Nehemiah 7:1

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,

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

VII.

(1-4) Measures were taken for the security of the city, now made a complete fortress. The comparative thinness of the population taxed the governor’s resources, and the result appears at a later stage.

(1) Were appointed.—Placed in charge, probably over all the walls. This was an extraordinary provision, to be explained by the fact that these organised bodies formed a large proportion of the inhabitants. The Levites had usually guarded only the Temple.

(2) Hanani.—Who probably had returned from Susa with his brother.

Hananiah the ruler of the palace.—Commander of the fortress, as in Nehemiah 2:8. He was in the immediate service of the Persian king, but his chief recommendation was his piety, which distinguished him from too many of the other rulers.

(3) Until the sun be hot.—General directions were given that the gates should not be thrown open so early as sunrise; they were to be opened and barred again while the guard was present; and the inhabitants were to be divided for night-watches, part on the walls and part before their own houses.

(4) Large and great.—Literally, broad on both sides, with large unoccupied spaces.

The houses were not builded.—In sufficient numbers to provide the requisite population for the city of God. The emphasis is on the fact that the people were few.

Benson Commentary

Nehemiah 7:1-2. And the Levites were appointed — When I had given orders that the Levites should be summoned from all places to celebrate the dedication of the wall, as was done, Nehemiah 12:27. I gave my brother Hanani — Of whom see Nehemiah 1:1-2. And Hananiah, the ruler of the palace — Of Nehemiah’s court, justly called a palace, because he lived in great splendour, like a viceroy, though it was wholly at his own cost. Charge over Jerusalem — To preserve its peace and safety, and to take particular care of shutting the gates of the city. For he was a faithful man — Namely, Hananiah, last mentioned: for it was needless to say any thing in commendation of Hanani, who had shown his piety and zeal for God and his country in taking a tedious journey from Jerusalem to Shushan, to inform Nehemiah of the sad state of Jerusalem, and to implore his helping hand to relieve it, chap. 1. And feared God above many — More than most men did, or above the common pitch of piety. This is added as the ground and reason, both why he was faithful, and why Nehemiah put such confidence in him, because he knew that the fear of God would keep him from yielding to those temptations to perfidiousness which he was likely to meet with when Nehemiah was departed, and against which a man destitute of God’s fear had no sufficient defence. Thus Nehemiah chose magistrates and officers, not out of any partial and carnal respects to his own kindred, or acquaintance, or favourites, but from true piety and prudence, fixing on such as were most fit for, and would be most faithful in their employments.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

7:1-4 Nehemiah, having finished the wall, returned to the Persian court, and came to Jerusalem again with a new commission. The public safety depends on every one's care to guard himself and his family against sin.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Since the watch of the temple had hitherto been kept by porters, singers, and Levites 1 Chronicles 26:1-19, so now the watch of the entire city was committed to men of the same three classes, their experience pointing them out as the most suitable persons.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

CHAPTER 7

Ne 7:1-4. Nehemiah Commits the Charge of Jerusalem to Hanani and Hananiah.Nehemiah committeth the charge of Jerusalem to Hanani and Hananiah, Nehemiah 7:1,2. His advice to them, Nehemiah 7:3,4. He finds out a register of the genealogy of them that came at first out of Babylon, Nehemiah 7:5-65. The whole number of them, Nehemiah 7:66,67. Their substance, Nehemiah 7:68,69. Their offerings, Nehemiah 7:70-73.

i.e. When I had taken order that the Levites should be summoned from all places to celebrate the dedication of the wall, as it was done, Nehemiah 12:27.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Now it came to pass, when the wall was built, and I had set up the doors,.... Which was not done when Sanballat sent his first letter, but now was, Nehemiah 6:1,

and the porters and the singers, and the Levites were appointed; not to attend the doors of the gates of the wall, but to return to their service in the temple, who had been employed in one thing or another, while the wall and gates were building and repairing; see Nehemiah 3:17.

Geneva Study Bible

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,

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Ch. Nehemiah 7:1-5. Nehemiah’s dispositions for the protection of the City

1. the doors] We saw in Nehemiah 6:1 that this alone remained to be done to complete the walls. Those who were responsible for the doors are mentioned in Nehemiah 3:1; Nehemiah 3:3; Nehemiah 3:6; Nehemiah 3:13-15. Nehemiah’s completion of the great work is celebrated by the son of Sirach, ‘And among the elect was Neemias whose renown is great, who raised up for us the walls that were fallen, and set up the gates and the bars, and raised up our ruins again’ (Sir 49:13).

the porters and the singers and the Levites] The ‘porters’ were a guild whose ordinary duty it was to guard the entrances and defences of the Temple. In the unsettled state of affairs, when he was in constant expectation of attacks from without, and was conscious of intrigues going on within the walls, Nehemiah entrusted the protection of the whole city to this body of trained ‘police,’ and augmented their force by other available trained bands, i.e. the musicians and the main body of Levites, who assisted the priests in the Temple services. The mention of ‘the Levites’ generally after that of the two special classes is noticeable, but in some measure they were regarded in Nehemiah’s time as distinct, cf. Nehemiah 12:47, Nehemiah 13:5-10. They were already a disciplined and organised set of men. The great majority could apparently be relied on to support the policy of Nehemiah and Ezra. Nehemiah put the keeping of the walls into their hand, with the duty of superintending the watch, and of organising a system of sentinel-work among the citizens themselves (Nehemiah 7:3). The fact that Nehemiah thus trusted these Levites, and Temple servants, indicates that they sympathised with him in his scheme of a religious constitution for the Jews, which would completely exclude the Samaritan and the foreigner.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 1. - The porters and the singers and the Levites. The porters and the singers were themselves Levites, but are often distinguished from their brethren, who had no such special office (see Ezra 2:40-42, 70; Ezra 7:24; Ezra 10:23, 24; Nehemiah 7:43-45, 73; Nehemiah 10:28, etc.). Nehemiah's choice of Levites to guard the gates of Jerusalem may seem strange; but we must remember -

1. That the priests and Levites formed nearly one half the population of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 11:6-19 compared with 1 Chronicles 9:9-22).

2. That the office of guarding the temple gates had always been discharged by Levites (1 Chronicles 9:17-22; 1 Chronicles 26:12-19). Nehemiah 7:1

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

The watching of the city provided for. - Nehemiah 7:1 When the wall was built, Nehemiah set up the doors in the gates, to complete the fortification of Jerusalem (comp. Nehemiah 6:1). Then were the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites entrusted with the care (הפּקד, praefici; comp. Nehemiah 12:14). The care of watching the walls and gates is meant in this connection. According to ancient appointment, it was the duty of the doorkeepers to keep watch over the house of God, and to open and close the gates of the temple courts; comp. 1 Chronicles 9:17-19; 1 Chronicles 26:12-19. The singers and the Levites appointed to assist the priests, on the contrary, had, in ordinary times, nothing to do with the service of watching. Under the present extraordinary circumstances, however, Nehemiah committed also to these two organized corporations the task of keeping watch over the walls and gates of the city, and placed them under the command of his brother Hanani, and of Hananiah the ruler of the citadel. This is expressed by the words, Nehemiah 7:2 : I gave Hanani ... and Hananiah ... charge over Jerusalem. הבּירה is the fortress or citadel of the city lying to the north of the temple (see rem. on Nehemiah 2:8), in which was probably located the royal garrison, the commander of which was in the service of the Persian king. The choice of this man for so important a charge is explained by the additional clause: "for he was a faithful man, and feared God above many." The כּ before אישׁ is the so-called Caph veritatis, which expresses a comparison with the idea of the matter: like a man whom one may truly call faithful. מרבּים is comparative: more God-fearing than many.