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Nehemiah 7 · a question people ask

Who was Hananiah, and why him?

In the text

7:2 gives his title and a reason, and nothing more: "Hananiah the governor of the fortress", "for he was a faithful man and feared God above many" (7:2). The reason comes right after his name and title. Other men named Hananiah come in the book: "Hananiah, one of the perfumers" (3:8), "Hananiah the son of Shelemiah" (3:30), and the Hananiahs of 10:23, 12:12 and 12:41. The text doesn't say whether any of them is this man, and this study doesn't either. Hanani is "my brother Hanani" (7:2), who first came to Nehemiah as "Hanani, one of my brothers" (1:2).

The verses

“I put my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the governor of the fortress, in charge of Jerusalem; for he was a faithful man and feared God above many.”
Nehemiah 7:2 · World English Bible
“Next to him, Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, goldsmiths, made repairs. Next to him, Hananiah, one of the perfumers, made repairs, and they fortified Jerusalem even to the wide wall.”
Nehemiah 3:8 · World English Bible
“After him, Hananiah the son of Shelemiah, and Hanun, the sixth son of Zalaph, repaired another portion. After him, Meshullam the son of Berechiah made repairs across from his room.”
Nehemiah 3:30 · World English Bible
“Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub,”
Nehemiah 10:23 · World English Bible

From Favor's study of Nehemiah 7

Nehemiah 7: The city guarded, the list found

Nehemiah 7 turns from the wall to the people: Jerusalem is put in the charge of Hanani and Hananiah, "for he was a faithful man and feared God above many" (7:2), but the city is "wide and large" with few people (7:4), and what "My God put into my heart" (7:5) leads Nehemiah to the list of those who came up at the first, Ezra 2's list, found again.

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Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Every answer cites the verses it rests on. What we believe · All Bible questions