Nehemiah 11:1
And the rulers of the people dwelt at Jerusalem: the rest of the people also cast lots, to bring one of ten to dwell in Jerusalem the holy city, and nine parts to dwell in other cities. And the rulers of the people dwelt at Jerusalem: the rest of the people also cast lots, to bring one of ten to dwell in Jerusalem the holy city, and nine parts to dwell in other cities.
Nehemiah 11:1 belongs to Nehemiah 11-13, the account of the restoration and resettlement of Jerusalem after the return from exile, describing an organized effort to repopulate and restore the city under Nehemiah's leadership amid setbacks, conflicts, defeats, and victories. The book of Nehemiah is covered in four days and spans about 446-408, with this passage belonging to the last reform on his return to Jerusalem. The verse belongs to the account of the returned remnant and the covenant they entered into after returning to Jerusalem. The rulers dwelt in Jerusalem, and lots were cast to bring one in ten from the rest of the people from the villages, country districts, and surrounding towns to dwell in Jerusalem the holy city, while the nine parts dwelt in other cities, thereby increasing the city's population.
The verse shows work always with the highest good of Jerusalem in mind, because the city was the Lord's city and the people were the Lord's people. The term lot denotes a portion or outcome determined by casting lots, understood as Providence's decision, and the verse is an example of the Hebrew word translated lot, where casting lots selected one in ten to live in Jerusalem and assigned the rest to other cities. The verse is evidence that the returned people were spoken of collectively as Israel, showing that the tribes had not become a separate lost people. The verse is part of the kind of list of people found in Nehemiah and is not an expressed promise.