(The Book of Nehemiah was the eleventh of the twelve books that made up the historical section of the Old Testament. There is a long debated dispute on the date of the Book of Nehemiah. Much of the debate concerned the identity of the kings mentioned in the Book of Ezra and the Book of Nehemiah. In this commentary, we have stated our belief that Ezra wrote about the decree of Cyrus which occurred around 536 BC. Here was the chronology of kings following Cyrus: Cambyses reigned seven years (and was called Artaxerxes in the Book of Ezra), Darius I Hypastis reigned thirty-five years, and Xerxes reigned twenty-one years. The king that followed was named Longimanus Artaxerxes and had reigned twenty years when the Book of Nehemiah began. This meant the events of this book began eighty-three years after Cyrus' decree. The first seven chapters of this book documented the history of Nehemiah in Babylon and his twelve year governorship in Judea.)
Nehemiah 1
1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it came to pass in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace,
(This was the only historical book of the Bible that began with "The words of..." Prophetic books (e.g., The Book of Jeremiah and the Book of Amos) began this way. Perhaps Nehemiah attached his work to Ezra's and wanted people to know where his work began. The events of this chapter took place during the month of Chislev (Nov/Dec). Nehemiah was at the Shushan palace which was the winter residence of the Persian kings.)
2 that Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men out of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, that were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.
(Hanani was either a sibling or a close kin in the tribe of Judah. Both Nehemiah and Hanani were princes of the tribe of Judah.)
3 And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.
(The walls were down and the gates were burned with fire. The people were facing adversity from an enemy that hindered their work. Remember, at the completion of the building of the temple, they were building the walls. So, this part of the project had never been completed.)
4 And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days; and I fasted and prayed before the God of heaven,
(Nehemiah prayed.)
5 and said, I beseech thee, O Jehovah, the God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and lovingkindness with them that love him and keep his commandments:
(Prayer: Nehemiah recognized God and built his faith according to understanding.)
6 Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee at this time, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants while I confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee. Yea, I and my father's house have sinned:
(Like Ezra in Ezra 9:7, Nehemiah confessed the sins of the children of Israel. He also said that both he and his father's house had sinned. Nehemiah was contrastive on himself. He considered he could be wrong, not only his ancestors.)
7 we have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses.
8 Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye trespass, I will scatter you abroad among the peoples:
9 but if ye return unto me, and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts were in the uttermost part of the heavens, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen, to cause my name to dwell there.
10 Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand.
11 O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who delight to fear thy name; and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. Now I was cupbearer to the king.
(Nehemiah referenced Justice and then made a request: that God would listen to him and the others who desired to fear God and prosper. He asked for mercy in the sight of Artaxerxes. Nehemiah was Artaxerxes' cupbearer.
The cupbearer: the person who held this office during these times and culture was always a person with a high position and importance. The nature of his duties and frequent access to the king (and queen) gave him great influence on others, including the king himself.)
Nehemiah 2
1 And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, when wine was before him, that I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence.
(In the month of Nisan (March/April) Nehemiah took wine to Artaxerxes. This was four months after the previous chapter. How long do you expect it to take for your prayers to be answered?)
2 And the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid.
3 And I said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?
(Nehemiah had never shown the king he was sad until now. Artaxerxes asked Nehemiah why he was sad and Nehemiah told the king that his city laid in waste and the gates were consumed with fire.)
4 Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.
5 And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favor in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it.
(Artaxerxes asked him what was his request. Nehemiah told him he wanted to go to Jerusalem to build the wall.)
6 And the king said unto me (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.
7 Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the River, that they may let me pass through till I come unto Judah;
(Nehemiah asked the king for letters because he was not making the trip with a group like Zerubbabel and Ezra had led. Nehemiah had no protection other than a small band of soldiers and the governors between Persia and Judah.)
8 and a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the castle which appertaineth to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.
(Nehemiah also wanted a letter sent to Asaph, the keeper of the king's forest, to give Nehemiah timber for rebuilding the gates and walls. The king granted Nehemiah his request.)
9 Then I came to the governors beyond the River, and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent with me captains of the army and horsemen.
10 And when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly, for that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.
(Sanballat and Tobiah were mad when they heard Nehemiah sought the welfare of the Israelites. Sanballat, whose name meant "the enemy is secret," was a Horonite, an inhabitant of Horonaim in Moab. Tobiah was an Ammonite. Both of these men’s ancestors were from Lot.)
11 So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days.
12 And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what my God put into my heart to do for Jerusalem; neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon.
(After three days in Jerusalem, Nehemiah gathered a few men with him to do a reconnaissance of Jerusalem at night.)
13 And I went out by night by the valley gate, even toward the jackal's well, and to the dung gate, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and the gates thereof were consumed with fire.
14 Then I went on to the fountain gate and to the king's pool: but there was no place for the beast that was under me to pass.
15 Then went I up in the night by the brook, and viewed the wall; and I turned back, and entered by the valley gate, and so returned.
(What they viewed was not the outer wall, but the inner wall of the city of David, which included the temple.)
16 And the rulers knew not whither I went, or what I did; neither had I as yet told it to the Jews, nor to the priests, nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest that did the work.
(Notice, the rulers were mentioned. These rulers did not exist in Jerusalem before the return of exiles under Ezra. This was another proof the events of this book occurred well after the Book of Ezra.)
17 Then said I unto them, Ye see the evil case that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach.
18 And I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me, as also of the king's words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for the good work.
(Nehemiah encouraged the workers and the building of the wall began.)
19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king?
(Sanballat and Tobiah were joined by an Arabian man, Geshem. The three adversaries said the rebuilding of the walls was rebellion against the king.)
20 Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.
(Nehemiah answered them by saying God would prosper them and they would have no portion, right, or memorial in Jerusalem: Ezra 4:3.)
Nehemiah 3
(This chapter covered the names and order of those who built the wall of Jerusalem.)
1 Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the priests, and they builded the sheep gate; they sanctified it, and set up the doors of it; even unto the tower of Hammeah they sanctified it, unto the tower of Hananel.
2 And next unto him builded the men of Jericho. And next to them builded Zaccur the son of Imri.
(Eliashib and the rest of the priests, along with the men of Jericho, built the Sheep Gate. This gate was close to the temple and its name came from the sheep used for sacrifice that were brought in here. Eliashab was not the high priest at the time of the building of the Sheep Gate. He was the high priest at the time Nehemiah wrote this account. Jeshua was the high priest during the temple dedication. His son, Joiakim, was the high priest during the building of the wall. Joaikim's son was Eliashab.)
3 And the fish gate did the sons of Hassenaah build; they laid the beams thereof, and set up the doors thereof, the bolts thereof, and the bars thereof.
4 And next unto them repaired Meremoth the son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz. And next unto them repaired Meshullam the son of Berechiah, the son of Meshezabel. And next unto them repaired Zadok the son of Baana.
5 And next unto them the Tekoites repaired; but their nobles put not their necks to the work of their lord.
(The Fish Gate was built by the sons of Hassenaah. This gate received its name because the fish from the Jordan and the Sea of Galilee were brought in here.)
6 And the old gate repaired Joiada the son of Paseah and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah; they laid the beams thereof, and set up the doors thereof, and the bolts thereof, and the bars thereof.
7 And next unto them repaired Melatiah the Gibeonite, and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon, and of Mizpah, that appertained to the throne of the governor beyond the River.
8 Next unto him repaired Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, goldsmiths. And next unto him repaired Hananiah one of the perfumers, and they fortified Jerusalem even unto the broad wall.
(The Old Gate (or Old City Gate) was repaired by Uzziel, the son of Harhaiah, one of the goldsmiths. Along side him was Hananiah, one of the perfumers.)
9 And next unto them repaired Rephaiah the son of Hur, the ruler of half the district of Jerusalem.
10 And next unto them repaired Jedaiah the son of Harumaph, over against his house. And next unto him repaired Hattush the son of Hashabneiah.
11 Malchijah the son of Harim, and Hasshub the son of Pahath-moab, repaired another portion, and the tower of the furnaces.
12 And next unto him repaired Shallum the son of Hallohesh, the ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, he and his daughters.
(These were the rest of the men who helped repair the Old Gate, along with daughters. Women helped with the building of the wall.)
13 The valley gate repaired Hanun, and the inhabitants of Zanoah; they built it, and set up the doors thereof, the bolts thereof, and the bars thereof, and a thousand cubits of the wall unto the dung gate.
(Builders of the Valley Gate.)
14 And the dung gate repaired Malchijah the son of Rechab, the ruler of the district of Beth-haccherem; he built it, and set up the doors thereof, the bolts thereof, and the bars thereof.
(Builders of the Dung Gate. Dung was used as fuel. During the summer it was mixed with straw and dried into cakes so it could be used during the winter for heat, or all year long for cooking.)
(Verses 15-25: the recording of those who built the Fountain Gate. The pool of Shelah was the same as the pool of Siloam: John 9. During Hezekiah's time, the great tunnel aqueduct was made: 2 Kings 20:20.)
15 And the fountain gate repaired Shallun the son of Colhozeh, the ruler of the district of Mizpah; he built it, and covered it, and set up the doors thereof, the bolts thereof, and the bars thereof, and the wall of the pool of Shelah by the king's garden, even unto the stairs that go down from the city of David.
16 After him repaired Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, the ruler of half the district of Beth-zur, unto the place over against the sepulchres of David, and unto the pool that was made, and unto the house of the mighty men.
17 After him repaired the Levites, Rehum the son of Bani. Next unto him repaired Hashabiah, the ruler of half the district of Keilah, for his district.
18 After him repaired their brethren, Bavvai the son of Henadad, the ruler of half the district of Keilah.
19 And next to him repaired Ezer the son of Jeshua, the ruler of Mizpah, another portion, over against the ascent to the armory at the turning of the wall.
20 After him Baruch the son of Zabbai earnestly repaired another portion, from the turning of the wall unto the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest.
21 After him repaired Meremoth the son of Uriah the son of Hakkoz another portion, from the door of the house of Eliashib even to the end of the house of Eliashib.
22 And after him repaired the priests, the men of the Plain.
23 After them repaired Benjamin and Hasshub over against their house. After them repaired Azariah the son of Maaseiah the son of Ananiah beside his own house.
24 After him repaired Binnui the son of Henadad another portion, from the house of Azariah unto the turning of the wall, and unto the corner.
25 Palal the son of Uzai repaired over against the turning of the wall, and the tower that standeth out from the upper house of the king, which is by the court of the guard. After him Pedaiah the son of Parosh repaired.
(The end of the record of those who built and repaired the Fountain Gate. Next were the builders near the Water Gate...)
26 (Now the Nethinim dwelt in Ophel, unto the place over against the water gate toward the east, and the tower that standeth out.)
27 After him the Tekoites repaired another portion, over against the great tower that standeth out, and unto the wall of Ophel.
(Next, builders near the Horse Gate...)
28 Above the horse gate repaired the priests, every one over against his own house.
29 After them repaired Zadok the son of Immer over against his own house. And after him repaired Shemaiah the son of Shecaniah, the keeper of the east gate.
30 After him repaired Hananiah the son of Shelemiah, and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph, another portion. After him repaired Meshullam the son of Berechiah over against his chamber.
(Finally, builders near the Miphkad (muster or assembly) Gate...)
31 After him repaired Malchijah one of the goldsmiths unto the house of the Nethinim, and of the merchants, over against the gate of Hammiphkad, and to the ascent of the corner.
32 And between the ascent of the corner and the sheep gate repaired the goldsmiths and the merchants.
(It appeared everything was going smoothly.)
(This post covered Artaxerxes' granting of Nehemiah's request to rebuild the wall and documentation of who built the walls and the gates.)
Day 135
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