Nehemiah 7:4
What does Nehemiah 7:4 mean?
A plain-English look at Nehemiah 7:4 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Nehemiah 7:4 means
The wall is up, but the city within is largely empty and underdeveloped. A great urban space without people and houses is vulnerable and incomplete. This verse acknowledges that building defenses was only the first stage. True restoration requires repopulation, homes, and normal life. It explains why Nehemiah’s concern shifts from construction to community formation. The work now involves planning for growth, assigning space, and ensuring that worship and security can be sustained by a settled population. The verse helps readers see that the project’s success depends on more than physical barriers; it needs families, livelihoods, and a renewed civic fabric.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000Now the city was wide and large; but the people were few therein, and the houses were not builded.
KJV
King James Version · 1611Now the city was large and great: but the people were few therein, and the houses were not builded.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901Now the city was wide and large; but the people were few therein, and the houses were not builded.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949Now the town was wide and great: but the people in it were only a small number, and the houses had not been put up.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862And the city <FI>is<Fi> broad on both sides, and great, and the people <FI>are<Fi> few in its midst, and there are no houses builded;
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752And the city was very wide and great, and the people few in the midst thereof, and the houses were not built.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890Now the city was large and great; but the people in it were few, and no houses were built.
Context
Placed after the security instructions (verse 3), verse 4 gives the pressing reason for such care: Jerusalem is large but sparsely inhabited. This sets up the strategic necessity for a census-like effort. In verse 5, God moves Nehemiah to gather people by genealogy, so they can be rightly settled. The subsequent long list traces those who earlier returned with Zerubbabel, grounding present planning in established records. The emptiness of the city contextualizes why accurate registration and redistribution of people are crucial as the community takes its next steps.
v.3And I said unto them, Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun be hot; and while they stand on guard, let them shut the doors, and bar ye them: and appoint watches of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, every one in his watch, and every one to be over against his house.
v.4This passage
v.5And my God put into my heart to gather together the nobles, and the rulers, and the people, that they might be reckoned by genealogy. And I found the book of the genealogy of them that came up at the first, and I found written therein:
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Matthew 6:33
But seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
- Isaiah 58:12
And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places; thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.
- Haggai 1:4
Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your ceiled houses, while this house lieth waste?
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