ContradictionsReading order 281Bible context 1 min read
How many children of the porters returned from Babylon?
The gatekeeper lists name the same six families but disagree by one in their combined total.
- Textual conflict
- Direct contradiction
- The quoted passages make incompatible claims about the same subject under the same conditions. Little additional inference is needed.
- Importance
- Incidental
- A small detail with little effect on the wider account.
The same six named gatekeeper families receive exact totals differing by one.
An editorial assessment of the quoted passages. Importance describes the stakes; it does not increase certainty. Reading order weighs both.
Six gatekeeper families together number one hundred thirty-nine
The children of the porters: the children of Shallum, the children of Ater, the children of Talmon, the children of Akkub, the children of Hatita, the children of Shobai, in all an hundred thirty and nine.
Ezra 2:42
Translation / edition: King James Version (KJV)
Read the full chapter:Ezra 2
The same six gatekeeper families together number one hundred thirty-eight
The porters: the children of Shallum, the children of Ater, the children of Talmon, the children of Akkub, the children of Hatita, the children of Shobai, an hundred thirty and eight.
Nehemiah 7:45
Translation / edition: King James Version (KJV)
Read the full chapter:Nehemiah 7