Walls are not enough; a city needs a people. Nehemiah 11 records the repopulating of Jerusalem: one in ten chosen by lot to live there, while others “willingly offered” to move. The Hebrew goral (lot) signals God’s hidden rule (see Proverbs 16:33), and hitnaddevu (“they volunteered,” from the root for “freewill offerings”) echoes Exodus 35—this time, not gold but addresses are laid on the altar. Jerusalem is called ha’ir haqodesh, “the holy city,” not because its stones glow, but because its life is ordered around God’s presence.
Archaeology reminds us that Persian-period Yehud was small and fragile; capitals often had to be seeded with families. “Pethahiah…at the king’s hand” likely served as a royal liaison. The long lists dignify ordinary callings—gatekeepers, singers, “valiant men” (gibbor chayil)—because worship needs structure, stewardship, and song. As we noted yesterday, vows not to neglect God’s house now become postal codes shaped by devotion.
Theologically, Nehemiah 11 is an embodied eschatology. Augustine saw two cities interlaced: the earthly city renewed as it leans toward the heavenly. Calvin, commenting on lots, stressed providence over chance. Here the people themselves are the tithe; their relocation is a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1), prefiguring the church as “living stones” (1 Peter 2:5). Where is God asking us to move—toward under-served neighborhoods, small churches, hard callings—so that praise and justice fill the gates?
Suggested cross-references: - Proverbs 16:33; Exodus 35:21–29; Leviticus 27:30 - Isaiah 4:3; Psalm 87; 1 Peter 2:4–10; Hebrews 11:10; Revelation 21:2
Hymn to sing: “Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken.”
Prayer: Holy Lord, order my loves and my location. Make me willing to be counted for your holy city—content with the lot you assign, eager to volunteer where worship and mercy are thin. Build us together as living stones for your glory. Amen.