THE NEW DWELLERS IN JERUSALEM The walls of Jerusalem were rebuilt on the ruins of the old wall; but building walls with such few number of dwellers would benefit nothing, but would make the capital city, the center of worship, prone to destruction anew. The majority of those who returned from Babylon dwelt in the cities around Jerusalem, because dwelling in Jerusalem was particularly difficult at the time, for the following reasons: a- Jerusalem was prone to attacks by the enemies b- The Gentiles found difficulty in dealing with those dwelling in Jerusalem, for being literal in practicing their religious doctrines. c- Moving to Jerusalem required rebuilding their houses, and to have jobs within the city, which needed much time, effort, and money. d- Dwelling in Jerusalem required abidance to specific religious and social rules, because of being close to the temple. e- Some feared of being committed to partake of standing guards on the city. f- Some so cherished the land they inherited from their fathers, to wish they could start to plant and use it by themselves anew. Jerusalem embraced the following categories: a- The leaders from the governor to the prominent statesmen. b- The priests, the Levites, and the workers in the temple, like the Nethinims and the descendants of Solomon’s servants. c- Those who were chosen by lot to dwell in it d- Those who willingly volunteered to dwell in Jerusalem https://coptic-treasures.com/ 1- Choosing the new dwellers 1 - 2 2- The local leaders 3 – 24 a- A general proclamation 3– 4 (a) b- Of the children of Judah 4– 6 (b) c- Of the children of Benjamin 7– 9 d- Of the priests 10 - 14 e- Of the Levites 15 - 18 f- Of the workers in the temple 19 - 24 3- The locations assigned to the children of Judah 25 - 30 4- The locations assigned to the children of Benjamin 31 - 35 5- Levites moving from Judah to Benjamin 36 1 CHOOSING THE NEW DWELLERS: . Now the leaders of the people dwelt at Jerusalem; the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to dwell in Jerusalem, the holy city, and nine-tenths were to dwell in other cities” (1) The number of captives who returned was few compared to the number of the dwellers in Jerusalem in the days of the kings. Now, as the city looked sparsely inhabited, Nehemiah asked one out of ten from the outside of Jerusalem to move to dwell inside the wall; so that wide areas of the city would not remain empty. The lot to choose those new dwellers was carried out by shaking little stones or https://coptic-treasures.com/ little pieces of wood (Proverbs 16: 33), then cast them on the ground (1 Chronicles 24: 31; Ezra 24: 6; Jonah 1: 7). According to St. Augustine, although it is allowed by law to cast a lot to end disputes, yet that was due to the weakness of faith of man; for those who love God and their brethren do not need a lot. “the holy city”. Jerusalem was rarely so called in the historical books, but only in the prophetical ones, like Isaiah 48: 2; 52: 1; Daniel9: 24; Joel 3: 17. “and the people blessed all the men who willingly offered themselves to dwell at Jerusalem” (2) Beside those who were chosen by lot to dwell in Jerusalem. others willingly offered themselves to forsake their cities and villages to come and dwell in Jerusalem, motivated by a national responsibility. Those, the people blessed and commended for their patriotism. Choosing by joy and gladness to dwell in Jerusalem, they experienced what the psalmist says: “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. And I will dwell in the house of the Lord” (Psalm 23: 6) “One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple” (Psalm 27: 4) “Those who are planted in the house of the Lord, shall flourish in the courts of our God” (Psalm 92: 13) “In the courts of the Lord’s house; in the midst of you, O Jerusalem” (Psalm 116: 19) https://coptic-treasures.com/ “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go into the house of the Lord’” (Psalm 122: 1) Because of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good” (Psalm 122: 9) “Behold, Bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, who by night stand in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord” (Psalm 134: 1) + “Those who are planted in the house of the Lord, shall flourish in the courts of our God” (Psalm 92: 13). We are planted somewhere, and flourish somewhere else. The apostle says: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase” (1 Corinthians 3: 6). I planted in the house of the Lord, namely in the church, not in her walls, but in her teachings; for the Lord says: “The kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17: 21). All who are planted in the house of the Lord, and have their roots extend in her, will flourish there (in heaven). The courts of our God are the eternal dwelling places ……..Although we may seem here as though in a house; yet we are immigrants to the kingdom of heaven. We are now at the beginning of the absolute perfection; We shall not become angels, but like angels. Don’t ever despise that, O man! (St. Jerome) + Our presence in the church, is a cry-out to the divine majesty, a demonstration of our submission to God, and our thanksgiving for the free grace He gave us. For even though we are the Father’s enemies, adversaries, and opponents; He sent His only begotten Son from heaven, https://coptic-treasures.com/ to have His precious blood shed, and His gracious holy body delivered to redeem us. Reminding ourselves of those glorious passions, and doing those beloved memorials, under the veil of the bread and the wine, as the secret of the delivered holy body, and the shed pure blood; we partake of those unique graces, uniting in these divine glories. (St. John Chrysostom) + “If I forget you, O Jerusalem, , let my right hand forget its skill. If I do not remember you, let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth – If I do not exalt Jerusalem above my chief joy” (Psalm 137: 5-6). Notice here the great change; those who heard before that they would be driven out of the city, and did not care; Now pour curse upon themselves if they ever forget her. By saying: “Let my right hand forget its skills”? he means to say: let me forget my authority and strength, let me become mute before the serious evils. And by saying: “If I do not excel Jerusalem above my chief joy”? he means to say: I shall remember Jerusalem, not like anything else; but in my songs of praise. (St. John Chrysostom) 2- THE LOCAL LEADERS: https://coptic-treasures.com/ a- A general proclamation: 3 – 4 (a) . “These are the heads of the province who dwelt in Jerusalem. (But in the cities of Judah everyone dwelt in his own possession in their cities—Israelites, priests, Levites, Nethinim, and descendants of Solomon’s servants.) (3) The list that came in verses 3 – 19, could be compared to that included in 1 Chronicles 9: 2 – 21, concerning those who actually dwelt in Jerusalem after the return from Babylon; when many establishments were still not rebuilt; and when there was still no element of security; and the wall was still broken down. ……….. About half the names are mutual between the two lists: the one in the first book of the Chronicles, including only those who returned to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel; and the one here, with those who returned with Nehemiah, added to them. “ Also in Jerusalem dwelt some of the children of Judah and of the children of Benjamin” (4 a) b- Of the children of Judah: 4 – 6 (b). “The children of Judah: Athaiah the son of Uzziah, the son of Zechariah, the son of Amariah, the son of Shephatiah, the son of Mahalalel, of the children of Perez” (4 b) https://coptic-treasures.com/ 5 and Maaseiah the son of Baruch, the son of Col-Hozeh, the son of Hazaiah, the son of Adaiah, the son of Joiarib, the son of Zechariah, the son of Shilon” (5) The son of Shilon: does not refer to ‘Shiloh’ which belongs to the Northern kingdom more than to Judah. But it most probably means one of the descendants of Shelah, the third son of Judah (Numbers 26: 20). “All the sons of Perez who dwelt at Jerusalem were four hundred and sixty-eight valiant men” (6) Valiant men; Mighty men of valor who served in the army (Nehemiah 2: 9; 4: 2; 2 kings15: 20; Ezra 8: 22). c- Of the children of Benjamin: (7 – 9). “ And these are the sons of Benjamin: Sallu the son of Meshullam, the son of Joel, the son of Pedaiah, the son of Kolaiah, the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ithiel, the son of Jeshaiah” (7) “and after him Gabbai and Sallai, nine hundred and twentyeight” (8) “Joel the son of Zichri was their overseer, and Judah the son of Senuah[a] was second over the city” (9) https://coptic-treasures.com/ Joel was a judge over the Benjamites in Jerusalem; and Judah the son of Senuah was his assistant. Each of them was probably responsible for a specific street or quarter where the Benjamites lived in Jerusalem. d- Of the priests: (10 – 14) . “Of the priests: Jedaiah the son of Joiarib, and Jachin” (10) “Seraiah the son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, was the leader of the house of God” (11) Seraiah, a descendant of the high priest whom Nebuchadnezzar killed (2 kings 25: 18 – 21) The leader of the house of God; Namely a leader responsible for the civil or temporal issues in the temple; while the high priest was responsible for the spiritual issues and the ordinance of worship between the priests and the Levites. “Their brethren who did the work of the house were eight hundred and twenty-two; and Adaiah the son of Jeroham, the son of Pelaliah, the son of Amzi, the son of Zechariah, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malchijah” (12) https://coptic-treasures.com/ “and his brethren, heads of the fathers’ houses, were two hundred and forty-two; and Amashai the son of Azarel, the son of Ahzai, the son of Meshillemoth, the son of Immer” (13) “and their brethren, mighty men of valor, were one hundred and twenty-eight. Their overseer was Zabdiel the son of one of the great men” (14) e- Of the Levites: (15 – 18) “Also of the Levites: Shemaiah the son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Bunni” (15) “Shabbethai and Jozabad, of the heads of the Levites, had the oversight of the business outside of the house of God” (16) This verse, and verses 20-21, 28-39, 32-35, are not found in the Septuagint version The business outside the house of God, refers to the work of the judges outside the house of God (1 Chronicles 26: 29 and 2 Chronicles 19: 8- 10)); “Mattaniah the son of Micha, the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph, the leader who began the thanksgiving with prayer; Bakbukiah, the second among his brethren; and Abda https://coptic-treasures.com/ the son of Shammua, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun” (17) Asaph and Jeduthun were two of the three heads of the groups of singers in the temple (1 Chronicles 16: 42; 25: 1-2; Psalm 39: 50, 73-83) “All the Levites in the holy city were two hundred and eightyfour” (18) 284 Levites was a small number compared to the number of the priests (1192) f- Of the workers in the temple: (19 – 24). “Moreover the gatekeepers, Akkub, Talmon, and their brethren who kept the gates, were one hundred and seventy-two” (19). “And the rest of Israel, of the priests and Levites, were in all the cities of Judah, everyone in his inheritance” (20) The inheritance here, refers to what they received from their ancestors of land, buildings, and the movable possessions like furniture, etc. which they got through the conquests as spoil (Genesis 31: 14; https://coptic-treasures.com/ Numbers 18: 21; 27: 7; 34: 2; 1 kings 21: 3-4). But the land of Canaan as a whole was considered as the inheritance of the lord; And even Israel itself was considered as an inheritance of the Lord (Deuteronomy 4: 20; 9: 26, 29; 1 kngs 8: 51-53) “ But the Nethinim dwelt in Ophel. And Ziha and Gishpa were over the Nethinim” (21). “Also the overseer of the Levites at Jerusalem was Uzzi the son of Bani, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micha, of the sons of Asaph, the singers in charge of the service of the house of God” (22) .” For it was the king’s command concerning them that a certain portion should be for the singers, a quota day by day” (23) The king here is Artaxerxes (Nehemiah 2: 8; Ezra 7: 20-24), who cared for their needs;…….Concerning them, namely concerning the Levites, particularly the singers; ……..a quota day by day, namely their daily expenses together with the gatekeepers, which were also covered by the people (Nehemiah 12: 47) “ Pethahiah the son of Meshezabel, of the children of Zerah the son of Judah, was the king’s deputy[d] in all matters concerning the people” (24) https://coptic-treasures.com/ Pethahiah was the one responsible for the Jewish affairs in the court of the king in Shushan the capital of Persia According to some, king Artaxerxes set some Jewish singers to work in the king’s palace in Persia; and when they returned to Jerusalem, he gave his command to give them the salaries they used to have. In the book of Ezra, we saw how king Darius ordered Tattanai, governor of the region beyond the River, and Shethar-Boznai, and their companions to pay, at the king’s expense, whatever was needed – young bulls, rams, and lambs for the burnt offerings of the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, and oil, according to the request of the priests who are in Jerusalem – let it be given them day by day without fail. That they may offer sacrifices of sweet aroma to the God of heaven, and pray for the life of the king and his sons (Ezra 10: 6-10) 3- THE LOCATIONS ASSIGNED TO THE CHILDREN OF JUDAH The locations mentioned here, are the villages with their fields where the children of Judah dwelt; most of them mentioned in Joshua !5: 13-63. “And as for the villages with their fields, some of the children of Judah dwelt in Kirjath Arba and its villages, Dibon and its villages, Jekabzeel and its villages” (25) https://coptic-treasures.com/ The list mentioned in verses 25 – 30 is important, it conforms to the lists of the cities of Judah; and all these names also appear in Joshua 15, except for Debon, Jeshua, and Meconah; even though the list lacks a number of cities found in the list of Ezra 2: 20-34, and that of Nehemiah 3. Kiriath Arba, namely the village of the four Amalekites, the old name of the city of Hebron (Genesis 23: 2; Judges 1:20); an important city, 20 miles South of Jerusalem. Hebron is the traditional location of the burial place of Abraham, Sarah, and the rest of the fathers. “in Jeshua, Moladah, Beth Pelet” (26) “Hazar Shual, and Beersheba and its villages” (27) Jeshua, Moladah, and Beth Pelet were all close to Beersheba (Joshua 15: 26), a city, 40 miles South-East of Jerusalem. “in Ziklag and Meconah and its villages” (28) Ziklag, a famous city given to king David by Achish (1 Samuel 27: 6); then taken over by the Amalekites (1 Samuel 30: 1) “ in En Rimmon, Zorah, Jarmuth” (29) En Rimmon, Nine and a half miles North-East of Beersheba (Joshua 15: 32; 19: 7; 1 Chronicles 4: 32) Zorah, the home town of Manoah, father of Samson (Judges 13: 2) https://coptic-treasures.com/ Jermuth, one of five Canaanite cities in the South “ Zanoah, Adullam, and their villages; in Lachish and its fields; in Azekah and its villages. They dwelt from Beersheba to the Valley of Hinnom” (30) Zanoah, a village in the region of the lowland between Judah and the land of the Philistines (Joshua 15: 34). The inhabitants of this region repaired the Valley Gate (Nehemiah 3: 13) Adullam, a city between Jerusalem and Lachish, In it David hid himself from the face of king Saul (1 Samuel 22: 1) Lachish, A great city in Judah, midway between Jerusalem and Gazza. When the Assyrian Senneharib failed to take over Jerusalem in the year 701 BC, he took Lachish instead; then Nebuchadnezzar took it over (Jeremiah 34) The valley of Hinnom, South-East of Jerusalem. 4- THE LOCATIONS ASSIGNED TO THE CHILDREN OF BENJAMIN: . “ Also the children of Benjamin from Geba dwelt in Michmash, Aija, and Bethel, and their villages” (31) Geba, About six miles North-East of Jerusalem (Joshua 18: 24; Ezra 2: 26; Nehemiah 7: 30); Was fortified by king Asa (1 kings 15: 22) https://coptic-treasures.com/ Michmash, About seven miles North-East of Jerusalem (Ezra 2: 27; Nehemiah 7: 31). At a strategic location to cross over to the Valley of the Jordan, where king Saul and his son Jonathan fought against the Philistines (1 Samuel 13, 14). Aija, an alternative name of Ai, about three miles South-East of Bethel (Joshua 7, 8). Bethel, or (the house of God), at the extreme North of the cities of Benjamin; its inhabitants were not mentioned among those who built the walls of Jerusalem. “in Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah (32) Nob, North of the Mount of Olves Ananiah, probably is Bethany,a city two miles East of Jerusalem. “ in Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim” (33) “in Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat” (34) “in Lod, Ono, and the Valley of Craftsmen” (35) Valley of the craftsmen, Probably a wide Valley between Lod and Ono 6- LEVITES MOVE FROM JUDAH TO BENJAMIN: https://coptic-treasures.com/ “ Some of the Judean divisions of Levites were in Benjamin” (36) Some of the Levites who were in Judah turned to Benjamin. And there were groups of Levites in both tribes. ------------------------------ AN INSPIRATION FROM NEHEMIAH 11 LET ME, O LORD, DWELL IN YOUR CITY FOREVER + By Your humility. You set Your kingdom in me, O my Creator; I see You transfigured in Your splendor in my depths; Out of me, You set a holy temple, where Your Holy Spirit dwells. + My depths cry out to You, and meditate in You; When You dwell in me; I shall be in Your bosom; When shall I dwell in Your heavenly Jerusalem? There, I do not need a wall to protect me There, I shall need no storehouse of weapons; For no enemy will dare fight against me. + Your Jerusalem is very wide; There, You wish for all to dwell forever; My heart’s desire is for all mankind to enjoy it; https://coptic-treasures.com/ And that all would become the bride and the heavenly queen. The subject of pleasure of all the heavenly hosts. + It has gates on all sides; It includes all those who come from East, West, North, and South; From all nations, peoples, and tongues. + Yes, Come O, Lord Jesus; “Be lifted up, you everlasting gates” (Psalm 24: 7) Let all the heavenly hosts exult for us coming with You; God the Father will also rejoice in us; Glory be to You, O Savior of all humanity.
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