נחמיה, פרק י״א, פסוק ו׳

The return from exile brought a wave of families back to their ancestral homeland, with specific groups from the tribe of Judah choosing to settle in the rebuilt city of Jerusalem. Among these settlers, the descendants of Perez formed a dedicated group of four hundred and sixty-eight capable men who established their homes in the city [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

This specific count takes on a wider significance when viewed alongside a parallel historical record found in the Book of Chronicles. While the current account focuses exclusively on the descendants of Perez, the record in Chronicles takes a broader approach by also including the families of Shelah and Zerah in its census [מצודת דוד].

Rather than viewing these differing records as a contradiction, they actually complete one another. The Book of Chronicles provides a combined total of six hundred and ninety men for the families of Perez and Zerah together. Choosing not to simply repeat the broader census, the current record focuses instead on providing the exact number for the descendants of Perez alone. By comparing the numbers from both accounts, a clear picture emerges: the descendants of Zerah numbered exactly two hundred and twenty-two men. When added to the count of the Perez family, the two groups perfectly align with the total sum recorded in Chronicles [מלבי״ם].