Nehemiah 7:30
the men of Ramah and Geba, 621;
the men of Ramah and Geba
Ramah and Geba were towns located in the territory of Benjamin, north of Jerusalem. Ramah is often mentioned in the Old Testament as a significant location, including in the narratives of Samuel and Saul. It was a strategic site due to its position on the main north-south road. Geba, also in Benjamin, was a Levitical city and a place of military significance, as seen in the accounts of battles in 1 Samuel. The mention of these towns highlights the return of the exiles to their ancestral lands, fulfilling the promises of restoration. The returnees from these towns were likely descendants of those who had been taken into Babylonian exile, emphasizing the continuity of God's covenant with Israel.

621
The specific number of returnees, 621, underscores the detailed record-keeping and the importance of each family and individual in the restoration process. This precision reflects the historical accuracy and the significance of each community's contribution to the rebuilding efforts. The listing of numbers also serves to authenticate the historical narrative, providing a tangible connection to the past. The return of these individuals fulfills the prophetic promises of restoration found in books like Jeremiah and Isaiah, where God assures the return of His people to their land. This restoration is a type of the ultimate restoration through Christ, who brings spiritual renewal and fulfillment of God's promises.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Nehemiah
The governor of Judah who led the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls and the reestablishment of the Jewish community after the Babylonian exile.

2. Ramah
A town in the territory of Benjamin, historically significant as a place of gathering and judgment. It is often associated with the prophet Samuel.

3. Geba
Another town in the territory of Benjamin, known for its strategic military importance and its mention in various Old Testament battles.

4. The Men of Ramah and Geba
A group of 621 men who returned from exile and were counted among those who resettled in their ancestral towns, contributing to the restoration of the community.

5. The Census
The event of counting the people, which was crucial for organizing the community and ensuring that each family and town was represented in the rebuilding efforts.
Teaching Points
The Importance of Community
The listing of the men from Ramah and Geba emphasizes the value of each individual and family in the larger community. Every person has a role in God's plan.

Faithfulness in Small Things
The seemingly mundane task of recording names and numbers reflects the faithfulness required in small tasks, which contribute to the greater work of God.

Heritage and Identity
Understanding one's roots and heritage, as seen in the return of the exiles to their ancestral towns, is crucial for maintaining identity and purpose in God's plan.

God's Faithfulness in Restoration
The return of the exiles and the rebuilding of their towns demonstrate God's faithfulness in restoring His people, encouraging us to trust in His promises.

Strategic Importance of Places
The mention of specific towns like Ramah and Geba highlights the strategic importance of places in God's redemptive history, reminding us that God uses specific locations for His purposes.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the inclusion of specific towns and numbers in Nehemiah 7:30 reflect the importance of community in God's plan?

2. In what ways can we be faithful in the "small things" in our lives, as seen in the detailed record-keeping in Nehemiah?

3. How does understanding our spiritual heritage and identity help us fulfill our role in God's kingdom today?

4. What are some ways we can see God's faithfulness in restoring areas of our lives or communities?

5. How can we discern the strategic importance of the places where God has placed us, and how can we use them for His glory?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Ezra 2
This chapter provides a parallel account of the returnees from exile, including those from Ramah and Geba, highlighting the continuity and consistency in the records of the returning exiles.

1 Samuel 7
Ramah is mentioned as the home of Samuel, where he judged Israel, connecting the historical significance of the town to the spiritual leadership in Israel's history.

Isaiah 10
Geba is mentioned in the context of Assyrian invasion, illustrating its strategic importance and the challenges faced by the people of this region.
The True Method of ProsperityR.A. Redford Nehemiah 7:6-73
People
Akkub, Amon, Asaph, Ater, Azariah, Azmaveth, Baanah, Bakbuk, Barkos, Barzillai, Bazlith, Besai, Bezai, Bigvai, Bilshan, Darkon, Delaiah, Gahar, Gazzam, Giddel, Habaiah, Hagaba, Hakkoz, Hakupha, Hanan, Hanani, Hananiah, Harhur, Harsha, Hashum, Hashupha, Hasupha, Hatipha, Hatita, Hattil, Hezekiah, Hodaviah, Hodevah, Immer, Israelites, Jaala, Jedaiah, Jeshua, Joab, Kadmiel, Keros, Koz, Lebana, Lebanah, Levites, Mehida, Meunim, Mispereth, Mordecai, Nahamani, Nebuchadnezzar, Nehemiah, Nehum, Nekoda, Nephishesim, Neziah, Padon, Pahathmoab, Parosh, Paseah, Pashur, Perida, Phaseah, Pochereth, Raamiah, Reaiah, Rezin, Shallum, Shalmai, Shephatiah, Shobai, Sia, Sisera, Solomon, Sophereth, Sotai, Tabbaoth, Talmon, Tamah, Thamah, Tobiah, Tobijah, Uzza, Zaccai, Zattu, Zerubbabel, Ziha
Places
Ai, Anathoth, Babylon, Beeroth, Beth-azmaveth, Bethel, Bethlehem, Cherub, Geba, Gibeon, Hadid, Immer, Jericho, Jerusalem, Kiriath-jearim, Lod, Michmas, Nebo, Netophah, Ono, Ramah, Tel-harsha, Tel-melah
Topics
621, Geba, Hundred, Ramah, Six, Twenty, Twenty-one
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Nehemiah 7:5-69

     7230   genealogies

Nehemiah 7:6-67

     5249   census

Library
"Take My Yoke Upon You, and Learn of Me," &C.
Matt. xi. 20.--"Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me," &c. Self love is generally esteemed infamous and contemptible among men. It is of a bad report every where, and indeed as it is taken commonly, there is good reason for it, that it should be hissed out of all societies, if reproaching and speaking evil of it would do it. But to speak the truth, the name is not so fit to express the thing, for that which men call self love, may rather be called self hatred. Nothing is more pernicious to a man's
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

And thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, too little to be among the thousands of Judah
"And thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, too little to be among the thousands of Judah, out of thee shall come forth unto Me (one) [Pg 480] to be Ruler in Israel; and His goings forth are the times of old, the days of eternity." The close connection of this verse with what immediately precedes (Caspari is wrong in considering iv. 9-14 as an episode) is evident, not only from the [Hebrew: v] copulative, and from the analogy of the near relation of the announcement of salvation to the prophecy of disaster
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

The Strait Gate;
OR, GREAT DIFFICULTY OF GOING TO HEAVEN: PLAINLY PROVING, BY THE SCRIPTURES, THAT NOT ONLY THE RUDE AND PROFANE, BUT MANY GREAT PROFESSORS, WILL COME SHORT OF THAT KINGDOM. "Enter ye in at the strait gate; for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."--Matthew 7:13, 14 ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. If any uninspired writer has been
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Influences that Gave Rise to the Priestly Laws and Histories
[Sidenote: Influences in the exile that produced written ceremonial laws] The Babylonian exile gave a great opportunity and incentive to the further development of written law. While the temple stood, the ceremonial rites and customs received constant illustration, and were transmitted directly from father to son in the priestly families. Hence, there was little need of writing them down. But when most of the priests were carried captive to Babylonia, as in 597 B.C., and ten years later the temple
Charles Foster Kent—The Origin & Permanent Value of the Old Testament

Ezra-Nehemiah
Some of the most complicated problems in Hebrew history as well as in the literary criticism of the Old Testament gather about the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. Apart from these books, all that we know of the origin and early history of Judaism is inferential. They are our only historical sources for that period; and if in them we have, as we seem to have, authentic memoirs, fragmentary though they be, written by the two men who, more than any other, gave permanent shape and direction to Judaism, then
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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