Bible Strands
Nehemiah 11:8
and his followers Gabbai and Sallai—928 men.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records a population count of Benjaminite settlers returning to Jerusalem, identifying Gabbai and Sallai as commanders over 928 men. This entry sits between the genealogy of Sallu and the subsequent administrative appointments of Joel and Judah.
The words — The Hebrew וְאַחֲרָיו (ve'acharav) translates literally as "and after him," marking the men who followed Sallu's leadership. The paired names גַּבַּי (Gabbai) and סַלָּי (Sallai) function as co-officers in this military register.
The thread — The identical leader names and total of 928 men appear in Ezra 2:36 and Nehemiah 7:40, confirming a single census tradition. The structural placement of numbered returnee groups recurs throughout Ezra 2 and Nehemiah 7.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition of organized, numbered restoration rather than spontaneous migration. It asks the reader to account for the precise, documented structure of the returning community.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And after him Gabbai, Sallai, nine hundred twenty and eight.