ֑ה [Solomon] (375) + שְׁלֹ֥שׁ [three] (630) + מֵא֖וֹת [hundred] (447) + תִּשְׁעִ֥ים [ninety] (820) + וּשְׁנָֽיִם [and·two] (406) = 3447.
And these were those who went up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer; but they could not tell their fathers’ houses, nor their seed, whether they were of Israel:
verse value 4226
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 68 letters. The shortest word is "Tel" (תֵּ֣ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "house·of·their·fathers" (בֵּית־אֲבֹתָם֙, 7 letters). 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "from·Tel" (מִתֵּ֥ל), "Melah" (מֶ֙לַח֙), "Tel" (תֵּ֣ל). The root תל appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "they" (root הם, 67x in Nehemiah); "and·Immer" (root אמר, 66x in Nehemiah); "house·of·their·fathers" (root בית, 60x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root זרע ("and·their·seed") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·Immer', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 8 words.
Metzudat David
'And these' — the ones mentioned below, the children of Delaiah, etc.; they were the ones who went up from Tel-melah, etc.; and these are names of places in Babylon. 'But they could not tell' — for they did not know whose descendants they were. 'Their fathers' houses, nor their seed' — these are one and the same, for 'their seed' means [descent,] from whose stock they came, and this is a doubling of the same idea using synonymous terms, similar to 'dust of the earth [admat afar]' (Daniel 12).
the children of Delaiah, the children of Tobiah, the children of Nekoda, six hundred forty-two.
verse value 2210
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 41 letters. Verse gematria: 2210 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "six" (שֵׁ֥שׁ, 2 letters) and the longest is "sons·of·Tobiah" (בְנֵֽי־טוֹבִיָּ֖ה, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "sons·of·Delaiah" (בְּנֵי־דְלָיָ֥ה), "sons·of·Tobiah" (בְנֵֽי־טוֹבִיָּ֖ה). The root בן appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of·Tobiah" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah); "hundred" (root מאה, 49x in Nehemiah); "forty" (root ארבע, 23x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Nekoda', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: בְּנֵי־דְלָיָ֥ה [sons·of·Delaiah] (111) + בְנֵֽי־טוֹבִיָּ֖ה [sons·of·Tobiah] (94) + בְּנֵ֣י [sons·of] (62) + נְקוֹדָ֑א [Nekoda] (161) + שֵׁ֥שׁ [six] (600) + מֵא֖וֹת [hundred] (447) + וְאַרְבָּעִ֥ים [forty] (329) + וּשְׁנָֽיִם [and·two] (406) = 2210.
And of the priests: the children of Habaiah, the children of Hakkoz, the children of Barzillai, who took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called after their name.
verse value 3498
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 66 letters. The shortest word is "sons·of" (בְּנֵ֥י, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·from·the·priests" (וּמִן־הַכֹּ֣הֲנִ֔ים, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 249: Barzillai, Barzillai. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "and·from·the·priests" (וּמִן־הַכֹּ֣הֲנִ֔ים), "Habaiah" (חֳבַיָּ֖ה), "Hakkoz" (הַקּ֑וֹץ). The root בן appears 3 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah); "that" (root אשר, 66x in Nehemiah); "and·from·the·priests" (root כהן, 44x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hakkoz', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 10 words.
Metzudat David
'And of the priests' — these are the children of Habaiah, etc. 'Who took' — this refers back to the children of Barzillai, to say that their father took one of the daughters of Barzillai as a wife, and therefore the name of Barzillai was applied to them, so that they were called 'the children of Barzillai.'
These sought their register, that is, the genealogy, but it was not found; therefore they were deemed polluted and put from the priesthood.
verse value 2168
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 39 letters. Notable word values: "these" (אֵ֗לֶּה) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "these" (אֵ֗לֶּה, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·genealogically-registered" (הַמִּתְיַחְשִׂ֖ים, 8 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "their·register" (כְתָבָ֛ם), "the·genealogically-registered" (הַמִּתְיַחְשִׂ֖ים), "was·found" (נִמְצָ֑א). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·not" (root לא, 38x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root כהנה ("from·the·priesthood") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'was·found', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 2 words. Full calculation: אֵ֗לֶּה [these] (36) + בִּקְשׁ֧וּ [sought] (408) + כְתָבָ֛ם [their·register] (462) + הַמִּתְיַחְשִׂ֖ים [the·genealogically-registered] (813) + וְלֹ֣א [and·not] (37) + נִמְצָ֑א [was·found] (181) + וַיְגֹֽאֲל֖וּ [and·were·polluted] (56) + מִן־הַכְּהֻנָּֽה [from·the·priesthood] (175) = 2168.
Metzudat David
'These' — these priests. 'Their register' — a written record concerning them. 'The genealogy' — [a record] in which the order of the generations is related. 'But it was not found' — in the book of genealogy these were not found written and recorded. 'Therefore they were deemed polluted' — and therefore they were rejected from the priesthood.
Metzudat Zion
'they were deemed polluted' — the term means filth and repugnance, as in 'polluted bread' (Malachi 1).
And the Tirshatha said to them, that they should not eat of the most holy things, till a priest with Urim and Thummim stood up.
verse value 4191
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 54 letters. The shortest word is "until" (עַ֛ד, 2 letters) and the longest is "not·shall·eat" (לֹא־יֹאכְל֖וּ, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "not·shall·eat" (לֹא־יֹאכְל֖וּ), "from·holy·of" (מִקֹּ֣דֶשׁ), "the·holy·things" (הַקֳּדָשִׁ֑ים). The root קדש appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·them" (root הם, 67x in Nehemiah); "and·he·said" (root אמר, 66x in Nehemiah); "that" (root אשר, 66x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root תרשתא ("Tirshatha-governor") in Nehemiah. First appearance of the root אור ("with·Urim") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·holy·things', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֤אמֶר [and·he·said] (257) + הַתִּרְשָׁ֙תָא֙ [Tirshatha-governor] (1306) + לָהֶ֔ם [to·them] (75) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [that] (501) + לֹא־יֹאכְל֖וּ [not·shall·eat] (98) + מִקֹּ֣דֶשׁ [from·holy·of] (444) + הַקֳּדָשִׁ֑ים [the·holy·things] (459) + עַ֛ד [until] (74) + עֲמֹ֥ד [to·stand] (114) + הַכֹּהֵ֖ן [the·priest] (80) + לְאוּרִ֥ים [with·Urim] (287) + וְתֻמִּֽים [and·Thummim] (496) = 4191.
Metzudat David
'The Tirshatha' — this is Nehemiah son of Hachaliah; so it says, 'And Nehemiah, that is the Tirshatha, said' (below, ch. 8), and our Sages said that because he served as cupbearer to the king, the Sages permitted him to drink wine used for idolatrous libations, and therefore he was called 'Tirshatha' — this being a compound word, 'hutar shata' [drinking (such wine) was permitted to him]. 'That they should not eat' — meaning, the ruling concerning them was that they should not eat of the most holy things; and our Sages said this refers to terumah and the sacrificial portions of the altar. 'With Urim and Thummim' — [meaning, they should wait] to inquire through them whether they were valid priests; as if to say, until the Messiah comes and they inquire then through the Urim and Thummim, for in the Second Temple there was no Urim and Thummim to inquire through.
The whole congregation together was forty-two thousand three hundred and threescore,
verse value 2599
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 35 letters. The shortest word is "as·one" (כְּאֶחָ֑ד, 4 letters) and the longest is "three·hundred" (שְׁלֹשׁ־מֵא֥וֹת, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "as·one" (כְּאֶחָ֑ד), "three·hundred" (שְׁלֹשׁ־מֵא֥וֹת). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "four" (root ארבע, 23x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root רבוא ("ten·thousand") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'as·one', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 5 words. Full calculation: כׇּל־הַקָּהָ֖ל [all·the·assembly] (190) + כְּאֶחָ֑ד [as·one] (33) + אַרְבַּ֣ע [four] (273) + רִבּ֔וֹא [ten·thousand] (209) + אַלְפַּ֖יִם [two·thousand] (161) + שְׁלֹשׁ־מֵא֥וֹת [three·hundred] (1077) + וְשִׁשִּֽׁים [and·sixty] (656) = 2599.
Metzudat David
'The whole congregation together' — all of them together: the Israelites, the priests, the Levites, the Nethinim, and the sons of Solomon's servants. 'Forty-two thousand, etc.' — the individual figures do not add up to this total; rather, the individual counts given here include only the Israelites of the sons of Judah and Benjamin, and together with those who came up from the rest of the tribes they reached this total, as is explained in the book of Ezra. (Now, the individual figures do not match the individual figures mentioned in the book of Ezra — sometimes adding, sometimes subtracting — but overall, the total of those counted individually here exceeds what is mentioned in the book of Ezra. There are families that Ezra counted that are not mentioned here, and likewise the reverse; and in the count of the heads of those who came up, [Nehemiah] added here the counting of Nehemani, whom Ezra does not mention — for the Azariah, Raamiah, [and] Mispereth mentioned here are indeed the same as the Seraiah, Reelaiah, [and] Mispar, Rehum mentioned in Ezra, for they are close in sound and were called by both [sets of] names, and there are many similar cases; and here too many other [names] are found besides these, differing from Ezra's in name. But Nehemani, it appears, is indeed the one added to the count of the number of the heads of those who came up. It may be that Nehemiah did not copy all of Ezra's words exactly as they stood, without change, but rather copied the substance of the matter. Now, the first migration, which came up with Zerubbabel, took place in the second year of Cyrus the Persian; and many years later, in the twentieth year of Darius son of Ahasuerus, Nehemiah then came up, and it was then that he found the book of genealogy. It is therefore said that this Nehemani, although he had come up in the first migration with Zerubbabel, was then young in years and was not yet reckoned as a head, and so was included among the rest of those who came up; but in the days of Nehemiah he had grown in years and in stature, and so Nehemiah saw fit to add him to the earlier ones and to record him along with them. As for the increases and decreases in the count: indeed, many of them had already died by the days of Nehemiah, and likewise many sons had been born to them and had grown to maturity; therefore, when Nehemiah came to record in his count the family that had grown or diminished, he wrote the number as he found it now, whether more or less than in Ezra's [record]. And what he says at the start of his words — 'those who came up out of the captivity of the exile' — speaks mainly of the majority, not of the few who were born in the land of Israel and were not among those who came up [from exile]. And there are some of the families among those who came up in the first migration who had entirely died out by the days of Nehemiah, and the remnant that was left attached themselves to the families closest to them and were counted along with them; and there are some of the families that were then few in number and at that time attached themselves to the families closest to them, to be counted along with them, but now, in the days of Nehemiah, they had grown numerous, and so he counted them as a family in their own right. And at the end of his words, when he totaled them together with those who came up from the rest of the tribes — even though it seems unlikely that they neither decreased nor increased in the days of Nehemiah beyond the number that had existed then — indeed, in the count of the individual figures there was an increase, and certainly there was likewise an increase among the rest of the tribes; nevertheless, Nehemiah saw fit to write the overall total as it had been then, and not as it stood now — this being because those who came up out of the captivity of the exile were counted only in this [original] total.)
beside their men-servants and their maid-servants, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred thirty-seven; and they had two hundred forty-five singing men and singing women.
verse value 7025
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 81 letters. Notable word values: "these" (אֵ֔לֶּה) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "these" (אֵ֔לֶּה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·their·maidservants" (וְאַמְהֹֽתֵיהֶם֙, 8 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "besides" (מִ֠לְּבַ֠ד), "their·servants" (עַבְדֵיהֶ֤ם), "and·their·maidservants" (וְאַמְהֹֽתֵיהֶם֙). The root שבע appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·to·them" (root הם, 67x in Nehemiah); "hundred" (root מאה, 49x in Nehemiah); "their·servants" (root עבד, 24x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·seven', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 6 words.
Metzudat David
'Beside' — this count is beside their male and female servants belonging to those mentioned, who numbered seven thousand, etc. 'Singing men and singing women' — males and females, to sing along the way, for they came up joyfully, as on a festive journey. 'Two hundred forty-five' — but in Ezra it says only two hundred, because those [additional] forty-five were then young and were counted together with the adults; but in the days of Nehemiah they had grown up, and he counted them separately as well.
Their camels, four hundred thirty-five; their asses, six thousand seven hundred and twenty.
verse value 4786
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 49 letters. The shortest word is "six" (שֵׁ֣שֶׁת, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·twenty" (וְעֶשְׂרִֽים, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 447: hundred, hundred. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "camels" (גְּמַלִּ֕ים), "asses" (חֲמֹרִ֕ים), "six" (שֵׁ֣שֶׁת). The root מאה appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "hundred" (root מאה, 49x in Nehemiah); "four" (root ארבע, 23x in Nehemiah); "seven" (root שבע, 21x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·five', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words. Full calculation: גְּמַלִּ֕ים [camels] (123) + אַרְבַּ֥ע [four] (273) + מֵא֖וֹת [hundred] (447) + שְׁלֹשִׁ֣ים [thirty] (680) + וַחֲמִשָּׁ֑ה [and·five] (359) + חֲמֹרִ֕ים [asses] (298) + שֵׁ֣שֶׁת [six] (1000) + אֲלָפִ֔ים [thousand] (161) + שְׁבַ֥ע [seven] (372) + מֵא֖וֹת [hundred] (447) + וְעֶשְׂרִֽים [and·twenty] (626) = 4786.
And some from among the heads of fathers’ houses gave to the work. The Tirshatha gave to the treasury a thousand darics of gold, fifty basins, five hundred and thirty priests’ tunics.
verse value 8448
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 85 letters. The shortest word is "gave" (נָתַ֣ן, 3 letters) and the longest is "darics" (דַּרְכְּמֹנִ֥ים, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "and·some-of" (וּמִקְצָת֙), "to·the·work" (לַמְּלָאכָ֑ה), "basins" (מִזְרָק֣וֹת). The root נתן appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "hundred" (root מאה, 49x in Nehemiah); "gave" (root נתן, 45x in Nehemiah); "priests" (root כהן, 44x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root אוצר ("to·the·treasury") in Nehemiah. First appearance of the root זהב ("gold") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·the·work', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 13 words.
Metzudat David
'Gave to the work' — then, when they came up with Zerubbabel, they gave a donation for the work of the House of Hashem; and in Ezra the count of the gold, the silver, and the priests' tunics is mentioned. 'The Tirshatha' — this is Nehemiah. 'Gave to the treasury' — he gave, now, to the treasury of the House of Hashem. 'Priests' tunics' — for the priests to wear during the [Temple] service.
And some of the heads of fathers’ houses gave into the treasury of the work twenty thousand darics of gold, and two thousand and two hundred pounds of silver.
verse value 4571
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 63 letters. The shortest word is "gold" (זָהָ֕ב, 3 letters) and the longest is "darics" (דַּרְכְּמוֹנִ֖ים, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "and·from·heads·of" (וּמֵֽרָאשֵׁ֣י), "darics" (דַּרְכְּמוֹנִ֖ים), "and·two·hundred" (וּמָאתָֽיִם). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·two·hundred" (root מאה, 49x in Nehemiah); "gave" (root נתן, 45x in Nehemiah); "two" (root שנים, 23x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root מנה ("pounds") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'ten-thousands', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 4 words. Full calculation: וּמֵֽרָאשֵׁ֣י [and·from·heads·of] (557) + הָֽאָב֗וֹת [the·fathers] (414) + נָֽתְנוּ֙ [gave] (506) + לְאוֹצַ֣ר [to·treasury·of] (327) + הַמְּלָאכָ֔ה [the·work] (101) + זָהָ֕ב [gold] (14) + דַּרְכְּמוֹנִ֖ים [darics] (370) + שְׁתֵּ֣י [two] (710) + רִבּ֑וֹת [ten-thousands] (608) + וְכֶ֕סֶף [and·silver] (166) + מָנִ֖ים [pounds] (140) + אַלְפַּ֥יִם [two·thousand] (161) + וּמָאתָֽיִם [and·two·hundred] (497) = 4571.
Metzudat David
'And some of the heads' — some of the heads of the fathers' [houses] gave now, in the days of Nehemiah, to the treasury of the work — meaning, to the place where they stored the gold and silver for the needs of repairing the House, or for adding to the building, since the main structure of the Temple had already been built.
Metzudat Zion
'darics' — the name of a coin known among them.
Malbim
'And some of the heads of fathers' houses' — here too, in this matter of the donations, there is a contradiction between what is told here and what is told in Ezra. There, the gold was sixty-one thousand drachmas, and it was the donation of the heads of the fathers' houses; but here the heads of the fathers' houses donated only twenty thousand, while the people gave twenty thousand. There, the heads of the fathers' houses donated five thousand minas of silver, but here two thousand two hundred minas, and the rest of the people two thousand minas. There, the heads of the fathers' houses donated one hundred priestly garments, but here they did not donate garments at all — only the people donated, sixty-seven. And likewise here the donation of the Tirshatha is mentioned, which is not mentioned there. Now if we say that Nehemiah also went up the first time [and then returned and came a second time], as appears from what is stated (verse 65), 'and the Tirshatha said to them,' we may say that they gave donations on two occasions — and especially according to what is said in Ezra (chapter 2), that there he counted those who came from Babylon, while here he counts those who were added to them from the rest of the province, we may say that afterward they gave a second donation, and then the Tirshatha and the people gave as well, and the heads gave yet again; or that new heads of fathers' houses were added, and this is what is counted in the genealogical record that Nehemiah found; or that the second donation took place when Nehemiah came in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes, and he added it in this scroll, since he knew that the first donation was already recorded in the Book of Ezra, which had been written before his own book.
And that which the rest of the people gave was twenty thousand darics of gold, and two thousand pounds of silver, and threescore and seven priests’ tunics.
verse value 5837
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 65 letters. Verse gematria: 5837 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "the·people" (הָעָם֒, 3 letters) and the longest is "darics" (דַּרְכְּמֹנִים֙, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "rest·of" (שְׁאֵרִ֣ית), "and·tunics·of" (וְכׇתְנֹ֥ת). 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·that" (root אשר, 66x in Nehemiah); "the·people" (root עם, 47x in Nehemiah); "gave" (root נתן, 45x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'two·thousand', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 4 words.
Metzudat Zion
'pounds' — the name of a unit of weight, equivalent to a litra.
So the priests, and the Levites, and the porters, and the singers, and some of the people, and the Nethinim, and all Israel, dwelt in their cities. And when the seventh month had come, and the children of Israel were in their cities,
verse value 5434
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 90 letters. Verse gematria: 5434 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "and·it·came" (וַיִּגַּע֙, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·the·porters" (וְהַשּׁוֹעֲרִים֩, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 327: in·their·cities, in·their·cities. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "and·from·the·people" (וּמִן־הָעָ֧ם), "and·it·came" (וַיִּגַּע֙), "the·month" (הַחֹ֣דֶשׁ). The root עיר appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·sons·of" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah); "and·from·the·people" (root עם, 47x in Nehemiah); "and·the·Levites" (root לוי, 45x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root שביעי ("the·seventh") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·their·cities', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 6 words. 9 of the verse's 15 words begin with the letter ו.
Metzudat David
'And some of the people' — from the sons of Judah and Benjamin. 'And all Israel' — these are [those] from the rest of the tribes. 'In their cities' — which had been the cities of their inheritance before they were exiled. 'And the children of Israel [were] in their cities' — for at that time the children of Israel were [again] in the cities of their inheritance.
Rashi
Ralbag
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim