Sallai (also spelled Sallu) was a Benjaminite among those who settled in Jerusalem after returning from the Babylonian exile. He is mentioned in the lists of Nehemiah and Chronicles regarding those who took up residence in the rebuilt city. His presence testifies to the repopulation of Jerusalem following the exile.
As part of Nehemiah's plan, one out of every ten Israelites was chosen to live in Jerusalem, and Sallai was among those selected to strengthen the city's population.
1The leaders of the people settled in Jerusalem, and the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of every ten to live in Jerusalem, the holy city, while the other nine remained in the towns.
Sallais settlement in Jerusalem was part of the larger national effort to rebuild a functioning Jewish community around the temple and the reconstructed city wall.
5Then my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles, the officials, and the people to be registered by families. I found the genealogical record of those who had come up first, and I found written in it: