Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Nehemiah 7:4

Now the city [was] large and great: but the people [were] few therein, and the houses [were] not built.

4. large and great ] R.V. wide and large. The phrase rendered ‘wide’ (cf. Gen 34:21; Jdg 18:10) denotes extension on every side; its literal rendering would be ‘wide on both hands.’

the people were few ] The inhabitants of Jerusalem were in Nehemiah’s time very few in comparison with what they had been before the captivity, see Neh 11:1-2. The number of Jews that had returned with Zerubbabel had been 42360 (Ezr 2:64; Neh 7:66). With Ezra there had come rather more than 1500 (Ezr 8:1-20). Others had come from time to time. But of the whole number of 50,000 or so, a very large proportion were settled in the country and towns in the neighbourhood, as appears from Neh 7:73, Neh 11:25-36, Neh 12:27-29.

the houses were not builded ] An expression that cannot be understood literally. The meaning is, there were large open spaces within the walls unoccupied.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

The people were few – The number of those who returned with Zerubbabel was no more than 42,360 Neh 7:66. Less than 2,000 people had come with Ezra Ezra 8:1-20.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Verse 4. The houses were not builded.] The city was not yet rebuilt, only a row of houses in the inside of the wall all round.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

i.e. Not all, nor completely built; but only some slight buildings of boards or stones were made for the present use of the generality of the people.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

4. Now the city was large andgreatThe walls being evidently built on the old foundations,the city covered a large extent of surface, as all Oriental towns do,the houses standing apart with gardens and orchards intervening. Thisextent, in the then state of Jerusalem, was the more observable asthe population was comparatively small, and the habitations of themost rude and simple constructionmere wooden sheds or coverings ofloose, unmortared stones.

Ne7:5-38. GENEALOGY OFTHOSE WHOCAME AT THE FIRSTOUT OF BABYLON.

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

Now the city was large and great,…. The circumference of it, all within the wall; for that was built on its old foundation, and enclosed as much ground as ever it did: Hecataeus b, an Heathen writer, says the circumference of Jerusalem was fifty furlongs, which was more than six miles; but Josephus c makes the circuit of it but thirty three furlongs or about six miles:

but the people were few therein; in comparison of the largeness of the place; for though there were 42,360 that came up at first with Zerubbabel, and many more with Ezra, yet a great number chose to settle in the towns and cities in the country, Jerusalem being in such a desolate condition:

and the houses were not builded; some were, but they were but few, many of them still lay in ruins.

b Apud Euseb. Praepar. par. Evangel. l. 9. c. 4. p. 408. & apud Joseph. contr. Apion, l. 1. c. 22. c De Bell. Jud. l. 5. c. 4. sect. 3.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

GENEALOGICAL REGISTRY OF THE PEOPLE, Neh 7:4-73.

4. The city was large Broad-sided, extensive; so that it required many watchers to keep guard on every side.

The people were few therein That is, comparatively few, and far from sufficient to occupy the great space enclosed by the walls.

And the houses not builded That is, the majority of the houses of the ancient city were fallen in ruins, and comparatively few had been fitted up for the present use of the returned exiles.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

The Reason For The Discovery Of The List ( Neh 7:4-5 ).

Neh 7:4

‘Now the city was wide and large, but the people in it were few, and the houses were not built.’

The walls having been completed, and the doors having been hung in the gates, Nehemiah now turned his thoughts onto the question of the lack of inhabitants in Jerusalem. It was a large city, but few were there living there permanently and most of the houses were in ruins.

Neh 7:5

‘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:

So God put it into his heart to gather the leaders and the people together in order that their genealogies might be confirmed. This was presumably with a view to causing Jerusalem to be inhabited with people of true Jewish descent. And in giving this matter further investigation he discovered in a record office the list already mentioned, that of those who had returned from Babylon with Sheshbazzar and Zerubbabel. In it was written as follow:

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

Neh 7:4 Now the city [was] large and great: but the people [were] few therein, and the houses [were] not builded.

Ver. 4. Now the city was large ] Heb. Broad in spans or spaces.

And great ] Yet nothing so great as Nineveh was of old; or Babylon then; or Alcair and Quinsay at this day. Of the former Bunting saith, that it is sixty miles in compass. Of the latter, Paulus Venetus (who himself dwelt therein about the year 1260) writeth, that it is a hundred miles about, being of all the cities in the world the greatest. Jerusalem was a great city and spacious, though it fell far short of these.

And the people were few therein ] But how exceedingly they multiplied afterwards appeareth by those many thousands of persons there destroyed and carried away by the Romans at the last desolation; as testifieth Josephus, an eyewitness, quem lege, et luge, what he collected and lamented. For present, they were so few that they were not able, without help, to defend the walls in so large a circuit.

And the houses were not builded ] All could not be done in a day. But some ceiled houses there were, Hag 1:4 , and Nehemiah was all his time busy in building the old waste places, and raising up the foundations of many generations; so that he was worthily called, “The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in,” Isa 58:12 . Eusebius saith, Nehemiah was twelve years in building the walls; he should have said, the city. Jerome likewise saith, that he came to Jerusalem in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes, and made an end of building the wall and city in the two and thirtieth year; so that, during the whole twelve years of his government, he was in action.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

large and great = wide, or open, and large.

few therein. This could not have been said if Zerubbabel had already returned with nearly 50,000 people (Ezr 2:64-67).

the houses were not builded = no sign of houses being built. This statement refers to the permanent stable habitations of the city proper which Haggai speaks of as being in existence forty-four years later (Hag 1:4, Hag 1:9). The word bayith, house, means a dwelling, and in Neh 2:3 with Neh 3:31 is rendered “place”, which clearly indicates its meaning in these passages. Among the ruined houses left by Nebuchadnezzar many might easily have been made habitable sufficiently to fulfill the conditions of Neh 8:16.

This portion corresponds with Ezr 1:5 Ezr 2:70. Therefore all that precedes (Neh 1:1 — Neh 7:4) must come, chronologically, before Ezr 1:5, Nehemiah’s record here interrupted, and resumed after some twelve years. See Neh 5:14. This portion was written after the Temple had been rebuilt (Compare Neh 8:5, Neh 8:16), when Darius Hystaspis was reigning (see App-57, App-58, App-50.)

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

Neh 7:4

Neh 7:4

“Now the city was wide and large; but the people were few therein, and the houses were not builded.”

This verse is actually the key to the inclusion at once of that long list of genealogies. Jerusalem was in desperate need of more inhabitants, for it was far too large a city for the few who lived there; and “Nehemiah, at once, laid plans for populating the city with PURE JEWS; and the register of those who had returned with Zerubbabel becomes his basis for determining the purity of genealogy.”

And the houses were not builded. “This must be understood in a relative sense, because some houses are referred to in Nehemiah 7:3.”

E.M. Zerr:

Neh 7:4. This verse explains the precautions required in the preceding ones. The area enclosed by the wall was large and not many residences had yet been built. For that reason it was necessary to make wise distribution of the forces available. After all the attempts at preventing the work while it was in progress, Nehemiah did not wish to take any chances for violence now that the work had been completed.

Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary

large and great: Heb. broad in spaces

the houses: Isa 58:12, Hag 1:4-6, Mat 6:33

Reciprocal: Deu 28:62 – few in number Neh 11:1 – the rulers Psa 147:2 – build Jer 30:18 – the city

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Neh 7:4. The houses were not builded That is, not all, nor completely built; but only some slight buildings of boards or stones were erected, for the present use of the generality of the people.

Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments