The number of descendants from Ramah and Geba who returned from the Babylonian exile
The number 621 appears in the Bible in connection with the return from the Babylonian exile. In Ezra 2:26 and Nehemiah 7:30, the number of descendants from Ramah and Geba who returned is given as 621. Both of these cities were located in the territory of the tribe of Benjamin, north of Jerusalem, and their inhabitants were among those who rebuilt the Jewish community after the exile. The number has no well-established symbolic meaning in biblical numerology or traditional gematria, but it testifies to the precise record-keeping of returning families that was important for preserving Israel's identity and inheritance rights after the exile. Ramah and Geba were cities in the territory of the tribe of Benjamin. Geba (also spelled Givon) was located on the border between Judah and Israel and had strategic importance (1 Kings 15:22). The fact that these cities are mentioned together in both Ezra and Nehemiah suggests they formed a single administrative unit. The year 621 BC is historically significant because it is linked to King Josiah's religious reforms and the rediscovery of the Book of the Law (likely Deuteronomy) in the temple, as described in 2 Kings 22–23. This event is considered a turning point in Jewish religious history, but this relates to the year itself, not to the number 621 as a symbolic figure. The lists in Ezra 2 and Nehemiah 7 are nearly identical and are regarded as two versions of the same original document. Minor numerical variations between them have been the subject of extensive textual criticism, but the number 621 for Ramah and Geba is identical in both lists.*