Chapter 11 of Sefer Nechemya addresses the repopulation and settlement of Jerusalem. We have already seen earlier that there was a problem: Jerusalem lay desolate, and not many came to settle there. Therefore, the people took upon themselves an orderly system for settling the city. From this point forward, the text lists by name those who dwelt in Jerusalem and those who dwelt in the cities of Yehudah and Binyamin. The chapter is filled with names, and there is great significance to this: the books of Ezra and Nechemya frequently list names, because anyone worthy of praise and remembrance for their good deeds was etched forever in the Book of Books of the Jewish people. Come and see: this person performed a good deed, this person fulfilled a mitzvah, this person volunteered.
וַיֵּשְׁבוּ שָׂרֵי־הָעָם בִּירוּשָׁלָ͏ִם וּשְׁאָר הָעָם הִפִּילוּ גוֹרָלוֹת לְהָבִיא אֶחָד מִן־הָעֲשָׂרָה לָשֶׁבֶת בִּירוּשָׁלַ͏ִם עִיר הַקֹּדֶשׁ וְתֵשַׁע הַיָּדוֹת בֶּעָרִים׃ - And the leaders of the people dwelt in Jerusalem; and the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to dwell in Jerusalem, the holy city, and nine parts in the cities.
The leaders of the people - the prominent and respected figures - dwelt in Jerusalem. The rest of the people agreed that ten percent of the general population would come and reside in Jerusalem. And how was it determined who that ten percent would be? For this, they cast lots, and through the lot, they separated a kind of tithe from the people to settle in Jerusalem. "And nine parts" - the remaining nine-tenths of the people correspondingly dwelt in their own cities.
Here lies the connection between the previous chapter and this one: in the previous chapter, the discussion focused on the commitment to bring tithes to the House of Hashem, and in this chapter, we speak of a human tithe - ten percent of the entire nation who committed to come and reside in Jerusalem.
וַיְבָרְכוּ הָעָם לְכֹל הָאֲנָשִׁים הַמִּתְנַדְּבִים לָשֶׁבֶת בִּירוּשָׁלָ͏ִם׃ - And the people blessed all the men who willingly volunteered to dwell in Jerusalem.
Aside from those upon whom the lot fell to be among the obligated ten percent, there were also those who came voluntarily, and the people blessed them for their generous spirit. And why was it necessary to bless them? Chazal say: living in large cities is difficult. Residing in a metropolis involves a much greater struggle than living in a village, and the Gemara attributes this primarily to the soaring cost of living.
Let us explain: what was the primary commerce in their time? Food. They did not have consumer goods like we have today - no electrical appliances, no electronics, no closets, and no cars. Everything was minimal: two planks of wood and a few nails - and there you have a chair; and if there were no planks, people sat on two stones or spread out a rug and sat on the ground. What people primarily needed to purchase was food. One who lived in a village had everything around him: cows, chickens, eggs, milk, and meat, and everything was cheap. In the cities, however, everything had to be brought in from the outside, and consequently prices soared. Therefore, the people came to bless and praise those individuals who were willing to dedicate themselves to living in Jerusalem, even though the hardship of living there was far greater.
וְאֵלֶּה רָאשֵׁי הַמְּדִינָה אֲשֶׁר יָשְׁבוּ בִּירוּשָׁלָ͏ִם וּבְעָרֵי יְהוּדָה יָשְׁבוּ אִישׁ בַּאֲחֻזָּתוֹ בְּעָרֵיהֶם יִשְׂרָאֵל הַכֹּהֲנִים וְהַלְוִיִּם וְהַנְּתִינִים וּבְנֵי עַבְדֵי שְׁלֹמֹה׃ - And these are the chiefs of the province who dwelt in Jerusalem; and in the cities of Judah dwelt every man in his possession in their cities: Israel, the Kohanim, the Levites, the Netinim, and the descendants of Solomon's servants.
The rest of the entire people settled in the cities of Yehudah. "In their cities" - in their own ancestral cities from before the exile. We have already seen this in earlier chapters: when they returned from exile, each person returned to his own city, his own region, and his own estate.
וּבִירוּשָׁלַ͏ִם יָשְׁבוּ מִבְּנֵי יְהוּדָה וּמִבְּנֵי בִנְיָמִן מִבְּנֵי יְהוּדָה עֲתָיָה בֶן־עֻזִּיָּה בֶּן־זְכַרְיָה בֶן־אֲמַרְיָה בֶּן־שְׁפַטְיָה בֶן־מַהֲלַלְאֵל מִבְּנֵי־פָרֶץ׃ - And in Jerusalem dwelt of the children of Yehudah and of the children of Binyamin: of the children of Yehudah, Atayah son of Uziyah, son of Zecharyah, son of Amaryah, son of Shefatyah, son of Mahalalel, of the descendants of Peretz.
The verse first highlights the stature of the great and distinguished figures who settled in Jerusalem: of the children of Yehudah was Atayah, whose lineage is traced back to Peretz - all the way to Yehudah himself. This is a pedigree spanning hundreds of years.
The Malbim notes that the names appearing here also appear in Divrei HaYamim, yet there are numerous variations and apparent contradictions between what is recorded there and what is recorded here, and "the commentators have offered strange explanations for them" - meaning, the explanations usually given are difficult to accept. How, then, are these rough places made smooth? Based on what the Malbim explains: the Book of Ezra serves as a supplement to Divrei HaYamim. Ezra HaSofer authored Divrei HaYamim, and later composed his own book as a continuation and supplement to what he wrote there. Nechemya then came and authored his book, which serves as a supplement to Sefer Ezra. Thus, we have Divrei HaYamim, complemented by Sefer Ezra, which is in turn complemented by Sefer Nechemya.
Even between Divrei HaYamim itself and the books that preceded it - such as the Books of Melachim and Shoftim - we find variations, and for the very same reason: when Ezra wrote Divrei HaYamim, he revisited what had been recorded in the earlier books, and whatever had not been mentioned there, he mentioned here. Just as when an author publishes a second volume of a book, he provides omissions and completions for the earlier parts: whatever was omitted there, he adds or clarifies here. Therefore, if you find names recorded here that do not appear there, it is because Ezra supplemented in Divrei HaYamim matters that were not recorded in full in Melachim, based on research and records he discovered. Similarly, when you find matters in Sefer Ezra that are not in Divrei HaYamim, these are his own additions and completions. And so it is with Nechemya: he supplements what Ezra omitted, whether in Ezra's own book or in Divrei HaYamim. Consequently, there is no contradiction here, but rather a complementary completion.
The Malbim explains, for example, that Nechemya found additional individuals registered in the genealogical records. If Ezra traced a certain person three generations back, while in Nechemya you find him traced ten generations back, or if names are mentioned in his lineage that were not mentioned there, the reason is that additional scrolls and writings came into Nechemya's hands, containing a more explicit and detailed genealogy, which he then added. The Malbim himself draws detailed comparisons throughout the chapter between what is recorded there and what is recorded here; however, since these are simply lists of names, and our focus in studying Tanach is primarily on the historical events and developments rather than textual minutiae comparing one book to another, having established this guiding principle, we will continue explaining our text.
וּמַעֲשֵׂיָה בֶן־בָּרוּךְ בֶּן־כׇּל־חֹזֶה בֶּן־חֲזָיָה בֶן־עֲדָיָה בֶן־יוֹיָרִיב בֶּן־זְכַרְיָה בֶן־הַשִּׁלֹנִי׃ - And Maaseyah son of Baruch, son of Kol-Chozeh, son of Chazayah, son of Adayah, son of Yoyariv, son of Zecharyah, son of the Shilonite.
"Son of the Shilonite" - this refers to Shelah, who was the son of Yehudah.
כׇּל־בְּנֵי־פֶרֶץ הַיֹּשְׁבִים בִּירוּשָׁלָ͏ִם אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת שִׁשִּׁים וּשְׁמֹנָה אַנְשֵׁי־חָיִל׃ - All the sons of Peretz who dwelt in Jerusalem were four hundred and sixty-eight men of valor.
This is the grand total. The Malbim explains: in Divrei HaYamim it is written, "And of the sons of Zerach: Reuel and their brethren, six hundred and ninety" - and Nechemya did not copy this, since it was already mentioned there. However, there the count is a combined total of both of Yehudah's sons, Peretz and Zerach together - six hundred and ninety. Nechemya, on the other hand, specifies only the descendants of Peretz: four hundred and sixty-eight. From this we can deduce how many descendants of Zerach there were - two hundred and twenty-two, since two hundred and twenty-two plus four hundred and sixty-eight equals six hundred and ninety, the exact figure in Divrei HaYamim. In our passage, only the descendants of Peretz were counted, which is why the tally is lower - and there is no contradiction at all.
וְאֵלֶּה בְּנֵי בִנְיָמִן סַלֻּא בֶּן־מְשֻׁלָּם בֶּן־יוֹעֵד בֶּן־פְּדָיָה בֶן־קוֹלָיָה בֶן־מַעֲשֵׂיָה בֶּן־אִיתִיאֵל בֶּן־יְשַׁעְיָה׃ - "And these are the sons of Binyamin: Sallu the son of Meshullam, the son of Yoed, the son of Pedayah, the son of Kolayah, the son of Maaseiah, the son of Itiel, the son of Yeshayah."
Incidentally, the name "Itiel" is also the name of an angel, and it is a segulah for sleep: it is written that whoever finds it difficult to fall asleep and suffers from insomnia should meditate on this name, and he will fall asleep.
וְאַחֲרָיו גַּבַּי סַלָּי תְּשַׁע מֵאוֹת עֶשְׂרִים וּשְׁמֹנָה׃ - "And after him Gabbai, Sallai, nine hundred and twenty-eight."
From here we see that the Gabbai family is an ancient family, existing already back then (spelled here without an alef). And "after him" means after him in stature, after him in prominence, of a lesser rank than he.
וְיוֹאֵל בֶּן־זִכְרִי פָּקִיד עֲלֵיהֶם וִיהוּדָה בֶן־הַסְּנוּאָה עַל־הָעִיר מִשְׁנֶה׃ - "And Yoel the son of Zichri was the overseer over them, and Yehudah the son of Hassenuah was second over the city."
Yoel the son of Zichri was the one appointed over them - "pakid" in the sense of being put in charge of them. And Yehudah the son of Hassenuah was the deputy, second to him in rank.
מִן־הַכֹּהֲנִים יְדַעְיָה בֶן־יוֹיָרִיב יָכִין׃ - "Of the Kohanim: Yedayah the son of Yoyariv, Yachin."
Yedayah and the son of Yoyariv are considered two here.
שְׂרָיָה בֶן־חִלְקִיָּה בֶּן־מְשֻׁלָּם בֶּן־צָדוֹק בֶּן־מְרָיוֹת בֶּן־אֲחִיטוּב נְגִד בֵּית הָאֱלֹהִים׃ - "Serayah the son of Chilkiyah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Tzadok, the son of Merayot, the son of Achituv, the leader of the House of God."
What is a "nagid"? A nagid is an appointed official. Whoever was appointed over a particular role was referred to as a nagid.
וַאֲחֵיהֶם גִּבֹּרֵי חַיִל מֵאָה עֶשְׂרִים וּשְׁמֹנָה וּפָקִיד עֲלֵיהֶם זַבְדִּיאֵל בֶּן־הַגְּדוֹלִים׃ - And their brethren, mighty men of valor, were one hundred twenty-eight; and the overseer over them was Zabdiel, the son of one of the prominent men.
"The son of Haggedolim" - meaning the son of one of the great, prominent men, as the Ibn Ezra explains.
וּמַתַּנְיָה בֶן־מִיכָא בֶּן־זַבְדִּי בֶן־אָסָף רֹאשׁ הַתְּחִלָּה יְהוֹדֶה לַתְּפִלָּה וּבַקְבֻּקְיָה מִשְׁנֶה מֵאֶחָיו וְעַבְדָּא בֶּן־שַׁמּוּעַ בֶּן־גָּלָל בֶּן־יְדוּתוּן׃ - And Mattaniah the son of Micha, the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph, who was the leader to begin the thanksgiving in prayer, and Bakbukiah, the second among his brethren, and Abda the son of Shammua, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun.
What is the meaning of "the leader to begin the thanksgiving in prayer" (rosh ha-techilah yehodeh la-tefillah)? Some explain: the leader, overseer, and chief who opened first to give thanks in prayer, in the songs and praises of the Levites. "Yehodeh" is an expression of giving thanks (modeh) - like Yehosef and Yosef - and he was their leader, the first to pray. And the Malbim offers an additional explanation: "Yehodeh Latefillah" was the man's personal name, just as we find names such as "Giddalti and Romamti-ezer," which are personal names of individuals.
כׇּל־הַלְוִיִּם בְּעִיר הַקֹּדֶשׁ מָאתַיִם שְׁמֹנִים וְאַרְבָּעָה׃ - All the Levites in the holy city were two hundred eighty-four.
וְהַשּׁוֹעֲרִים עַקּוּב טַלְמוֹן וַאֲחֵיהֶם הַשֹּׁמְרִים בַּשְּׁעָרִים מֵאָה שִׁבְעִים וּשְׁנָיִם׃ - And the gatekeepers: Akkub, Talmon, and their brethren who kept the gates, were one hundred seventy-two.
The gatekeepers were those appointed over the gates of the Beis HaMikdash, and this was among the duties of the Levites: some of them were singers and some of them were gatekeepers.
וְהַנְּתִינִים יֹשְׁבִים בָּעֹפֶל וְצִיחָא וְגִשְׁפָּא עַל־הַנְּתִינִים׃ - And the Netinim dwelt in the Ophel; and Zicha and Gishpa were over the Netinim.
The Netinim lived in the Ophel - an elevated place - and from there they served the Beis HaMikdash. And Zicha and Gishpa are the names of the individuals who were appointed over them.
וּפְקִיד הַלְוִיִּם בִּירוּשָׁלַ͏ִם עֻזִּי בֶן־בָּנִי בֶּן־חֲשַׁבְיָה בֶּן־מַתַּנְיָה בֶּן־מִיכָא מִבְּנֵי אָסָף הַמְשֹׁרְרִים לְנֶגֶד מְלֶאכֶת בֵּית־הָאֱלֹהִים׃ - And the overseer of the Levites in Jerusalem was Uzzi son of Bani, son of Hashavyah, son of Mattanyah, son of Micha, of the sons of Asaph, the singers, overseeing the work of the House of God.
"Of the sons of Asaph" - this is the Asaph mentioned in the Book of Tehillim, "A song, a psalm of Asaph", who was one of the singers. Similarly, what was stated above, "the son of Galal, the son of Yedutun" - this is the Yedutun from the headings of the psalms.
כִּי־מִצְוַת הַמֶּלֶךְ עֲלֵיהֶם וַאֲמָנָה עַל־הַמְשֹׁרְרִים דְּבַר־יוֹם בְּיוֹמוֹ׃ - For there was a command of the king concerning them, and a trust regarding the singers, a daily allocation day by day.
"For the king's command was upon them" - the king appointed them, and they were charged on his behalf as people in whom the king placed his trust. In what regard? Rashi explains: he trusted them to disburse funds from the treasury of King Darius to provide for the needs of the Temple. Since it says "amana" (trust/stipend), it refers to a matter that requires trust, namely, the disbursement of money from what Darius provided for the needs of the Beit HaMikdash - they were the appointees, and they were the ones who could be relied upon.
The Malbim, however, explains differently: "And an amana over the singers" derives from the word oman (master craftsman) - meaning he was a master in the craft of song. He was the teacher and overseer who directed the singers each day on its day: which song they should sing and to which melody, since he was an artisan and a greater expert than all the other singers. And what is meant by "for the king's command was upon them"? The Malbim explains: since they had held this prerogative ever since the days of David, the king of Persia likewise maintained that same right - that the appointments you held back then should continue and be observed now as well.
וּפְתַחְיָה בֶן־מְשֵׁיזַבְאֵל מִבְּנֵי־זֶרַח בֶּן־יְהוּדָה לְיַד הַמֶּלֶךְ לְכׇל־דָּבָר לָעָם׃ - And Petachyah son of Mesheizavel, of the children of Zerach son of Yehudah, was at the king's hand in all matters concerning the people.
Petachyah was the commissioner on behalf of Darius: whatever Darius wished, he carried out on his behalf, acting as his personal emissary.
וְאֶל־הַחֲצֵרִים בִּשְׂדֹתָם מִבְּנֵי יְהוּדָה יָשְׁבוּ בְּקִרְיַת הָאַרְבַּע וּבְנֹתֶיהָ וּבְדִיבֹן וּבְנֹתֶיהָ וּבִיקַּבְצְאֵל וַחֲצֵרֶיהָ׃ - And regarding the villages in their fields, some of the children of Yehudah dwelt in Kiryat Arba and its surrounding towns, in Divon and its surrounding towns, and in Yekavtze'el and its villages.
After detailing the residents of Jerusalem, the text returns to complete what was mentioned above, "and in the cities of Yehudah every man dwelt in his possession": members of the tribe of Yehudah dwelt in the cities of Yehudah, and members of the tribe of Binyamin dwelt in the cities of Binyamin. The passage goes on to enumerate: in Yeshua, Moladah, and Beit Pelet; in Chatzar Shual, Be'er Sheva, and its surrounding towns; in Tziklag, Mechonah, and its surrounding towns; in Ein Rimon, Tzor'ah, and Yarmut; Zano'ach, Adullam, and their villages; Lachish and its fields; Azekah and its surrounding towns; and they encamped from Be'er Sheva until Gei Hinnom.
וּבְנֵי בִנְיָמִן מִגָּבַע מִכְמָשׂ וְעַיָּה וּבֵית־אֵל וּבְנֹתֶיהָ׃ - And the children of Binyamin dwelt from Geva: at Michmas, Ayyah, and Beit-El and its surrounding towns.
The children of Binyamin dwelt in Geva - this is the Giv'ah where the episode of the Concubine of Giv'ah took place, who were of the tribe of Binyamin. And the text continues: Anatot, Nov, Ananyah; Chatzor, Ramah, Gittayim; Chadid, Tzevo'im, Nevallat; Lod, Ono, and Gei HaCharashim.
וּמִן־הַלְוִיִּם מַחְלְקוֹת יְהוּדָה לְבִנְיָמִין׃ - And of the Levites, divisions of Judah were assigned to Benjamin.
The Levites were distributed in their divisions throughout the territory of Judah and Benjamin. The Metzudat David explains that they would travel to settle here and there - dwelling both within the territory of Judah and within that of Benjamin.
Chapter 11 teaches how Jerusalem was repopulated: the officers of the people dwelt there, while the rest of the people cast lots to set aside a kind of human tithe - one out of ten - to come and reside in the Holy City. Those who volunteered were blessed, for "dwelling in large cities is difficult" due to the high cost of living. The text then enumerates by name the descendants of Judah and Benjamin, the Kohanim, the Levites, the gatekeepers, and the Netinim who dwelt in Jerusalem, along with the cities where the rest of the people settled, each man in his inheritance. Furthermore, we have learned a fundamental principle from the Malbim: Divrei HaYamim, Ezra, and Nechemya were written to complement one another; thus, variations and additional names are not contradictions but complementary details - and every name recorded here is etched for eternity, in enduring memory of the good deeds of the builders.