The sections of the wall repaired by Levites are listed in verses 17-21. Some versions therefore include a heading here to specify the presence of the Levites. Good News Translation has “Levites Who Worked on the Wall.” The sections where the Levites worked is in an area where the wall approached the Temple. For Levites see Ezra 1.5.

Rehum the son of Bani: Bani was from a family of Levite singers (see Neh 11.22).

Hashabiah, ruler of half the district of Keilah, repaired for his district: Hashabiah is referred to in Ezra 8.19 and Neh 10.11. Keilah was a town 28 kilometers (17 miles) southwest of Jerusalem. As ruler for half the district of Keilah, he repaired the wall on behalf of his district rather than as a part of the Levite group. Repaired for his district may be restated as “repaired the next section for the people of the district that he ruled over” or “… in place of the people of the district under his rule.”

Quoted with permission from Noss, Philip A. and Thomas, Kenneth J. A Handbook on Nehemiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2005. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .