Nehemiah Chapter 1
1:1. Nehemiah means "The Lord Comforts." The name Hachaliah distinguishes him from other Nehemiahs (3:16; 7:7;
Ezra 2:2), but nothing is known about the origin or meaning of the father's name nor about his status. Nehemiah
became a legendary figure in later Jewish literature. Chisleu, or Kislev, was the ninth month (November- December)
and the twentieth year would have been 445 B.C. (cf. 2:1 and the "twentieth year of Artaxerxes") Shushan the
palace, or better, "Susa, the citadel," was the winter resort of the Persian kings. In 478 B.C Esther became Xerxes'
queen in this palace (Esth. 2:8-18), and in 550 B.C. Daniel was carried there in a vision (Dan. 8:2).
1:2. Hanani may have been a real brother of Nehemiah, although the term may be used in the sense of "kinsman"
(7:2), where he appears as a man whom Nehemiah could trust with high office.
1:3. Most likely this was a recent destruction and not the one book in 586 B.C. (cf. Ezra 4:7-23).
1:4. See also 2:1 which reveals that Nehemiah spent about four months fasting and praying.
1:5. That keepeth covenant and mercy is a refrain from Deuteronomy 7:9 and is related to Exodus 20:6 and 34:6, 7.
God keeps His "covenant-love" with those who love Him, those in a covenant relationship with Him.
1:10, 11. After confessing the sins of Israel and referring to the alternative of curse and blessing, Nehemiah reminds
the Lord that these people with their sins and their inclination to depart from God are His servants and... people.
Nehemiah's prayer was specific: grant him mercy in the sight of this man (the king). Artaxerxes had made an earlier
decision to stop the work (Ezra 4:21). The answer to Nehemiah's prayer is recorded in chapter 2. The cup bearer
had direct access to the king and was an important and influential person. The same word was used for the "butler"
in Genesis 40. His basic duty was to choose and taste the wine to ensure that it was not poisoned, and then to
present it to the king. In many cases the cup bearer was second only to the king in authority and influence.
Nehemiah Chapter 2
2:1. Nisan is April-May and is the beginning of the Persian and Jewish year. The details of chapter 2 take place
about four months after Nehemiah began praying. It was still in Artaxerxes' twentieth year (1:1), for his official year
began in the seventh month-Tishri (October).
2:2. Nehemiah had reason to fear, for being sad in the king's presence was a serious offense in Persia (cf. Esth.
4:2). Also, he knew his request might greatly anger the king.
2:5. Nehemiah asked the king to reverse the first decree in Ezra 4:21.
2:6. Some think the set time actually turned out to be 12 years, as 5:14 indicates, after which he returned to the king
for several years (13:6). Others believe he reported back after the dedication of the walls, within the year, then had
his appointment as governor renewed and returned to Jerusalem.
2:7, 8. This decree was the same as the one in Daniel 9:24-27, which relates to the beginning of the 70 weeks of
prophetic years too "restore and to build Jerusalem." Note how specific Nehemiah was in the contents of his request.
The palace actually was a fortress or tower and may have been Hananeel's mentioned in 3:1. It protected the temple
and overlooked the northwest corner of it's courts. Hyrcanus I (134-104 B.C.) built an acropolis here, and later Herod
rebuilt it and named it Antonia. The house that I shall enter is the governor's home.
2:9. The escort provided more than protection; it gave the expedition style and impressively reinforced their
credentials to the neighboring governors, vividly illustrating the change in policy.
2:10. Sanballat was the governor of Samaria, according to an Elephantine document written in 407 B.C., some 38
years after the events of this chapter. He would cause much grief to the Israelites (cf. 13:28, 29). Sanballat's name,
coming from Akkadian Sin-uballit, "Sin [the moon god] Has Given Life," may indicate something of the mixed
character of the Samarian religion at this time. Tobiah had a good Jewish name, "Yahweh Is Good," but was a
treacherous person. He may have been an ex-slave, but more likely servant indicates his position in the Persian
Empire, maybe east of Judea. Archaeological evidence demonstrates that the term is often used of high officials in
the Persian Empire.
2:13. The gate of the valley was probably on the south wall, in the southwest corner of the city, with the valley being
the Kidron Valley (cf. 2 Chr. 26:9). The dragon well may be either "jackal" or "dragon." The location is disputed and
is generally identified with En-rogel, but also the identifcation with Siloam has been forcefully argued. The dung port,
gate, was about five hundred yards from the valley gate. It was the city's southern or southeastern extremity, leading
to the valley of Hinnom, or Gehenna. Formerly a site of monstrous pagan sacrifices, it had been ritually polluted to
desecrate the pagan gods, and turned into a refuse heap.
2:14. The gate of the fountain may have led to the spring called En-rogel near the southeastern corner, where the
Hinnon and Kidron valleys meet. The king's pool may have been Hezekiah' s pool of Siloam which was beside the
southern tip of the eastern ridge (cf. 3:15). He set out from the west side of the city, coming out of the ruined
gateway, and turned left toward the south, and so round to the eastern side. Then he was forced to dismount for
there was no place for the beast...to pass, and he proceeded on foot along this ridge above the Kidron Valley, and
turned back to his starting point.
2:19. Geshem (cf. 6:1, 2, 6) was an even more powerful figure than his companions. He and his son seem to have
ruled a league of Arabian tribes which took control of Moab and Edom, together with part of Arabia and the
approaches to Egypt, under the Persian Empire, Nehemiah was surrounded by enemies, with Samaria to the north,
Ammon to the east, and now Geshem to the south.
2:20. Nehemiah said they had no portion, which refers to a "legal share" in the Jewish nation. Sanballat and Tobiah
were also serving the Lord, but in an illegitimate way. Therefore they had no jurisdiction over the pure religion of the
exiles.
Nehemiah Chapter 3
3:1. Eliashib was the high priest (cf. 12:10; Ezra 10:6) and later years caused much trouble for Nehemiah by allowing
alliances with the Samaritans (13:4). The sheep gate was in the northeast corner, close by the pool of Bethesda
(John 5:2). Nehemiah lists in this chapter eight different gates and their attached sections of wall,together with the
men who repaired them, beginning at the northeast corner of the city and moving in the counterclockwise direction.
The tower or Meah was the "Tower of the Hundred" right next to the sheep gate; the tower of Hananeel was a little
further west. After these buildings were finished they were sanctified, or "consecrated" to the Lord. Many different
groups were involved in the work. Some labored as family units, others by towns, crafts (e.g., the goldsmiths and the
apothecary of v. 8), trades (the merchants, vv. 31, 32) and callings (the priests vv. 1, 21, 22, 28; Levites, v. 17;
temple servants or "Nethinim," v.26; and district officers, vv. 9, 12, 15-17). One man even mobilized his daughters (v.
12).
3:3.The fish gate was located in the northern section of the wall, just west of the tower of Hananeel.
3:4. Meremoth is important since he and Malchijah (v. 11) provide links between the missions of Ezra and Nehemiah.
In Ezra 8:33 Meremoth checked in the treasure brought by Ezra from Babylon. In Ezra 10:31, Malchijah was one of
those who submitted to Ezra's purge of mixed marriages.
3:5. Tekoa was the hometown of the prophet Amos, located about 10 miles south of Jerusalem. Their territory was
on the fringes of civilization, adjacent to the area controlled by Geshem (2:19). It is encouraging to note that the
Tekoites built an extra portion (v. 27). The phrase put not their necks to the work indicates petty pride rather than
halfheartedness. The unbending neck is a standard picture of this stubborn attitude (Ex. 32:9; Ps. 75:5).
3:6. The old gate was on the northwest corner.
3:11. The tower of the furnaces was located at the southwest corner, just north of the valley gate (v. 13).
3:13. The dung gate was the southern tip of the city near pool of Siloam, as refuse was carted to the valley of
Hinnom to be burned .
3:15. The gate of the fountain was just north of the southern tip of the city, near the pool of Siloam.
3:16. This Nehemiah is one of the three people so named, including one of the first to return home with Zerubbabel,
nearly a century before (Ezra 2:2). The sepulchres of David is most likely plural to include those of his descendants.
First Kings 2:10 teaches that David was buried in the city that bore his name, this southern part of the eastern ridge
of Jerusalem. his traditional tomb, however, is on the western ridge.
3:26. Ophel means a "Swelling" or "Eminence" and was the beginning of the temple hill. Thus it was a convenient
place for the "temple servants" or Nethinim. It went up toward the north end of the eastern ridge of Jerusalem. It was
also known as Zion, and was the site of the Jebusite stronghold that David captured and made his capital (2 Sam.
5:6-10). The water gate was most likely opposite the Gihon spring, the city's main water supply, along with rainwater
cisterns.
3:28-32. The horse gate was near the temple on the east. The gate Miphkad is a reference to the "inspection gate"
or the "muster gate" where the people or men may have been mustered for conscription. it would be near the
present golden gate. Jesus may have entered Jerusalem in His triumphal entry through this gate or the east gate
(Matt. 21:10). With the sheep gate being mentioned at the outset in verse 1, we are brought back to the starting
point.
Nehemiah Chapter 4
4:2. Sanballat used five questions; some of them were subtly phrased to require a negative answer. The audience
could reach only one conclusion: these Jews were good for nothing. Part of Nehemiah's wall has now been found in
recent excavations under the Jewish Quarter in Jerusalem.
4:4, 5. Nehemiah's prayer is like many of the Psalms (e.g., Ps. 123) and Jeremiah 18:23 with a demand for
retribution. Cover not their iniquity means let them not go unpunished (Ps. 85:2, 3). Nehemiah's harsh tone is due to
the fact that God was being challenged.
4:7-9. The Ashdodites were a new group joining the alliance to bring a threat from the west. They belonged to the
Philistine race.
4:14-23. Nehemiah took quick and decisive action (vv. 13, 14) as he set armed individuals and exhorted them be not
ye afraid, but remember the Lord (Num. 14:9; Ex. 14:13, 14). He then made sure that half of his own bodyguard was
always armed, and alerted each ruler to be ready to lead his group in case of attack (v. 16; the habergeons were
breastplates, leather coats covered with thin plates of metal), He then armed the laborers (v. 17), seeing that each
builder had a sword at his side (v. 18), having a trumpeter always ready to sound the alarm (v. 18), and urging all
who could possibly do so to remain in Jerusalem at night (v. 22). Nehemiah took the lead by setting the example of
preparedness (v. 23).