Commentaria in II Esdrae (Nehemiam)
Chapter 7. Synopsis of the Chapter
Jerusalem now girt with walls, Nehemias sets guards. Then, verse 6, are numbered those who had returned with Zorobabel, and at verse 70 the gifts of gold and vessels freely offered by various persons for the work.
1. Now after the wall was built, and I had set up the doors, and numbered the porters, and the singers, and the Levites: 2. I commanded Hanani my brother, and Hananias the ruler of the house of Jerusalem (for he, as a true man and fearing God, seemed to be above the rest) 3. and I said to them: Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened till the heat of the sun. And while they were yet standing by, the doors were shut, and barred: and I set watchmen of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, every one in his turn, and every one over against his house. 4. Now the city was wide and large, and the people few in the midst thereof, and the houses were not built. 5. And God put it into my heart, and I gathered together the nobles, and the magistrates, and the common people, to number them, and I found a book of the number of them who came up at first, and it was found written therein. 6. These are the children of the province, that came up from the captivity of them that had been carried away, whom Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon had carried away, and they returned into Jerusalem, and into Juda, every one into his city. 7. Who came with Zorobabel, Josue, Nehemias, Azarias, Raamias, Nahamani, Mardochai, Belsam, Mespharath, Begoai, Nahum, Baana. The number of the men of the people of Israel: 8. The children of Pharos, two thousand a hundred seventy-two: 9. The children of Saphatia, three hundred seventy-two: 10. The children of Area, six hundred fifty-two: 11. The children of Phahathmoab of the children of Josue and Joab, two thousand eight hundred and eighteen: 12. The children of Elam, one thousand two hundred fifty-four: 13. The children of Zethua, eight hundred forty-five: 14. The children of Zachai, seven hundred and sixty: 15. The children of Bannui, six hundred forty-eight: 16. The children of Bebai, six hundred twenty-eight: 17. The children of Azgad, two thousand three hundred twenty-two: 18. The children of Adonicam, six hundred sixty-seven: 19. The children of Beguai, two thousand sixty-seven: 20. The children of Adin, six hundred fifty-five: 21. The children of Ater, of Hezecias, ninety-eight: 22. The children of Hasem, three hundred twenty-eight: 23. The children of Besai, three hundred twenty-four: 24. The children of Hareph, a hundred and twelve: 25. The children of Gabaon, ninety-five: 26. The children of Bethlehem and Netupha, a hundred eighty-eight. 27. The men of Anathoth, a hundred twenty-eight. 28. The men of Bethazmoth, forty-two. 29. The men of Cariathiarim, Cephira and Beroth, seven hundred forty-three. 30. The men of Rama and Geba, six hundred twenty-one. 31. The men of Machmas, a hundred twenty-two. 32. The men of Bethel and Hai, a hundred twenty-three. 33. The men of the other Nebo, fifty-two. 34. The men of the other Elam, one thousand two hundred fifty-four. 35. The children of Harem, three hundred twenty. 36. The children of Jericho, three hundred forty-five. 37. The children of Lod, Hadid and Ono, seven hundred twenty-one. 38. The children of Senaa, three thousand nine hundred thirty. 39. The priests: the children of Jedaia in the house of Josue, nine hundred seventy-three. 40. The children of Emmer, one thousand fifty-two. 41. The children of Phashur, one thousand two hundred forty-seven. 42. The children of Arem, one thousand and seventeen. The Levites: 43. The children of Josue and of Cedmihel, of the children 44. of Oduia, seventy-four. The singers: 45. The children of Asaph, a hundred forty-eight. 46. The porters: the children of Sellum, the children of Ater, the children of Telmon, the children of Accub, the children of Hatita, the children of Sobai, a hundred thirty-eight. 47. The Nathinites: the children of Soha, the children of Hasupha, the children of Thebbaoth, 48. the children of Ceros, the children of Siaa, the children of Phadon, the children of Lebana, the children of Hagaba, the children of Selmai, 49. the children of Hanan, the children of Geddel, the children of Gaher, 50. the children of Raaia, the children of Rasin, the children of Necoda, 51. the children of Gezem, the children of Aza, the children of Phasea, 52. the children of Besai, the children of Munim, the children of Nephussim, 53. the children of Bacbuc, the children of Hacupha, the children of Harhur, 54. the children of Besloth, the children of Mahida, the children of Harsa, 55. the children of Bercos, the children of Sisara, the children of Thema, 56. the children of Nasia, the children of Hatipha. 57. The children of the servants of Solomon, the children of Sothai, the children of Sophereth, the children of Pharida, 58. the children of Jahala, the children of Darcon, the children of Jeddel, 59. the children of Saphatia, the children of Hatil, the children of Phochereth, who was born of Sabaim, the son of Amon. 60. All the Nathinites, and the children of the servants of Solomon, three hundred ninety-two. 61. And these are they that came up from Thelmela, Thelharsa, Cherub, Addon and Emmer: and they could not shew the house of their fathers, and their seed, whether they were of Israel. 62. The children of Dalaia, the children of Tobias, the children of Necoda, six hundred forty-two. 63. And of the priests, the children of Habia, the children of Accos, the children of Berzellai, who took a wife of the daughters of Berzellai the Galaadite, and was called by their name. 64. These sought their writing in the register, and found it not: and they were cast out of the priesthood. 65. And Athersatha said to them that they should not eat of the holies of holies, till there should arise a priest learned and skilful. 66. All the multitude as one man, forty-two thousand three hundred sixty, 67. besides their menservants and maidservants, who were seven thousand three hundred thirty-seven, and among them singing men and singing women, two hundred forty-five: 68. Their horses, seven hundred thirty-six: their mules, two hundred forty-five. 69. Their camels, four hundred thirty-five: asses, six thousand seven hundred and twenty.
Thus far is related what was written in the commentary; from here the history of Nehemias is woven.
70. And some of the heads of families gave to the work. Athersatha gave to the treasure a thousand drams of gold, fifty vials, five hundred and thirty priestly garments. 71. And of the heads of families gave to the treasure of the work, twenty thousand drams of gold, and two thousand two hundred pounds of silver. 72. And that which the rest of the people gave was twenty thousand drams of gold, and two thousand pounds of silver, and sixty-seven priestly garments. 73. And the priests, and the Levites, and the porters, and the singers, and the rest of the common people, and the Nathinites, and all Israel, dwelt in their cities.
2. I commanded Hanani my brother (kinsman). (This is that Hanani who carried the news of the desolation of Jerusalem to Nehemias in Persia, chapter 1, verse 2.) And Hananias the ruler (that is, prefect) of the house—namely, of the royal palace, as the Hebrews have it, on Mount Sion. These two, as being above the rest true men, that is, sincere and upright, and fearing God, Nehemias set as guards of the city of Jerusalem.
3. And while they were yet standing by—as if to say: The gates were shut in the evening only when these two guards, Hanani and Hananias, were present and standing by, lest any fraud should arise from the snares of the enemy. Again in the morning they were not opened “till the heat of the sun,” that is, before full day, when all are awake.
4. And the people few—for few had returned from Babylon, and of these few, some, seeing the desolation of the city and the threats of the enemy, had betaken themselves to other cities and villages of Judea, others had returned to Babylon or Persia, among whom was the leader Zorobabel.
5. And God put it into my heart—as if to say: God suggested to me a plan and a way of supplying the fewness of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, namely by reviewing the list of those who had first returned from Babylon with Esdras, and, according to it, inviting and summoning them to dwell in Jerusalem, which we shall hear in chapter 11 was in fact done by lot. Hence he soon recounts the list containing the census of the people who had returned.
6. These are the children of the province, that came up from the captivity of them that had been carried away—that is, who returned from the transmigration of Babylon, namely from Babylon to Jerusalem with Zorobabel under Cyrus. This is the list, or census, of the people which Esdras reviewed, chapter 2, but in other words here and there and with numbers nearly different, especially in the middle; for the beginning and the end are the same in both. The reason is that this census of the people, or list, was taken and written down more than once; namely first in Babylon, when the Jews went out from there; second in Jerusalem, when they first arrived there; third when, the temple having been rebuilt, it was dedicated with a solemn concourse of the people. But these censuses varied among themselves, because as some died others were born, as some departed others arrived. Wherefore Esdras wrote down his list from one census, Nehemias from another; and so they differ. See Franciscus Lucas in his Notations on verse 19.
65. And Athersatha said—that is, Nehemias, as is clear from chapter 8, verse 9.
Thus far the list. This annotation is not found in the Hebrew, the Greek, and some Latin copies. Hence the Greek corrector and others think it should be omitted, indeed reject it, as Lyranus and the Carthusian do. Surely the different character sufficiently shows that these words were inserted, and are neither of the text nor of the faith, says Sanchez. Yet the corrected Roman Bible has this annotation. It seems therefore to have been added by the Interpreter, as many similar things were added in the book of Esther, or by some paraphraser or commentator: so Franciscus Lucas, Notation 19.
70. And some of the heads—This is the list of the gifts offered for the building, and it is the same as that which Esdras reviewed, chapter 2, but, as I said, different in the numbers; perhaps because Esdras embraced the gifts of more persons, namely of all those also who from the kingdom of Cyrus, whether Jews or Persians, at Cyrus’s exhortation, contributed something of their wealth to the building or afterwards sent it to Jerusalem; whereas Nehemias reviews only the gifts of the Jews returning from the captivity, and only the chief of these, and therefore fewer than Esdras, says Franciscus Lucas in the place cited.