Text -- Nehemiah 1:1 (NET)

A Prayer of Nehemiah

1:1 These are the words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah: It so happened that in the month of Kislev, in the twentieth year, I was in Susa the citadel.

Commentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per phrase)

Wesley: Neh 1:1

Or rather, the acts, as the word often signifies.

Wesley: Neh 1:1

Which is the ninth month, containing part of November, and part of December.

Wesley: Neh 1:1

Of Artaxerxes.

Wesley: Neh 1:1

The royal city of Persia.

JFB: Neh 1:1

This eminently pious and patriotic Jew is to be carefully distinguished from two other persons of the same name--one of whom is mentioned as helping to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem (Neh 3:16), and the other is noticed in the list of those who accompanied Zerubbabel in the first detachment of returning exiles (Ezr 2:2; Neh 7:7). Though little is known of his genealogy, it is highly probable that he was a descendant of the tribe of Judah and the royal family of David.

JFB: Neh 1:1

Answering to the close of November and the larger part of December.

JFB: Neh 1:1

The capital of ancient Susiana, east of the Tigris, a province of Persia. From the time of Cyrus it was the favorite winter residence of the Persian kings.

Clarke: Neh 1:1

The words of Nehemiah - That this book was compiled out of the journal or memoranda made by Nehemiah himself, there can be no doubt: but that he was not the compiler is evident from several passages in the work it. self. As it is written consecutively as one book with Ezra, many have supposed that this latter was the author: but whoever compares the style of each, in the Hebrew, will soon be convinced that this is not correct; the style is so very different, that they could not possibly be the work of the same person

It is doubtful even whether the Nehemiah who is mentioned Ezr 2:2, who came to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel, be the same with him who is the reputed author of this book. By the computation of the best chronologists, Zerubbabel came to Jerusalem in A. M. 3468; and Nehemiah, who is here mentioned, did not come before the twentieth year of the reign of Artaxerxes, which falls in with A. M. 3558, ninety years after: and as his account here is carried down to A. M. 3570, nearly twenty years later, he must at his death have been about a hundred and thirty, allowing him to have been only twenty years old at the time that Zerubbabel went up to Jerusalem. This is by no means likely, as this would make him the king’ s cupbearer when he was upwards of a hundred years of age! It seems, therefore, evident that the Nehemiah of Ezra cannot be the same with the reputed author of this book, and the cup-bearer of the Persian king

Clarke: Neh 1:1

Son of Hachaliah - Of what tribe or lineage he was, we cannot tell: this is all we know of his parentage. Some suppose he was a priest, and of the house of Aaron, on the authority of 2 Maccabees 1:18, 21; but this is but slender evidence. It is likely he was of a very eminent family, if not of the blood royal of Judah, as only persons of eminence could be placed in the office which he sustained in the Persian court

Clarke: Neh 1:1

The month Chisleu - Answering to a part of our November and December

Clarke: Neh 1:1

Twentieth year - That is, of Artaxerxes, A. M. 3558, b.c. 446

Clarke: Neh 1:1

Shushan the palace - The ancient city of Susa; called in Persian Shuster : the winter residence of the Persian kings.

Defender: Neh 1:1

That is, the twentieth year of Artaxerxes' reign (Neh 2:1). This would be thirteen years after this same king sent Ezra to Jerusalem (Ezr 7:7).

Defender: Neh 1:1

Shushan is the same as Susa, the winter capital of the great Persian empire, about 250 miles east of Babylon, well identified and confirmed archaeologically."

Commentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per Verse)

Barnes: Neh 1:1

The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah - The prophetical books commence generally with a title of this kind (see Jer 1:1); but no other extant historical book begins thus. Nehemiah, while attaching his work to Ezra, perhaps marked in this manner the point at which his own composition commenced. (See the introduction of the Book of Nehemiah.)

Chisleu - The ninth month, corresponding to the end of November and beginning of December.

In the twentieth year - i. e. of Artaxerxes Longimanus (465-425 B.C.). Compare Neh 2:1.

Shushan the palace - Compare Est 1:2, Est 1:5, etc.; Dan 8:2. Shushan, or Susa, was the ordinary residence of the Persian kings. "The palace"or acropolis was a distinct quarter of the city, occupying an artificial eminence.

Haydock: Neh 1:1

Words, or transactions written by Nehemias. (Menochius) ---

Helcias, or Hebrew and Septaugint, "Chelcias." ---

Casleu, the third of the civil year, 1 Esdras x. 9. ---

Year of Artaxerxes, (Calmet) after he was associated with his father on the throne; (Tirinus) or rather the death of Xerxes. From this period the seventy weeks of Daniel are dated, (Du Hamel) or from the 23rd of Artaxerxes, and the 28th of Xerxes, (Tirinus) as above three years must have been consumed in making preparations for the walls, &c. (Josephus, [Antiquities?] xi. 5.) ---

The name of Nehemias, "comforter of God," as well as his being sent by a king to build, &c., prefigured Jesus Christ, sent by God to comfort and establish his Church. (Ven. Bede) (Worthington) (Haydock) ---

Susa. Hebrew, "in Susa, the palace," where the kings of Persia resided in the months of winter, (Atheneus xii. 1.) and of spring. (Xenophon) (Cyr. viii.) (Curtius v. 8.) ---

Here Darius probably kept his court at other times, Esther i. 2. (Calmet) ---

Susa was situated on the river Coaspes, between the provinces of Babylon and Persia. (Du Hamel)

Gill: Neh 1:1

The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah,.... Or his transactions and deeds; for דברי "dibre" signifies things done, as well as words spoken; who Hachaliah his father was is not known; the Arabic version adds, the high priest, without any foundation; though some have thought that Nehemiah was a priest, from a passage in"Therefore whereas we are now purposed to keep the purification of the temple upon the five and twentieth day of the month Chisleu, we thought it necessary to certify you thereof, that ye also might keep it, as the feast of the tabernacles, and of the fire, which was given us when Neemias offered sacrifice, after that he had builded the temple and the altar.'' (2 Maccabees 1:18)and from signing and sealing the covenant at the head of priests, Neh 10:1, but he rather seems to be of the tribe of Judah, see Neh 2:3, and Nehemiah may be the same that went up with Zerubbabel, and returned again, and then became the king's cupbearer; though some are of another opinion; see Gill on Ezr 2:2,

and it came to pass in the month Chisleu; the ninth month, as the Arabic version; of which see Ezr 10:9,

in the twentieth year; not of Nehemiah's age, for, if he went up with Zerubbabel, he must be many years older; but in the twentieth year of the reign of Artaxerxes, Neh 1:1,

as I was in Shushan the palace; a city in Persia, the royal seat of the kings of it; as Ecbatana was in the summer time, this in the spring, as Cyrus made it, according to Xenophon ^b; but others say ^c it was their seat in winter, and this was the season now when Nehemiah was with the king there; for Chisleu was a winter month, answering to part of November and of December; of Shushan; see Gill on Dan 8:2, to which may be added what a traveller of the last century says ^d of it,"we rested at Valdac, once the great city Susa, but now very ruinous; it was first built by Tythonus, and his son Memnon, but enlarged by Darius the son of Hystaspes; in the building whereof Memnon was so exceeding prodigal, that, as Cassiodorus writeth, he joined the stones together with gold--such was the beauty and delectableness of it for situation, that they called it "Susa", which in the Persian tongue signified a "lily", but now it is called Valdac, because of the poverty of the place;''and it is generally supposed to have its name from the abundance of lilies about it; but Dr. Hyde ^e gives another signification of its name, he says the Persians called it, "Sus", which signifies "liquorice", but for what reasons he says not. There is a city now called Shustera, and is thought by some travellers to be built at least very near where Shushan formerly stood ^f.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Neh 1:1

¹ sn In ancient Judaism Ezra and Nehemiah were regarded as a single book with dual authorship. According to the Talmud, “Ezra wrote his book” (b. Bava Batra 15a). The Gemara then asks and answers, “And who finished it? Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah.” Accordingly, the two are joined in the Leningrad Codex (ca. A.D. 1008), the manuscript upon which modern printed editions of the Hebrew Bible (e.g., BHK and BHS) are based.

² sn The name Nehemiah in Hebrew (נְחֶמְיָה, nÿkhemyah) means “the LORD comforts.”

³ tn That is, the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes’ reign (cf. 2:1).

⁴ tn Heb “Shushan.”

Geneva Bible: Neh 1:1

The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month ^{( a )} Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace,

The Argument - God, in all ages and at all times, sets up worthy persons for the convenience and profit of his Church, as now within the compass of seventy years he raised up various excellent men for the preservation of his people after their return from Babylon. Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah, of which the first was their captain to bring them home, and provided that the temple was built: the second reformed their manners and planted religion: and the third built up the walls, delivered the people from oppression and provided that the law of God was carried out among them. He was a godly man, and in great authority with the king, so that the king favoured him greatly and gave him letters to accomplish all the things he desired. This book is also called the second of Ezra by the Latins because he was the author of it.

^{( a )} Which contains part of November and part of December, and was their ninth month.

Commentary -- Verse Range Notes

TSK Synopsis: Neh 1:1-11

1 Nehemiah, understanding by Hanani the misery of Jerusalem, mourns, fasts, and prays.

5 His prayer.

MHCC: Neh 1:1-11

Nehemiah was the Persian king's cup-bearer. When God has work to do, he will never want instruments to do it with. Nehemiah lived at ease, and in honour, but does not forget that he is an Israelite, and that his brethren are in distress. He was ready to do them all the good offices he could; and that he might know how best to do them a kindness, he makes inquiries about them. We should inquire especially concerning the state of the church and religion. Every Jerusalem on this side the heavenly one will have some defect, which will require the help and services of its friends. Nehemiah's first application was to God, that he might have the fuller confidence in his application to the king. Our best pleas in prayer are taken from the promise of God, the word on which he has caused us to hope. Other means must be used, but the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails most. Communion with God will best prepare us for our dealings with men. When we have intrusted our concerns to God, the mind is set at liberty; it feels satisfaction and composure, and difficulties vanish. We know that if the affair be hurtful, he can easily hinder it; and if it be good for us, he can as easily forward it.

Matthew Henry: Neh 1:1-4

What tribe Nehemiah was of does nowhere appear; but, if it be true (which we are told by the author of the Maccabees, 2 Macc. 1:18) that he offered sacrifice, we must conclude him to have been a priest. Observe,

I. Nehemiah's station at the court of Persia. We are here told that he was in Shushan the palace, or royal city, of the king of Persia, where the court was ordinarily kept (Neh 1:1), and (Neh 1:11) that he was the king's cup-bearer. Kings and great men probably looked upon it as a piece of state to be attended by those of other nations. By this place at court he would be the better qualified for the service of his country in that post for which God had designed him, as Moses was the fitter to govern for being bred up in Pharaoh's court, and David in Saul's. He would also have the fairer opportunity of serving his country by his interest in the king and those about him. Observe, He is not forward to tell us what great preferment he had at court; it is not till the end of the chapter that he tells us he was the king's cup-bearer (a place of great trust, as well as of honour and profit), when he could not avoid the mentioning of it because of the following story; but at first he only said, I was in Shushan the palace. We may hence learn to be humble and modest, and slow to speak of our own advancements. But in the providences of God concerning him we may observe, to our comfort, 1. That when God has work to do he will never want instruments to do it with. 2. That those whom God designs to employ in his service he will find out proper ways both to fit for it and to call to it. 3. That God has his remnant in all places; we read of Obadiah in the house of Ahab, saints in Caesar's household, and a devout Nehemiah in Shushan the palace. 4. That God can make the courts of princes sometimes nurseries and sometimes sanctuaries to the friends and patrons of the church's cause.

II. Nehemiah's tender and compassionate enquiry concerning the state of the Jews in their own land, Neh 1:2. It happened that a friend and relation of his came to the court, with some other company, by whom he had an opportunity of informing himself fully how it went with the children of the captivity and what posture Jerusalem, the beloved city, was in. Nehemiah lived at ease, in honour and fulness, himself, but could not forget that he was an Israelite, nor shake off the thoughts of his brethren in distress, but in spirit (like Moses, Act 7:23) he visited them and looked upon their burdens. As distance of place did not alienate his affections from them (though they were out of sight, yet not out of mind), so neither did, 1. The dignity to which he was advanced. Though he was a great man, and probably rising higher, yet he did not think it below him to take cognizance of his brethren that were low and despised, nor was he ashamed to own his relation to them and concern for them. 2. The diversity of their sentiments from his, and the difference of their practice accordingly. Though he did not go to settle at Jerusalem himself (as we think he ought to have done now that liberty was proclaimed), but conformed to the court, and staid there, yet he did not therefore judge nor despise those that had returned, nor upbraid them as impolitic, but kindly concerned himself for them, was ready to do them all the good offices he could, and, that he might know which way to do them a kindness, asked concerning them. Note, It is lawful and good to enquire, "What news?"We should enquire especially concerning the state of the church and religion, and how it fares with the people of God; and the design of our enquiry must be, not that, like the Athenians, we may have something to talk of, but that we may know how to direct our prayers and our praises.

III. The melancholy account which is here given him of the present state of the Jews and Jerusalem, Neh 1:3. Hanani, the person he enquired of, has this character given of him (Neh 7:2), that he feared God above many, and therefore would not only speak truly, but, when he spoke of the desolations of Jerusalem, would speak tenderly. It is probable that his errand to court at this time was to solicit some favour, some relief or other, that they stood in need of. Now the account he gives is, 1. That the holy seed was miserably trampled on and abused, in great affliction and reproach, insulted upon all occasions by their neighbours, and filled with the scorning of those that were at ease. 2. That the holy city was exposed and in ruins. The wall of Jerusalem was still broken down, and the gates were, as the Chaldeans left them, in ruins. This made the condition of the inhabitants both very despicable under the abiding marks of poverty and slavery, and very dangerous, for their enemies might when they pleased make an easy prey of them. The temple was built, the government settled, and a work of reformation brought to some head, but here was one good work yet undone; this was still wanting. Every Jerusalem, on this side the heavenly one, will have some defect or other in it, for the making up of which it will required the help and service of its friends.

IV. The great affliction this gave to Nehemiah and the deep concern it put him into, Neh 1:4. 1. He wept and mourned. It was not only just when he heard the news that he fell into a passion of weeping, but his sorrow continued certain days. Note, The desolations and distresses of the church ought to be the matter of our grief, how much soever we live at ease. 2. He fasted and prayed; not in public (he had no opportunity of doing that), but before the God of heaven, who sees in secret, and will reward openly. By his fasting and praying, (1.) He consecrated his sorrows, and directed his tears aright, sorrowed after a godly sort, with an eye to God, because his name was reproached in the contempt cast on his people, whose cause therefore he thus commits to him. (2.) He eased his sorrows, and unburdened his spirit, by pouring out his complaint before God and leaving it with him. (3.) He took the right method of fetching in relief for his people and direction for himself in what way to serve them. Let those who are forming any good designs for the service of the public take God along with them for the first conception of them, and utter all their projects before him; this is the way to prosper in them.

Keil-Delitzsch: Neh 1:1-4

In the twentieth year of the reign of Artaxerxes, Nehemiah,being then at Susa, received from one of his brethren, and other individualsfrom Judah, information which deeply grieved him, concerning the sadcondition of the captive who had returned to the land of their fathers, andthe state of Jerusalem. Neh 1:1 contains the title of the whole book: theHistory of Nehemiah. By the addition "son of Hachaliah,"Nehemiah is distinguished from others of the same name (e.g., fromNehemiah the son of Azbuk, Neh 3:16). Another Nehemiah, too, returnedfrom captivity with Zerubbabel, Ezr 2:2. Of Hachaliah we know nothingfurther, his name occurring but once more, Neh 10:2, in conjunction, ashere, with that of Nehemiah. Eusebius and Jerome assert that Nehemiahwas of the tribe of Judah, - a statement which may be correct, but isunsupported by any evidence from the Old Testament. According to Neh 1:11, he was cup-bearer to the Persian king, and was, at his own request,appointed for some time Pecha, i.e., governor, of Judah. Comp. Neh 5:14;Neh 12:26, and Neh 8:9; Neh 10:2. "In the month Chisleu of the twentieth year I was inthe citadel of Susa"- such is the manner in which Nehemiah commences thenarrative of his labours for Jerusalem. Chisleu is the ninth month of theyear, answering to our December. Comp. Zec 7:1, 1 Macc. 4:52. Thetwentieth year is, according to Neh 2:1, the twentieth year of ArtaxerxesLongimanus. On the citadel of Susa, see further details in the remarks onDan 8:2. Susa was the capital of the province Susiana, and its citadel,called by the Greeks Memnoneion, was strongly fortified. The kings ofPersia were accustomed to reside here during some months of the year.

Neh 1:2-3

There came to Nehemiah Hanani, one of his brethren, andcertain men from Judah. מאחי אחד , one of mybrethren, might mean merely a relation of Nehemiah, אחים beingoften used of more distant relations; but since Nehemiah calls Hanani אחי in Neh 7:10, it is evident that his own brother is meant. "And I asked them concerning the Jews, and concerning Jerusalem." היּהוּדים is further defined by וגו הפּליטה , whohad escaped, who were left from the captivity; those who had returned toJudah are intended, as contrasted with those who still remained in heathen,lands. In the answer, Neh 1:3, they are more precisely designated as being"there in the province (of Judah)."With respect to המּדינה ,see remarks on Ezr 2:1. They are said to be "in great affliction ( רעה ) and in reproach."Their affliction is more nearly defined by theaccessory clause which follows: and the wall = because the wall ofJerusalem is broken down, and its gates burned with fire. מפרצת , Pual(the intensive form), broken down, does not necessarily mean that thewhole wall was destroyed, but only portions, as appears from thesubsequent description of the building of the wall, Neh 3.

Neh 1:4

This description of the state of the returned captives plungedNehemiah into such deep affliction, that he passed some days in mourning,fasting, and prayer. Opinions are divided with respect to the historicalrelation of the facts mentioned Neh 1:3. Some older expositors thought thatHanani could not have spoken of the destruction of the walls and gates ofJerusalem by the Babylonians, because this was already sufficientlyknown to Nehemiah, but of some recent demolition on the part ofSamaritans and other hostile neighbours of the Jews; in opposition towhich, Rambach simply replies that we are told nothing of a restoration ofthe wall of Jerusalem by Zerubbabel and Ezra. More recently Ewald( Geschichte , iv. p. 137f.) has endeavoured to show, from certain psalmswhich he transposes to post-Babylonian times, the probability of adestruction of the rebuilt wall, but gives a decided negative to the question,whether this took place during the thirteen years between the arrivals ofEzra and Nehemiah. "For,"says he, "there is not in the whole of Nehemiah's record the mostdistant hint that the walls had been destroyed only a short time since; but,on the contrary, this destruction was already so remote an event, that itsoccasion and authors were no longer spoken of."Vaihinger ( Theol. Stud. und Krit. , 1857, p. 88, comp. 1854, p. 124f.) and Bertheau are of opinionthat it indisputably follows from Neh 1:3-4, as appearances show, that thewalls of Jerusalem were actually rebuilt and the gates set up before thetwentieth year of Artaxerxes, and that the destruction of this laboriouswork, which occasioned the sending of an embassy to the Persian court,was of quite recent occurrence, since otherwise Nehemiah would not havebeen so painfully affected by it. But even the very opposite opinion heldconcerning the impression made upon the reader by these verses, showsthat appearances are deceitful, and the view that the destruction of thewalls and gates was of quite recent occurrence is not implied by the wordsthemselves, but only inserted in them by expositors. There is no kind ofhistorical evidence that the walls of Jerusalem which had been destroyedby the Chaldeans were once more rebuilt before Nehemiah's arrival.

The documents given by Ezr 4:8-22, which are in this instanceappealed to, so far from proving the fact, rather bear testimony against it. The counsellor Rehum and the scribe Shimshai, in their letter toArtaxerxes, accuse indeed the Jews of building a rebellious and bad city, ofrestoring its walls and digging its foundations (Ezr 4:12); but they onlygive the king to understand that if this city be built and its walls restored,the king will no longer have a portion on this side the river (Ezr 4:16), andhasten to Jerusalem, as soon as they receive the king's decision, to hinderthe Jews by force and power (Ezr 4:23). Now, even if this accusation werequite well founded, nothing further can be inferred from it than that theJews had begun to restore the walls, but were hindered in the midst oftheir undertaking. Nothing is said in these documents either of a rebuilding,i.e., a complete restoration, of the walls and setting up of the gates, or ofbreaking down the walls and burning the gates. It cannot be said that to build a wall means the same as pulling down awall already built. Nor is anything said in Neh 1:3 and Neh 1:4 of a recentdemolition. The assertion, too, that the destruction of this laborious workwas the occasion of the mission of Hanani and certain men of Judah to thePersian court (Vaihinger), is entirely without scriptural support. In Neh 1:2and Neh 1:3 it is merely said that Hanani and his companions came from Judah toNehemiah, and that Nehemiah questioned them concerning the condition ofthe Jews in the province of Judah, and concerning Jerusalem, and that theyanswered: The Jews there are in great affliction and reproach, for the wallof Jerusalem is broken down ( מפרצת is a participle expressing thestate, not the praeter. or perfect, which would be found here if adestruction recently effected were spoken of). Nehemiah, too, in Neh 2:3and Neh 2:17, only says: The city of my fathers' sepulchres (Jerusalem) liethdesolate ( חרבה is an adjective), not: has been desolated. Nor can a visit on the part of Jews from Judah to their compatriot andrelative, the king's cup-bearer, be called a mission to the Persian court. - With respect also to the deep affliction of Nehemiah, upon whichBertheau lays so much stress, it by no means proves that he had received aterrible account of some fresh calamity which had but just befallen thecommunity at Jerusalem, and whose whole extent was as yet unknown tohim. Nehemiah had not as yet been to Jerusalem, and could not from hisown experience know the state of affairs in Judah and Jerusalem; hence hequestioned the newly arrived visitors, not concerning the latestoccurrences, but as to the general condition of the returned captives. Thefact of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Chaldees could not, of course,be unknown to him; but neither could he be ignorant that now ninety yearssince a great number of captives had returned to their homes withZerubbabel and settled in Judah and Jerusalem, and that seventy yearssince the temple at Jerusalem had been rebuilt. Judging from these facts, he might not have imagined that the state ofaffairs in Judah and Jerusalem was so bad as it really was. When, then, henow learnt that those who had returned to Judah were in great affliction,that the walls of the town were still lying in ruins and its gates burned, andthat it was therefore exposed defenceless to all the insults of hostileneighbours, even this information might well grieve him. It is also probablethat it was through Hanani and his companions that he first learnt of theinimical epistle of the royal officials Rehum and Shimshai to Artaxerxes,and of the answer sent thereto by that monarch and thus became for thefirst time aware of the magnitude of his fellow-countrymen's difficulties. Such intelligence might well be such a shock to him as to cause the amountof distress described Neh 1:4. For even if he indulged the hope that the kingmight repeal the decree by which the rebuilding of the wall had beenprohibited till further orders, he could not but perceive how difficult itwould be effectually to remedy the grievous state in which his countrymenwho had returned to the land of their fathers found themselves, while thedisposition of their neighbours towards them was thus hostile. This state was indeed sufficiently distressing to cause deep pain to onewho had a heart alive to the welfare of his nation, and there is no need forinventing new "calamities,"of which history knows nothing, to accountfor the sorrow of Nehemiah. Finally, the circumstance that the destructionof the walls and burning of the gates are alone mentioned as proofs of theaffliction and reproach which the returned exiles were suffering, arisessimply from an intention to hint at the remedy about to be described in thenarrative which follows, by bringing this special kind of reproachprominently forward.

Constable: Neh 1:1--7:73

I. THE FORTIFICATION OF JERUSALEM chs. 1--7

"The first seven chapters of Nehemiah as well as 12:31-13:31 are written in the first person. This, as well as all or part of Neh 11 and the rest of Neh 12, constitutes what is called the Nehemiah Memoirs. As such it offers an extensive look into the life and heart of an outstanding servant of God that is unique to the Old Testament."⁴

Constable: Neh 1:1--2:20

A. The Return under Nehemiah chs. 1-2

The focus of restoration activities in Nehemiah is on the walls of Jerusalem. In Ezra it was the altar of burnt offerings and especially the temple in Jerusalem.

"The orientation of Nehemiah is more civil and secular than that of Ezra, but it is also written from the priestly point of view."⁵

The walls of the city had lain in ruins since 586 B.C. Then Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, had breached them, entered Jerusalem, burned the temple, carried most of the remaining Jews off to Babylon, and knocked the walls down. Consequently the few Jews who remained could not defend themselves (2 Kings 25:1-11). The returned exiles had attempted to rebuild the walls in or shortly after 458 B.C., but that project failed because of local opposition (Ezra 4:12, 23).

The returned exiles had received permission to return to their land and to reestablish their unique national institutions. Therefore they needed to rebuild the city walls to defend themselves against anyone who might want to interfere with and to interrupt their way of life.

Constable: Neh 1:1-3

1. The news concerning Jerusalem 1:1-3

The month Chislev (v. 1) corresponds to our late November and early December. The year in view was the twentieth year of Artaxerxes' reign (i.e., 445-444 B.C.). Susa (or Shushan, in Hebrew) was a winter capital of Artaxerxes (cf. Esth. 1:2). The main Persian capital at this time was Persepolis.

Hanani (v. 2) seems to have been Nehemiah's blood brother (cf. 7:2). The escape in view refers to the Jews' escape back from captivity in Babylon. Even though they received official permission to return, Nehemiah seems to have regarded their departure from Babylon as an escape since the Babylonians had originally forced them into exile against their wills.

The news that Nehemiah received evidently informed him of the Jews' unsuccessful attempts to rebuild Jerusalem's walls in 458 B.C. (Ezra 4:23).

"It was an ominous development, for the ring of hostile neighbors round Jerusalem could now claim royal backing. The patronage which Ezra had enjoyed (cf. Ezra 7:21-26) was suddenly in ruins, as completely as the city walls and gates. Jerusalem was not only disarmed but on its own."⁶

Guzik: Neh 1:1-11

Nehemiah 1 - Nehemiah's Prayer

A. Nehemiah hears of Jerusalem's crisis condition.

1. Some 1,000 years after the time of Moses and some 400 years before the birth of Jesus, the nation of Israel and the Jewish people were in a desperate state.

a. Their nations were destroyed, First the northern Jewish kingdom of Israel and then the southern Jewish kingdom of Judah. The city of Jerusalem was completely conquered by the Babylonians and the once-glorious temple of Solomon was destroyed.

b. When the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem, they deported almost everyone from the city and the region - for some 70 years, Jerusalem was a ghost town, with the potential to end up like many ancient cities - completely forgotten except to history.

c. When the Jews were deported to Babylon, they began to make homes for themselves there. They settled down, and many still followed the God of their Fathers, but they did it from Babylon, with no desire to return to the land God had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

i. Some of these faithful Jews were raised up to places of prominence in the governments they were deported to. Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego became leaders in Babylon; Esther was made queen in the courts of a Persian king.

d. But after 70 years of captivity in Babylon, they were given the opportunity to return to their homeland, the Promised Land. Out of the some two or three million Jews deported from the land, only 50,000 decided to return to the Promised Land. That's only something like 2%! But they did return, and in the days of Ezra, they rebuilt the temple and laid a spiritual foundation for Israel once again.

e. The Book of Nehemiah begins 15 years after the Book of Ezra ends; almost 100 years after the first captives came back to the Promised Land; and some 150 years after the city of Jerusalem was destroyed. After this long time, the walls of the city of Jerusalem were still in rubble.

i. Before this, citizens of Jerusalem had tried to rebuild the walls but had failed. In Ezra 4:6-23, we see that some 75 years before they tried to rebuild the walls, but were stopped by their enemies. No one thought this obstacle could be overcome, so the walls lay in ruin and the people stayed in trouble.

2. (1-3) Nehemiah hears of Jerusalem's condition.

The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. It came to pass in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the citadel, that Hanani one of my brethren came with men from Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped, who had survived the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. And they said to me, "The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire."

a. In Shushan the citadel: Nehemiah lived in Shushan, the capital city of the Persians, and he lived in the citadel - that is, the fortified palace of the Persians. Right away, we know Nehemiah is someone important, living in the palace of the king of Persia.

b. I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped, who had survived the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem: Nehemiah's body was in Persia but his heart and his interest were in Jerusalem - 800 miles away. He wanted to know from those returning how the people and the city were doing.

i. We might think that an important man like Nehemiah had more important things to think about than a distant city he had never been to, and a people he had mostly never met. Yet, because his heart was for the things of God, his heart was not on himself, but on others.

ii. Nehemiah had the heart of Psalm 137:5-6: If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill! If I do not remember you, let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth; if I do not exalt Jerusalem above my chief joy. If Jerusalem was special to God, then it was also special to Nehemiah.

c. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire: The news he received was not encouraging. The people were called survivors; this was not a hopeful title. They were in great distress and reproach, and the walls of the city itself were broken down and the city gates are burned with fire.

i. The bad state of the people and the bad state of the city walls were intimately connected. In the ancient world, a city without walls was a city completely open and vulnerable to its enemies. They had no defense, no protection at all.

ii. An unwalled city was always a backwater town, with nothing valuable in it. If there were anything of value in an unwalled city, it could be stolen away easily because there was no defense to stop it.

iii. Those living in an unwalled city lived in constant stress and tension; they never knew when they might be attacked and brutalized. Every man lived in constant fear for his wife and children. The temple could be rebuilt, but never made beautiful, because anything valuable would be taken easily.

iv. No wonder the people lived in constant distress, in constant disgrace (reproach), living only as survivors. God has more for us than to be mere survivors. God not only wants us to be conquerors, but more than conquerors through Him who loved us (Romans 8:37).

3. (4) Nehemiah's reaction to the news about Jerusalem and its people.

So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

a. I sat down and wept: Nehemiah's immediate reaction was extreme. He didn't just feel bad for Jerusalem and its people; right away, there was no strength in his legs (I sat down), and he began to weep and to mourn.

b. Mourned for many days: God was going to use Nehemiah to do something about this situation. But first, God did something in Nehemiah. Any great work of God begins with God doing a great work in somebody.

i. God prepared this long ago, with Nehemiah's important position in Persia, with a heart curious about the welfare of Jerusalem and its people. Now we see that he had a heart that broke over their needy state.

ii. God saw the need in heaven, but little would be done until the right man also felt the need. God would do something great to meet that need through Nehemiah.

iii. But there is no way Nehemiah could do this alone. He had to be a leader - one who influences other people - to get this job done. Nehemiah is a book all about leadership - something we obviously need today. Since leadership is influence, leadership applies to everyone. Everyone has an area of leadership. In some way, each one is a leader; the question is if they are a good leader or a bad leader.

iv. Leaders must prepare themselves for difficult work because it won't be easy. "There is no winning without warfare; there is no opportunity without opposition; there is no victory without vigilance. For when ever the people of God say, 'Let us arise and build,' Satan says, 'Let me arise and oppose.'" (Redpath)

v. Leaders must have a big vision, and Nehemiah had one. "Through me, God is going to correct a problem that's been around a hundred and fifty years. Through me, God is going to do something that completely failed down before." We must have a vision, a goal, that is big enough.

c. I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven: Nehemiah's reaction went beyond an immediate emotion. Many times a concern will come over us in a flush, and then quickly pass. But if it is from the Lord it will abide and grow and the burden will remain until the problem that prompted the burden is solved.

i. We should note as well what Nehemiah did not do: he did not complain, whine, or "see who could fix this problem." He immediately did what he knew he could do - pray, and intensely seek God in this situation.

d. The God of heaven: Nehemiah also had a clear understanding of Whom he fasted and prayed to. There are many "gods" people trust in but only the God of heaven can really meet our needs.

B. Nehemiah's prayer.

1. Prayer is essential to leadership. If your vision is so big that only God can accomplish it, then you obviously must pray. If prayer isn't absolutely necessary to accomplish your vision, your goal isn't big enough.

a. It appears that Nehemiah prayed for four months before he did anything. Later, when the work of rebuilding the walls actually begins, it only takes 52 days to finish the job. But that 52-day project had a four-month foundation of prayer.

b. Nehemiah took his pain and stress to God in prayer - and seemingly, was able to leave it there. Prayer will relieve your stress. You may be trying to relieve stress through entertainment, but all that does is divert your attention. Entertainment doesn't give any solutions to stress. Prayer will give you strength; when you wait on the Lord in prayer, He will renew your strength (Isaiah 40:31).

2. (5-7) Nehemiah comes to God in humility.

And I said: "I pray, LORD God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments, please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father's house and I have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses."

a. I pray, LORD God of heaven: Humility begins by simply understanding there is a God enthroned in the heavens, and I am not Him! Nehemiah recognizes exactly who God is: LORD God of heaven . . . great and awesome God . . . who keep Your covenant . . . and mercy . . . with those You love.

b. Please let Your ear be attentive: Humility also understands my complete dependence on God. When Nehemiah desperately asked God to hear the prayer of Your servant (let Your ear be attentive . . . Your eyes open), it reflected his complete dependence on the LORD. Only God could help, and if God would only hear, Nehemiah knew He would help.

i. God will allow you to be fruitless to expose your need for total dependence.

c. Confess the sins . . . which we have sinned against You. Both my father's house and I have sinned: Humility will also confess sin openly. Nehemiah plainly and simply confessed sin, without any attempt at excusing the sin.

i. We must always avoid excusing ourselves in the confession of our sin. May we never say, "Lord, if I sinned" or "Lord, I'm sorry, but You know how hard it was" or other such nonsense. We can find great freedom in open, honest confession, without any attempt at excuse or wondering "if" I sinned or not.

d. Both my father's house and I have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against You: Humility identifies with the needy. Obviously, Nehemiah was a godly man; but he openly and passionately put himself with his father's house, and prayed by using "we" instead of "they."

i. "You never lighten the load unless first you have felt the pressure in your own soul. You are never used of God to bring blessing until God has opened your eyes and made you see things as they are." (Redpath).

3. (8-10) Nehemiah comes to God looking to God's promises.

"Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, 'If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations; but if you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name.' Now these are Your servants and Your people, whom You have redeemed by Your great power, and by Your strong hand."

a. Remember: This is a powerful way to come to God, asking Him to remember His promises. Nehemiah said, "LORD, You made a promise to Moses and this nation, I ask you now to make good on it." Nehemiah quoted from both Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 30.

i. This, no doubt, is the secret to great power in prayer: to plead the promises of God. We may be a bit annoyed when one of our children comes to us saying "Daddy, you promised"; but our Father in heaven delights in it - and often demands it before prayer becomes effective.

ii. In Psalm 81:10 God says to His people, Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it. God will not open His storehouse until we open our mouths in asking Him to perform His promises.

b. If you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them: Nehemiah quoted a conditional promise. The condition was returning to God, and keeping His commandments. He really couldn't know if the nation was keeping the commandments, but he knew that he was keeping them, and because he had identified himself with the nation in their sin the nation could also identify itself with Nehemiah in his godly fulfillment of these conditions.

4. (11) Nehemiah prays with a heart ready to do something.

"O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man." For I was the king's cupbearer.

a. Grant him mercy in the sight of this man: Nehemiah concluded by asking God to bless him when he would soon speak to the king of Persia about the matter. Nehemiah was going to do something about the sorry state of Jerusalem's walls and people, and he knows without God's intervention, he can do nothing.

b. Let Your servant prosper this day: This is a prayer of a man of action, not a sideline critic. Nehemiah does not pray "God, make it all better" or "God, get someone else moving on this problem." Instead, his prayer is "God, use me to make it better."

i. "Recognition of need must be followed by earnest, persistent waiting upon God until the overwhelming sense of world need becomes a specific burden in my soul for one particular piece of work which God would have me do." (Redpath)

ii. "Laying the matter to heart, he did not begin to speak with other people about what they would do, nor did he draw up a wonderful scheme about what might be done if so many thousand people joined in the enterprise; but it occurred to him that he would do something himself." (Spurgeon)

© 2006 David Guzik - No distribution beyond personal use without permission

Introduction / Outline

JFB: Nehemiah (Book Introduction)

NEHEMIAH appears to have been the author of this book, from his usually writing in his own name, and indeed, except in those parts which are unmistakably later editions or borrowed from public documents, he usually employs the first person. The major portion of the book is occupied with a history of Nehemiah's twelve years' administration in Jerusalem, after which he returned to his duties in Shushan. At a later period he returned with new powers and commenced new and vigorous measures of reform, which are detailed in the later chapters of the book.

JFB: Nehemiah (Outline)

• NEHEMIAH, UNDERSTANDING BY HANANI THE AFFLICTED STATE OF JERUSALEM, MOURNS, FASTS, AND PRAYS. (Neh 1:1-3)
• HIS PRAYER. (Neh 1:4-11)
• ARTAXERXES, UNDERSTANDING THE CAUSE OF NEHEMIAH'S SADNESS, SENDS HIM WITH LETTERS AND A COMMISSION TO BUILD AGAIN THE WALLS OF JERUSALEM. (Neh. 2:1-20)
• THE NAMES AND ORDER OF THEM THAT BUILDED THE WALL OF JERUSALEM. (Neh. 3:1-32)
• WHILE THE ENEMIES SCOFF, NEHEMIAH PRAYS TO GOD, AND CONTINUES THE WORK. (Neh 4:1-6)
• THE PEOPLE COMPLAIN OF THEIR DEBT, MORTGAGE, AND BONDAGE. (Neh 5:1-5)
• THE USURERS REBUKED. (Neh 5:6-19)
• SANBALLAT PRACTISES AGAINST NEHEMIAH BY INSIDIOUS ATTEMPTS. (Neh. 6:1-19)
• NEHEMIAH COMMITS THE CHARGE OF JERUSALEM TO HANANI AND HANANIAH. (Neh 7:1-4)
• GENEALOGY OF THOSE WHO CAME AT THE FIRST OUT OF BABYLON. (Neh. 7:5-38)
• OF THE PRIESTS. (Neh. 7:39-73)
• RELIGIOUS MANNER OF READING AND HEARING THE LAW. (Neh 8:1-8)
• THE PEOPLE COMFORTED. (Neh 8:9-15)
• THEY KEEP THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES. (Neh 8:16-18)
• A SOLEMN FAST AND REPENTANCE OF THE PEOPLE. (Neh 9:1-3)
• THE LEVITES CONFESS GOD'S MANIFOLD GOODNESS, AND THEIR OWN WICKEDNESS. (Neh. 9:4-38)
• THE NAMES OF THOSE WHO SEALED THE COVENANT. (Neh. 10:1-27)
• POINTS OF THE COVENANT. (Neh 10:29-39)
• THE RULERS, VOLUNTARY MEN, AND EVERY TENTH MAN CHOSEN BY LOT, DWELL AT JERUSALEM. (Neh 11:1-2)
• THEIR NAMES. (Neh. 11:3-36)
• PRIESTS AND LEVITES WHO CAME UP WITH ZERUBBABEL. (Neh 12:1-9)
• SUCCESSION OF THE HIGH PRIESTS. (Neh. 12:10-47)
• UPON THE READING OF THE LAW SEPARATION IS MADE FROM THE MIXED MULTITUDE. (Neh 13:1-9)
• NEHEMIAH REFORMS THE OFFICERS IN THE HOUSE OF GOD. (Neh 13:10-14)
• THE VIOLATION OF THE SABBATH. (Neh. 13:15-31)

TSK: Nehemiah (Book Introduction)

Of Nehemiah, the author and principal actor in the events recorded in this book, the Jews speak as one of the greatest men of their nation. His concern for his country entitles him to the character of the first patriot that ever lived. Descended, according to some, of the family of Aaron, or according to others, of the tribe of Judah and allied to the royal family of David, in the course of Divine Providence, he was a captive in Babylon, but there his excellences were so apparent, that he was chosen by the Persian king to fill an office the most respectable and the most confidential in the whole court. Here he lived in ease and affluence. he lacked no good thing; and here he might have continued to live, in the same affluence, and in the same confidence; but he could enjoy neither, so long as he knew his people distressed, the sepulchres of his fathers trodden under foot, the altars of his God overturned, and his worship either totally neglected or corrupted. He sought the peace of Jerusalem; prayed for it; and was willing to sacrifice wealth, ease, safety, and even life itself, if he might be the instrument of restoring the desolations of Israel. And God, who saw the desire of his heart, and knew the excellences with which he had endowed him, granted his request, and gave him the high honour of restoring the desolated city of his ancestors, and the pure worship of their God. The opposition of Sanballat and the Samaritans, and the firmness and zeal with which he repelled their insults and ineffectual efforts cannot be read without the liveliest emotions; and will afford to the latest times, a noble and animating example of distinguished patriotism, united with the sincerest devotion to the interests of religion. The virtue and piety of this great and good man, appear with equal lustre in the numerous and important reformations he effected. He relieved the people from their hardships and oppressions, by abolishing the harsh and usurious practices of the nobles and rulers; gave up his own revenue, as governor of the province, for the benefit of the people; and, as a further means of conciliating their affections, exhibited an example of the most princely hospitality. As the best security for good morals, and the better observance of the laws of God, he re-established the offices of public worship, and prevented the profanation of the sabbath, which had arrived at a shameful excess; he furnished the returned captives with authentic registers, and enabled them, in the best manner possible, after so long and calamitous an interval, to trace the genealogies, and claim the inheritance of their respective families; and further, he accomplished the separation of the Jewish people from the mixed multitude, with which they had been incorporated, and annulled the numerous marriages which they had made with heathens and idolaters of every description. For disinterestedness, philanthropy, patriotism, prudence, courage, zeal, humanity, and every virtue that constitutes a great mind, and proves a soul in deep communion with God, Nehemiah will ever stand conspicuous among the greatest men of the Jewish nation; and an exemplar worthy of being copied by the first patriots in every nation under heaven.

TSK: Nehemiah 1 (Chapter Introduction)

Overview

Neh 1:1, Nehemiah, understanding by Hanani the misery of Jerusalem, mourns, fasts, and prays; Neh 1:5, His prayer.

Poole: Nehemiah 1 (Chapter Introduction)

BOOK OF NEHEMIAH

THIS book seems not to have been written by Ezra, because it is written in a quite differing and more plain and easy style, and without that mixture of Chaldee or Syriac words which is in the book of Ezra; but by Nehemiah, Neh 1:1 who wrote an account of his own transactions, as Ezra did of his. But whether this be the same Nehemiah who came up with Zerubbabel, Ezr 2:2 Neh 7:7 , may be questioned, the same name being oft given to divers persons. And for the name of Tirshatha , which is used both Ezr 2:63 Neh 7:65,70 , that seems to be the title of his office, and so belongs to any governor, whether it was Zerubbabel, or Nehemiah, or any other.

NEHEMIAH CHAPTER 1

Nehemiah, understanding by Hanani the affliction of the Jews, and the misery of Jerusalem, Neh 1:1-3 , mourneth, fasteth, and prayeth, Neh 1:4 . His prayer for them, Neh 1:5-10 ; and for success in his petition to the king, Neh 1:11 .

The words of Nehemiah or rather, the acts, or deeds, as the word oft signifies; of which he here treats.

In the month Chisleu which is the ninth month, containing part of November and part of December.

In the twentieth year of Artaxerxes, Neh 2:1 .

In Shushan the chief and royal city of Persia, Est 3:15 .

MHCC: Nehemiah (Book Introduction)

The Old Testament history closes with the book of Nehemiah, wherein is recorded the workings of his heart, in the management of public affairs; with many devout reflections.

MHCC: Nehemiah 1 (Chapter Introduction)

Nehemiah's distress for the misery of Jerusalem, His prayer.

Matthew Henry: Nehemiah (Book Introduction)

An Exposition, with Practical Observations, of The Book of Nehemiah

This book continues the history of the children of the captivity, the poor Jews, that had lately returned out of Babylon to their own land. At this time not only the Persian monarchy flourished in great pomp and power, but Greece and Rome began to be very great and to make a figure. Of the affairs of those high and mighty states we have authentic accounts extant; but the sacred and inspired history takes cognizance only of the state of the Jews, and makes no mention of other nations but as the Israel of God had dealings with them: for the Lord's portion is his people; they are his peculiar treasure, and, in comparison with them, the rest of the world is but as lumber. In my esteem, Ezra the scribe and Nehemiah the tirshatha, though neither of them ever wore a crown, commanded an army, conquered any country, or was famed for philosophy or oratory, yet both of them, being pious praying men, and very serviceable in their day to the church of God and the interests of religion, were really greater men and more honourable, not only than any of the Roman consuls or dictators, but than Xenophon, or Demosthenes, or Plato himself, who lived at the same time, the bright ornaments of Greece. Nehemiah's agency for the advancing of the settlement of Israel we have a full account of in this book of his own commentaries or memoirs, wherein he records not only the works of his hands, but the workings of his heart, in the management of public affairs, inserting in the story many devout reflections and ejaculations, which discover in his mind a very deep tincture of serious piety and are peculiar to his writing. Twelve years, from his twentieth year (Neh 1:1) to his thirty-second year (Neh 13:6), he was governor of Judea, under Artaxerxes king of Persia, whom Dr. Lightfoot supposes to be the same Artaxerxes as Ezra has his commission from. This book relates, I. Nehemiah's concern for Jerusalem and the commission he obtained from the king to go thither, Neh 1:1-11, 2. II. His building the wall of Jerusalem notwithstanding the opposition he met with, ch. 3, 4. III. His redressing the grievances of the people, ch. 5. IV. His finishing the wall, ch. 6. V. The account he took of the people, ch. 7. VI. The religions solemnities of reading the law, fasting, and praying, and renewing their covenants, to which he called the people (ch. 8-10). VII. The care he took for the replenishing of the holy city and the settling of the holy tribe, ch. 11, 12. VIII. His zeal in reforming various abuses, ch. 13. Some call this the second book of Ezra, not because he was the penman of it, but because it is a continuation of the history of the foregoing book, with which it is connected (Neh 1:1). This was the last historical book that was written, as Malachi was the last prophetical book, of the Old Testament.

Matthew Henry: Nehemiah 1 (Chapter Introduction)

Here we first meet with Nehemiah at the Persian court, where we find him, I. Inquisitive concerning the state of the Jews and Jerusalem (Neh 1:1, Neh 1:2). II. Informed of their deplorable condition (Neh 1:3). III. Fasting and praying thereupon (Neh 1:4), with a particular account of his prayer (Neh 1:5-11). Such is the rise of this great man, by piety, not by policy.

Constable: Nehemiah (Book Introduction)

Introduction

Title

This book, like so many others in the Old Testament, received its title from its principle character. The Septuagint (Greek) translation also had the same title, as does the Hebrew Bible.

As I mentioned in my notes on Ezra, the Jews kept Ezra and Nehemiah together for many years. The reason was the historical continuity that flows from Ezra through Nehemiah.

Writer and Date

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 refers to Darius II, the successor of Artaxerxes I (Longimanus).¹ Darius ruled from 423-404 B.C. The text refers to an event that took place in Darius' reign (12:22). Therefore Nehemiah must have written the book sometime after that reign began. Since there are no references to Nehemiah's age in the text, it is hard to estimate how long he may have lived. When the book opens, he was second in command under King Artaxerxes (cf. Daniel). If he was 40 years old then and 41 when he reached Jerusalem in 444 B.C., he would have been 62 years old in 423 B.C. when Darius replaced Artaxerxes. Consequently he probably wrote the book not long after 423 B.C., most likely before 400 B.C.²

Scope

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 permission to return to Judah (2:5). He arrived in Jerusalem in 444 B.C. and within 52 days had completed the rebuilding of the city walls (6:15).

In 432 B.C. Nehemiah returned to Artaxerxes (13:6). He came back to Jerusalem after that, probably in a year or so. The record of his reforms following that return is in the last chapter of this book. Apparently Nehemiah completed all of them in just a few weeks or months.

Even though the book spans about 15 years, most of the activity Nehemiah recorded took place in 445-444 B.C. (chs. 1-12) and in 432-431 B.C. (ch. 13).

Chronology of the Book of Nehemiah
445	Nehemiah learned of conditions in Jerusalem and requested a leave of absence from Artaxerxes.
444	He led the Jews to Jerusalem. Repairs on the wall of Jerusalem began. The Jews completed rebuilding the walls. Nehemiah promoted spiritual renewal among the returnees.
443
442
441
440
439
438
437
436
435
434
433
432	Nehemiah returned to Artaxerxes ending his 12 years as governor of Judah. Malachi may have prophesied in Jerusalem.
431	Nehemiah may have returned to Jerusalem and began his second term as governor. More religious reforms apparently began.
430
429
428
427
426
425
424
423	Darius II began to reign.

Message³

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. This fact illustrates the close relationship that exists between these two books. A single story begins in Ezra and ends in Nehemiah. The history they record covers about 110 years (538-430 B.C.).

Let us notice three things about the returned exiles in this period, the restoration period, that God revealed in this Book of Nehemiah.

The people in view are the approximately 97,000 Israelites who returned from captivity, the remnant. They had no conscious national influence that arose from their purpose as a nation. They did not have much messianic hope either. There is no reference to this hope in Ezra, Nehemiah, or Esther.

The purpose of God was that His people should return to His Law. The civil reformation was secondary to the reading of the Law that took place in Jerusalem. The reading of the Law (ch. 8) led to the praying of the Levites (ch. 9), and that resulted in the making of a covenant (ch. 10). God's purpose was to put Israel back under the Law until Christ would come.

The Potter at work in this book continues the task of reshaping that He began in Ezra. His primary instrument at this time was Nehemiah. Nehemiah was not a king, a priest, or a prophet, but an ordinary citizen. He held a cabinet-level position under Artaxerxes, the Persian monarch. He became the governor of Judah later. Generally the kings of Israel had failed, the people had ignored the prophets, and the priests were corrupt. Therefore God chose a common man who built a wall around Jerusalem in a little over seven weeks so the people could give concentrated attention to the reading and exposition of God's Word. Nehemiah was a man like others God used before him, a man who lived and walked by faith. Joshua was such a person and was also neither king, prophet, nor priest. Nehemiah did for Israel in his day what Joshua had done in his.

Notice next three things about Nehemiah.

Nehemiah had an attitude of faith. He had remarkable confidence in God. This never wavered. He wanted to see God's purposes fulfilled (1:1-4). He expressed his concern in his inquiry and sorrow. His prayer and sorrow show his confidence in God's power (1:5-2:4; 4:9). Furthermore he purposed to cooperate with God so God's will would happen. He expressed this commitment in his activity.

Nehemiah also acted in faith. We can see his faith in three activities.

1. He acted cautiously (5:7). He examined the wall secretly and silently. Then he divided the work so every man built near his own house. This guaranteed the personal interest and diligence of the workers.

2. He acted courageously (13:11, 17). He started by himself, single-handedly. Then he stuck with the work determinedly until he finished it.

3. He acted without compromise.

He did not compromise with the enemies outside the wall. They tried to get him to compromise by using contempt (4:3), then conspiracy (4:8), and then cunning (6:2).

He did not compromise with the Jews inside the wall either. He did not allow the nobles to continue charging their poorer brothers interest (5:5). He did not allow a priest to give lodging to the enemy (13:4-5). Furthermore he did not permit mixed marriages with non-Jews (13:23).

Finally, Nehemiah achieved by faith. The workers built the walls in only 52 days. Nehemiah settled the people in the city and its suburbs. He expounded and enforced the Law of God. He also provided a place where the people could wait for God's salvation.

Combining Nehemiah's times with his character we get the message of this book. Nehemiah proves that seemingly impossible things are possible through prayer and hard work when people determine to trust and obey God, and when they put His interests first.

Like Nehemiah we live in dark times (cf. Isa. 50:10). We too have to deal with indifferent multitudes. As in his day, there is widespread disloyalty to God's truth today. As then, there is lack of enthusiasm for God's plans and purposes now. Not many Christians want to devote their every waking moment to the task God has commanded us to do.

Like Nehemiah we need to walk by faith in these dark times (cf. Hab. 2:4). We need to be as sure of God as he was. We need to act with God and for God even though it means strenuous effort. We also need to decline all compromise with those outside and inside the church. We need to trust God, to do our day's work faithfully, and leave the future to Him. May we all follow this great man's example of faith. May we live one day at a time (Matt. 6:11).

Constable: Nehemiah (Outline)

Outline

I. The fortification of Jerusalem chs. 1-7

A. The return under Nehemiah chs. 1-2

1. The news concerning Jerusalem 1:1-3

2. The response of Nehemiah 1:4-11

3. The request of Nehemiah 2:1-8

4. The return to Jerusalem 2:9-20

B. The rebuilding of the walls 3:1-7:4

1. The workers and their work ch. 3

2. The opposition to the workers ch. 4

3. The strife among the workers ch. 5

4. The attacks against Nehemiah 6:1-14

5. The completion of the work 6:15-7:4

C. The record of those who returned 7:5-72

II. The restoration of the Jews chs. 8-13

A. The renewal of the Mosaic Covenant chs. 8-10

1. The gathering of the people ch. 8

2. The prayer of the people ch. 9

3. The renewed commitment of the people ch. 10

B. The residents of the land 11:1-12:26

1. The residents of Jerusalem 11:1-24

2. The residents of the outlying towns 11:25-36

3. The priests and Levites 12:1-26

C. The dedication of the wall 12:27-47

1. Preparations for the dedication 12:27-30

2. The dedication ceremonies 12:31-47

D. The reforms instituted by Nehemiah ch. 13

1. The exclusion of foreigners 13:1-3

2. The expulsion of Tobiah 13:4-9

3. The revival of tithing 13:10-14

4. The observance of the Sabbath 13:15-22

5. The rebuke of mixed marriages 13:23-29

6. The summary of Nehemiah's reforms 13:30-31

Constable: Nehemiah

Nehemiah

Bibliography

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Copyright 2003 by Thomas L. Constable

Haydock: Nehemiah (Book Introduction)

THE BOOK OF NEHEMIAS;

commonly called THE SECOND BOOK OF ESDRAS.

INTRODUCTION.

This Book takes its name from the writer, who was cup-bearer to Artaxerxes, (surnamed Longimanus ) king of Persia, and was sent by him with a commission to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. It is also called the Second Book of Esdras, because it is a continuation of the history begun by Esdras, of the state of the people of God after their return from captivity. (Challoner) --- Genebrard believes that the latter wrote the work. But how long must he thus have lived? and how come the lists to vary so much? (Calmet) --- We may allow that these variations are owing to the mistakes of transcribers, (1 Esdras ii. 1.) for the writer of both works was certainly inspired. Esdras lived a long time along with Nehemias; (chap. xii. 35.) and he may have left memorials, as well as the latter, from which the present work seems to be compiled. (Haydock) --- Some additions have been made since the days of Nehemias, articularly chap. xii. to ver. 26, or at least (Calmet) the five last of these verses. (Capel.) (Chronicles) --- The passage cited from the commentaries of Nehemias, (2 Machabees ii. 13.) is not to be found here; which shews that we have not his entire work, but only an abridgment, in which the author has adopted his words, with some few alterations. The fifth chapter seems to be out of its place, and also the dedication of the walls, chap. xii. 27. Nehemias was a person in great favour at the court of Persia; and of high birth, probably of the royal family, (Eusebius; Isidore; Genebrard in Chron.) as most of the ancients believe that all who governed, till the time of the Asmoneans, were of the tribe of Juda. Hence he styles Hanani his brother, (chap. i. 2.) and declines entering into the temple, chap. vi. 11. His name never occurs among the priests; and though we read [in] 2 Machabees i. 18, 21, jussit sacerdos Nehemias, (Tirinus) the Greek has, "Nehemias order the priests;" Greek: iereis: (Calmet; Huet; Du Hamel) and the title of priest sometimes is given to laymen at the head of affairs. (Haydock) --- In this character Nehemias appeared, by order of Artaxerxes: and notwithstanding the obstructions of the enemies of Juda, rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem, and returned after twelve years to court, making a second visit to his own country, a little before the death of the king, whom he probably survived only one year, dying the year of the world 3580, about thirty years after he had been appointed governor. (Calmet) --- In the two first chapters, we behold his solicitude for the welfare of his country, in the ten following his success, and in the last what abuses he corrected. (Worthington) --- He renewed the covenant with God, (chap. ix., and x.) sent for the sacred fire, and established a library at Jerusalem, 2 Machabees i. 19, 34., and ii. 13. (Haydock)

Gill: Nehemiah (Book Introduction)

INTRODUCTION TO NEHEMIAH

This book is, by the authors of the Vulgate Latin and Arabic versions, called the "Second" Book of Ezra, it being a continuation of the same history, and was by the Jews reckoned as one book with Ezra; Kimchi on Isa 9:7, calls it Ezra, so the Talmud ^a; and it has been quoted by Christian writers under his name; see the argument of the book of Ezra; but not as if it was written by him; for it is a clear case it was written by Nehemiah, whose name it bears, as appears from Neh 1:1 and throughout Nehemiah speaks of himself under the first person; and the style also is very different from that of Ezra, being plainer and easier than his. It has always had a place in the canon of Scriptures, both with Jews and Christians; and is of use to show the fulfilment of the prophecy of Zechariah, and especially of Daniel concerning the building of the wall of Jerusalem in troublesome times; to carry on the history of the Jews, and describe the state of the church in those times, what opposition was made to it, and what enemies it had, and what must be expected when any work of God is set about; it is the last of the historical books that was written, as is thought, and contains an history of the space of about twelve years, from the twentieth of Artaxerxes to the thirty second of his reign, see Neh 1:1.

Gill: Nehemiah 1 (Chapter Introduction)

INTRODUCTION TO NEHEMIAH 1

This chapter relates how that Nehemiah, being at Shushan in Persia, and meeting with some Jews, inquired of the state of Jerusalem, of which having a melancholy account, he betook to mourning, fasting, and prayer, Neh 1:1, and his prayer is recorded, Neh 1:5.