Old Testament · History

Nehemiah 11

Settling Jerusalem

Volunteers move into the rebuilt city. Most stay in their towns; some are chosen by lot. Filling a city takes as much courage as building its walls.

Berean Standard Bible BSB KJV

1Now the leaders of the people settled in Jerusalem, and the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to live in the holy city of Jerusalem, while the remaining nine were to dwell in their own towns.

2And the people blessed all the men who volunteered to live in Jerusalem.

3These are the heads of the provinces who settled in Jerusalem. (In the villages of Judah, however, each lived on his own property in their towns—the Israelites, priests, Levites, temple servants, and descendants of Solomon’s servants—

4while some of the descendants of Judah and Benjamin settled in Jerusalem.)

5and Maaseiah son of Baruch, the son of Col-hozeh, the son of Hazaiah, the son of Adaiah, the son of Joiarib, the son of Zechariah, a descendant of Shelah.

6The descendants of Perez who settled in Jerusalem totaled 468 men of valor.

7From the descendants of Benjamin:

8and his followers Gabbai and Sallai—928 men.

9Joel son of Zichri was the officer over them, and Judah son of Hassenuah was over the Second District of the city.

10From the priests:

15From the Levites:

16Shabbethai and Jozabad, two leaders of the Levites, who supervised the work outside the house of God;

17Mattaniah son of Mica, the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph, who led in thanksgiving and prayer; Bakbukiah, second among his associates; and Abda son of Shammua, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun.

18The Levites in the holy city totaled 284.

19And the gatekeepers:

20The rest of the Israelites, with the priests and Levites, were in all the villages of Judah, each on his own inheritance.

21The temple servants lived on the hill of Ophel, with Ziha and Gishpa over them.

22Now the overseer of the Levites in Jerusalem was Uzzi son of Bani, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Mica. He was one of Asaph’s descendants, who were the singers in charge of the service of the house of God.

23For there was a command from the king concerning the singers, an ordinance regulating their daily activities.

24Pethahiah son of Meshezabel, a descendant of Zerah son of Judah, was the king’s agent in every matter concerning the people.

25As for the villages with their fields, some of the people of Judah lived in Kiriath-arba, Dibon, Jekabzeel, and their villages;

26in Jeshua, Moladah, and Beth-pelet;

27in Hazar-shual; in Beersheba and its villages;

28in Ziklag; in Meconah and its villages;

29in En-rimmon, Zorah, Jarmuth,

30Zanoah, Adullam, and their villages; in Lachish and its fields; and in Azekah and its villages. So they settled from Beersheba all the way to the Valley of Hinnom.

31The descendants of Benjamin from Geba lived in Michmash, Aija, and Bethel with its villages;

32in Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah,

33Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim,

34Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat,

35Lod, and Ono; and in the Valley of the Craftsmen.

36And some divisions of the Levites of Judah settled in Benjamin.

Understand This

Nehemiah 11, explained

What Nehemiah 11 is saying

To repopulate the sparsely inhabited Jerusalem, one-tenth of the people are chosen by lot to live within the city while the rest remain in surrounding towns. The chapter lists the leaders, families, priests, Levites, and gatekeepers who settle in Jerusalem, along with a brief accounting of settlements throughout Judah and Benjamin.

The background behind it

The casting of lots for resettlement reflects both the practical need to populate a defensible city and the theological conviction that God directs the outcome of the lot (Proverbs 16:33). Living in Jerusalem required sacrifice—agricultural land lay outside the walls, and urban life meant higher costs and greater vulnerability.

Themes running underneath

The willing sacrifice of those who moved into Jerusalem is commended—the text calls them 'volunteers' alongside those chosen by lot. Sacred geography matters: the city must be more than walls; it needs a living community to fulfill its vocation as the place of God's name.

Why it still matters

Sometimes serving God's purposes requires relocating from comfort to where you're needed. The volunteers who chose Jerusalem over their ancestral farms model costly obedience.

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Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible — used by permission, Bible Hub.