The Meaning of Nehemiah 7:4 Explained

Nehemiah 7:4

KJV: Now the city was large and great: but the people were few therein, and the houses were not builded.

YLT: And the city is broad on both sides, and great, and the people are few in its midst, and there are no houses builded;

Darby: Now the city was large and great; but the people in it were few, and no houses were built.

ASV: Now the city was wide and large; but the people were few therein, and the houses were not builded.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Now the city  [was] large  and great:  but the people  [were] few  therein,  and the houses  [were] not builded. 

What does Nehemiah 7:4 Mean?

Context Summary

Nehemiah 7:1-8 - 36-73, Public-Spirited Citizens
It is probable that Nehemiah returned to the Persian court on the completion of the first part of his enterprise, the building of the walls, and that he left Hananiah and his brother in charge until he had been able to obtain a prolongation of his mission. Hananiah's character is very aptly described in Nehemiah 7:2. These are splendid characteristics-the fear of God and faithfulness, 1 Corinthians 4:2. Sound common sense, through which God wrought, dictated the policy of appointing each man to guard his own property, Nehemiah 7:3; Nehemiah 7:5. The extent of the city walls had evidently been marked out in faith, as directed in Zechariah 8:1-23. Registration seems to have engrossed much of the care of these returned exiles, and it was necessary, not only that each might inherit his ancestral property, but that the descent of our Lord might be easily traced to David. We ought to be very sure that we and our dear ones are included in God's register. We cannot lay claim to our inheritance, unless we are heirs through the new birth, Romans 8:16-17. [source]

Chapter Summary: Nehemiah 7

1  Nehemiah commits the charge of Jerusalem to Hanani and Hananiah
5  A register of the genealogy of them which came at the first out of Babylon
9  of the people
39  of the priests
43  of the Levites
46  of the Nethinims
57  of Solomon's servants
63  and of the priests which could not find their pedigree
66  The whole number of them, with their substance
70  Their offerings

What do the individual words in Nehemiah 7:4 mean?

Now the city [was] large large and spacious but the people [were] few in it and not the houses [were] rebuilt
וְהָעִ֞יר רַחֲבַ֤ת יָדַ֙יִם֙ וּגְדוֹלָ֔ה וְהָעָ֥ם מְעַ֖ט בְּתוֹכָ֑הּ וְאֵ֥ין בָּתִּ֖ים בְּנוּיִֽם

וְהָעִ֞יר  Now  the  city  [was] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: עִיר 
Sense: excitement, anguish.
רַחֲבַ֤ת  large 
Parse: Adjective, feminine singular construct
Root: רָחָב  
Sense: broad, wide.
יָדַ֙יִם֙  large 
Parse: Noun, fd
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
וּגְדוֹלָ֔ה  and  spacious 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adjective, feminine singular
Root: גָּבֹול 
Sense: great.
וְהָעָ֥ם  but  the  people  [were] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
מְעַ֖ט  few 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: מְעַט  
Sense: littleness, few, a little, fewness.
בְּתוֹכָ֑הּ  in  it 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person feminine singular
Root: תָּוֶךְ  
Sense: midst, middle.
וְאֵ֥ין  and  not 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb
Root: אַיִן 
Sense: nothing, not, nought n.
בָּתִּ֖ים  the  houses 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
בְּנוּיִֽם  [were]  rebuilt 
Parse: Verb, Qal, QalPassParticiple, masculine plural
Root: בָּנָה  
Sense: to build, rebuild, establish, cause to continue.

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