The men of Bethlehem and Netophah, an hundred fourscore and eight.

NEHEMIAH 7:26KJV
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Nehemiah 7:26 (KJV)

What does Nehemiah 7:26 mean?

Nehemiah 7:26 records that 188 men from Bethlehem and Netophah returned from exile to Jerusalem. This verse is part of a census listing the families and individuals who came back to help rebuild the city after the Babylonian captivity.

In the context of Nehemiah, this list is being compiled by Nehemiah himself as he organizes the repopulation and restoration of Jerusalem. The mention of Bethlehem and Netophah highlights the specific origins of some of the returnees, showing the diversity and wide reach of those committed to restoring their ancestral homeland.

The Hebrew behind Nehemiah 7:26

  • בֵּית לֶחֶם (Beit Lechem, "Bethlehem"): This is the well-known town south of Jerusalem, significant as the birthplace of David. Its inclusion shows that even small towns sent people to help rebuild.
  • נְטֹפָה (Netophah, "Netophah"): A lesser-known village near Bethlehem. Its mention alongside Bethlehem emphasizes that not only major cities but also small villages contributed to the restoration effort.
  • מֵאָה (me'ah, "hundred"), שְׁמֹנִים (shemoneem, "fourscore" or eighty), שְׁמֹנָה (shemoneh, "eight"): These words combine to give the exact number—188—showing the careful record-keeping and the value placed on each individual and family group.

Why Nehemiah 7:26 matters

  • Nehemiah 7:26 helps the reader see that the return from exile was not just a movement of leaders or priests, but involved ordinary families from both famous and obscure places.
  • The verse underscores the importance of community and roots, as each group’s origin is carefully recorded, affirming their place in the restored nation.
  • This census connects to the larger theme of Nehemiah: rebuilding not just walls, but the identity and unity of the people, one family and village at a time.

Where else these words appear

“Netophah” Hebrew H5199 · used in 2 verses

  • Ezra 2:22 The men of Netophah, fifty and six.

“fourscore” Hebrew H8084 · used in 37 verses

  • Genesis 5:25 And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech:
  • 2 Samuel 19:35 I am this day fourscore years old: and can I discern between good and evil? can thy servant taste what I eat or what I drink? can I hear any more the voice of singing men and singing women? wherefore then should thy servant be yet a burden unto my lord the king?
  • 2 Chronicles 11:1 And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he gathered of the house of Judah and Benjamin an hundred and fourscore thousand chosen men, which were warriors, to fight against Israel, that he might bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam.

“Bethlehem” Hebrew H1035 · used in 39 verses

  • Genesis 35:19 And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem.
  • Ruth 1:2 And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehemjudah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there.
  • 2 Samuel 23:16 And the three mighty men brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David: nevertheless he would not drink thereof, but poured it out unto the LORD.

“eight” Hebrew H8083 · used in 105 verses

  • Genesis 5:4 And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters:
  • 1 Kings 7:10 And the foundation was of costly stones, even great stones, stones of ten cubits, and stones of eight cubits.
  • 2 Chronicles 34:8 Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land, and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of the LORD his God.