Bible Strands
Nehemiah 7:45
The 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.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Nehemiah records a post-exilic census organizing temple personnel by assigned function. This verse specifically accounts for the gatekeepers and their ancestral families within that inventory.
The words — The text uses הַ/שֹּֽׁעֲרִ֗ים (ha./sho.'a.Rim) for "the gatekeepers" and repeatedly applies בְּנֵֽי־ (be.nei-), meaning "descendants of," before each family name. This grammatical pattern prioritizes lineage over individual identification.
The thread — Ezra 2:42 preserves the identical enumeration of these gatekeeper families among the initial returnees. 1 Chronicles 26:1 later details the Korahite divisions that structured these gatekeeping responsibilities.
Why it lands — The verse requires the reader to acknowledge that restored worship depended on documented ancestry and strict administrative accounting. It establishes that religious service was allocated through inherited family lines rather than personal choice.
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
The porters: the children of Shallum, the children of Ater, the children of Talmon, the children of Akkub, the children of Hatita, the children of Shobai, an hundred thirty and eight.
Cross-references
- 1 Chronicles 26:1 These were the divisions of the gatekeepers: From the Korahites: Meshelemiah son of Kore, one of the sons of Asaph.
- Ezra 2:42 The 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, 139 in all.