נחמיה, פרק ז׳, פסוק מ״ג

The genealogical records of the returning exiles carefully organize the Levites, grouping their major families to maintain an accurate account of their heritage. In this specific census, these central families were counted together, reaching a total of seventy-four people.

Rather than listing isolated households, the record highlights the strong connections between specific groups. The descendants of Jeshua and Kadmiel are explicitly joined in the count, showing that they were grouped and tallied as a single unit [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. To further clarify their shared background, the record provides a clear identifying marker. It traces both the Jeshua and Kadmiel families back to a common ancestor, establishing that they are both distinct branches belonging to the broader lineage of Hodvah [מצודת דוד].

Maintaining the exact identity of these ancestral lines was deeply important. For this reason, tradition carefully preserves the precise pronunciation of this shared ancestor as Hodvah, specifically cautioning against mistakenly reading the name as Hodiyah [מנחת שי].