“Now these are the chief of the province that dwelt in Jerusalem: but in the cities of Judah dwelt every one in his possession in their cities, to wit, Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the Nethinims, and the children of Solomon's servants.”
My Notes
What Does Nehemiah 11:3 Mean?
"Now these are the chief of the province that dwelt in Jerusalem: but in the cities of Judah dwelt every one in his possession in their cities, to wit, Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the Nethinims, and the children of Solomon's servants." The POPULATION of post-exilic Judah is organized into FIVE categories: Israel (lay people), priests, Levites, Nethinim (temple servants), and children of Solomon's servants. Each category has a defined role. Each group has a place. The community isn't an undifferentiated mass. It's a STRUCTURED society with distinct functions.
The phrase "the Nethinims, and the children of Solomon's servants" (vehannetinim uvenei avdei Shelomoh — the Nethinim and the sons of Solomon's servants) identifies two UNIQUE groups in the temple-service structure: the NETHINIM (literally 'given ones') are temple servants — people dedicated to manual service in the temple, probably descendants of the Gibeonites (Joshua 9:27 — 'hewers of wood and drawers of water'). The 'children of Solomon's servants' are descendants of foreign laborers Solomon conscripted (1 Kings 9:21). Both groups serve the temple in supporting roles that span CENTURIES.
The phrase "every one in his possession in their cities" (ish ba'achuzzato be'areihem — each in his property in their cities) establishes PROPERTY and PLACE: the returned exiles aren't refugees. They have POSSESSIONS and CITIES. The return from Babylon included the restoration of PROPERTY — each family recovering (or receiving) land in specific locations. The return is geographic AND economic. The people come back to PLACES they can call their own.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What role does your 'category' play in the community — and do you see it as essential?
- 2.What does the Nethinim's coerced service becoming sacred identity teach about calling emerging from obligation?
- 3.How does 'every one in his possession' describe the economic foundation that spiritual community requires?
- 4.What organizational structure in your community testifies that restoration has actually happened?
Devotional
FIVE categories of people make up the post-exilic community: ordinary Israelites, priests, Levites, Nethinim (temple servants), and descendants of Solomon's servants. The society is STRUCTURED — each group has a defined role, a specific function, a place in the system. The community isn't just 'people who came back.' It's an organized body with differentiated responsibilities.
The NETHINIM and Solomon's servants are the most fascinating categories: these are people whose ancestors were FOREIGNERS — Gibeonites conscripted by Joshua, laborers conscripted by Solomon. Centuries later, their descendants are still serving in the temple. The service that began as obligation has become IDENTITY. The duty assigned to the grandparents has become the calling of the grandchildren. The coerced labor of one generation has become the sacred service of the next.
The 'every one in his POSSESSION' is the economic foundation: the returned exiles have PROPERTY. They have CITIES. They have LAND. The return from exile includes economic restoration — not just permission to return but property to return TO. The community's stability rests on economic foundation. The spiritual restoration is built on material security.
The STRUCTURE of the community is the Chronicler's emphasis: lists, categories, assignments, locations. The post-exilic community is meticulously ORGANIZED. The casual reader might find these lists tedious. The Chronicler considers them essential. The organization IS the testimony — the proof that the community has been RESTORED, not just relocated.
What role does YOUR 'category' play in the structured community — and do you see your function as essential?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And at Jerusalem dwelt certain of the children of Judah, and of the children of Benjamin,.... It belonging partly to one…
Now these are the chief - A good deal of difference will be found between the enumeration here and that in Ch1 9:2, etc.…
Jerusalem is called here the holy city (Neh 11:1), because there the temple was, and that was the place God had chosen…
From this verse to Neh 12:26 we have a succession of lists: (1) the chiefs of the provinces that dwelt in Jerusalem, 4…
Cross References
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