Nehemiah 7:66 — Word Study
WLCכָּל־ הַקָּהָ֖ל כְּאֶחָ֑ד אַרְבַּ֣ע רִבּ֔וֹא אַלְפַּ֖יִם שְׁלֹשׁ־ מֵא֥וֹת וְשִׁשִּֽׁים׃
BSAThe wholekôl [entire, complete] assemblyqâhâl [congregation, group of people] [numbered]ʼechâd [was counted as, totaled, forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty, a large multitude] 42,360 {}ʼarbaʻ
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| כָּל־ | all | Noun common, masculine singular construct |
| הַקָּהָ֖ל | the assembly | Particle, noun common masculine singular absolute |
| כְּאֶחָ֑ד | as one | Preposition |
| אַרְבַּ֣ע | four | Adj |
| רִבּ֔וֹא | ten thousand | |
| אַלְפַּ֖יִם | two thousand | |
| שְׁלֹשׁ־ | three | |
| מֵא֥וֹת | hundred | |
| וְשִׁשִּֽׁים׃ | and sixty | Conjunction |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | The whole assembly numbered 42,360, |
| KJV | ¶ The whole congregation together was forty and two thousand three hundred and threescore, |
| ASV | The whole assembly together was forty and two thousand three hundred and threescore, |
| YLT | All the assembly together [is] four myriads two thousand three hundred and sixty, |
| WEB | The whole assembly together was forty-two thousand three hundred sixty, |
| BBE | The number of all the people together was forty-two thousand, three hundred and sixty; |
Where they part company is הַקָּהָ֖ל — see How Translations Differ.
The structure is straightforward, with a main clause followed by a numeral phrase that specifies the total count.
2 commentators on this verse
Jamieson, Ellicott & more — read them ›
clause
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Nehemiah 7:66
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — The Census of the Returning Exilesgenerated
Nehemiah 7:66 provides the number of the entire assembly of exiles who returned to Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity. This count is part of a larger narrative detailing the restoration of the community and the re-establishment of worship and society in Jerusalem, as seen in the surrounding verses.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ezra 2:64 | The whole assembly numbered 42,360, |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 1 reference, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — כָּל־, kol-generated
The word כֹּל (kol) is a common noun meaning 'all' or 'the whole.' It signifies totality and is often used to refer to every member of a group or the entirety of something. In this verse, it emphasizes that the assembly is complete and unified.
The parsing indicates that it is a masculine singular construct, which often introduces a noun that specifies what is included in the totality, such as in the phrase 'the whole assembly.' This word underscores the unity of the people counted.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main clause is introduced by the finite verb נָמַד, numbered, which governs the entire sentence. The structure includes a noun phrase for the subject, followed by a prepositional phrase that specifies the assembly, and a numeral phrase that details the count.
The order of the Hebrew words emphasizes the totality of the assembly, leading with כָּל־ to stress that all members are included in the count.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
In the Septuagint, the word for הַקָּהָ֖ל is rendered as ἐκκλησία (ekklēsia), which typically means 'assembly' or 'congregation.' This choice aligns with the communal aspect of the returning exiles, emphasizing their unity as a group.
The Greek term πᾶσα (pasa) is used for כָּל־, which also means 'all' or 'every.' This reflects a similar understanding of totality in the assembly.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Nehemiah 7:66 states that the total number of the assembly that returned to Jerusalem was 42,360. This count includes everyone who came back, emphasizing their unity as they rebuilt their community.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
The number represents the total count of the assembly of exiles who returned to Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity.
The assembly is described as 'one' to emphasize their unity as a single group returning to their homeland.
This census is part of the larger narrative of rebuilding and restoring Jerusalem, highlighting the importance of community in the process.
The assembly represents the returning exiles who are re-establishing their identity and worship in Jerusalem after a long period of exile.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What does it mean to be part of a community, as seen in the assembly of exiles?
- How can we apply the idea of unity in our own communities today?
- In what ways can we contribute to the rebuilding of our communities, similar to the returning exiles?
- What role does counting or recognizing individuals play in forming a strong community?
Commentators on this verse — 2 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Nehemiah 7:66 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryThe whole congregation together was forty and two thousand three hundred and threescore, No JFB commentary on these verses.
Read Robert Jamieson on Nehemiah 7 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(5-73) The genealogical reckoning of the people, as the first step towards increasing the population of the metropolis, is determined on, not without express Divine suggestion; the allusion to this inspiration from God, is, as in Nehemiah 2:12, very emphatic. The original register of Zerubbabelis found and copied. The express language of both Ezra and Nehemiah makes it plain that this is no other than the list of those who came up with Zerubbabel and Joshua after the decree of Cyrus, in B.C. 538. Nehemiah’s own census follows, in Nehemiah 11. The exposition, especially as compared with Ezra 2, has been given on that chapter.
Read Charles John Ellicott on Nehemiah 7 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
The whole assembly numbered 42,360,
The whole assembly together was forty-two thousand three hundred sixty,
The whole assembly numbered 42,360,
The entire group numbered 42,360,
Tyndale line
¶ The whole congregation together was forty and two thousand three hundred and threescore,
The whole assembly together was forty and two thousand three hundred and threescore,
The whole congregation together was forty and two thousand three hundred and threescore,
The whole congregation together was forty two thousand three hundred and sixty.
All the Congregation together was two and fourtie thousand, three hundreth and threescore,
Strictly literal
The whole congregation together was forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty,
All the assembly together [is] four myriads two thousand three hundred and sixty,
All the assembly together [is] forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty,
The whole congregation together was forty and two thousand three hundred and sixty:
The whole assembly together was 42,360,
From the Latin
All the multitude as it were one man, forty-two thousand three hundred sixty,
Simplified
The total number of people returning was 42,360.
The number of all the people together was forty-two thousand, three hundred and sixty;
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text states that the whole assembly numbered 42,360, written as "כָּל־ הַקָּהָ֖ל כְּאֶחָ֑ד אַרְבַּ֣ע רִבּ֔וֹא אַלְפַּ֖יִם שְׁלֹשׁ־ מֵא֥וֹת וְשִׁשִּֽׁים׃". The Septuagint agrees with the Masoretic Text in terms of the overall meaning and number, as it matches 7 of the 9 words, though it presents them in a different order and with its own articles. The Samaritan Pentateuch and the Dead Sea Scrolls do not provide additional differing information for this verse, indicating a consensus among the witnesses regarding the assembly's number of 42,360.
כָּל־ הַקָּהָ֖ל כְּאֶחָ֑ד אַרְבַּ֣ע רִבּ֔וֹא אַלְפַּ֖יִם שְׁלֹשׁ־ מֵא֥וֹת וְשִׁשִּֽׁים׃
7 of the 9 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Nehemiah 7:66
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
כֹּל (kol) means 'all' or 'the whole.' It can refer to totality, including every person or thing, and is often used with a following genitive to specify what is included. The term can also denote a broader sense of everything in existence or all circumstances of life. The lexicons do not show significant disagreement on its meanings.
כֹּל once כּוֹל n.m. the whole, all
with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every
Absolutely:
without the art., all things, all
with the art. הַכֹּל
where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned
in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)
base
H3605 כֹּל once כּוֹל the whole, all . with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every
. Absolutely: . without the art., all things, all
. with the art. הַכֹּל . where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned
. in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)
3605 kol kole
or (Jer. 33:8) kowl {kole}; from 3634; properly, the whole;
hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a
plural sense):--(in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any
(manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as
many as, (no-)thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole,
whoso(-ever).
see HEBREW for 03634
כֹּל (kol) — all.
1) all, the whole
1a) all, the whole of
1b) any, each, every, anything
1c) totality, everything
Aramaic equivalent: kol (כֹּל "all" H3606)
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular constructHNcmsc
ol: Used in various combinations, and with different meanings.
(1) All along, "Weeping all along as he went" (Jer 41:6), i.e. throughout the whole way he went, feigning equal concern with the men from Shiloh, etc., for the destruction of the Temple, so as to put them off their guard.
(2) All in all, "That God may be all in all" (1Co 15:28, Greek: panta en pasin, "all things in all (persons and) things"). "The universe, with all it comprises, will wholly answer to God's will and reflect His mind" (Dummelow).
קָהָל (qahal) refers to an assembly or congregation, often used in contexts like religious gatherings or groups formed for specific purposes, including war or counsel. It is derived from a root meaning to assemble. The term encompasses various forms of organized groups, including returning exiles.
קָהָל 123 n.m. assembly, convocation, congregation
base
H6951 קָהָל assembly, convocation, congregation
6951 qahal kaw-hawl'
from 6950; assemblage (usually concretely):--assembly,
company, congregation, multitude.
see HEBREW for 06950
קָהָל (qa.hal) — assembly.
1) assembly, company, congregation, convocation
1a) assembly
1a1) for evil counsel, war or invasion, religious purposes
1b) company (of returning exiles)
1c) congregation
1c1) as organised body
Art | N-ms — Particle · noun common masculine singular absoluteHTd/Ncmsa
a-sem'-bli (qahal; ekklesia): The common term for a meeting of the people called together by a crier. It has reference therefore to any gathering of the people called for any purpose whatsoever (Ex 12:6; Ps 22:16 the King James Version; Ps 89:7 the King James Version; Ac 19:32,41). The solemn assemblies of the Jews were their feasts or religious gatherings of any kind (Isa 1:13). The word paneguris, "a general festal assembly" (Heb 12:23), is transferred from the congregation of the people of Israel to the Christian church of which the congregation of Israel was a…
אֶחָד (echad) means 'one' and is derived from a numeral. It encompasses meanings such as each, every, a certain, and can serve as an indefinite article. It is also used as an ordinal to denote 'first' and appears in various combinations, including eleven. The entries consistently emphasize its numerical and qualitative aspects.
אֶחָד 972 adj.num. one
one
= each, every
= a certain
= indef. art.
only, & (fem.) once
one … another, one … the other
as ordinal first
in combin.
base
H259 אֶחָד one . one
. = each, every
. = a certain
. = indef. art.
. only, & (fem.) once
. one … another, one … the other
. as ordinal first
. in combin.
259 'echad ekh-awd'
a numeral from 258; properly, united, i.e. one; or (as an
ordinal) first:--a, alike, alone, altogether, and,
any(-thing), apiece, a certain, (dai-)ly, each (one), +
eleven, every, few, first, + highway, a man, once, one, only,
other, some, together,
see HEBREW for 0258
אֶחָד (e.chad) — one.
1) one (number)
1a) one (number)
1b) each, every
1c) a certain
1d) an (indefinite article)
1e) only, once, once for all
1f) one...another, the one...the other, one after another, one by one
1g) first
1h) eleven (in combination), eleventh (ordinal)
Prep | Adj — PrepositionHR/Acfsa
wun.
See NUMBER.
אַרְבַּע (arba) means 'four' in Hebrew. It is a masculine noun derived from the root associated with the number four. The entries consistently affirm this meaning without any significant disagreement among lexicons.
אַרְבַּע, אַרְבָּעָה four
base
H702 אַרְבַּע, אַרְבָּעָה four
702 'arba` ar-bah'
masculine oarbaah {ar-baw-aw'}; from 7251; four:--four.
see HEBREW for 07251
אַרְבַּע (ar.ba) — four.
four
Adj — AdjHAcbsc
for ('arba`; tessares): "Four" (cardinal number) was a sacred and complete number with the Hebrews, as well as with several other peoples. It occurs very frequently in the Old Testament and the New Testament.
(1) It indicates completeness. We have the four rivers of Paradise (Ge 2:10); the four winds of heaven (Eze 37:9; Da 7:2; 8:8; 11:4; Zec 6:5, the Revised Version, margin "spirits"; /APC 2Esdras 13:5); "the four winds" (Mt 24:31; Mr 13:27); "the four corners of the earth" (Isa 11:12;
רִבּוֹ (ribbow) refers to a large number, specifically 'ten thousand' or 'myriad.' It is derived from the root word for 'many' and is used in various contexts to denote an indefinitely large quantity. The term appears in both Hebrew and Aramaic, with the Aramaic equivalent being רִבּוֹ (H7240).
רִבּוֹ, רִבּוֹא n.f. ten thousand, myriad
base
H7239 רִבּוֹ, רִבּוֹא
7239 ribbow rib-bo'
from 7231; or ribbow {rib-bo'} from 7231; a myriad, i.e.
indefinitely, large number:--great things, ten ((eight)-een,
(for)-ty, + sixscore, + threescore, X twenty, (twen)-ty)
thousand.
see HEBREW for 07231
see HEBREW for 07231
רִבּוֹ (rib.bo) — ten thousand.
ten thousand, myriad
Aramaic equivalent: rib.bo (רִבּוֹ "myriad" H7240)
HAcbsa — HAcbsa
thou'-zand ('eleph; chilioi).
See NUMBER.
אֶ֫לֶף (eleph) means 'thousand' in Hebrew. It can refer to the numeral itself or denote a company or clan, particularly a group of men under one leader. The word is built from the concept of a thousand, and it is associated with the ox's head, which is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
אֶ֫לֶף n.m. thousand
base
H505 אֶ֫לֶף thousand
505 'eleph eh'-lef
prop, the same as 504; hence (the ox's head being the first
letter of the alphabet, and this eventually used as a numeral)
a thousand:--thousand.
see HEBREW for 0504
אֶ֫לֶף (e.leph) — thousand.
: thousand
1) a thousand
1a) as numeral
2) a thousand, company
2a) as a company of men under one leader, troops
אֶ֫לֶף (e.leph) — thousand: clan.
: clan
1) a thousand
1a) as numeral
2) a thousand, company
2a) as a company of men under one leader, troops
HAcbda — HAcbda
thou'-zand ('eleph; chilioi).
See NUMBER.
The Hebrew word שָׁלֹשׁ (*shalosh*) means 'three' or 'triad.' It can also refer to the ordinal 'third' and is used in various contexts, including multiplication as 'thrice.' The entries consistently define it as a primitive number without significant disagreement.
שָׁלֹשׁ, שָׁלוֹשׁ, שְׁלֹשָׁה 430 n.m. et f. a three, triad
base
H7969 שָׁלֹשׁ, שָׁלוֹשׁ, שְׁלֹשָׁה a three, triad
7969 shalowsh shaw-loshe'
or shalosh {shaw-loshe'}; masculine shlowshah {shel-o-shaw'};
or shloshah {shel-o-shaw'}; a primitive number; three;
occasionally (ordinal) third, or (multipl.) thrice:--+ fork,
+ often(-times), third, thir(-teen, -teenth), three, + thrice.
Compare 7991.
see HEBREW for 07991
שָׁלֹשׁ (sha.losh) — three.
1) three, triad
1a) 3, 300, third
Aramaic equivalent: te.lat (תְּלָת "three" H8532)
HAcbsc — HAcbsc
(shalosh; treis).
See NUMBER.
The phrase "three days and three nights," Mt 12:40, was equivalent in Hebrew to the English "three days;" the Jews employing the expression "a day and a night" to denote our "day" of twentyfour hours. Nor did "three days," 1Sa 30:13, literally "this third day," according to their usage, necessarily include the whole of three days, but a part of three days, a continuous period including one whole day of twenty-four hours, and a portion of the day preceding it and the day following it. Compare Ge 7:12,17 1Sa 30:12-13.
מֵאָה (me'ah) means 'hundred' in Hebrew. It can refer to a simple number, a component of a larger number, or a fraction representing one one-hundredth. The entries consistently describe its use as a numeral without significant disagreement.
מֵאָה 583 n.f. hundred
as simple number
as part of larger number
a hundredth part
base
H3967 מֵאָה hundred . as simple number
. as part of larger number
. a hundredth part
3967 me'ah may-aw'
or metyah {may-yaw'}; properly, a primitive numeral; a
hundred; also as a multiplicative and a
fraction:--hundred((-fold), -th), + sixscore.
מֵאָה (me.ah) — hundred.
1) hundred
1a) as simple number
1b) as part of larger number
1c) as a fraction-one one-hundredth (1/100)
Aramaic equivalent: me.ah (מְאָה "hundred" H3969)
HAcfpa — HAcfpa
hun'-dred (me'-ah; hekaton).
See NUMBER.
שִׁשִּׁים (shishshiym) means 'sixty' in Hebrew. It is a numeral derived from the root associated with the number 8337. The term is used in various contexts in the Old Testament to denote the quantity of sixty, also referred to as 'three score.' There is an Aramaic equivalent, שִׁתִּין (shit.tin), which also means sixty.
שִׁשִּׁים 59 n.indecl. sixty
base
H8346 שִׁשִּׁים sixty
8346 shishshiym shish-sheem'
multiple of 8337; sixty:--sixty, three score.
see HEBREW for 08337
שִׁשִּׁים (shish.shim) — sixty.
sixty, three score
Aramaic equivalent: shit.tin (שִׁתִּין "sixty" H8361)
HC/Acmpa — ConjunctionHC/Acmpa
siks'-ti (shishshim; hexekonta).
See NUMBER.