· Translation: KJV

Nehemiah 7:21The children of Ater, of Hezekiah, ninety-eight.

The setting

Jerusalem, ~444 BC. Nehemiah sits with scribes, carefully recording every family that returned from Babylon. Modern-day Jerusalem, Israel.

The emotion here: methodical reverence for every life

The original word

yeled (יֶלֶד) — children, descendants, those who carry the family name forward

Why it matters

These genealogical records determined who could serve in the temple and own land in Israel

Read with care

What most readers miss in Nehemiah 7:21

Every number represents families who chose to leave comfortable lives in Babylon

Common misconceptionPeople skip genealogies as 'boring,' but these represent thousands who risked everything to rebuild their homeland after 70 years of exile.

Bible Genome reading

Nehemiah 7:21 — Bible Genome reading

SpeakerNehemiah
EraPost-Exile
Primary emotionresting
Literary typegenealogy

Emotional genome

Comfort power20%
Quotability10%
Memorability20%
Crisis relevance10%
Standalone20%
Themes:restorationcommunity

In context

No verse stands alone.

Read the conversation around it.

Open Nehemiah 7

Nehemiah 7:21 comes from the book of Nehemiah, written during the Post-Exile period. These words are attributed to Nehemiah. The dominant emotion in this verse is resting, with a comfort power of 20% and a tone that is reflective. It belongs to the genealogy genre of biblical literature. Key themes include restoration, community. Notable phrases: children of Ater; of Hezekiah.

Your reflection

What does Nehemiah 7:21 mean to you, today?

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