Charles Ellicott Commentary Nehemiah 7:1-4
Charles Ellicott Commentary
Nehemiah 7:1-4
Charles Ellicott Commentary
Nehemiah 7:1-4
SCRIPTURE
"Now it came to pass, when the wall was built, and I had set up the doors, and the porters and the singers and the Levites were appointed, that I gave my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the governor of the castle, charge over Jerusalem; for he was a faithful man, and feared God above many. And I said unto them, Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun be hot; and while they stand [on guard], let them shut the doors, and bar ye them: and appoint watches of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, every one in his watch, and every one [to be] over against his house. Now the city was wide and large; but the people were few therein, and the houses were not builded." — Nehemiah 7:1-4 (ASV)
Measures were taken for the security of the city, now made a complete fortress. The relatively small size of the population strained the governor’s resources, and the result appears at a later stage.
Were appointed. — Placed in charge, probably over all the walls. This was an extraordinary provision, to be explained by the fact that these organized bodies formed a large proportion of the inhabitants. The Levites had usually guarded only the Temple.
Hanani. — He probably had returned from Susa with his brother.
Hananiah the ruler of the palace. — Commander of the fortress, as in Nehemiah 2:8. He was in the immediate service of the Persian king, but his chief recommendation was his piety, which distinguished him from too many of the other rulers.
Until the sun is hot. — General directions were given that the gates should not be thrown open so early as sunrise; they were to be opened and barred again while the guard was present; and the inhabitants were to be divided for night watches, part on the walls and part before their own houses.
Large and great. — Literally, broad on both sides, with large unoccupied spaces.
The houses were not built. — In sufficient numbers to provide the required population for the city of God. The emphasis is on the fact that the people were few.