Reading for December 14th

Read Nehemiah 7.1-5. In verse 1: The gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levities: The addition of the singers and the Levities 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 and how the book was found. Those who were the first to come back: Perhaps those who first returned from the exile, or those who first returned with one of the subsequent waves of exiled persons who migrated to Jerusalem. Coments or Questions..