Nehemiah 11:20

11:1-36 The distribution of the people. - In all ages, men have preferred their own ease and advantage to the public good. Even the professors of religion too commonly seek their own, and not the things of Christ. Few have had such attachment to holy things and holy places, as to renounce pleasure for their sake. Yet surely, our souls should delight to dwell where holy persons and opportunities of spiritual improvement most abound. If we have not this love to the city of our God, and to every thing that assists our communion with the Saviour, how shall we be willing to depart hence; to be absent from the body, that we may be present with the Lord? To the carnal-minded, the perfect holiness of the New Jerusalem would be still harder to bear than the holiness of God's church on earth. Let us seek first the favour of God, and his glory; let us study to be patient, contented, and useful in our several stations, and wait, with cheerful hope, for admission into the holy city of God.

And the residue of Israel, of the priests and the Levites,..... All of them, besides those that dwelt at Jerusalem: were in all the cities of Judah, everyone in his inheritance; the Israelites in the cities, houses, and estates enjoyed by their ancestors, and the priests and Levites in the cities given out of the several tribes.

20 . This verse is clearly out of place, interrupting the register of ‘the porters’ and ‘the Nethinim.’ It would be more appropriate before Nehemiah 11:25 . the residue of Israel ] Cf. Nehemiah 11:1 , ‘the rest of the people,’ where the same word is used in the Hebrew. ‘Israel’ as in Nehemiah 11:3 (cf. Ezra 2:70 ), denoting all the laity irrespective of their tribes. of the priests , and the Levites ] R.V. the priests, the Levites . The A.V., by inserting ‘and,’ and the R.V., by preserving the comma between the words, agree in not regarding this as an instance of the technical term ‘the priests the Levites’ which is found so often in Deuteronomy, and occurs elsewhere, e.g. 2 Chronicles 5:5 ; 2 Chronicles 23:18 ; 2 Chronicles 30:27 . The words are coordinate although the copula is wanting. As in Nehemiah 11:3 , and in chap. Nehemiah 10:28 ; Nehemiah 10:34 , Israel (or ‘the people’) with the priests and the Levites make up the whole sum of the nation. Nehemiah 11:20

17. the principal to begin the thanksgiving in prayer—that is, the leader of the choir which chanted the public praise at the time of the morning and evening sacrifice. That service was always accompanied by some appropriate psalm, the sacred music being selected and guided by the person named.

Verse 14. - Bilgah... Immer . The former name reappears, not for the same per-sen, in Nehemiah 12:5, 18 ; and, under a slightly altered form, Bilgai , in Nehemiah 10:8 . The latter is the name of a family known already ( 1 Chronicles 9:12 ), and which became much better known ( Ezra 2:37 ; Ezra 10:20 ; Nehemiah 3:29 ; Nehemiah 7:40 ; Nehemiah 11:13 ; Jeremiah 20:1 ). The notices parallel to one another ( Ezra 2:59 ; Nehemiah 7:61 ) are interesting, but obscure. They probably speak of a place called Immer, but even this is not quite clear. 1 Chronicles 24:14

6. Hast thou forsaken this house? These questions are of great importance; answer them as in the sight of God. [ Nehemiah 11 ] NEHEMIAH 11: 1 The princes of the people lived in Jerusalem: the rest of the people also cast lots, to bring one of ten to dwell in Jerusalem the holy city, and nine parts in the other cities. Lots are cast that a tenth of the people may constantly dwell at Jerusalem, and the other nine parts in the other cities and villages, Nehemiah 11:1. Some willingly offer themselves to dwell in Jerusalem, and the people bless them, Nehemiah 11:2. An enumeration of the families that dwell in Jerusalem, of Judah, and Benjamin, Nehemiah 11:3-9; of those of the priests, Nehemiah 11:10-12; of the chiefs of the fathers, Nehemiah 11:13; of the mighty men, Nehemiah 11:14; of the Levites, Nehemiah 11:15-18; of the porters, Nehemiah 11:19; of the residue of Israel and the officers, Nehemiah 11:20-24. The villages at which they dwelt, Nehemiah 11:25-35. Certain divisions of the Levites were in Judah and Benjamin, Nehemiah 11:36. Verse 1 To bring one of ten - Jerusalem certainly had many inhabitants at this time; but not sufficient to preserve the city, which was now encompassed with a wall, and the rebuilding of which was going on fast. Nehemiah therefore obliged one tenth of the country people to come and dwell in it, that the population might be sufficient for the preservation and defense of the city.