Then my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles, the officials, and the people to be enrolled by genealogy. I found the genealogical register of those who had first returned, and I found the following written in it:
Parallel translations
- WEB My God put into my heart to gather together the nobles, and the rulers, and the people, that they might be listed by genealogy. I found the book of the genealogy of those who came up at the first, and I found this written in it:
- KJV And my God put into mine heart to gather together the nobles, and the rulers, and the people, that they might be reckoned by genealogy. And I found a register of the genealogy of them which came up at the first, and found written therein,
- NKJV Then my God put it into my heart to gather the nobles, the rulers, and the people, that they might be registered by genealogy. And I found a register of the genealogy of those who had come up in the first return, and found written in it:
- NASB Then my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles, the officials, and the other people to be enrolled by genealogies. Then I found the book of the genealogy of those who came up first, in which I found the following record:
- NLT So my God gave me the idea to call together all the nobles and leaders of the city, along with the ordinary citizens, for registration. I had found the genealogical record of those who had first returned to Judah. This is what was written there:
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God moves Nehemiah's heart to register the people by genealogy, and he finds the record of the first returnees. He acts on a God-given prompting.
Overview
Nehemiah attributes his plan to God, who "put into my heart" the desire to enroll the people. Discovering the earlier register links the present community to those who first returned under Zerubbabel, establishing covenant continuity. The verse shows God guiding His servant's purposes and preserving the identity of His restored people.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- 2 Cor 3:5Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim that anything comes from us, but our competence comes from God.
- Neh 5:19Remember me favorably, O my God, for all that I have done for this people.
- Ezra 2:62These men searched for their family records, but they could not find them and so were excluded from the priesthood as unclean.
- 1 Chr 9:1–9So all Israel was recorded in the genealogies written in the Book of the Kings of Israel. But Judah was exiled to Babylon because of their unfaithfulness.
- Neh 7:64These men searched for their family records, but they could not find them and so were excluded from the priesthood as unclean.
- Neh 6:14O my God, remember Tobiah and Sanballat for what they have done, and also Noadiah the prophetess and the other prophets who tried to intimidate me.
- 1 Cor 15:10But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me was not in vain. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.
- Ezra 7:27Blessed be the LORD, the God of our fathers, who has put into the heart of the king to so honor the house of the LORD in Jerusalem,
- Jas 1:16Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.
- Col 1:29To this end I also labor, striving with all His energy working powerfully within me.
- 2 Cor 8:16But thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same devotion I have for you.
- Phil 2:12–13Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now even more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.
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Christ at the center
The rebuilt walls and renewed covenant community foreshadow the greater builder who gathers and secures a people for God, the one who declares 'I will build my church.'
How Nehemiah 7:5 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.