Nehemiah 3:30

Neh 3:30 After him repaired Hananiah the son of Shelemiah, and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph, another piece. After him repaired Meshullam the son of Berechiah over against his chamber.

Ver. 30. After him repaired Hananiah] Or, After me. Nehemiah, doubtless, did his part, and a large one too, see Neh 4:16, but he omitteth, out of his modesty, to set down how much. In the Hebrew text it is, After me; but in the margin, After him. The reason is given by some to be this, that Nehemiah might most covertly set forth his own work, to avoid all show of vain glory.

And Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph] Not the eldest, but the best of all the brethren. There must be no straining courtesy who shall begin; nor must men fear for their forwardness to be styled seraphical and singular. If Hanun were alone, it was a shame for his brethren to suffer him to be so.

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.

Neh 3:30. And Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph, another piece — It seems his five elder brethren laid not their hands to the work. But in doing that which is good, we need not stay to see our betters go before us.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Meaning the sixth of his sons.

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

30. Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph, … piece] R.V. portion. This particular mention of Hanun as ‘the sixth son’ of Zalaph is noteworthy, since the mention of other names in this chapter is unaccompanied with any detail of description. It is not mentioned in Neh_3:13, where Hanun’s name first occurs; but in this passage it has the support of all the versions. If therefore the word is, as some suppose, a corruption for ‘and the inhabitants of Zanoah’ (Neh_3:13), or a numerical gloss that has accidentally found its way into the text, the error must have arisen in very early times.

Meshullam the son of Berechiah] His name has occurred in Neh_3:4 and it is strange that the words ‘another portion’ are not added in connexion with this second mention of his work. We should naturally expect this tribute to be applied to him rather than to Hanun.

over against his chamber] The word for ‘chamber’ is an unusual form—occurring elsewhere in the O.T. only in Neh_12:44, Neh_13:7—for the ordinary word occurring in Ezr_8:29, where see note. Perhaps it is used here to denote some official residence (LXX. γαζοφυλάκιον, Vulg. gazophylacium). The mention of Meshullam’s ‘chamber’ increases the probability that he was a priest of eminence, if, as the context somewhat suggests, ‘the chamber’ was within the Temple precincts.

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 between the going up of the corner unto the sheep gate,.... Where the building first began and where it now ended:

repaired the goldsmiths and the merchants; or druggists; which was done at their expense; and so the wall all round, with the gates of it, were rebuilt and repaired, which was all done in fifty two days, Neh 6:15.

Next: Nehemiah Chapter 4

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

Or, chambers; the singular number for the plural.

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

After him. The traditional text gives "after me;" and it has been supposed that Nehemiah assigned himself a certain portion of the wall and repaired it, but suppressed his own name through modesty. But, as general superintendent of the whole, (Neh_4:13-23) he could scarcely take any special work; and the argument that might have been founded upon a single occurrence of the expression "after me" is deprived of all force by its double occurrence, here and in ver. 31. Another piece. A Hanun has been mentioned (ver. 13) among the leaders of the working parties, and also a Hananiah (ver. 8); but they were not coupled together; and it may well be questioned whether either is identical with his namesake of this verse. Probably we have here another instance of the incompleteness of our present text of this chapter (see the comment on ver. 11).

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

The sixth son of Zalaph - It seems, his five elder brethren, laid not their hands to the work. But in doing that which is good, we need not stay to see our betters go before us.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph Zalaph had many sons, and Hanun was the sixth.

a second measure Heb. מִדָה שֵּׁנִי, like שֵּׁנִית.

his chamber Heb. נִשְּׁכָּתוֹ, like לִשְּׁכָּתוֹ. He had one chamber adjoining the wall.

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.