Chapter 5

5:13 - Nehemiah gets so upset that he shakes his lap.

* This is correct.

Chapter 7

7:10-62 - Here we find the same long, boring list that is given in the second chapter of Ezra. The only interesting thing about these two lists is that they directly contradict one another. For instance, Neh.7:10 says that 652 children of Arah returned from captivity in Babylon, while Ezra 2:5 says that 775 of them returned. There are 15 similar contradictions between the two accounts.

* The numbers in Ezra and Nehemiah are exactly correct and complementary.  Ezra lists a total of 29,818 people.  Nehemiah lists 1,765 people that Ezra does not list.  If you add these two numbers, you have 31,583 people.

* Nehemiah lists a total of 31,089 people.  Ezra lists 494 people that Nehemiah does not.  If you add these two numbers, you have 31,583 people.

* The sum at the end of these accounts is the same: 42,360.  If you subtract 31,583 from 42,360 you get 10,777.  This is the number of unnamed people that were counted.  They were either not of Judah, not of Benjamin, or their registers were not found.  These people were likely from the other tribes.

7:11 - The children of Pahathmoab, Jeshua, and Joab.

* This was already explained.

7:13 - The children of Zattu

* This was already explained.

7:15 - The children of Binnui

* This was already explained.

7:16 - The children of Bebai

* This was already explained.

7:17 - The children of Azgad

* This was already explained.

7:18 - The children of Adonikam

* This was already explained.

7:19 - The children of Bigvai

* This was already explained.

7:20 - The children of Adin

* This was already explained.

7:23 - The children of Bezai

* This was already explained.

7:26 - The children of Bethlehem

* This was already explained.

7:32 - Joshua 8:28 says that Ai was never again occupied after it was destroyed by Joshua. But this verse lists it among the cities of Israel at the time of the Babylonian captivity.

*  This Hebrew word for "forever" in Joshua 8:28 is better translated "concealed."  This verse in Joshua 8:28 is better translated: "Joshua burnt Ai and made it a heap, concealed by devastation to this day."

7:37 - The children of Lod, Hadid, and Ono

* This was already explained.

7:38 - The children of Senaah

* This was already explained.

7:44 - The singers: the children of Asaph

* This was already explained.

7:45 - The porters

* This was already explained.

7:62 - The children of Delaiah

* This was already explained.

7:66 - Here we are told that the whole congregation totaled 42,360. But if we just total up the numbers given in Neh.7:8-62 we come up with only 31,139.

* This was already explained.

7:67 - How many singing men and women?

* This was already explained.

7:72 - Nehemiah says the people gave 20,000 drams of gold, 2000 pounds of silver, and 67 priests garments. Yet in Ezra 2:29 these values are given as 1060, 5000, and 100, respectively.

* Ezra 2:29 simply reads, "the people of Nebo, fifty-two."  Therefore, there is no contradiction or problem here.

Chapter 9

9:13 - Where did Moses receive the Ten Commandments? On Mount Sinai.

* This verse indicates that God gave Moses the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai.

Chapter 12

12:1 - Was Zerubbabel's father Shealtiel or Pedaiah?

* Pedaiah was Zerubbabel's father.  This is evidenced in 1 Chronicles 3:19.

* Ezra 3:2 and Nehemiah 12:1 use a Hebrew word for "son" that means "grandfather."  There aren't any ancient Hebrew terms for grandfather or grandson.  This is why all of the Israelites are called the "sons of Israel (Jacob)," even though they could only literally be called his great grandchildren.

Chapter 13

13:25-27 - Nehemiah rebukes the men for marrying "strange wives." To punish them he "contended with them, and cursed them, and smote certain of them, and plucked off their hair."

* Nehemiah was very upset at the Israelites for sinning by giving their daughters to pagans.  His actions are recorded here, but they are not necessarily condoned by God.  God is the judge, so Nehemiah was likely acting out of frustration.