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Texts -- Nehemiah 2:4-20 (NET)

Context
2:4 The king responded , “What is it you are seeking ?” Then I quickly prayed to the God of heaven 2:5 and said to the king , “If the king is so inclined and if your servant has found favor in your sight , dispatch me to Judah , to the city with the graves of my ancestors , so that I can rebuild it.” 2:6 Then the king , with his consort sitting beside him, replied , “How long would your trip take , and when would you return ?” Since the king was amenable to dispatching me, I gave him a time . 2:7 I said to the king , “If the king is so inclined , let him give me letters for the governors of Trans-Euphrates that will enable me to travel safely until I reach Judah , 2:8 and a letter for Asaph the keeper of the king’s nature preserve , so that he will give me timber for beams for the gates of the fortress adjacent to the temple and for the city wall and for the house to which I go .” So the king granted me these requests, for the good hand of my God was on me. 2:9 Then I went to the governors of Trans-Euphrates , and I presented to them the letters from the king . The king had sent with me officers of the army and horsemen . 2:10 When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard all this, they were very displeased that someone had come to seek benefit for the Israelites .
Nehemiah Arrives in Jerusalem
2:11 So I came to Jerusalem . When I had been there for three days , 2:12 I got up during the night , along with a few men who were with me. But I did not tell anyone what my God was putting on my heart to do for Jerusalem . There were no animals with me, except for the one I was riding . 2:13 I proceeded through the Valley Gate by night , in the direction of the Well of the Dragons and the Dung Gate , inspecting the walls of Jerusalem that had been breached and its gates that had been destroyed by fire . 2:14 I passed on to the Gate of the Well and the King’s Pool , where there was not enough room for my animal to pass with me. 2:15 I continued up the valley during the night , inspecting the wall . Then I turned back and came to the Valley Gate , and so returned . 2:16 The officials did not know where I had gone or what I had been doing , for up to this point I had not told any of the Jews or the priests or the nobles or the officials or the rest of the workers . 2:17 Then I said to them, “You see the problem that we have: Jerusalem is desolate and its gates are burned . Come on ! Let’s rebuild the wall of Jerusalem so that this reproach will not continue .” 2:18 Then I related to them how the good hand of my God was on me and what the king had said to me. Then they replied , “Let’s begin rebuilding right away !” So they readied themselves for this good project. 2:19 But when Sanballat the Horonite , Tobiah the Ammonite official , and Geshem the Arab heard all this, they derided us and expressed contempt toward us. They said , “What is this you are doing ? Are you rebelling against the king ?” 2:20 I responded to them by saying , “The God of heaven will prosper us. We his servants will start the rebuilding . But you have no just or ancient right in Jerusalem .”

Pericope

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Bible Dictionary

  • Persia

    [smith] (pure, splended), Per?sians. Persia proper was a tract of no very large dimensions on the Persian Gulf, which is still known as Fars or Farsistan , a corruption of the ancient appellation. This tract was bounded on the west b...
    [nave] PERSIA An empire which extended from India to Ethiopia, comprising one hundred and twenty-seven provinces, Esth. 1:1; Dan. 6:1. Government of, restricted by constitutional limitations, Esth. 8:8; Dan. 6:8-12. Municipal gov...

  • Jerusalem

    [smith] (the habitation of peace), Jerusalem stands in latitude 31 degrees 46? 35" north and longitude 35 degrees 18? 30" east of Greenwich. It is 32 miles distant from the sea and 18 from the Jordan, 20 from Hebron and 36 from Samar...
    [nave] JERUSALEM Called Jebus, Josh. 18:28; Judg. 19:10; Zion, 1 Kin. 8:1; Zech. 9:13; City of David, 2 Sam. 5:7; Isa. 22:9; Salem, Gen. 14:18; Psa. 76:2; Ariel, Isa. 29:1; City of God, Psa. 46:4; City of the Great King, Psa. 48:2;...

  • Nehemiah

    [isbe] NEHEMIAH - ne-he-mi'-a, ne-hem-i'-a (nechemyah, "comforted of Yah"): 1. Family 2. Youth 3. King's Cupbearer 4. Governor of Judea 5. Death LITERATURE Nehemiah, the son of Hacaliah, is the Jewish patriot whose life is recorded...
    [nave] NEHEMIAH 1. Son of Hachaliah, Neh. 1:1. Cupbearer of Artaxerxes, Neh. 1:11; 2:1. Is grieved over the desolation of his country, Neh. 1. Is sent by the king to rebuild Jerusalem, Neh. 2:1-8. Register of the people whom he...

  • Israel

    [nave] ISRAEL 1. A name given to Jacob, Gen. 32:24-32; 2 Kin. 17:34; Hos. 12:3, 4. 2. A name of the Christ in prophecy, Isa. 49:3. 3. A name given to the descendants of Jacob, a nation. Called also Israelites, and Hebrews, Gen. 4...

  • Country

    [nave] COUNTRY. Love of Judg. 5:1-31; 2 Sam. 10:12; Neh. 1:1-11; Neh. 2:1-20 chapters 3-6.Neh. 5:1-18; Psa. 137:1-6 The Jews held church and country as one, therefore See: Church, Love for. See also Patriotism.

  • Artaxerxes

    [nave] ARTAXERXES 1. A Persian king, probably identical with Ahasuerus. Prohibits the rebuilding of Jerusalem, Ezra 4:7-24. 2. King of Persia. Decrees of, in behalf of the Jews, Ezra 7; Neh. 2; 5:14.

  • Decision

    [nave] DECISION. Deut. 30:19; Josh. 23:8. Josh. 24:15; 1 Sam. 12:20; 1 Kin. 18:21; Psa. 37:34; Psa. 69:13; Prov. 4:25-27; Isa. 50:7; Matt. 24:13 Mark 13:13; Matt. 10:22. Matt. 25:23; Luke 7:23 Matt. 11:6. John 8:31; John 15:4, 5, ...

  • Rulers

    [nave] RULERS Appointed and removed by God. See: Government, God in. Chastised, Dan. 4. See: Nation. Monarchical, See: Kings. Patriarchal, Gen. 27:29, 37. Instances of Nimrod, Gen. 10:8-10. Abraham, Gen. 14:13-24; 17:6; 21:2...

  • Horonite

    [ebd] the designation of Sanballat (Neh. 2:10, 19), a native of Horonaim, or of one of the two Beth-horons, the "upper" or the "nether," mentioned in Josh. 16:3,5.
    [isbe] HORONITE - hor'-o-nit, ho'-ro-nit (ha-choroni): an appellation of Sanballat (Neh 2:10,19; 13:28), as an inhabitant of BETH-HORON (which see).
    [smith] (native of Horonaim), The, the designation of Sanballat. (Nehemiah 2:10,19; 13:28) It is derived by Gesenius from Horonaim.
    [nave] HORONITE, Sanballat, the, Neh. 2:10, 19; 13:28.

  • Sanballat

    [ebd] held some place of authority in Samaria when Nehemiah went up to Jerusalem to rebuild its ruined walls. He vainly attempted to hinder this work (Neh. 2:10, 19; 4:1-12; 6). His daughter became the wife of one of the sons of J...
    [isbe] SANBALLAT - san-bal'-at (canebhallaT; Greek and Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.) Sanaballat; Peshitta, Samballat): Sanballat the Horonite was, if the appellation which follows his name indicates his origin, a Moa...
    [smith] (strength), a Moabite of Horonaim. (Nehemiah 2:10,13; 13:28) He held apparently some command in Samaria at the time Nehemiah was preparing to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, B.C. 445, (Nehemiah 4:2) and from the moment of Neh...
    [nave] SANBALLAT, an enemy of the Jews in rebuilding Jerusalem after the captivity, Neh. 2:10, 19; 4; 6; 13:28.

  • Tobiah

    [ebd] pleasing to Jehovah, the "servant," the "Ammonite," who joined with those who opposed the rebuilding of Jerusalem after the Exile (Neh. 2:10). He was a man of great influence, which he exerted in opposition to the Jews, and ...
    [isbe] TOBIAH - to-bi'-a (Tobhiyah; Codex Alexandrinus Tobias; omitted in Codex Vaticanus): (1) An Ammonite slave (King James Version, "servant"), probably of Sanballat, the governor of Samaria (Neh 2:10). He was grieved exceedingl...
    [smith] (goodness of Jehovah). "The children of Tobiah" were a family who returned with Zerubbabel, but were unable to prove their connection with Israel -- (Ezra 2:60; Nehemiah 7:62) (B.C. before 536.) "Tobiah the slave, the Ammoni...
    [nave] TOBIAH 1. Ancestor of a family of Babylonian captives, Ezra 2:60; Neh. 7:62. 2. An enemy of the Jews in the time of Nehemiah. Opposes the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem, Neh. 2:10, 19; 4:3, 7, 8. Conspires to injure a...

  • Prudence

    [nave] PRUDENCE. Job 34:3, 4; Psa. 39:1; Psa. 112:5; Prov. 6:1, 2; Prov. 8:12; Prov. 11:13, 15, 29; Prov. 12:8, 23; Prov. 13:16; Prov. 14:8, 15, 16, 18; Prov. 15:5, 22; Prov. 16:20, 21; Prov. 17:2, 18; Prov. 18:15, 16; Prov. 19:2;...

  • Prayer

    [ebd] is converse with God; the intercourse of the soul with God, not in contemplation or meditation, but in direct address to him. Prayer may be oral or mental, occasional or constant, ejaculatory or formal. It is a "beseeching t...
    [isbe] PRAYER - prar (deesis, proseuche, (enteuxis; for an excellent discussion of the meaning of these see Thayer's Lexicon, p. 126, under the word deesis; the chief verbs are euchomai, proseuchomai, and deomai, especially in Luke...
    [nave] PRAYER. Index of Sub-topics Miscellany of Minor Sub-Topics; Unclassified Scriptures Relating to; Answer to, Promised; Answered, Instances of Answered; Confession in; Importunity in, Instances of Importunity in; Intercessor...

  • GOVERNOR

    [ebd] (1.) Heb. nagid, a prominent, conspicuous person, whatever his capacity: as, chief of the royal palace (2 Chr. 28:7; comp. 1 Kings 4:6), chief of the temple (1 Chr. 9:11; Jer. 20:1), the leader of the Aaronites (1 Chr. 12:27...
    [isbe] GOVERNOR - guv'-er-ner: The word "governor" is employed in English Versions of the Bible in rendering a great variety of Hebrew and Greek words. In certain cases strict consistency is neither observed nor possible. 1. In the...
    [smith] In the Authorized Version this one English word is the representative of no less than ten Hebrew and four Greek words. The chief of a tribe or family. A ruler in his capacity of lawgiver and dispenser of justice. A ruler con...

  • Geshem

    [ebd] or Gashmu, firmness, probably chief of the Arabs south of Palestine, one of the enemies of the Jews after the return from Babylon (Neh. 2:19; 6:1, 2). He united with Sanballat and Tobiah in opposing the rebuilding of the wal...
    [isbe] GESHEM - ge'-shem (geshem, gashmu; Gesam, "rain storm"): An Arabian, probably chief of an Arabian tribe that had either settled in Southern Palestine during the exile in Babylon, or had been settled in or near Samaria by Sar...
    [smith] and Gash?mu (rain), an Arabian, mentioned in (Nehemiah 2:19) and Nehe 6:1,2,6 (B.C. 446.) We may conclude that he was an inhabitant of Arabia Petraea or of the Arabian desert, and probably the chief of a tribe." Gashum said i...
    [nave] GESHEM, called also Gashmu, an Arabian. Opposed Nehemiah in building Jerusalem, Neh. 2:19; 6:1-6.

  • Hezekiah

    [nave] HEZEKIAH 1. King of Judah, 2 Kin. 16:20; 18:1, 2; 1 Chr. 3:13; 2 Chr. 29:1; Matt. 1:9. Religious zeal of, 2 Chr. 29; 30; 31. Purges the nation of idolatry, 2 Kin. 18:4; 2 Chr. 31:1; 33:3. Restores the true forms of worshi...

  • Asaph

    [ebd] convener, or collector. (1.) A Levite; one of the leaders of David's choir (1 Chr. 6:39). Psalms 50 and 73-83 inclusive are attributed to him. He is mentioned along with David as skilled in music, and a "seer" (2 Chr. 29:30)...
    [smith] (collector of the people). A Levite, son of Berechiah, one of the leaders of David?s choir. (1 Chronicles 6:39) Psalms 50 and 73-83 are attributed to him; and he was in after times celebrated as a seer as well as a musica...
    [nave] ASAPH 1. Father of Joah, 2 Kin. 18:18; Isa. 36:3, 22. 2. Son of Berachiah. One of the three leaders of music in David's organization of the tabernacle service, 1 Chr. 15:16-19; 16:5-7; 25:1-9; 2 Chr. 5:12; 35:15; Neh. 12:46...

  • JERUSALEM, 2

    [isbe] JERUSALEM, 2 - IV. General Topography of Jerusalem. From the foregoing description of the "natural site," it will be seen that we have to deal with 5 natural subdivisions or hills, two on the western and three on the eastern...

  • Gihon

    [nave] GIHON 1. A river in Egypt, Gen. 2:13. 2. Pools near Jerusalem, 1 Kin. 1:33, 38, 45. Hezekiah brings the waters of the upper pool by an aqueduct into the city of Jerusalem, 2 Chr. 32:4, 30; 33:14; Neh. 2:13-15; 3:13-16; Isa...

  • Letters

    [nave] LETTERS Written by David to Joab, 2 Sam. 11:14; king of Syria to king of Israel, 2 Kin. 5:5, 6; Rabshakeh to Hezekiah, Isa. 37:9-14; King of Babylon to Hezekiah, Isa. 39:1; Seacherib to Hezekiah, 2 Kin. 19:14. Of Artaxerxes...
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  • [Neh 2:18] The Fathers Built This City

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • The Book of Samuel covers the period of Israel's history bracketed by Samuel's conception and the end of David's reign. David turned the kingdom over to Solomon in 971 B.C.3David reigned for 40 and one-half years (2 Sam. 2:11...
  • The "province"referred to was probably Judah38rather than Babylonia39in view of the context. Zerubbabel was the grandson of King Jehoiachin and the nephew of Sheshbazzar, the leader of this return (1 Chron. 3:17-19). Zerubbab...
  • Artaxerxes was the successor of Ahasuerus (Xerxes) who ruled the Persian Empire from 464 to 424 B.C.73Clearly the incident reported in these verses took place long after the temple was complete. It really involved the attempt...
  • The use of the first person identifies the author as Nehemiah, the governor of the Persian province of Judah (1:1-2:20; 13:4-31). His name means "Yahweh has comforted."The mention of Darius the Persian in 12:22 probably refer...
  • The years of history the book covers are 445-431 B.C. or perhaps a few years after that.In 445 B.C. (the twentieth year of Artaxerxes' reign, 1:1) Nehemiah learned of the conditions in Jerusalem that led him to request permis...
  • For many years, believers regarded Ezra and Nehemiah as twin books. They called them 1 and 2 Ezra (or Esdras, the Greek transliteration of Ezra). Jerome, who lived in the fourth century A.D., gave 2 Ezra the name Nehemiah. Th...
  • I. The fortification of Jerusalem chs. 1-7A. The return under Nehemiah chs. 1-21. The news concerning Jerusalem 1:1-32. The response of Nehemiah 1:4-113. The request of Nehemiah 2:1-84. The return to Jerusalem 2:9-20B. The re...
  • Nehemiah prayed for four months about conditions in Jerusalem before he spoke to Artaxerxes about them (cf. 1:1; 2:1). Artaxerxes' reign began in the seventh Jewish month, Tishri (late September and early October), of 464 B.C...
  • Because of the opposition of the Jews' neighbors, Artaxerxes sent a military escort to accompany Nehemiah to Jerusalem (v. 9). It is not certain how many Jews travelled with Nehemiah on this occasion. The writer gave us no nu...
  • This chapter evidently describes a situation that prevailed for more than the 52 days the wall was under construction (cf. v. 14). The writer probably included it in the text here because it was another situation that threate...
  • The builders finished the walls only 52 days after construction had begun (v. 15). "Elul"is late August and early September. Israel's enemies viewed their rapid progress as evidence that God had helped the workers (v. 16)."Th...
  • Eliashib was the high priest (3:1, 20; 13:28). He was evidently a close relative of Tobiah, the Jewish Ammonite leader who had opposed Nehemiah's efforts to rebuild the walls (2:19; 6:1, 17-18). Probably Eliashib cleaned out ...
  • Here we have another remarkable example of how God controls the hearts of kings (v. 2; Prov. 21:1; cf. Gen. 39-41; Ezra 1:1-4; Neh. 2; Dan. 2; 3; 4; 5; Acts 2:23). "To half of the kingdom"(v. 3) is hyperbole and means, "I wil...
  • Perhaps the writer mentioned Ahasuerus' tax (v. 1) because Mordecai had something to do with it, or perhaps this tax reflects God's blessing on the king for preserving the Jews (Gen. 12:3).Appeal to the official chronicles (v...
  • As a result of God's deliverance other righteous people would glorify God and rejoice in Him. The psalm ends as it began with a request for fast relief. David was stressing how desperately he needed God's assistance by beginn...
  • 106:6 The psalmist confessed that Israel had been unfaithful to God. This was true of his own generation as it had been true of former generations. This confession introduced a review of specific iniquities and wickedness.106...
  • This concluding exhortation contains a title for God unique in the Psalter. It highlights His sovereignty and was a favorite of the postexilic community (2 Chron. 36:23; Ezra 2:1; 5:11-12; 6:9-10; 7:12, 21, 23 [twice]; Neh. 1...
  • This message to the people involved another symbolic act (cf. 13:1-11). This incident may have occurred between 609 and 605 B.C.19:1 Yahweh told Jeremiah to take some of Judah's elders and senior priests and to go and purchas...
  • What Jeremiah had predicted for so long finally became a reality for Judah. There are four chapters in the Bible that record the fall of Jerusalem reflecting the importance of this event (39; 52; 2 Kings 25; 2 Chron. 36).39:1...
  • The Ammonites lived north of the Moabites, north of the Arnon River for most of their history, and east of the tribal territories of Gad and Reuben. However, the Ammonites had taken over some Israelite territory in Transjorda...
  • Ezekiel previously recorded an oracle against Ammon (21:28-32). Its placement there was evidently due to the presence of "sword of the Lord"terminology in that oracle, which the other prophecies in that chapter also contain.2...
  • 9:1 What Daniel did and saw in this chapter dates from 538 B.C., the first year of Darius the Mede's (Cyrus') rule as king over the former Neo-Babylonian Empire (cf. Ezra 1:1).347This means that Belshazzar's feast (ch. 5) occ...
  • "In the concluding four verses of Daniel 9, one of the most important prophecies of the Old Testament is contained. The prophecy as a whole is presented in verse 24. The first sixty-nine sevens is described in verse 25. The e...
  • Zechariah began ministering among the Jews who had returned from captivity in Babylon (i.e., the restoration community) two months after Haggai began preaching (1:1; 7:1; cf. Neh. 12:10-16; Hag. 1:1). In a sense, Zechariah's ...

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