Nehemiah 7:38
and the descendants of Senaah, 3,930.
the descendants of Senaah
The phrase "the descendants of Senaah" refers to a specific group of people who returned from the Babylonian exile. The name "Senaah" is believed to be of Hebrew origin, possibly meaning "thorny" or "bramble." This group is mentioned in the context of the repopulation of Jerusalem and the surrounding areas, highlighting the importance of family lineage and tribal identity in post-exilic Israel. Historically, the return from exile was a fulfillment of God's promise to restore His people to their land, as prophesied by Jeremiah and other prophets. The mention of "Senaah" underscores the meticulous record-keeping and the significance of each family in the restoration process.

3,930
The specific number "3,930" indicates the size of the group from Senaah that returned. This precise enumeration reflects the careful documentation by Nehemiah and his contemporaries, emphasizing the importance of each individual in the collective effort to rebuild the nation. In a broader theological context, numbers in the Bible often carry symbolic weight, representing completeness or divine order. The detailed census serves as a testament to God's faithfulness in preserving His people and ensuring their continuity. It also highlights the communal aspect of the restoration, where every family and individual played a crucial role in the re-establishment of Israel's religious and social structures.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Nehemiah
A Jewish leader who played a crucial role in the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls after the Babylonian exile. He was a cupbearer to the Persian king Artaxerxes and was appointed as governor of Judah.

2. Senaah
A family or clan mentioned in the context of the return from Babylonian exile. The descendants of Senaah were part of the group that returned to Jerusalem and Judah to help rebuild the city and its walls.

3. The Return from Exile
This event marks the return of the Jewish people from Babylonian captivity, a significant moment in Jewish history that fulfilled God's promise of restoration.

4. Jerusalem
The central city of Jewish worship and identity, which was in ruins and needed rebuilding after the exile.

5. The Census
Nehemiah conducted a census to organize the people and ensure that the city was repopulated and that the work of rebuilding could be effectively managed.
Teaching Points
Faithfulness in Small Details
The inclusion of specific numbers and names, like the descendants of Senaah, underscores the importance of each individual in God's plan. Every person matters in the community of faith.

God's Faithfulness to His Promises
The return from exile and the rebuilding of Jerusalem demonstrate God's faithfulness to His promises, encouraging believers to trust in His word.

Community and Cooperation
The rebuilding of Jerusalem required the cooperation of many families and clans. This teaches the importance of unity and working together in the body of Christ.

Heritage and Identity
Knowing one's spiritual heritage and identity in Christ is crucial. Just as the descendants of Senaah were part of a larger account, believers are part of God's redemptive plan.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the detailed record of the descendants of Senaah in Nehemiah 7:38 reflect the value God places on each individual within His community?

2. In what ways does the return from exile and the rebuilding of Jerusalem illustrate God's faithfulness to His promises, and how can this encourage us in our personal faith journey?

3. How can the cooperation and unity seen in the rebuilding efforts in Nehemiah inspire us to work together in our local church or community?

4. Reflect on your spiritual heritage and identity in Christ. How does understanding your place in God's account impact your daily life and decisions?

5. Compare the lists in Nehemiah 7 and Ezra 2. What insights can we gain about the consistency of God's word and the importance of historical records in the Bible?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Ezra 2
This chapter provides a parallel account of the returnees, including the descendants of Senaah, highlighting the continuity and consistency in the records of those who returned from exile.

Isaiah 11:11-12
This passage speaks of the regathering of the remnant of Israel, which connects to the return from exile and the restoration of the Jewish people to their homeland.

Jeremiah 29:10-14
God's promise to bring the Israelites back after 70 years of exile, which is fulfilled in the events described in Nehemiah.
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
3, 930, Nine, Senaah, Sena'ah, Sons, Thirty, Thousand
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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