Nehemiah 7:39-60
Priests, Servants, and Singers
Read the passage
39The priests: the descendants of Jedaiah (through the house of Jeshua), 973;
40the descendants of Immer, 1,052;
41the descendants of Pashhur, 1,247;
42and the descendants of Harim, 1,017.
43The Levites: the descendants of Jeshua (through Kadmiel, through the line of Hodevah), 74.
44The singers: the descendants of Asaph, 148.
45The gatekeepers: the descendants of Shallum, the descendants of Ater, the descendants of Talmon, the descendants of Akkub, the descendants of Hatita, and the descendants of Shobai, 138 in all.
46The temple servants: the descendants of Ziha, the descendants of Hasupha, the descendants of Tabbaoth,
47the descendants of Keros, the descendants of Sia, the descendants of Padon,
48the descendants of Lebanah, the descendants of Hagabah, the descendants of Shalmai,
49the descendants of Hanan, the descendants of Giddel, the descendants of Gahar,
50the descendants of Reaiah, the descendants of Rezin, the descendants of Nekoda,
51the descendants of Gazzam, the descendants of Uzza, the descendants of Paseah,
52the descendants of Besai, the descendants of Meunim, the descendants of Nephushesim,
53the descendants of Bakbuk, the descendants of Hakupha, the descendants of Harhur,
54the descendants of Bazlith, the descendants of Mehida, the descendants of Harsha,
55the descendants of Barkos, the descendants of Sisera, the descendants of Temah,
56the descendants of Neziah, and the descendants of Hatipha.
57The descendants of the servants of Solomon: the descendants of Sotai, the descendants of Sophereth, the descendants of Perida,
58the descendants of Jaala, the descendants of Darkon, the descendants of Giddel,
59the descendants of Shephatiah, the descendants of Hattil, the descendants of Pochereth-hazzebaim, and the descendants of Amon.
60The temple servants and descendants of the servants of Solomon numbered 392 in all.
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
The genealogy turns from family groups to the people who served the worshiping community: priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, temple servants, and the descendants of Solomon's servants.
The priests: the descendants of Jedaiah (through the house of Jeshua), 973;
The list gives different roles without treating any of them as decorative. The priests serve at the altar. Levites assist. Singers lead praise. Gatekeepers guard access. Temple servants do work that could easily be forgotten. The city needs all of them.
The return from exile includes the restoration of worship. God's people need more than a defended city: they need priests, songs of praise, and the many tasks that support life at the temple. This old register makes room for workers whose individual stories it never tells.
Questions
1 Which groups appear in this section of the register?
AnswerThe list names priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, temple servants, and descendants of Solomon's servants. Worship required different kinds of faithful work.
2 Who appears after the gatekeepers?
AnswerThe temple servants, followed by the descendants of Solomon's servants. Together those two groups number 392.
3 What does the list communicate about service?
AnswerSingers and gatekeepers appear alongside the priests and Levites. The record includes their service in the life of the returning community.
4 Why can a list like this be spiritually useful?
AnswerThe total list includes people from many families and servants. The restored community was not defined by one role but by the many responsibilities that supported worship.
What This Means for Us
Name the kinds of service your household depends on. Thank the people who open, clean, organize, sing, teach, guard, welcome, and repair. A community becomes healthier when invisible work is honored and shared.
Prayer
God, thank you for every person who serves faithfully. Keep us from ranking work by visibility. Give us gratitude for the many hands that make worship and care possible. Amen.