The Children of Lod, Hadid, and Ono - Nehemiah 7:37

In the book of Nehemiah, Nehemiah said, “These are the children of the province, that went up out of the captivity, of those that had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away, and came again to Jerusalem and to Judah, every one unto his city.” Nehemiah included the children of many of the people of Israel in his census, and he added several men such as “the men of the other Nebo, the other Elam” and “the children of Harim and Jericho”, and in chapter seven and verse thirty-seven of Nehemiah, Nehemiah shared about, “the children of Lod, Hadid, and Ono”, where we read,

The children of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred and twenty and one.

The verse reads, “The children of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, ...” Nehemiah began with the words, “the children” or “the offspring and progeny” “of Lod” which means “belonging to Lod whose name means travail and was a city approximately eleven miles (17 km) southeast of Joppa in the plain of Sharon in the territory of Benjamin”, “Hadid”whose name means “sharp and was a town in Benjamin”, “and Ono” whose name means “vigorous and was a city in Benjamin”. Nehemiah shared how the offspring of “Lod, Hadid and Ono” were among the people of Israel he included in his census. 

The verse goes on to say, “... seven hundred twenty and one.” Nehemiah continued with the words, “seven hundred” or “seven hundred offspring plus” “twenty and one” which means “twenty-one more”. Nehemiah said there were “seven hundred and twenty-one” of the progeny belonging to “Lod, Hadid and Ono” who returned to Jerusalem and Judah from being captives in Babylon to the completing of the barrier wall. 

When we meditate upon Nehemiah's words in this verse, we learn about another group of people, “the offspring of Lod, Hadid and Ono”, who were among the people of Israel who returned to Jerusalem and Judah from Babylon to the completing of the barrier wall. Each of these people were to be enumerated by Nehemiah, and as he number them, he was accounting for the people who were obedient to God's commission to return to their homeland. God wants us to be with Him in Heaven forever, and because we have sin in our lives which separates us from a personal relationship with Him, He sent His Son Jesus into the world to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind and to be raised from the dead three days later. When we yield our lives to Him, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and give us the wisdom and direction to live by His Holy Spirit in a manner that is pleasing to Him. 

Next time Nehemiah shares about, “the children of Senaah”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".