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The following is an excerpt from the book Does the Bible Have Contradictions? by Matthew Elton, copyright 2009 Matthew Elton.

Question:

Did 200 singers (Ezra 2:65) or 245 singers (Nehemiah 7:67) accompany the assembly?

Answer:

Ezra 2:65 states “Beside their servants and their maids, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred thirty and seven: and there were among them two hundred singing men and women.”

Nehemiah 7:67 states, “Beside their manservants and their maidservants, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred thirty and seven: and they had two hundred forty and five singing men and singing women.”

There were 245 singers total, but only 200 of them were “among” the 7337 servants and maids. There is no contradiction because Nehemiah accurately reports that there were 245 singers total, whereas Ezra accurately reports that of the 7337 servants, 200 of those servants were singers. That leaves forty-five singers who were not also servants. The accounts of Ezra and Nehemiah do not contradict.