Nehemiah 11:16
in Nehemiah 11Shabbethai and Jozabad, two leaders of the Levites, who supervised the work outside the house of God;
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
and Shabbethai and Jozabad, of the chiefs of the Levites, who had the oversight of the outward business of the house of God;
KJV
And Shabbethai and Jozabad, of the chief of the Levites, had the oversight of the outward business of the house of God.
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This verse in Nehemiah 11
Commentary
4 notes on this verseAnd Shabbethai and Jozabad, of the chief of the Levites,.... Along with Shemaiah; these had the oversight of the outward business of the house of God: who had the care of the repairs of the temple, and of getting in the wood for the altar, as Jarchi, and collecting the third part of the shekel, to purchase things with for the use of the temple.
This site's exposition
Shemaiah the son of Hashub
on Nehemiah 11:15-19
The Levite roll runs to two hundred eighty four, then names the porters Akkub and Talmon with their brethren at one hundred seventy two keeping the gates, doorkeeping counted here as a numbered office rather than an afterthought to worship. Verse 17 preserves a liturgical detail the register did not have to keep: Mattaniah the son of Micha, of the line of Asaph, was THE PRINCIPAL TO BEGIN THE THANKSGIVING IN PRAYER, one voice opening and the rest following, with Bakbukiah second among his brethren. A name list becomes, for one verse, a record of who led Israel's praise and how the singing was ordered.
The record, by era
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
And Shabbethai - This verse, with Neh 11:20, Neh 11:21, Neh 11:28, Neh 11:29, Neh 11:32, Neh 11:33, Neh 11:34, and Neh 11:35, are all wanting in the Septuagint and the whole chapter is wanting in the Arabic, the translator not being concerned in Jewish genealogies. The outward business - Calmet supposes that he provided the victuals for the priests, victims for the sacrifices, the sacerdotal vestments, the sacred vessels, and other necessaries for the service of the temple.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
the oversight of the outward business of the house of God--that is, those things which were done outside, or in the country, such as the collecting of the provisions (1Ch 26:29).
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
over the outside work of the Temple, such as the buildings of the repair of the Temple (sic) and the wood of the arrangement, which they would bring from outside.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 2 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
9 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְשַׁבְּתַ֨י | veshabetai | and Shabbethai | H7678 → | |
| וְיוֹזָבָ֜ד | veyozavad | and Jozabad | H3107 → | |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | over | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| הַמְּלָאכָ֤ה | hamelakhah | the work | H4399 → | 167 times |
| הַחִֽיצֹנָה֙ | hachitzonah | <the> external | H2435 → | |
| לְבֵ֣ית | leveit | of [the] house of | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| הָאֱלֹהִ֔ים | haelohim | <the> God | H430 → | 2601 times |
| מֵרָאשֵׁ֖י | merashei | [were] of [the] leaders of | H7218 → | 599 times |
| הַלְוִיִּֽם׃ | halviyim | the Levites | H3881 → | 291 times |
וְשַׁבְּתַ֨יand Shabbethai
veshabetaiH7678 →
וְיוֹזָבָ֜דand Jozabad
veyozavadH3107 →
עַל־over
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
הַמְּלָאכָ֤הthe work
hamelakhahH4399 →167 times
הַחִֽיצֹנָה֙<the> external
hachitzonahH2435 →
לְבֵ֣יתof [the] house of
leveitH1004 →2046 times
הָאֱלֹהִ֔ים<the> God
haelohimH430 →2601 times
מֵרָאשֵׁ֖י[were] of [the] leaders of
merasheiH7218 →599 times
הַלְוִיִּֽם׃the Levites
halviyimH3881 →291 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Nehemiah 8:7The Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah—instructed the people in the Law as they stood in their places.
it leads to
- Nehemiah 9:4
And the Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani—stood on the raised platform and cried out in a loud voice to the LORD their God.
- Leviticus 10:11
so that you may teach the Israelites all the statutes that the LORD has given them through Moses.”
- Ezra 10:22–23
From the descendants of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah.
- Nehemiah 3:23
Beyond them, Benjamin and Hasshub made repairs in front of their house, and next to them, Azariah son of Maaseiah, the son of Ananiah, made repairs beside his house.
- Nehemiah 9:4
Through
Ezra 8:33On the fourth day, in the house of our God, we weighed out the silver and gold and sacred articles into the hand of Meremoth son of Uriah, the priest. Eleazar son of Phinehas…
it leads to
- Nehemiah 3:4
Next to them, Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, made repairs. Next to him, Meshullam son of Berechiah, the son of Meshezabel, made repairs; and next to him, Zadok son of Baana…
- Nehemiah 3:21
Next to him, Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, repaired another section, from the doorway of the house of Eliashib to the end of the house.
- Nehemiah 3:4
Through
1 Chronicles 26:29From the Izharites, Chenaniah and his sons had the outside duties as officers and judges over Israel.
it leads to
- 1 Chronicles 23:4
“Of these,” said David, “24,000 are to oversee the work of the house of the LORD, 6,000 are to be officers and judges,
- 1 Chronicles 23:4
Through
1 Chronicles 26:20Now their fellow Levites were in charge of the treasuries of the house of God and the treasuries of the dedicated things.
it leads to
- 1 Chronicles 26:22
the sons of Jehieli, Zetham, and his brother Joel. They were in charge of the treasuries of the house of the LORD.
- 1 Chronicles 26:22
About Nehemiah
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.