Nehemiah 11:4

at Jerusalem dwelt certain of the children of Judah--The discrepancy that is apparent between this [Neh. 11:4-36] and the list formerly given in Ch1 9:1-9, arose not only from the Jewish and Oriental practice of changing or modifying the names of persons from a change of circumstances, but from the alterations that must have been produced in the course of time. The catalogue in Chronicles contains those who came with the first detachment of returned exiles, while the list in this passage probably included also those who returned with Ezra and Nehemiah; or it was most probably made out afterwards, when several had died, or some, who had been inserted as going on the journey, remained, and others came in their stead.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Neh 11:4 And at Jerusalem dwelt [certain] of the children of Judah, and of the children of Benjamin. Of the children of Judah; Athaiah the son of Uzziah, the son of Zechariah, the son of Amariah, the son of Shephatiah, the son of Mahalaleel, of the children of Perez;

Ver. 4. Certain of the children of Judah, &c.] Yea, and of the children of Ephraim and Manasseh too, 1Ch 9:3; where the same is set down as here, but the number is greater. And why? Here only those are reckoned who inhabited Jerusalem by lot; but there the volunteers also. See Neh 11:2.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

11:4 Perez was one of Judah’s sons (Gen 38:29).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Which came of Perez the son of Judah.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

(4) Perez.—In 1 Chronicles 9 the descendants of Perez (or Phares) are not given; but the descendants of Zerah, present there, are absent here. This may be a question of the right reading of the text.

(4-19) The heads in Jerusalem: as compared with 1 Chronicles 9, by no means complete. Judah and Benjamin are represented, with priests and Levites and porters.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

4. And at Jerusalem] R.V. And in Jerusalem. In the Chronicles list after ‘the children of Benjamin’ are mentioned ‘and of the children of Ephraim and Manasseh.’

Athaiah the son of Uzziah, &c.] In 1Ch_9:4 the house of Perez is represented by ‘Uthai the son of Ammihud.’ The suggestion that ‘Athaiah’ and ‘Uthai’ are identical appears plausible at first sight. But the names of their respective ancestors are different; and it is possible that two different men are intended. If the great similarity of the names forbids us to believe that two separate personages can be referred to, we must conclude that the two lists are epitomes and have preserved different representative names from the completer genealogy in the original document.

Mahalaleel] R.V. Mahalalel.

Perez] or Pharez. Cf. Gen_38:29; 1Ch_4:1.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And Maaseiah,.... Who seems to be the same with Asaiah, Ch1 9:5 and whose genealogy is carried up through Baruch, Colhozeh, Hazaiah, Adaiah, Joiarib, Zechariah, to Shiloni; perhaps the same with Shelah, another son of Judah, see Ch1 9:5.

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Nehemiah 11:6

neh 11:6

neh 11:6

neh 11:6All the sons of Perez that dwelt at Jerusalem were four hundred threescore and eight valiant men. And so well qualified to defend the city against its enemies.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

See the margin reference notes. Both accounts appear to be extracts from a public official register which Nehemiah caused to be made of his census. The census itself seems to have been confined to the dwellers at Jerusalem. The subjoined table exhibits the differences between the accounts of the entire population of Jerusalem as given in Nehemiah and in Chronicles:

1 Chron

Nehemiah

Tribes of Judah

Of Pharez

468

Of Zerah

690

Tribe of Benjamin

956

928

Tribe of Levi

Priests

1760

1192

Levites

284

Porters

212

172

According to Nehemiah’s numbers, supplemented from Chronicles, the entire adult male population of the city was 3,734, which would give a total population of 14,936. According to Chronicles, supplemented from Nehemiah, the adult males were 4,370, and consequently the entire population, would have been 17,480. As the Nethinims and the Israelites of Ephraim and Manasseh 1Ch 9:3 are not included in either list, we may conclude that the actual number of the inhabitants, after the efforts recorded in Neh 11:1-2, was not much short of 20,000.

Neh 11:16

The outward business of the house of God - Such as the collection of the newly-imposed tax Neh 10:32, the providing of the regular sacrifices, the renewal of vestments, and the like.

Neh 11:17

The principal to begin the thanksgiving - i. e., “the precentor,” or “leader of the choir.”

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Benjamin, as well as of Ephraim and Manasses, 1 Paralipomenon ix. 3. The difference between this last record and the present, arises from Nehemias including many who returned with Esdras and with himself. (Calmet)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

The children of Judah and of Benjamin; for to these two tribes this city anciently and most properly belonged, although some also of other tribes dwelt in it; of which, and other things relating to this catalogue, see 1Ch 9:3, &c.

Athaiah, and his family and relations with him, and under him as their head, as appears from Neh 11:6.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

At Jerusalem dwelt certain of the children of Judah, and of the children of Benjamin. It is not meant that all the dwellers in Jerusalem were of these two tribes, since among them were certainly Levites (vers. 10-19), Ephraimites, and Mansesites, together with Nethinims (ver. 21) who were of no tribe, and probably some representatives of all or most of the other tribes. (see the comment on Ezr_2:70) But the present purpose of Nehemiah is to mention especially the Jewish and Benjamite chiefs. Athaiah, or Uthai, as the name is given in 1Ch_9:4. The son of Uzziah. The ancestors assigned to Athaiah here and in 1Ch 9. are wholly different, with the single exception of Pharez or Perez, the son of Judah. Both lists are of course abbreviations of a far longer one, and it has happened that the two writers have in no ease selected for mention the same name.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

of the children of Judah: Athaiah, etc. He returns to explain who those ‘of the children of Judah’ were, and the entire chapter enumerates only the great and esteemed ones among them.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.