Reading for July 17th

 Read Nehemiah 7.1-5. In verse 1: The gate keepers, the singers, and the Levites: The addition of the singers and Levites is unexpected, though since these groups were well organized they may have served as supplementary help to the gatekeepers, who would have to undertake their duties without prior experience. In verse 3: The gates of Jerusalem are not to be opened until the sun is hot, perhaps as an additional security measure. In verse 5: The book of the genealogy: There is no explanation for where or how the book was found. Those who were the first to come back: perhaps those who first returned from Exile, or those who first returned with one of the subsequent waves of exiled peoples who migrated to Jerusalem. Comments or Questions..