Nehemiah 11:20 · Bible study
Nehemiah 11:20 Commentary: Inheritance of the Remnant
Hebrew · 7 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why Nehemiah 11:20 summarizes Israel’s restoration to their land and what it reveals about covenant promises and the remnant’s identity.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The remnant of Israel, priests, and Levites lived in the Judean countryside, each on his ancestral property.
- Key words: she’ar (remnant), ish (each), nachalah (inheritance/possession).
- Main debate: Is this verse a purposeful summary or an accidental insertion from a marginal gloss? Most commentators see it as a deliberate hinge.
- Theological theme: Covenant faithfulness, God restores His people to the land He promised.
- Best use: A bridge passage showing that the restoration of Jerusalem and the repopulation of the wider land are one divine act.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
The rest of the Israelites, with the priests and Levites, were in all the villages of Judah, each on his own inheritance.
WEB World English Bible 2000
The residue of Israel, of the priests, and the Levites were in all the cities of Judah, everyone in his inheritance.
KJV King James Version 1769
And the residue of Israel, of the priests, and the Levites, were in all the cities of Judah, every one in his inheritance.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And the residue of Israel, of the priests, the Levites, were in all the cities of Judah, every one in his inheritance.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And the rest of Israel, of the priests, of the Levites, are in all cities of Judah, each in his inheritance;
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And the residue of Israel, the priests, [and] the Levites, were in all the cities of Judah, every one in his inheritance.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And the rest of Israel, the priests and the Levites were in all the cities of Juda, every man in his possession.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y el resto de Israel, de los sacerdotes, de los Levitas, en todas las ciudades de Judá, cada uno en su heredad.
E o demais dos israelitas, dos sacerdotes, dos levitas, estevem em todas as cidades de Judá, cada um em sua propriedade.
Le reste d’ Israël, les sacrificateurs, les Lévites, s’établirent dans toutes les villes de Juda, chacun dans sa propriété.
Das andere Israel aber, Priester und Leviten, waren in allen Städten Juda' s, ein jeglicher in seinem Erbteil.
Het overige nu van Israel, van de priesters en de Levieten, was in alle steden van Juda, een iegelijk in zijn erfdeel.
Il resto d’Israele, i sacerdoti, i Leviti, si stabilirono in tutte le città di Giuda, ciascuno nella sua proprietà.
A drudzy z Izraela, z kapłanów, z Lewitów, mieszkali we wszystkich miastach Judzkich, każdy w dziedzictwie swojem.
Прочие Израильтяне, священники, левиты жили по всем городам Иудеи, каждый в своем уделе.
其餘的 以色列人、祭司、利未人 都住在猶大 的一切 城邑，各 在自己的地業中。
And the rest of Israel, of the priests, the Levites, were in all the towns of Judah, every one in his heritage.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Nehemiah 11:20
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that Nehemiah 11:20 serves as a summary statement closing the register of Jerusalem’s inhabitants and introducing the geographical list of villages. The Cambridge Bible notes the verse “is clearly out of place, interrupting the register of ‘the porters’ and ‘the Nethinim,’” and suggests it would fit better before verse 25. Keil and Delitzsch treat it as a general remark: the rest of Israel, priests, and Levites lived in the other cities of Judah, each on his inheritance. Matthew Henry calls it an account of “the other cities,” connecting it to the distribution of land under Joshua. Gill’s Exposition explains that “everyone in his inheritance” refers to the ancestral estates restored after the exile, giving the returned exiles a foothold in the promised land. Barnes adds that the returned community, though mainly from Judah and Benjamin, represented all Israel. The verse thus functions as a hinge: it ties the repopulation of Jerusalem (vv. 1, 19) to the reoccupation of the broader land (vv. 25, 36), affirming that God’s covenant promise of a homeland for His people is being renewed.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The verse plainly states that the majority of returned exiles—including priests and Levites—lived in towns across Judah, each family occupying its own inherited property, which represents the partial but real restoration of the land to God's people.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Placement of verse | The verse is a summary statement about the people living outside Jerusalem. | Cambridge Bible calls it 'clearly out of place' and suggests it belongs before v. 25. Keil & Delitzsch treat it as a natural general remark. Most modern commentators accept it as redactional, either placed awkwardly or intentionally as a hinge. |
| Meaning of 'Israel' | The term refers broadly to the laity, as distinct from priests and Levites. | Barnes notes the community represented 'the entire people of Israel' though only Judah and Benjamin settled there. Some see 'Israel' here as inclusive of all tribes in a representative sense; others limit it to the southern kingdom. |
| Theological significance of 'inheritance' | The word <em>nachalah</em> ties the return to land promises given to the patriarchs and Joshua. | Some commentators (Gill, Matthew Henry) see it as a literal restoration of ancestral property. Others (Keil) focus on the religious significance, the land as a gift from God, not just real estate. |
| Purpose of the interruption | The verse breaks the catalogue of Jerusalem inhabitants and temple servants. | Cambridge views it as a copyist's error or displacement. Lange and Keil treat it as an intentional summary before the village list. No manuscript evidence supports moving it; the received order is accepted by most readers as meaningful. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Nehemiah 11 sits within the larger project of rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls and restoring communal life after the Babylonian exile. The empire’s policy allowed some exiles to return under Zerubbabel (538 BC) and Ezra (458 BC), but the city remained sparsely populated. Nehemiah’s governorship (about 445, 433 BC) addressed that: by lot, one-tenth of the populace were compelled to move into Jerusalem (Nehemiah 11:1). Chapter 11 then catalogues who lived in the holy city, leaders, priests, Levites, gatekeepers, temple servants, and where the rest settled.
The word she’ar (remnant, residue) is deeply theological in post-exilic writings. It identifies the returned community as the faithful remnant prophesied by Isaiah (10:21, 22) and Jeremiah (23:3). They are not a random collection of survivors but the continuing people of God, receiving the land again as a gift. The phrase “each in his inheritance” (nachalah) roots this restoration in the land-division traditions of Joshua (Joshua 13, 21). For the priests and Levites, “inheritance” refers to the specific cities allotted to them from the tribes (Numbers 35:1, 8).
Some interpreters note that the verse covers not only Judah and Benjamin but all Israel. Barnes points out that “the ground, however, which they occupied, was not the whole land, but that which had constituted the kingdom of Judah.” Still, the unity of “Israel” as the whole people, including priests, Levites, and laity, is stressed. The verse breaks the administrative list to remind readers that the community’s life is not just about Jerusalem but about the whole land restored to God’s people, each family inheriting again what was promised.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources (Cambridge, Keil & Delitzsch, Lange) note no significant textual variants for Nehemiah 11:20. The verse appears in all major manuscripts without variation. Some commentators discuss the placement (see agreed_debated_json) but no variant readings of the words themselves are recorded. The Septuagint renders the verse similarly. The received Hebrew text is stable.
Reception History
Nehemiah 11:20 has not often been the focus of major theological controversy, but it has been valued by those reading the post-exilic history as a story of restoration. Jewish tradition saw the verse as confirming the divine right to the land, a concrete fulfillment of prophetic promises. Reformation-era commentators (e.g., Calvin’s circle, though not directly cited here) used the verse to argue for the continuity of God’s covenant with Israel across exile and return. Matthew Henry (1710) applied it pastorally: the returned remnant enjoyed their inheritance as a gift of grace. In more recent church usage, the verse is sometimes read in studies on the remnant theme, connecting it to New Testament language about inheritance in Christ (e.g., 1 Peter 1:4). The interruption itself has been viewed as a reminder that God’s ordering of history may not always follow our sense of tidy arrangement.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- God preserves a remnant. The “residue of Israel” points to divine faithfulness, a people brought back from exile, not because of their numbers, but because God keeps His covenant.
- God gives land and inheritance. “Everyone in his inheritance” echoes Joshua’s conquest and the original gift of the land. Restoration is not just spiritual; it is concrete, material, and tied to place.
- God’s plan includes all of His people. The verse mentions Israel, priests, and Levites, laity and clergy together. No one is left out of the restoration story.
Five-point outline
- The location of the remnant: not only in Jerusalem but throughout the cities of Judah. Faithfulness is lived in towns as much as in the capital.
- The identity of the remnant: “Israel” (the whole people), “priests,” and “Levites.” Worship leaders and ordinary families share one inheritance.
- The scope of the restoration: “all the cities of Judah”, the land is being repopulated, reversing the desolation of exile.
- The principle of possession: “each in his inheritance.” God’s gifts are personal and covenantal, not generic.
- The timeline of fulfillment: This verse connects the post-exilic community to the ancient promises, showing that God’s Word does not fail across centuries.
Illustration hooks
- A family returning to a hometown after a disaster, rebuilding a house that belonged to grandparents, rediscovering roots.
- A church that sends members to live in a neglected neighborhood, not just visit, believing that presence restores community.
- Reading a land deed that dates back generations; the document feels old, but the ground is still real.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does God still care about land, homes, and physical places, or is faith only about heaven?
- What does it mean to “inherit” from God today, when we don’t have a promised land?
- Why does the Bible spend so much time on lists of names and places, are these just ancient records, or do they carry meaning for us?
Leading a Discussion
This small verse appears in the middle of a census-like list. But looks can be deceiving. Nehemiah 11:20 is a theological anchor: it says the remnant settled in their inheritance. That word “inheritance” (nachalah) carries the weight of covenant promises from Abraham to Joshua. As you discuss, ask yourselves what it means for God to restore not just a people, but a place. How does the physical land matter to faith?
Discussion questions
- Read Nehemiah 11:1, 3 and then v. 20. How does the verse relate to the earlier decision to settle one-tenth in Jerusalem?
- The same Hebrew word she’ar (remnant) appears in v. 1 and v. 20. Why do you think Nehemiah emphasizes that the people are a remnant?
- What does “each in his inheritance” tell you about the nature of the restoration, was it just about survival, or something more?
- How does this verse connect the post-exilic community to the land promises in Genesis 12, Joshua 13, 21, and the prophets?
- If you were a Levite settling in a city of Judah, what would that inheritance mean to you after seventy years of exile?
- In what ways do Christians today experience a “restoration to inheritance” through Christ? Is it only spiritual, or does it have physical dimensions (e.g., church community, service in a neighborhood)?
- This verse interrupts a list. Why do you think the author placed this summary here? What would be lost if it were removed?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Nehemiah 11:3 | Now these are the chiefs of the province who lived in Jerusalem; but in the cities of Judah, everyone lived in his possession in their cities—Israel, the priests, the Levites, the temple servants, and the children of Solomon’s servants. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
7 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes notes that the post-exilic community, though drawn mostly from the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin, still represented the entire people of Israel. Yet the land they reoccupied was not the whole promised land but only the former territory of the southern kingdom of Judah. This shows the restoration was geographically and demographically limited.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible notes that this verse disrupts the register of porters and temple servants and belongs earlier in the chapter. The phrase "the priests, the Levites" here treats them as two separate groups, not as the single technical term found in Deuteronomy.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
And the residue of Israel, of the Priests, and of the Leuites dwelt in al the cities of Iudah, euery one in his inheritance.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill notes that after the exile, the people who did not settle in Jerusalem were restored to their specific ancestral inheritances: Israelites returned to their forefathers' cities and estates, while priests and Levites regained the towns originally allocated to them from the other tribes.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch draws a careful distinction: the daily duties of the Levites were governed by a command of the Persian king Artaxerxes, while the singers' duties were regulated by an internal agreement among the Levite divisions themselves. For them, this explains why an Asaphite overseer was appointed for the temple work.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange observes that living in Jerusalem after the return was a post of labor and danger, requiring constant guarding. Those who willingly chose to settle there performed a genuine act of self-denial for their country and religion, which is why the people blessed them.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry observes that Nehemiah carefully records the distribution of the people across the smaller towns and villages after listing the principal residents of Jerusalem. The catalogue shows how every family and tribe received its proper place, with even the craftsmen and the singers provided for by royal decree, demonstrating God's detailed care for the whole community.