Nehemiah 2

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

NKJV	NRSV	TEV	NJB
Nehemiah Sent to Judah	Nehemiah's Mission	Nehemiah Goes to Jerusalem	Nehemiah's Call: His Mission to Judah (1:1-2:10)
2:1-8	2:1-8	2:1-2a	2:1-6
		2:2b-3
		2:4a
		2:4b-5
		2:6
		2:7-8	2:7-8
2:9-10	2:9-10	2:9-10	2:9
			2:10
Nehemiah Views the Wall of Jerusalem			The Decision to Rebuild the Walls of Jerusalem
2:11-16	2:11-16	2:11-15	2:11-16
		2:16-18a
2:17-20	2:17-20		2:17-28
		2:18b
		2:19	2:19-20
		2:20

READING CYCLE THREE (from "A Guide to Good Bible Reading")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT THE PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects. Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired but it is the key to following the original author's intent which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.

1. First paragraph

2. Second paragraph

3. Third paragraph

4. Etc.

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 2:1-8
^1:11bNow I was the cupbearer to the king. ^2:1And it came about in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, that wine was before him, and I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. ²So the king said to me, "Why is your face sad though you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of heart." Then I was very much afraid. ³I said to the king, "Let the king live forever. Why should my face not be sad when the city, the place of my fathers' tombs, lies desolate and its gates have been consumed by fire?" ⁴Then the king said to me, "What would you request?" So I prayed to the God of heaven. ⁵I said to the king, "If it please the king, and if your servant has found favor before you, send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' tombs, that I may rebuild it." ⁶Then the king said to me, the queen sitting beside him, "How long will your journey be, and when will you return?" So it pleased the king to send me, and I gave him a definite time. ⁷And I said to the king, "If it please the king, let letters be given me for the governors of the provinces beyond the River, that they may allow me to pass through until I come to Judah, ⁸and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress which is by the temple, for the wall of the city and for the house to which I will go." And the king granted them to me because the good hand of my God was on me.

2:1 "Nisan" This would have been March - April (cf. Special Topic at Ezra 3:1), three months after Hanani's news. It shows the length of Nehemiah's prayer and fasting.

▣ "in the twentieth year" There were two calendars in use by the Jews in this Persian period, which started at different times of the year (Nisan and Tishri). This causes the dates possibly to be off one year.

▣ "wine" The Persian kings were known for their drinking parties, yet because of v. 6, "the Queen" being included, this may have been a private meal. See Special Topic at Ezra 7:17.

▣ "I had not been sad in his presence" It was a dangerous thing to show personal emotion in the king's presence (cf. v. 2c; Esther 4:2). Possibly Nehemiah planned this encounter!

Notice the parallel between the cupbearer of Pharaoh (cf. Gen. 40:7) and Nehemiah.

2:2 "I was very much afraid" It was inappropriate to bring up personal matters to the King (cf. Esth. 4:2). Also, this same King had ruled against rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem earlier (cf. Ezra 4:23). This shows Nehemiah's faith and fear.

2:3 "Let the king live forever" This VERB (BDB 310, KB 309) is a Qal IMPERFECT used in a JUSSIVE sense. This was a common hyperbole of respect and best wishes in addressing Near Eastern monarchs (cf. I Kgs. 1:31; Dan. 2:4; 3:9; 5:10; 6:6,21). See Special Topic: 'Olam at Ezra 3:11.

▣ "father's tombs" Notice that he never says "Jerusalem." The Persian Kings also buried their fathers.

▣ "its gates have been consumed by fire" The Jews had always been supportive of the Persian kings who allowed them to return to Judah. Possibly the Persian Empire needed some military outposts in this region as a buffer against Egypt, which at this time was currently in revolt.

The VERB (BDB 37, KB 46, Pual PERFECT) could refer to the destruction by Nebuchadnezzar's army in 586 b.c. (cf. II Kgs. 25:10) or to a more recent destruction of the Jews' attempt to rebuild the walls (cf. Ezra 4:7-24).

2:4 "So I prayed" This instant prayer for wisdom and a favorable hearing from Artaxerxes I is quite a contrast to the three month fasting prayer of 1:4-2:1. Both have their appropriate place.

2:5 Nehemiah is asking for both a personal favor (i.e., send me back to my God's city to rebuild it. Qal IMPERFECT used in a COHORTATIVE sense) and a political need (i.e., a walled city with a faithful population in an area of the empire currently in revolt, i.e., Egypt).

2:6 "the Queen" Ctesias (a Greek who lived at the Persian court) tells us that Artaxerxes I had one Queen, whose name was Damaspia (and three concubines).

The rare term "Queen" (BDB 993) is only used here and in Ps. 45:9. The Septuagint translates it as "concubine," but it has the DEFINITE ARTICLE and even the Septuagint translates it "Queen" in Ps. 45:9.

▣ "'How long will your journey be'"The exact time envisioned by Nehemiah is not stated, but it probably was a short time. As it turned out, from 5:14 and 13:16, he stayed for 12 years. I am sure he returned from time to time to the Persian court.

2:7 "let letters be given me for the governors" This VERB (BDB 678, KB 733) is a Qal IMPERFECT used in a JUSSIVE sense. Nehemiah wanted documented authority in light of the opposition of the surrounding regions (i.e., Ammon, Samaria, cf. Ezra 4).

2:8 "the king's forest" Many assume that this refers to the cedars of Lebanon, but this would have been very expensive lumber for wall and gate timber. It seems to refer to a local royal forest because (1) a Jew is in charge of it (Asaph) and (2) the term used to refer to it is a Persian term for "royal garden," possibly one of Solomon's (at Etham, cf. II Kgs. 25:4).

▣ "the fortress which is by the temple" This same fortress within the city is mentioned in 7:2. The Jebusites also had a citadel within the walls, which Josephus calls "Baris" (Antiq. 15.11.4). In the NT it was a fortress like this next to the temple in which Roman soldiers were garrisoned year round (Fortress Antonio, cf. Acts 21:37; 2:24).

▣ "because the good hand of my God was on me" Nehemiah knew the ultimate source was the God of Israel. Nehemiah's God is the one to be praised (cf. v. 18; Ezra 1:1; 6:14,22; 7:27-28; 9:9). God uses human instrumentality, both Jews and non-Jews, believers and unbelievers, to accomplish His redemptive purposes for all mankind (cf. Gen. 12:3; Exod. 19:5-6).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 2:9-10
⁹Then I came to the governors of the provinces beyond the River and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent with me officers of the army and horsemen. ¹⁰When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about it, it was very displeasing to them that someone had come to seek the welfare of the sons of Israel.

2:9 "the king had sent with me officers of the army, and horsemen" Ezra did not ask for an official escort (cf. Ezra 8:22). Nehemiah used all the official clout he could muster. They were both spiritual men, but functioning in different roles (Ezra - political/spiritual leader and Nehemiah - political/administrative leader).

2:10 "Sanballat" This Babylonian name (BDB 702, "May Sin [moon goddess] give life," cf. 2:10,19; 3:33; 4:1; 6:1,2,5,12,14; 13:28). He was governor of the province of Samaria. We know of him both from the Elephantine papyri and the Samaritan papyri. His children had YHWHistic names. The returning Jews rebuffed his offer of help (cf. Ezra 4:3), which infuriated him.

▣ "the Horonite" This means that he was from one of the two Canaanite cities called Beth-horon; both were located in the old tribal allocation of Ephraim (cf. Josh. 10:10-14).

▣ "Tobiah" His name means, "YHWH is my good" (BDB 375). He was an Ammonite enemy of Nehemiah and all returning Jews (cf. 2:10,19; 3:35; 4:1; 6:1,12,14,17,19; 13:4,7,8).

▣ "official" This is literally "slave," "servant" (BDB 713). This term became a title of honor and access to the court. It is interesting that who he served is not stated, so he was not a servant of Sanballat, but a person of leadership himself.

It is just possible that he was governor of Ammon as Nehemiah was governor of Judah, both under the satrap of "the Province Beyond the River." His name occurs in some later lists of leaders of Ammon. If this is so, then these three enemies denoted that the leaders of the regions surrounding Judah were all hostile.

▣ "it was very displeasing to them" This is the same term (BDB 949) that was used in v. 3 to describe Nehemiah (cf. 13:8, where Nehemiah throws Tobiah's personal belongings out of a room in the temple). For other uses in the same sense see Gen. 48:17; I Sam 8:6; 18:8; Isa. 59:15; Jonah 4:1).

Sanballat and Tobiah were still angry (BDB 949, KB 1269, Qal IMPERFECT) at their rejection of helping rebuild the temple (cf. Ezra 4:3).

▣ "the sons of Israel" In this idiom the term Israel (BDB 975, KB 442) refers to Jacob's new name after he wrestled with the angel (cf. Gen. 32:28). It can mean

1. El persisteth

2. El perseveres

3. El contendeth

All of the tribes of Israel came from his sons (cf. Gen. 49:3-27; Exod. 1:2-4, Joseph's two children, Ephraim and Manessah, both became tribes, cf. Gen. 48:8-22).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 2:11-16
¹¹So I came to Jerusalem and was there three days. ¹²And I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. I did not tell anyone what my God was putting into my mind to do for Jerusalem and there was no animal with me except the animal on which I was riding. ¹³So I went out at night by the Valley Gate in the direction of the Dragon's Well and on to the Refuse Gate, inspecting the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down and its gates which were consumed by fire. ¹⁴Then I passed on to the Fountain Gate and the King's Pool, but there was no place for my mount to pass. ¹⁵So I went up at night by the ravine and inspected the wall. Then I entered the Valley Gate again and returned. ¹⁶The officials did not know where I had gone or what I had done; nor had I as yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials or the rest who did the work.

2:11 "three days" This was possibly a time of rest or prayer (cf. Ezra 8:15,32).

2:12 This relates Nehemiah's initial secret inspection of the walls (cf. v. 16).

▣ "what my God was putting into my mind to do" Nehemiah believed that YHWH was guiding his thoughts and actions. He was a man of prayer, but also a man of action.

2:13-15 The locations are uncertain. We know from archeology that Nehemiah's walled city was much smaller than David's.

▣ "inspecting" This VERB (BDB 960 I, KB 1304, Qal ACTIVE PARTICIPLE) is often used in the sense of hope (Peel), so here it may denote inspection with a view of restoration.

2:14 "but there was no place for my mount to pass" This was because of debris.

2:16 Notice the different groups mentioned. Normally Jews, priests, Levites, and temple servants made up the categories of people, but here

1. the Jews (general population of the returnees)

2. the priests

3. the nobles (tribal/clan leaders, cf. 4:14; 6:17; 13:17; I Kgs. 21:8)

4. the officials (probably governmental appointees)

5. the rest (workers, both slaves and returnees)

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 2:17-20
¹⁷Then I said to them, "You see the bad situation we are in, that Jerusalem is desolate and its gates burned by fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem so that we will no longer be a reproach." ¹⁸I told them how the hand of my God had been favorable to me and also about the king's words which he had spoken to me. Then they said, "Let us arise and build." So they put their hands to the good work. ¹⁹But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard it, they mocked us and despised us and said, "What is this thing you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?" ²⁰So I answered them and said to them, "The God of heaven will give us success; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you have no portion, right or memorial in Jerusalem."

2:17

NASB"the bad situation"
NKJV"the distress"
NRSV"the trouble"
TEV"what trouble"
NJB"what a sorry state"

This is the general term (BDB 948) for evil and its consequences, which is used so often in the OT. Evil had taken its toll on God's special city and temple and the consequences remained!

▣ "Come, let us rebuild" The first VERB (BDB 229, KB 246) is a Qal IMPERATIVE. The second (BDB 124, KB 139) is a Qal IMPERFECT used in a COHORTATIVE sense.

2:18 Nehemiah explained to the Jerusalem leadership how God had opened the heart of the Persian king to allow and support the rebuilding. This combination of God and king spurred them on to vigorous effort (i.e., "they strengthened their hands for good," BDB 304, Peel IMPERFECT).

2:19 Here is a list of the enemies of Nehemiah's rebuilding project.

1. Sanballat the Horonite

2. Tobiah the Ammonite

3. Geshem the Arab

▣ "they mocked us and despised us" The first VERB (BDB 541, KB 532, Hiphil IMPERFECT) is always used in a negative sense (e.g., 4:1; II Chr. 30:10; Job 21:3; Ps 22:7).

The second VERB (BDB 102, KB 117, Qal IMPERFECT) means "to regard with contempt" (cf. II Chr. 36:16; Esth. 3:6; Ps. 22:6,24; Isa. 53:5).

▣ "Geshem the Arab" We know of him from several extra-canonical references. He was a powerful Arab leader, possibly "King of Kedar." See full note in NIDOTTE, vol. 4, pp. 675-676.

▣ "are you rebelling against the King" This was an accusation of treason against Persia (cf. 6:6).

2:20 "The God of heaven will give us success" This is the same term (BDB 852 II, KB 1026, here a Hiphil IMPERFECT) used in 1:11 (Hiphil IMPERATIVE). NIDOTTE, vol. 3, p. 804, gives several usages:

1. success to those who know and obey God's law, Josh. 1:8; I Chr. 22:13; Ps. 1:3

2. success of God's word to accomplish its task, Isa. 55:11

3. success of the vicarious, substitutionary work of the Suffering Servant, Isa. 53:10

4. success of those who diligently seek God, II Chr. 26:5; Ps. 118:25

All of these reflect the truth of Neh. 2:20, all true success comes from God and is available for those who seek, know, and obey Him!

▣ This was a second painful rejection of the semi-YHWHistic pagans' help. The first being in Ezra 4:1-5 with the rebuilding of the temple and now with the rebuilding of the walls of the city.

▣ "no portion, right or memorial in Jerusalem" The first term "portion" (BDB 324) means "no share or interest in," implying no obligation (e.g., Gen. 31:14; II Sam. 20:1; II Chr. 10:16).

The second term "right" (BDB 842) is used in a rare judicial sense or a legal right to (cf. II Sam. 19:28; NIDOTTE, vol. 3, p. 749).

The third term "memorial" (BDB 272) means "proof of citizenship" (cf. Esth. 6:1). It can also mean "remembrance of so as to make one part of."

All three of these, taken together, imply that Nehemiah rejects any past claims they have, any current claim they might make. They have no part with the faithful remnant that returned!

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought provoking, not definitive.

1. List the six past-exilic books of the Old Testament.

2. Why is Nehemiah so upset in verse 4?

3. List the elements of Nehemiah's prayer.

4. What other biblical book does Nehemiah draw so heavily from?

Nehemiah 3

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

NKJV	NRSV	TEV	NJB
Rebuilding the Wall	Work on the Wall	Rebuilding the Wall of Jerusalem	How the Walls were Rebuilt
3:1-5	3:1-2	3:1	3:1-8
		3:2a
		3:2b
	3:3-5	3:3
		3:4a
		3:4b
		3:4c
		3:5
3:6-13	3:6-12	3:6
		3:7
		3:8a
		3:8b
		3:9	3:9-14
		3:10a
		3:10b
		3:11
	3:13	3:13
3:14-27	3:14	3:14
	3:15-27	3:15	3:15-19
		3:16
		Levites Who Worked on the Wall
		3:17a
		3:17b
		3:17c
		3:18
		3:19
		3:20	3:20-27
		3:21
		Priests Who Worked on the Wall
		3:22a
		3:22b
		3:23a
		3:23b
		3:24
		3:25a
		3:25b-26
		Other Builders
		3:27
3:28-32	3:28-32	3:28	3:28-32
		3:29
		3:30a
		3:30b
		3:31
		3:32

READING CYCLE THREE (from "A Guide to Good Bible Reading")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT THE PARAGRAPH LEVEL

1. First paragraph

2. Second paragraph

3. Third paragraph

4. Etc.

BACKGROUND

A. Chapter 3 deals with forty specific segments of the walls of Jerusalem moving in a counterclockwise movement from the Sheep Gate in the northeast corner, close to the pool of Bethesda (cf. John 5:2). A good brief discussion is found in the Tyndale Commentary, pp. 84-90. Most of the specific locations are still best guesses.

B. We know from Kathleen Kenyon's archaeological work on Jerusalem that this wall was about 2,600 meters if the north wall is not included, and 4,150 meters if it is included. Most of the wall was simply a repair job, while a new Eastern wall was built running along the top of the ridge. This new wall was built in rapid fashion, but was nine feet thick.

C. Nehemiah secured the help of different groups of society (i.e., businessmen, priests, surrounding cities) to work on the wall which fit their own interests.

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 3:1-2
¹Then Eliashib the high priest arose with his brothers the priests and built the Sheep Gate; they consecrated it and hung its doors. They consecrated the wall to the Tower of the Hundred and the Tower of Hananel. ²Next to him the men of Jericho built, and next to them Zaccur the son of Imri built.

3:1 "Eliashib the high priest" This is the grandson of Jeshua (cf. Ezra 2:2), who was the high priest under Zerubbabel. This shows that the priests and Levites were actively involved in the rebuilding of the wall, especially that portion close to the temple.

▣ "built" This Hebrew term (BDB 124) can mean build or rebuild or even repair. It is probable that this was a symbolic act by the priestly leaders to show their personal and energetic support for the building project.

▣ "the Sheep Gate" The Sheep Gate seems to be connected with the sacrificial cultus (cf. John 5:2). It was probably the gate closest to where the sacrificial sheep were brought into the temple from Bethlehem.

▣ "they consecrated it" The VERB (BDB 872, 1073) is a Peel PERFECT. This was a separate consecration of this specific section of the wall done by the priests and Levites, and it is not connected to the general consecration of the whole wall found later in the book of Nehemiah (cf. 12:27-43).

The word "consecration" occurs twice in this verse, but for stylistic (parallel structure) reasons.

▣ "the Tower of the Hundred and the Tower of Hananel" These may be connected with the fortifications of the north wall closest to the temple. The Tower of the Hundred probably refers to an elite military unit connected to this fortification. The Tower of Hananel is mentioned in a prophecy of restoration in Jer. 31:38.

3:2 "the men of Jericho" There are several groups listed from different cities in Judah. These different groups seem to work on the section of the wall and gate closest to their home city. It is somewhat surprising that the cities of chapter 3 differ from the ones mentioned in 11:25-36. There is no easy explanation for this. We learn from Ezra 2:34 that Jericho was included in the province of Judah during this time.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 3:3-5
³Now the sons of Hassenaah built the Fish Gate; they laid its beams and hung its doors with its bolts and bars. ⁴Next to them Meremoth the son of Uriah the son of Hakkoz made repairs. And next to him Meshullam the son of Berechiah the son of Meshezabel made repairs. And next to him Zadok the son of Baana also made repairs. ⁵Moreover, next to him the Tekoites made repairs, but their nobles did not support the work of their masters.

3:3 "sons of Hassenaah" Often places take on the names of the people who live there. This Hebrew term is the name of a returning family in Ezra 2:35, but here it has the ARTICLE, which implies a place, possibly a village.

▣ "the Fish Gate" This may be another gate on the north wall that connected to a road that led to the Seaof Galilee and/or the city of Tyre (cf. 13:16) because this was the source of most of the fish for Jerusalem.

▣ "laid its beams" This might be a Hebrew idiom for finishing the roof (cf. Gen. 19:8; I Kgs. 6:15; II Kgs. 6:5; II Chr. 3:7). The NJB has "they made the framework."

3:4 "Meremoth" This man and his father are both mentioned in Ezra 8:33, which shows a definite historical link between Ezra and Nehemiah. He is also mentioned as helping repair a section of the wall in v. 21.

▣ "made repairs" This recurrent term (BDB 304, KB 302, Hiphil PERFECT) is used 34 times in vv. 4-32. It strongly implies repairing the old wall as well as constructing the new, shorter wall.

3:5 "the Tekoites" It is surprising that these people are not mentioned in Ezra 2 or Nehemiah 7. Tekoa is about eleven miles south of Jerusalem. Men of this city are mentioned again in v. 27.

▣ "their nobles did not support the work of their masters" This shows us that the support for the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem was not unanimous. These "nobles" (BDB 12 [this is a different word from 2:16]) seem to refer to the rich and landed aristocracy of the city of Tekoa (cf. 10:29). They acted exactly opposite of the High Priest in v. 1.

The "their masters" (BDB 10, adon, "Lords") is unusual. It seems to refer to Nehemiah (i.e., a PLURAL of MAJESTY) or the project foremen of the area (cf. vv. 9,12,16,17,18,19) who were involved in God's work. Option one seems best in this context.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 3:6-12
⁶ Joiada the son of Paseah and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah repaired the Old Gate; they laid its beams and hung its doors with its bolts and its bars. ⁷Next to them Melatiah the Gibeonite and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon and of Mizpah, also made repairs for the official seat of the governor of the province beyond the River. ⁸Next to him Uzziel the son of Harhaiah of the goldsmiths made repairs. And next to him Hananiah, one of the perfumers, made repairs, and they restored Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall. ⁹Next to them Rephaiah the son of Hur, the official of half the district of Jerusalem, made repairs. ¹⁰Next to them Jedaiah the son of Harumaph made repairs opposite his house. And next to him Hattush the son of Hashabneiah made repairs. ¹¹Malchijah the son of Harim and Hasshub the son of Pahath-moab repaired another section and the Tower of Furnaces. ¹²Next to him Shallum the son of Hallohesh, the official of half the district of Jerusalem, made repairs, he and his daughters.

3:6 "the Old Gate" The Jerusalem Bible calls this "the Gate of New Quarter" (corruption of Mishneh, cf. Zeph. 1:10), while some translations simply use the Hebrew term Jeshanah, which is a village north of Jerusalem (cf. II Chr. 13:19). It was possibly on the northwest corner of the newly enclosed city. The root can also mean "old") (BDB 445). The Old Gate or Jeshanah Gate is synonymous with the Ephraim Gate of 12:39.

3:7 "the men of Gibeon and Mizpah" These cities were about 4 or 5 miles north of Jerusalem.

NASB"repairs for the official seat of the governor"
NKJV"repaired the residence of the governor"
NRSV"who were under the jurisdiction of the governor"
TEV"built the next section, as far as the residence of the governor"
NJB"repairs for the sake of the governor"

Literally this is "to the throne of the governor." Since the context is about the wall, this must refer to the wall which was connected to the satrap's official residence in Jerusalem.

If you take "throne" in the sense of power (NASB 1970 marginal note) then the phrase becomes metaphorical for authority (NET, "jurisdiction"). Why the men in cities just four or five miles away were under another governor's authority is unexplainable unless the boundaries of Judah were close.

▣ "the province beyond the River" This was the official Persian title for the land of Syria and Palestine. The river referred to the Euphrates.

3:8 "the goldsmiths. . .the perfumers" This chapter is divided between those of (1) certain professions, (2) certain cities, and (3) certain families who rebuilt certain sections of the wall. This also shows the presence of commercial guilds at this period in the life of the Jewish nation.

NASB"restored"
NKJV, NRSV"made repairs"
TEV"built"
NJB"renovated"

The BDB 738 II and KB 807 relate this term to the root for "repair" or "restore" from a Ugaritic root. The question remains, "Did the workers build a new wall or repair a damaged one?" The answer is they did both. Part of the old wall was repaired, but another part took a new and shorter route down a commercial street.

The Septuagint understands this term as being from the Hebrew root "to abandon" (BDB 736), therefore, denotes a change in the location of the new wall.

▣ "the Broad Wall" This refers to the wall on the west side (cf. 12:38). This same ter (BDB 932) describes the thick wall of the city of Babylon in Jer. 51:58.

3:9

NASB"the official of half the district of Jerusalem"
NKJV"leader of half the district of Jerusalem"
NRSV"rule of half the district of Jerusalem"
TEV"rule of half of the Jerusalem district"
NJB"who was head of one half of the district of Jerusalem"

The term "official" (BDB 978) is the Hebrew rosh, which means "chief," "head," "official," "captain," "prince." Apparently this was the foreman for a work crew (cf. "made repairs," vv. 9,12). Persian documents reveal that they used several layers of administrative officials (cf. Vv. 12,16,17,18,19).

The term "district" (BDB 813) means "circle" or "circuit." The Rotherhams' Emphasized Bible has "ruler of a half-circuit." This could refer to an area of land around Jerusalem. The term in Assyrian means "a district" and this is how it is consistently used in the OT. Each section of the project was further divided into two work crews with its own foreman.

3:10 "made repairs opposite his house" This is another example that Nehemiah assigned sections of the wall to those who had some personal interest in its repair.

3:11 "Malchijah the son of Harim" The name means "My king is YHWH" (BDB 575). There are several people by this name in the OT. However, it is probable that the same son and father mentioned in Ezra 10:31 is the same person as mentioned here (cf. Maremoth son of Uriah, Ezra 8:33; Neh. 3:4).

▣ "the Tower of Furnaces" This is another example of certain professions (i.e., perfumers, bakers) locating in the same area (i.e., "baker's street," cf. Jer. 37:21). Apparently the relocated wall ran down a commercial street. Those doing business on that street helped build the wall close to their business.

▣ "another section" This shows the partial nature of this listing of repairs because the first section is never mentioned. This same unusual construction is seen in v. 11,19-21,24, and 30.

3:12 "Hallohesh" The term or name (BDB 538) occurs only here and means "whisperer." Some commentators see this as a reference to a family of diviners (cf. Ps. 58:5 and The Expositor's Bible Commentary, vol. 4, pp. 696-697), but this seems impossible at a time of such fervor for the Law of God. The same term is used of "whispering" in prayer in Isa. 26:16.

▣ "he and his daughters" It is unusual in this culture that this man's daughters would help him in manual labor. It is so unusual that it is specifically stated!

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 3:13
¹³Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah repaired the Valley Gate. They built it and hung its doors with its bolts and its bars, and a thousand cubits of the wall to the Refuse Gate.

3:13 "Zanoah" This village was located nine miles west of Jerusalem.

▣ "the Valley Gate" This is the gate by which Nehemiah started his nightly inspection of the southern walls (west then east, cf. 2:13).

▣ "a thousand cubits" A cubit is the distance from a man's longest finger to his elbow. It ranged from eighteen to twenty inches. This seems to be too long of a section for the men from small towns to repair, so apparently this is only a measurement between the Valley Gate (middle of the western wall leading to the Valley of Hinnom) and the Refuse Gate (southern tip of the wall).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 3:14
¹⁴Malchijah the son of Rechab, the official of the district of Beth-haccherem repaired the Refuse Gate. He built it and hung its doors with its bolts and its bars.

3:14 "the district of Beth-haccherem" This was a village close to Tekoa. The name itself (BDB 11) means "house of vineyard." It is also mentioned in Jer. 6:1, where it is a height to watch for fires about six miles south of Jerusalem. Some commentators think it was the residence of the Persian governor (NIV Study Bible footnote, p. 698).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 3:15
¹⁵Shallum the son of Col-hozeh, the official of the district of Mizpah, repaired the Fountain Gate. He built it, covered it and hung its doors with its bolts and its bars, and the wall of the Pool of Shelah at the king's garden as far as the steps that descend from the city of David.

3:15 "mizpah" The name (BDB 859) means "watchtower" and is used of several sites in Palestine. This is possibly the one in the tribal allocation of Judah (cf. Josh. 15:38) or the one in Benjamin (cf. Josh. 18:26). The one in Benjamin is the one mentioned most in the OT (location is uncertain, but probably the height five miles north of Jerusalem.

▣ "covered it" Apparently the gates had some type of roof. In vv. 3 and 6 "beams" refers to roof beams.

▣ "the Pool of Shelah at the King's Garden" Many believe this to be the Pool of Siloam, which was in the most southern end of the walled city. Its water came from a water channel cut through rock from the Gihom spring outside the walls during Hezekiah's reign (701 b.c.).

▣ "the steps that descend from the city of David" David captured the heights of Jebus (later Jerusalem) and made it his city. It encompassed several hills. The walls were placed on the sides of the hills, part way from the bottom. Later as the city grew a suburb to the north developed outside the wall.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 3:16-27
¹⁶After him Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, official of half the district of Beth-zur, made repairs as far as a point opposite the tombs of David, and as far as the artificial pool and the house of the mighty men. ¹⁷After him the Levites carried out repairs under Rehum the son of Bani. Next to him Hashabiah, the official of half the district of Keilah, carried out repairs for his district. ¹⁸After him their brothers carried out repairs under Bavvai the son of Henadad, official of the other half of the district of Keilah. ¹⁹Next to him Ezer the son of Jeshua, the official of Mizpah, repaired another section in front of the ascent of the armory at the Angle. ²⁰After him Baruch the son of Zabbai zealously repaired another section, from the Angle to the doorway of the house of Eliashib the high priest. ²¹After him Meremoth the son of Uriah the son of Hakkoz repaired another section, from the doorway of Eliashib's house even as far as the end of his house. ²²After him the priests, the men of the valley, carried out repairs. ²³After them Benjamin and Hasshub carried out repairs in front of their house. After them Azariah the son of Maaseiah, son of Ananiah, carried out repairs beside his house. ²⁴After him Binnui the son of Henadad repaired another section, from the house of Azariah as far as the Angle and as far as the corner. ²⁵Palal the son of Uzai made repairs in front of the Angle and the tower projecting from the upper house of the king, which is by the court of the guard. After him Pedaiah the son of Parosh made repairs. ²⁶The temple servants living in Ophel made repairs as far as the front of the Water Gate toward the east and the projecting tower. ²⁷After them the Tekoites repaired another section in front of the great projecting tower and as far as the wall of Ophel.

3:16 "Beth-zur" This (BDB 112 & 813) means the "house of rock," and it was located fifteen miles south of Jerusalem.

▣ "a point opposite the tombs of David, and as far as the Artificial Pool, and the House of the Mighty Men" Since "the tombs of David" is plural, it must refer to his family's burial tomb(s). The modern location on Mt. Zion is not original. The location of "the house of the mighty men" is uncertain. This may refer to quarters of an elite group of men of David's army (cf. II Sam. 23:8-39; I Chr. 11:10), also known as the royal body guard (cf. I Kgs. 1:8,10; I Chr. 29:24).

The "Artificial Pool" was created by Hezekiah (cf. II Kgs. 20:20; Neh. 2:14). It served as a source of water under the city's wall in case of siege.

3:17 "the Levites" The construction and repair referred to is on the southern part of the new city wall. Why Levites would be involved this far from the temple area is uncertain. It probably was the area of their homes (cf. vv. 20-22).

▣ "Keilah" This was a village eighteen miles south/southwest of Jerusalem in the Philistine coastal plain (cf. Josh. 15:44).

3:18 "Bavvai the son of Henadad" This is not a Hebrew name. It may be a copyist's corruption of "Binnui, son of Henadad" of v. 24 and the Peshitta.

3:19,24 "at the Angle" This turn in the walls of Jerusalem is also mentioned in vv. 24, 25, and II Chr. 26:9. It was close to the palace (cf. V. 25; IDB, vol. 1, p. 137). Apparently it ran from Gihon spring to the armory (ZPBE, vol. 1, p. 168). The wall was straight so the term must refer to something on the inside like the corner of a building or open court.

3:20 Zabbai" This is how the MT writes this name, but the note says, read as Zakkai, which is followed by the Peshitta, the Vulgate, and a few Hebrew manuscripts.

▣ "zealously repaired" The term translated "zealously" (from the root "to burn") is unusual because it occurs only here in this list. Was he the only "zealous" worker? The PRONOUN "him" and the ADJECTIVE are spelled almost exactly alike. The BDB (354 thinks it is a copyist's error [dittography]). This ADJECTIVE is missing in the Septuagint.

▣ "to the doorway of the house of Eliashib the high priest" This begins a series of new geographical locations which are connected with personal houses. Many assume that at this point the wall began its new direction along the eastern ridge.

3:22

NASB"the priests, the men of the valley"
NKJV, Peshitta"the priests, the men of the plain"
NRSV"the priests, the men of the surrounding area"
TEV"priests from the area around Jerusalem"
NJB"the priests who lived in the district"
LXX"the priests, the men of Ecchechar"

The memories of the siege of Jerusalem had been passed down through the families who survived. No one wanted to live in the rebuilt city (cf. 11:1-2). These priests who repaired this section lived in the surrounding area.

The term "valley" is literally "the circle" (BDB 503), but here is used in a specialized sense of "a plain" or lowland.

3:25 "the court of the guard" If this is the same location mentioned in Jer. 32:2 it was associated with the palace.

3:26 "the temple servants" See note at Ezra 2:43.

▣ "Ophel" this term (BDB 779 I) refers to a filled area on the east between Mt. Zion and Mt. Moriah (cf. II Chr. 27:3; 33:14; Isa. 32:14; Micah 4:8).

▣ "Water Gate" The gate on the eastern wall, where the people met to hear Ezra read the law of God (cf. 8:1-8).

3:27 "the Tekoites" See note at 3:5.

▣ "the great projecting tower" Apparently, there were two towers by the Water Gate, one noticeably larger.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 3:28-32
²⁸Above the Horse Gate the priests carried out repairs, each in front of his house. ²⁹After them Zadok the son of Immer carried out repairs in front of his house. And after him Shemaiah the son of Shecaniah, the keeper of the East Gate, carried out repairs. ³⁰After him Hananiah the son of Shelemiah, and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph, repaired another section. After him Meshullam the son of Berechiah carried out repairs in front of his own quarters. ³¹After him Malchijah, one of the goldsmiths, carried out repairs as far as the house of the temple servants and of the merchants, in front of the Inspection Gate and as far as the upper room of the corner. ³²Between the upper room of the corner and the Sheep Gate the goldsmiths and the merchants carried out repairs.

3:28 "the Horse Gate" There has been some confusion over this gate because the name seems to refer both to an inner gate (cf. II Kgs. 11:16; II Chr. 23:15), and a walled gate (cf. Jer. 31:40). It was on the east wall close to the temple, next to the East Gate.

3:29 "the keeper of" There were several divisions of gatekeepers. See note at Ezra 2:42.

▣ "the East Gate" This is the temple gate mentioned in Ezek. 10:19; 11:1; 40:6, 10. It is the entrance for the coming Messiah. The modern wall of Jerusalem is not original, but was built by the Muslims in the a.d. period. Many Jewish archaeologists tell us that the currently walled up Eastern gate is not exactly the location of the ancient Eastern gate.

3:31

NASB"the Inspection Gate"
NKJV, REV,
NJB, LXX"the Miphkad Gate"
NRSV"the Muster Gate"

The term (BDB 874) means "place of muster" (cf. II Sam. 24:9; I Chr. 21:5), "place of appointment" (cf. II Chr. 31:13), or "guard-house" (cf. Jer. 52:11). It was on the eastern wall, just north of the East Gate.

▣ "the upper room of the corner" this refers to the northern most point of the eastern wall, where the wall bent. The next gate on the northern wall was the Sheep Gate (cf. 3:1).

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought provoking, not definitive.

1. Why is it so hard to identify these different locations in the city of Jerusalem?

2. Why are the cities mentioned in chapter 3 different from those in chapter 10?

Nehemiah 4

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

NKJV	NRSV	TEV	NJB
The Wall Defended Against Enemies	Troubles For Builders (4:1-7:5)	Nehemiah Overcomes Opposition to His Work	The Effects of the Jews' Opponents
			3:33-37 (follows MT versing)
4:1-3	4:1-5	4:1-2
		4:3
4:4-5		4:4-5
4:6-9	4:6	4:6	3:38
	4:7-9	4:7-9	4:1-2
4:10-12	4:10-14	4:10	4:3-5
		4:11-13
4:13-14			4:6-9
		4:14-15
4:15-18	4:15-20
		4:16-21	4:10-17
4:19-20
4:21-23	4:21-5:5
		4:22-23

READING CYCLE THREE (from "A Guide to Good Bible Reading")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT THE PARAGRAPH LEVEL

1. First paragraph

2. Second paragraph

3. Third paragraph

4. Etc.

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 4:1-3
¹Now it came about that when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became furious and very angry and mocked the Jews. ²He spoke in the presence of his brothers and the wealthy men of Samaria and said, "What are these feeble Jews doing? Are they going to restore it for themselves? Can they offer sacrifices? Can they finish in a day? Can they revive the stones from the dusty rubble even the burned ones?" ³Now Tobiah the Ammonite was near him and he said, "Even what they are building—if a fox should jump on it, he would break their stone wall down!"

4:1 The Masoretic Text continues in vv. 33-35 of chapter 3, while most modern English translation begin 4:1-3 here.

▣ "Sanballat" See note at 2:10.

▣ "he became furious" This VERB (BDB 354, KB 351, Qal IMPERFECT), originally an Aramaic VERB, means "to burn." It came to be used metaphorically of rage. This same root is translated "zealous" (used in a positive sense) in 3:20.

▣ "very angry" This VERB (BDB 494, KB 491) is another Qal IMPERFECT intensified with a Hiphil INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE (BDB 915 I, KB 1176). Both the TEV and the NJB combine these descriptions of Sanballat into one.

▣ "mocked" This VERB (BDB 541, KB 532 Hiphil IMPERFECT) was also used of Sanballat in 2:19.

▣ "the Jews" This term (BDB 397) originally referred to the tribe of Judah and its territorial allocation (cf. Josh. 15) and thereby those who were descendants from Judah, son of Jacob. After the breakup of the United Monarchy (Saul, David, and Solomon) in 922 b.c., it became the designation for the southern kingdom.

Lastly it became a way of referring to all the descendants of the Patriarchs who worship YHWH, especially in Jeremiah (seventh century), Nehemiah, and Esther (post-exilic).

It also became a way of referring to Hebrews (cf. II Kgs. 18:26,28; II Chr. 32:18; Isa. 36:11,13; Neh. 13:24).

4:2

NASB"the wealthy men of Samaria"
NKJV, NRSV"the army of Samaria"
TEV"the Samaritan troops"
NJB"the aristocracy of Samaria"

The Hebrew root (BDB 298) can be understood in two ways:

1. from the phrase "to be strong," referring to fortifications or military soldiers (#4)

2. from the phrase "to be strong," used metaphorically of wealth (#3)

What follows in v. 2 in a series of questions meant to ridicule the Jews' rebuilding plans.

NASB, NKJV,
NRSV"feeble Jews"
TEV"miserable Jews"
NJB"pathetic Jews"

This ADJECTIVE (BDB 51) developed from the VERB (BDB 51, KB 63, Pulal), which is used often in the prophets (Puel).

1. loss of fertility, Jer. 15:9

2. inhabitants of a defeated land, Isa. 24:4; Hosea 4:3

3. withered fortifications, Jer. 14:2; Lam. 2:8

4. withered fields or harvests, Isa. 16:8; Joel 1:10; Nahum 1:4

5. withered land, Isa. 33:9

NASB"Are they going to restore it for themselves"
NKJV"Will they fortify themselves"
NRSV"Will they restore things"
TEV"Do they intend to rebuild the city"
NJB"Are they going to give up"

Some scholars think that "themselves" is a scribal error for "God." Then the question is "Will God restore?" But no ancient translation has this wording. This suggestion occurs in the notes of Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, p. 1435.

As it is the two Hebrew words seem to refer to the Jews who undertook the building project. It implies they overestimated their ability.

▣ "Can they revive the stones from dusty rubble even the burned ones" The term "revive" (BDB 310, KB 309, Peel IMPERFECT) is usually used of living things. Here and in I Chr. 11:8, Jerusalem's fortifications are personified as being brought back to life and health.

The walls of Jerusalem, which were destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, were constructed from white limestone. When this material is burned it loses its strength and hardness and turns to powder.

Not only were the stones brittle, but they were so large it would be difficult to raise them up the ridge to the desired position. Nebuchadnezzar had burned all the gates and modern supports and pulled the stones down into the valley.

4:3 Tobiah (cf. 2:10) continues Sanballat's mockery by the use of an idiom. Foxes and jackals were animals that might jump on top of a wall. He asserts that the Jews' construction was so inferior that even this small weight or pressure would collapse it.

Tobiah may have chosen this idiom because of the connotation of jackals with ruined, cursed cities (cf. Ps. 63:10; Lam. 5:18; Ezek. 13:4).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 4:4-5
⁴ Hear, O our God, how we are despised! Return their reproach on their own heads and give them up for plunder in a land of captivity. ⁵Do not forgive their iniquity and let not their sin be blotted out before You, for they have demoralized the builders.

4:4 The book of Nehemiah highlights Nehemiah's prayer life. Verses 4-5 are his prayer to God to defend His people and judge their enemies. There are three VERBS (IMPERATIVES) used as entreaties to God.

▣ "Hear" The VERB (BDB 1033, KB 1570, Qal IMPERATIVE) means "to hear so as to do." It is used often in Deuteronomy to encourage the covenant people to covenant faithfulness (cf. Deut. 4:1; 5:1-7; 6:4; 9:1; 20:3; 27:9). Here Nehemiah calls on God to be faithful to His covenant promises of protection.

▣ "Return. . .give" The first VERB (BDB 996, KB 1427) is a Hiphil IMPERATIVE. The second (BDB 678, KB 733) is a Qal IMPERATIVE. Both are used as supplications to God.

▣ "despised. . .plunder" There may be a sound word play between these two terms (BDB 100 & 103).

▣ "reproach" The term (BDB 357) means the taunt of an enemy (cf. 5:9). The term is used often in Jeremiah.

Nehemiah asked God to do to them what they want to do to His people (idiom, "on their own heads"). He even asks for their exile!

4:5

NASB, TEV"forgive"
NKJV, NRSV"cover"
NJB"pardon"

This negated VERB is literally "to cover" (ksh, BDB 491, KB 487, Peel JUSSIVE). The NOUN was used "to hide" or "to conceal." It is rarely used in the sense of "forgive," but usually this is reserved for kpr (BDB 497). In Jer. 18:23, to which Nehemiah seems to allude, he substitutes ksh for kpr (see NIDOTTE, vol. 2, p. 692).

▣ "iniquity. . .sin" The first term (BDB 730) means "to bend" or "to twist." It becomes the metaphor which denotes perversion from God's law (e.g., Gen. 15:16; Exod. 20:5,6; Lev. 16:22). The terms "right," "just," and "straight" are used to describe God's character and word (see SPECIAL TOPIC: RIGHTEOUSNESS following). To deviate from the standard is sin, rebellion.

The second term's (BDB 308) basic meaning is "to miss the mark." It implies a violation of God's law (e.g., Lev. 4:2). This is the most common term for sin in the OT.

SPECIAL TOPIC: Righteousness

▣ "be blotted out" Verse 5 starts with two NEGATED parallel lines. The term "blotted out" (BDB 562, KB 567, Niphal IMPERFECT used in a JUSSIVE sense) is a metaphor for removing something from one's memory (cf. Jer. 23:18). Nehemiah asks that God not "forgive" or "blot out" the words of the Jews' enemies.

NASB"for they have demoralized the builders"
NKJV"for they have provoked You to anger before the builders"
NRSV"for they have hurled insults in the face of the builders"
TEV"for they have insulted us who are building"
NJB"for they have insulted the builders to their face"

The VERB (BDB 494, KB 491, Hiphil PERFECT) means "to provoke to anger." It is often used of provoking God (e.g., II Chr. 28:25, cf. NKJV), but the context demands that it refer to the workmanship of the Jewish volunteer (non-professional builders) labor force.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 4:6
⁶So we built the wall and the whole wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.

4:6 "to half its height" The accusation of Tobiah the Ammonite in v. 3 that the walls were of poor quality has been shown to be inaccurate by Kathleen Kenyon's excavation, which shows Nehemiah's wall to have been nine feet thick. However, this verse is somewhat ambiguous (i.e., "joined together all the wall as far as half"). It (BDB 345) could refer to the (1) height (most English translations); (2) length (cf. Peshitta; Rotherham's Emphasized Bible, p. 482); (3) width; or (4) simply a metaphor for an unfinished work.

▣ "the people had a mind to work" This is literally "a heart." See Special Topic following.

SPECIAL TOPIC: The Heart

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 4:7-9
⁷Now when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repair of the walls of Jerusalem went on, and that the breaches began to be closed, they were very angry. ⁸All of them conspired together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause a disturbance in it. ⁹But we prayed to our God, and because of them we set up a guard against them day and night.

4:7 "Sanballet, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites" It is unusual that Tobiah is listed with Sanballat and not with the Ammonites (cf. 2:10). Geographically Sanballat (governor of Samaria, capital of ancient Israel) is to the north, the Arabs (then nation of Kedar now a Persian province, cf. 2:19) to the south, the Ammonites (a nation, now a Persian province) to the east, and the Ashdodites (an ancient Philistine city) to the west, which shows that the Jews were completely surrounded by enemies.

▣ "the repair of the walls" The term "repair" (BDB 74) is literally "healing." It is used metaphorically of walls here and of the temple in II Chr. 24:13.

▣ "the breaches began to be closed" The gaps (cf. 6:1) in the wall from previous attacks were beginning to be repaired. This refers to those parts of the wall that were destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar or newer walls destroyed earlier by the surrounding enemies (cf. Ezra 4:23-24).

This phrase shows the work was in progress, but not fully completed.

4:8 The surrounding nations' continued hostility and attempted force of arms violated the edict of Artaxerxes I, given to Nehemiah. For them this was a bold and dangerous political venture.

4:9 "we prayed. . .we set up a guard" Here is a beautiful balancing of faith and practicality. See verses 14 and 20 for the same concept.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 4:10-14
¹⁰Thus in Judah it was said,
"The strength of the burden bearers is failing,
Yet there is much rubbish;
And we ourselves are unable
To rebuild the wall."
¹¹Our enemies said, "They will not know or see until we come among them, kill them and put a stop to the work." ¹²When the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times, "They will come up against us from every place where you may turn," ¹³then I stationed men in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, the exposed places, and I stationed the people in families with their swords, spears and bows. ¹⁴When I saw their fear, I rose and spoke to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people: "Do not be afraid of them; remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives and your houses."

4:10 This is possibly a song that the laborers sang while doing their work, but it shows the effect that the threats of the surrounding enemies were having on the Jewish laborers.

4:11 This was the threat of a surprise attack.

4:12 "told us ten times" This also shows the degree of fear in the Jewish population. The phrase "ten times" seems to be used quite often in the OT for intensity (cf. Gen. 31:7; Num. 14:22; Job 19:3).

▣ "they will come up against us from every place where you may turn" This may be an allusion to v. 7 in that the enemies listed were from different compass directions (cf. note at 4:7). It implies a coordinated attack by all these groups.

The notes of Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, p. 1436, suggests "every scheme," which involves a textual emendation. They also suggest that the next to last word of the sentence "you turn" should be emended to "they were plotting" (cf. NET Bible, p. 729).

4:13

NASB"the exposed places"
NKJV"at the openings"
NRSV"in open places"
TEV"where it was unfinished"
NJB"at the point where it was lowest"

The term (BDB 850) is uncertain. The usual meaning is "shining," "glaring," "surface," but here that does not fit, unless one adopts NIDOTTE, vol. 3, p. 796, where it describes this place as barren due to exposure to the sun. Brown, Driver, and Briggs suggest "in glaring, bare places" (cf. JPSOA translation). At times like this we must remember the hermeneutical maxim, "context determines meaning." Therefore, I think NASB and NJB have the best option. Not openings in the wall, but low places where the enemy could see behind the wall and attempt to ascertain troop strength and location.

Another possibility is that the villagers is that the villagers surrounding Jerusalem had been intimidated (cf. v. 12) so the workers from these areas brought their families into Jerusalem. Nehemiah settled them in the bare areas. If this is true this text does not refer to soldiers attempting to show the strength of their numbers, but the location of the resettled villagers. Nehemiah positioned his troops so that they could be easily seen by the surrounding enemies who were looking from the high points outside the walls.

4:14 "remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers" Notice the dual (covenant) emphases of trust in God and the preparation for battle! This is exactly the truth also expressed in vv. 19 and 20.

This description of God occurs many times in the OT and several times in Nehemiah (cf. 1:5; 4:14; 9:32). See note at 1:5.

▣ "'Do not be afraid of them'" This VERB (BDB 431, KB 432, Qal IMPERFECT used in a JUSSIVE sense) is used often by God or those who speak for Him to reassure His people of His presence and power against their enemies (e.g., Gen. 15:1; 26:24; 46:3; Exod. 14:13; Num. 14:19; 21:34; Deut. 1:21,29; 3:2,22; 7:18; 20:1,3; Josh. 8:1; 10:2,25).

This same root (BDB 431) is used in describing God as "awesome" (cf. 1:5; 4:14; 9:32). Therefore, appropriate fear/respect is due God, but those who serve Him should not have fear or respect for those who attack them and their God.

▣ "remember the Lord" The VERB (BDB 431, KB 422) is a Qal IMPERATIVE.

▣ "fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives and your houses" The VERB (BDB 269, KB 269) is a Qal IMPERATIVE. Although God is not specifically mentioned He is surely implied (cf. II Sam. 10:12).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 4:15-20
¹⁵ When our enemies heard that it was known to us, and that God had frustrated their plan, then all of us returned to the wall, each one to his work. ¹⁶From that day on, half of my servants carried on the work while half of them held the spears, the shields, the bows and the breastplates; and the captains were behind the whole house of Judah. ¹⁷Those who were rebuilding the wall and those who carried burdens took their load with one hand doing the work and the other holding a weapon. ¹⁸As for the builders, each wore his sword girded at his side as he built, while the trumpeter stood near me. ¹⁹I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, "The work is great and extensive, and we are separated on the wall far from one another. ²⁰At whatever place you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us."

4:15 The battle was God's! He was and is in control. His people must act in faith! As when God defeated the Canaanites, Israel had to prepare for battle, so too, here.

4:16 "my servants" There has been much discussion by commentators whether this refers to (1) the Jews (cf. v. 21), (2) Nehemiah's special Persian helpers (cf. NJB), or (3) his relatives (cf. 4:21; 5:10,16). It seems that all three are referred to in v. 23.

▣ "the captains were behind the whole house of Judah" The term "captain" (BDB 978) is the general term for "chief," "official," "leader," or "prince." It is contextually impossible to tell to what group this refers.

The Hebrew Construct can be literal—they stood behind the wall and guarded the workers, or metaphorical—they supported the effort.

4:17-18 This shows the labor force's precautions and preparations.

4:18 "while the trumpeter stood near me" The context (vv. 17-20) seems to imply that there was one trumpeter (singular) who followed Nehemiah (cf. TEV, NJB), but the Peshitta and Josephus in his Antiq. 11.5.8 seems to surmise that there were several trumpeters stationed around the circumference of the city, which seems to be more practical.

The trumpet was a shofar or ram's horn (Assyrian origin, wild goat). It was used for military and religious occasions. In later Judaism it had to be the left horn. It was soaked in water and stretched into a long spiral.

4:20 "Our God will fight for us" This is covenant language (cf. Exod. 14:14; Deut. 1:30; 3:22; 20:4; Josh. 10:14,42). YHWH was on their side. They were His special people.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 4:21-23
²¹ So we carried on the work with half of them holding spears from dawn until the stars appeared. ²²At that time I also said to the people, "Let each man with his servant spend the night within Jerusalem so that they may be a guard for us by night and a laborer by day." ²³So neither I, my brothers, my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us removed our clothes, each took his weapon even to the water.

4:21 "spears" This was a prized weapon during the United Monarchy, but during the Post exilic period it was the standard weapon of choice. It was not used as a thrown (i.e., javelin, which was shorter and lighter) weapon but as a thrusting weapon. It is linked with sword and bow in vv. 13, 16, but stands alone here as the basic weapon.

4:22 No one went home. They worked and slept at the wall.

4:23

NASB"each took his weapon even to the water"
NKJV"except that everyone took them off for washing"
NRSV"each kept his weapon in his right hand"
TEV"we all kept our weapons at hand"
NJB"each one kept his spear in his right hand"

The Hebrew literally is "each, his weapon, the waters." The translations which use "right hand" (NRSV, TEV, NJB) require a textual emendation.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought provoking, not definitive.

1. Why were the surrounding Persian governmental entities so against the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem?

2. How are verses 9, 14, and 20 to be interpreted, and what does it mean for our walk of faith?

Nehemiah 5

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

NKJV	NRSV	TEV	NJB
	4:21-5:5
Nehemiah Deals with Opposition		Oppression of the Poor	The Social Problems of Nehemiah, He Vindicates His Administration
5:1-5		5:1-2	5:1-5
		5:3
		5:4-5
5:6-13	5:6-13	5:6-7a	5:6-13
		5:7b-8
		5:9-11
		5:12a
		512b-13a
		5:13b
The Generosity of Nehemiah		Nehemiah's Unselfishness
5:14-18	5:14-19	5:14-18	5:14-16
			5:17-18
5:19		5:19	5:19

READING CYCLE THREE (from "A Guide to Good Bible Reading")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT THE PARAGRAPH LEVEL

1. First paragraph

2. Second paragraph

3. Third paragraph

4. Etc.

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 5:1-5
¹Now there was a great outcry of the people and of their wives against their Jewish brothers. ²For there were those who said, "We, our sons and our daughters are many; therefore let us get grain that we may eat and live." ³There were others who said, "We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our houses that we might get grain because of the famine." ⁴Also there were those who said, "We have borrowed money for the king's tax on our fields and our vineyards. ⁵Now our flesh is like the flesh of our brothers, our children like their children. Yet behold, we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters are forced into bondage already, and we are helpless because our fields and vineyards belong to others."

5:1 "there was a great outcry of the people and of their wives against their Jewish brothers" The term "outcry" (BDB 858) is used often of an outcry heard by God (e.g., Exod. 3:7,9; 22:23; I Sam. 9:16; Job 27:9; 34:28; Isa. 5:7; Zeph. 1:10). Often this is in a legal sense (cf. The Jewish Study Bible, p. 1694). Notice the legal term "control" in v. 7.

The rich Jews were exploiting the circumstances of the rebuilding of the walls to gouge their Hebrew brothers (cf. v. 7) . This was a serious problem which was undermining the economic and military stability of the new nation.

5:2 for there were those who said" Their statement has two COHORTATIVES and an IMPERFECT used as a COHORTATIVE. There were three main complaints: (1) the physical needs of a large population during a famine (cf. v. 3); (2) they had mortgaged their property for food (the necessities of life); and (3) they had to borrow money to pay the king's tax (cf. Ezra 4:13). The problem was not usury (Jews loaning money to Jews and charging interest, cf. Exod. 22:25; Lev. 25:36), but that the rich Jews were demanding a pledge (a physical guarantee) until the loan was paid. This meant a forfeiture of property.

5:3 "we are mortgaging" This VERB (BDB 786, KB 876 Qal ACTIVE PARTICIPLE) means "to give in pledge." The common people were being forced to use their ancestral land, even their homes, as surety for a loan.

5:4 "the king's tax" If food was not the need then governmental revenue was. Persia expected revenue from her provinces (cf. Ezra 4:13) and assessed a land tax.

5:5 "we are forcing our sons and daughters to be slaves" The writings of Moses allowed Jews in debt to sell themselves as servants, but not slaves (cf. Exod. 21:2-6; Lev. 25:39-43; Deut. 15:12-18).

Debtors also were forced to use their children as payment to creditors (e.g., Exod. 21:7-11; II Kgs. 4;1).

NASB"forced into bondage"
NKJV"are brought into slavery"
NRSV"have been ravished"
TEV, NJB"have already been sold as slaves"

This VERB (BDB 461, KB 460, Niphal PARTICIPLE) means "subdue" (cf. Gen. 1:28), but can mean "assault" (e.g., Esth. 7:8). The context already mentioned "slavery," so this is an intensified attack against selected young women (implication is that they were turned into sex slaves). Brown, Driver, and Briggs (p. 461, VERB kbs #2) says that this term is related to 'gh (cf. Ezek. 23:11).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 5:6-13
⁶Then I was very angry when I had heard their outcry and these words. ⁷I consulted with myself and contended with the nobles and the rulers and said to them, "You are exacting usury, each from his brother!" Therefore, I held a great assembly against them. ⁸I said to them, "We according to our ability have redeemed our Jewish brothers who were sold to the nations; now would you even sell your brothers that they may be sold to us?" Then they were silent and could not find a word to say. ⁹Again I said, "The thing which you are doing is not good; should you not walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the nations, our enemies? ¹⁰And likewise I, my brothers and my servants are lending them money and grain. Please, let us leave off this usury. ¹¹Please, give back to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive groves and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money and of the grain, the new wine and the oil that you are exacting from them." ¹²Then they said, "We will give it back and will require nothing from them; we will do exactly as you say." So I called the priests and took an oath from them that they would do according to this promise. ¹³I also shook out the front of my garment and said, "Thus may God shake out every man from his house and from his possessions who does not fulfill this promise; even thus may he be shaken out and emptied." And all the assembly said, "Amen!" And they praised the Lord. Then the people did according to this promise.

5:6 "outcry" This is a different term (BDB 277) from v. 1, but it is related (cf. 9:9). Nehemiah was extremely angry at these accusations and exploitations by the wealthy Jews. He himself was a wealthy Jew, but he did not take advantage (cf. 10,14-19).

5:7 "I consulted with myself" If mlk is taken in its Aramaic sense (cf. Dan. 4:24) then this is an idiom for "thought carefully" (BDB 576 III, KB 591, Niphal IMPERFECT); if in the Hebrew sense of mlk then "I controlled my feelings" (BDB 573 II, cf. REB).

NASB"contended"
NKJV"rebuked"
NRSV"brought charges"
TEV"denounced"
NJB"reprimanded"

This term (BDB 936, KB 1224, Qal IMPERFECT) can mean (1) bring a legal case against; (2) agitate the mind (Aramaic); or (3) cry, shout (Syriac). In this context #1 fits best (cf. NASB, NRSV).

NASB, NKJV,
NIV"exacting usury"
NRSV"taking interest"
TEV"oppressing"
NJB"imposing a burden"
NET"seizing the collateral"
JPSOA"pressing claims on loans"

The term ms' (BDB 673), usually translated "usury," is used only in Nehemiah (cf. 5:7,10; 10:32). A closely related term, ms'h (BDB 673) is used several times in the OT for a pledge or security for a loan (e.g., Deut. 24:10). The question is then, does this context refer to (1) charging interest to fellow Jews, which is a violation of Mosaic law (cf. Exod. 22:25-27; Lev. 25:35-37; Deut. 23:19-20; 24:10-13) or (2) quickly seizing the pledge of the poor and defaulting the loan?

▣ "I held a great assembly against them" Nehemiah called a "town meeting" to settle (legal setting, "content") a community issue (cf. v. 3). He could have made a decision administratively, but hoped that the fear of God wold cause true repentance and reform.

5:8 "redeemed" This term (BDB 888, KB 1111, Qal PERFECT) speaks of buying someone back from slavery or helplessness. Nehemiah admits that he was redeeming Jews from foreign bondage (cf. Lev. 25:48), but the horrendous setting of chapter 5 is that Jews were forcing their brothers into bondage! See Special Topic: Redeem/Ransom at Neh. 1:10.

5:9 "walk" "Walk" (BDB 229, KB 246, Qal IMPERFECT) is a biblical idiom for lifestyle faith. It develops from the concept of God's word as a path to follow (e.g., Ps. 1:1; 119:101,105; Prov. 1:15; 4:14). The first title for the church in Acts was "the Way" (cf. Acts 9:2; 19:9,23; 22:4; 24:14,22; and possibly 18:2-26).

▣ "in the fear of God" One's knowledge of God must issue in an awesome respect for Him. To know Him and then act inappropriately (the actions of God's people reflect on the character of God Himself) is a serious violation of revelation (cf. Luke 12:48).

▣ "the reproach of the nations, our enemies" These wealthy Jews were playing into the hand of Israel's enemies (cf. 4:4). This was either (1) a known plot to undermine the new political structure set up by Nehemiah or (2) greed. Their reaction (cf. vv. 11-12) shows #2 is correct.

5:10 Nehemiah and those associated with him are acting in exactly the opposite way from these wealthy, elite business men.

▣ "my servants" Literally this is the term (BDB 654) "boy," "lad," or "youth," but it is used regularly of servants (cf. 4:16,22,23; 5:10,15,16; 6:5; 13:19; Esth. 2:2; 3:13; 6:3,5).

▣ "Please, let us leave off this usury" This is a Qal COHORTATIVE. This may refer to (1) loaning money with interest (cf. v. 11) or (2) confiscation of pledges (cf. v. 7), which was legal, but was being abused at this point (cf. Exod. 22:25-27; Deut. 23:19-20). Because they could does not mean they should!

5:11 "Please, give back to them this very day their fields" The VERB (BDB 996, KB 1427, Hiphil IMPERATIVE) is often used for repentance (i.e., "turn back"), but here for "return" (cf. v. 12). Nehemiah was trying to embarrass these rich Jews in the presence of the assembled group to do that which was morally right. In a sense this was an enactment of Jubilee freedom (cf. Lev. 25:10). He is using himself and his associates as an example.

NASB, NKJV"the hundredth part of the money"
NRSV"and the interest on the money"
TEV------------
NJB"cancel the claim"

This is a difficult Hebrew phrase. Some think it means (1) a scribal error for the word "loan"; (2) a reference to a monthly percent of interest being charged; or (3) the wealthy lenders were to give not only the land back, but the means by which the poor could live until the next crop was harvested.

5:12 "took an oath" The VERB (BDB 989, KB 1396, Hiphil IMPERFECT) is always used of humans swearing to God. Nehemiah did not trust these wealthy Jews, but he demanded that they take an oath in God's name. What they said they would do (BDB 793 I, KB 889, Qal IMPERFECT), they now swore they would do (BDB 793 I, Qal INFINITIVE CONSTRUCT). This was connected with a curse if they did not perform what they promised. The curse of v. 13 (i.e., shaking out one's garment [cf. Acts 18:6], which is a play on "shake out" used twice of Nehemiah and God) is an acted out curse of emptiness and poverty.

5:13 "This may God shake out. . .even thus may he be shaken out" These are both IMPERFECTS used in a JUSSIVE sense seeking God's judgment for those who violate their pledge.

▣ "Amen" "Amen" (BDB 53) is a form of the OT word for "faith" (cf. Hab. 2:4). The root's original etymology meant "to be firm" or "to be sure." It primarily refers to the trustworthiness of God. The term developed in Jewish usage into an affirmation like we use it today and as it is used here (cf. Num. 5:22; Deut. 27:26).

SPECIAL TOPIC: AMEN

▣ "they praised the Lord" "they" must refer to both the wealthy and poor Jews ("all the assembly").

▣ "then the people did according to this promise" It is unusual that "the people" here refers to the wealthy Jews. The phrase is usually used of the people as a whole (cf. v. 15).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 5:14-19
¹⁴ Moreover, from the day that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year to the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes, for twelve years, neither I nor my kinsmen have eaten the governor's food allowance. ¹⁵But the former governors who were before me laid burdens on the people and took from them bread and wine besides forty shekels of silver; even their servants domineered the people. But I did not do so because of the fear of God. ¹⁶I also applied myself to the work on this wall; we did not buy any land, and all my servants were gathered there for the work. ¹⁷Moreover, there were at my table one hundred and fifty Jews and officials, besides those who came to us from the nations that were around us. ¹⁸Now that which was prepared for each day was one ox and six choice sheep, also birds were prepared for me; and once in ten days all sorts of wine were furnished in abundance. Yet for all this I did not demand the governor's food allowance, because the servitude was heavy on this people. ¹⁹Remember me, O my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people.

5:14 "for twelve years" This was 445 to 433 b.c. This was the time of Nehemiah as governor of Judah in Jerusalem. The following verses discuss his personal use of his privileges and fortunes during this period of governmental service.

▣ "I nor my kinsmen" This is another difficult phrase. It may refer to (1) Persian officials; (2) blood relatives; or (3) helpers. The same ones seem to be referred to in v. 10.

5:15 "laid burdens on the people" The VERB (BDB 457, KB 455, Hipil PERFECT) is a metaphor derived from placing a heavy yoke on a domestic animal (e.g., I Kgs. 12:10,14; II Chr. 10:10,14; Isa. 47:6). This is the non-religious use of the root kbd for "glory," which means "heavy" and "dignity."

▣ "bread and wine besides the forty shekels" This list of revenue can be understood in several ways: as (1) the daily requirements of the governor (LXX, TEV, NJB); (2) the yearly taxation on families; or (3) both (Peshitta, NKJV, NIV).

▣ "I did not do so because of the fear of God" This is a direct contrast to the wealthy Jews' attitudes and methods (cf. v. 9).

5:16 "we did not buy land" Verses 13 - 19 show that Nehemiah did not abuse either his position or the circumstances of the Jewish nation during his time as governor.

▣ "all my servants" The phrase is much like "my kinsmen" in v. 14. To whom it refers is uncertain. This same group is mentioned in 4:16,21 ("we carried on the work") and 5:10,14.

Those related (by blood, office, or service) to Nehemiah acted in the same way as he did. This is exactly opposite of the previous governors (i.e., v. 15, "even their servants domineered the people").

5:17 Nehemiah as governor was required to entertain officials from other provinces and leaders from Judah. He did this (1) at his own expense or (2) he did not partake of the food allotted. Because of v. 14 option #2 is best.

5:18 "the servitude was heavy on this people" Nehemiah explains why he acted with such selflessness during this period: (1) the taxation was heavy (cf. v. 15), and (2) he wanted to please God (cf. vv. 9,15,19).

5:19 This has been Nehemiah's prayer ("remember me," Qal IMPERATIVE) from the beginning (cf. 1:11; 13:31). Nehemiah was a man of integrity, faith, and prayer!

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought provoking, not definitive.

1. What were the rich Jews doing to their poor brothers in chapter 5?

2. Was what they were doing legal or illegal according to Mosaic law?

3. Why did Nehemiah want them to promise with an oath and threaten with a curse?

Nehemiah 6

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

NKJV	NRSV	TEV	NJB
Conspiracy Against Nehemiah		Plots Against Nehemiah	The Intrigues of Nehemiah's Enemies, the Wall is Finished
6:1-9a	6:1-9	6:1-3	6:1-9
		6:4
		6:5-7
		6:8
		6:9
6:9b
6:10-13	6:10-14	6:10	6:10
		6:11	6:11-13
		6:12-13
6:14		6:14	6:14
The Wall Completed		The Conclusion of the Work
6:15-16	6:15-7:4	6:15-16	6:15-16
6:17-7:3		6:17-7:3	6:17-7:3

READING CYCLE THREE (from "A Guide to Good Bible Reading")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT THE PARAGRAPH LEVEL

1. First paragraph

2. Second paragraph

3. Third paragraph

4. Etc.

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 6:1-9
¹Now when it was reported to Sanballat, Tobiah, to Geshem the Arab and to the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall, and that no breach remained in it, although at that time I had not set up the doors in the gates, ²then Sanballat and Geshem sent a message to me, saying, "Come, let us meet together at Chephirim in the plain of Ono." But they were planning to harm me. ³So I sent messengers to them, saying, "I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?" ⁴They sent messages to me four times in this manner, and I answered them in the same way. ⁵Then Sanballat sent his servant to me in the same manner a fifth time with an open letter in his hand. ⁶In it was written, "It is reported among the nations, and Gashmu says, that you and the Jews are planning to rebel; therefore you are rebuilding the wall. And you are to be their king, according to these reports. ⁷You have also appointed prophets to proclaim in Jerusalem concerning you, 'A king is in Judah!' And now it will be reported to the king according to these reports. So come now, let us take counsel together." ⁸Then I sent a message to him saying, "Such things as you are saying have not been done, but you are inventing them in your own mind." ⁹For all of them were trying to frighten us, thinking, "They will become discouraged with the work and it will not be done." But now, O God, strengthen my hands.

6:1 The enemies have been listed earlier in 1:10 (Sanballat and Tobiah); 2:19 (Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem); 4:1,3 (Sanballat and Tobiah); 4:7 (Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites) and here (Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem, and "the rest of our enemies").

▣ "Gershem the Arab" His name is spelled differently in v. 6 (BDB 177 I), based on the difference between Arabic grammar and Hebrew pronunciation.. Tradition says that he was the king of Kedar (province of northwest Arabia, cf. R. K. Harrison, Old Testament Times, p. 284) or the southern Arabian area. He was a very powerful political person in the Persian empire. For a good brief discussion see NIDOTTE, vol. 4, pp. 675-676.

▣ "although at that time I had not set up the doors in the gates" This seems to be out of chronological order to 3:1,3,6,13. Chapter 3 is the summary of the entire period, while chapters 4 - 6 are special accounts which fit in into this overall summary.

6:2 "Come, let us meet" The first VERB is a Qal IMPERATIVE and the second a Niphal COHORTATIVE (same patters of VERBS in v. 7). The enemies were trying to manipulate Nehemiah.

NASB, NJB
NAB, REV,
NET"Chephirim"
LXX
VULGATE
NKJV, NRSV
TEV, NIV"one of the villages"

The inhabitants of this city were part of the conspiracy of the Gibeonites in tricking Joshua into a peace treaty (cf. Josh. 9:17). They were Hivites (cf. Josh. 9:7). This city was included in the tribal allocation of Benjamin (cf. Josh. 18:26). People from this city are mentioned as returning from Babylonian exile with Zerubbabel and Joshua (cf. Ezra 2:25; Neh. 7:29).

It is PLURAL in this verse, and because the same three Hebrew letters kpr (BDB 499) means "village," some English translations translate it as such (NKJV, NRSV, TEV). It is also possible that the term means "young lion" (BDB 498), which may be literal or figurative for fierce warriors (e.g., Jer. 2:15; 4:7; 50:17).

▣ "in the plain of Ono" This Benjaminite city was the new home for Lod, Hadid, and Ono (cf. Ezra 2:33; Neh. 7:37), who returned with Zerubbabel. They had established villages and became craftsmen because in Neh. 11:35 Ono is called the valley of craftsmen. It was located on the western boundary of the new province of Judah, about 27 miles northwest of Jerusalem.

▣ "but they were planning to harm me" This is Nehemiah's estimation of the intentions of these men who had proven themselves to be enemies (cf. 4:1; 6:8-9). The VERB (BDB 362, KB 359, Qal ACTIVE PARTICIPLE) is frequently used of "planning against," "plotting," "scheming" (e.g., I Sam. 18:25; Ps. 10:2; 35:4; Jer. 11:19).

6:5-9 "Then Sanballat sent his servant to" This was the same old trick of accusing Nehemiah of treason. However, the repeated request (four times) and an open letter (brought by Geshem, cf. v. 2; 2:19) showed that it was a political threat.

6:5 "an open letter" The implication of the personal, governmental letter not being officially sealed was to make the contents known to all. The purpose was political intimidation. It had worked before (Ezra 4), maybe it would work again.

6:6 "the Jews are planning to rebel" This is the same accusation as 2:19 and Ezra 4 and is a litany of charges of political plotting and rebellion.

6:7 "you have also appointed prophets" Another means of threatening Nehemiah was claiming that he had political or even Messianic pretensions (cf. II Sam. 7). This shows that Sanballat was somewhat familiar with Jewish Scriptures.

▣ "now it will be reported to the king according to these reports" The king in this phrase refers to Artaxerxes I. This is the same rumor game that these enemies had used before. Here it is just the threat of sending a report (i.e., "So come now, let us. . .take counsel together"), because now the Persian king had ruled in favor of the rebuilding of the city's wall (cf. 2:1-8,9).

6:8 "you are inventing them in your own mind" The VERB (BDB 94, KB 109, Qal ACTIVE PARTICIPLE) is from Aramaic. It is used only twice in the OT and means "to devise" or "to invent or make up" in a negative sense (cf. I Kgs. 12:33). The related two letter root (BDB 95) means "empty" or "idle talk." The BDB adds "especially collective idea of imaginary pretensions or claims" (cf. Isa. 16:6; 44:25; Jer. 48:30).

6:9 "But now, O God, strengthen my hands" Notice in NASB 1970 translation that the term "O God" is in italics (assumed to be a prayer, as does KJV), which means that it is not in the original text but is supplied for English readers. However, the Septuagint, the Vulgate, the Peshitta, and the Arabic, followed by the NJB, NAB, NEB, NET, have "I strengthen my hands all the more." This book is filled with Nehemiah's prayers (cf. vv. 14,16)! See note at 4:9.

The VERB (BDB 304, KB 302) is a Piel IMPERATIVE.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 6:10-14
¹⁰ When I entered the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel, who was confined at home, he said, "Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you, and they are coming to kill you at night." ¹¹But I said, "Should a man like me flee? And could one such as I go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in." ¹²Then I perceived that surely God had not sent him, but he uttered his prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. ¹³He was hired for this reason, that I might become frightened and act accordingly and sin, so that they might have an evil report in order that they could reproach me. ¹⁴Remember, O my God, Tobiah and Sanballat according to these works of theirs, and also Noadiah the prophetess and the rest of the prophets who were trying to frighten me.

6:10 "Shemaiah" He is called "the son of Delaiah," who is mentioned in Ezra 2:59-60 as a family of priests who could not document their ancestry. Apparently this was a false prophet (cf. vv. 12,14) who was hired by the surrounding nations (cf. vv. 12-13) to intimidate Nehemiah. Why he was confined to his home has been the subject of great debate: (1) it is related to Num. 19: 11-22; (2) he had advocated anointing Nehemiah as Davidic king and, therefore, caused him to be treasonous to Persia (cf. v. 7); or (3) it was a symbolic act showing what Nehemiah should do.

The false prophets' message was spoken in poetic verse (cf. NJB, NAB, REB, JPSOA, Anchor Bible Commentary, vol. 14, p. 136).

With Shemaiah restricted to his house Nehemiah would have to come to him, appearing to seek divine information and guidance. This may have been part of the premeditated plan to trick and destroy him. Shemaiah even delivers the message in typical prophetic poetry.

▣ "Let us meet together. . .let us close the doors" The first VERB (BDB 416, KB 419) is a Niphal IMPERATIVE used in a COHORTATIVE sense. The second (BDB 688, KB 742) is a Qal COHORTATIVE.

▣ "within the temple" Nehemiah was not only a layman (Num. 18:7), but may have been a eunuch (Lev. 21:17-24; Deut. 23:1), both of which disqualified him from going into the inner parts of the temple. This was a way to discredit Nehemiah.

There is a provision in Moses' writings for someone to flee to the sacrificial altar for safety (cf. Exod. 21:13, 14; 1 Kgs. 1:50-53; 2:28ff.)

6:11 The words of Nehemiah express the feelings of every generation of godly leadership; not an audacity, but a confidence of God's call, God's will, God's presence! Faith issues in confidence not in ourselves, but in our God and His purposes (e.g., Dan. 3:16-18; 4:20-22).

6:12 "then I perceived that surely God had not sent him" Nehemiah's personal relationship with God and his knowledge of God's will and word allowed him to evaluate the content of Shemaiah's words. God wants to equip all of His children to do the same thing!

6:13 Nehemiah associates fear with inappropriate actions, which he labels as sin (BDB 306, Qal PERFECT, "to miss the mark"). Notice that fear can lead to sinful acts! Faith and trust in God's presence, promises, and provision are crucial!

6:14 "Remember" Nehemiah called on God to remember (BDB 269, KB 269, Qal IMPERATIVE)

1. His word, 1:8

2. him (i.e., Nehemiah), 5:19; 13:14,22,31

3. his enemies (i.e., Nehemiah), 6:14; 13:29

and they are to remember that God is a great and awesome God, 4:14.

▣ "according to these works of theirs" Nehemiah lived under the first covenant of performance-based fellowship. The "two ways" of Wisdom Literature (e.g., Ps. 1; Prov. 4:10-19) characterize his theological understanding. He would have readily agreed with Matthew 7 or the book of James. The goal of our relationship with a Holy God is a holy life! The problem is how does sinful humanity achieve this goal? The New Covenant of Jer. 31:31-34; Ezek. 36:22-38 shows the new pattern of grace-based faith, faith-received righteousness, which should issue in obedience (cf. Luke 6:46). The goal is the same, the means has changed.

▣ "Noadiah" This is a feminine name (BDB 418, although there is a masculine usage in Ezra 8:33) and shows the acceptability of female prophets. She happened to be a false prophetess. She was one of several false prophets active in Judah in Nehemiah's day.

SPECIAL TOPIC: WOMEN IN THE BIBLE

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 6:15-19
¹⁵So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. ¹⁶When all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations surrounding us saw it, they lost their confidence; for they recognized that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God. ¹⁷Also in those days many letters went from the nobles of Judah to Tobiah, and Tobiah's letters came to them. ¹⁸For many in Judah were bound by oath to him because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah the son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah. ¹⁹Moreover, they were speaking about his good deeds in my presence and reported my words to him. Then Tobiah sent letters to frighten me.

6:15 "the wall was completed" This VERB (BDB 1022, KB 1532, Qal IMPERFECT) has two distinct meanings in Qal.

1. have satisfaction

2. be completed (cf. I Kgs. 9:25)

This term is an Akkadian word for "the act or state of well-being, of being intact, safe, or complete (cf. NIDOTTE, vol. 4, p. 130). This is the root slm from which the famous Hebrew greeting, shalom, is derived.

The wall was finished, complete, and it was good; it provided safety; it provided peace of mind.

▣ "Elul" See Special Topic: Ancient Near Eastern Calendars at Ezra 3:1.

▣ "in fifty-two days" Josephus tells us in his book, The Antiquities of the Jews 11.5.8, that it took two years and four months. It is possible from archaeological evidence and historical precedence that a city's walls could be built in this short a time period in a functional way, but not with normal construction. We learn from Kathleen Kenyon's archaeological discoveries in Jerusalem that the nine foot wall on the eastern side was done with rough construction as if it were done rapidly.

6:16 "saw it" This is italicized in the NASB (1970), but the textual problem is that the MT has a word that can be understood as yr' (afraid, Analytical Key to the Old Testament, by John Joseph Owens, vol. 3, p. 69) or r'h (see The NIV Interlinear Hebrew-English Old Testament, edited by John R. Kohlenberger III, vol. 3, p. 231). The MT, the Septuagint, and the Vulgate have "were afraid" (BDB 431, Qal IMPERFECT). As Nehemiah prayed in 4:4, the fear that they used to influence the Jews was now returned to them because they saw the hand of God helping the Jews in this amazingly rapid rebuilding of the walls.

NASB"they lost their confidence"
NKJV"they were very disheartened"
NRSV"fell greatly in their own esteem"
TEV"they lost face"
NJB"they thought it a wonderful thing"

The VERB (BDB 656, KB 709, Qal IMPERFECT) has such a wide semantic field. Notice the difference between the NASB, NKJV, and NJB. The NJB involved a textual emendation (i.e., replaces npl [to fall] with kl' [to be wonderful]). The context demands a negative response.

The second part of the phrase is literally "in eyes of them." "Eyes" here is an idiom of self perception. This is the Oriental concept of "lost face" (TEV).

6:17 "Tobiah" His name is Jewish and he is one of the major antagonists of Nehemiah. His technique was to infiltrate the Jewish wealthy class ("nobles") through marriages (cf. v. 8) so as to influence Nehemiah's plans.

6:18 "Arah" He is mentioned in Ezra 2:5; Neh. 7:10; and I Esdras 5:10.

▣ "Meshullam" This name refers to twenty different people in the OT. He is mentioned in Neh. 3:4,30 as someone who worked on two sections of the wall. Here we are told his daughter marries Jehohanan, who was Tobiah's son (IDB, vol. 2, p. 811).

6:19 "then Tobiah sent letters to frighten me" The Jewish leaders tried to make Tobiah look good in the eyes of Nehemiah, but his true self is seen in this verse. Even the high priest was involved in this conspiracy (cf. 13:4). He (cf. v. 18) was the son-in-law to Shechaniah, possibly the priest of 3:29 or 12:3, but uncertain because the name was so common during this period (cf. Ezra 8:3,5).

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought provoking, not definitive.

1. How did Sanballat try to discourage the rebuilding of the walls?

2. What was the prophet in 6:10-14 trying to do?

Nehemiah 7

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

NASB	NKJV	NRSV	TEV
The Wall Completed (6:15-7:3)	Troubles for the Builders (4:1-7:5)	The Conclusion of the Work (6:15-7:3)	The Intrigues of Nehemiah's Enemies (6:1-7:3)
The Captives Who Returned to Jerusalem	A Census of the First Return	The List of Those Who Returned From Exile	The Repopulation of Jerusalem
7:4-38		7:4-5	7:4-5
	7:5		List of the First Exiles to Return
	7:6-38	7:6-7	7:6-7a
			7:7b-38
		7:8-25
		7:26-38
7:39-42	7:39-42	7:39-42	7:39-42
7:43-45	7:43-45	7:43-45	7:43
			7:44
			7:45
7:46-60	7:46-56	7:46-56	7:46-56
	7:57-59	7:57-59	7:57-60
	7:60	7:60
7:61-65	7:61-65	7:61-62	7:61-65
		7:63-65
7:66-69	7:66-69	7:66-69	7:66-68
			7:69-71 (vv. 68, 69 just listed at v. 68)
7:70-73a	7:70-72	7:70-72
			7:72
	7:73	7:73

READING CYCLE THREE (from "A Guide to Good Bible Reading")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT THE PARAGRAPH LEVEL

1. First paragraph

2. Second paragraph

3. Third paragraph

4. Etc.

CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS

A. This list is very similar to the list of Ezra 2 ("those who came up first," v. 5, also note I Esdras 5:8-42).

B. They were probably originally based on the same official list (Persian or Jewish), but they are not exactly the same. Names are spelled differently and some names are added and omitted. The stated numbers also do not always agree.

C. The list is divided into categories of people:

1. men of Israel, 7:7b-38

2. priests, 7:39-42

3. Levites, 7:43-45

4. temple servants, 7:46-56

5. sons of Solomon's slaves, 7:57-60

6. those of undocumentable ancestry, 7:64-65

a. laymen, 7:61-62

b. priests, 7:63

D. Summaries

1. of those who returned, 7:66-67

2. of the offerings, 7:70-72

a. Persian

b. Jewish

E. See notes at Ezra 2 on specific names and categories of returnees

F. I Esdras (also knows as Esdras A) is a Greek version of Josiah's Passover (II Chr. 35,36) through Nehemiah 7 (which is paralleled in Ezra 2). It differs from the MT and the LXX. For a good brief discussion see R. K. Harrison, Introduction to the Old Testament, pp. 1194-1199.

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 7:1-4
¹Now when the wall was rebuilt and I had set up the doors, and the gatekeepers and the singers and the Levites were appointed, ²then I put Hanani my brother, and Hananiah the commander of the fortress, in charge of Jerusalem, for he was a faithful man and feared God more than many. ³Then I said to them, "Do not let the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot, and while they are standing guard, let them shut and bolt the doors. Also appoint guards from the inhabitants of Jerusalem, each at his post, and each in front of his own house." ⁴Now the city was large and spacious, but the people in it were few and the houses were not built.

7:1 "the gatekeepers and the singers and the Levites" Some scholars see this as misplaced because it seems to refer to the temple and not the city. Yet, we learn later, that the Levitical gatekeepers were also appointed to the city gates because of the lack of people willing to live in Jerusalem (cf. v. 4).

7:2 "I put Hanani my brother, and Hananiah" These could be two forms of one name (cf. BDB 337); both mean "YHWH has been gracious." However, in v. 3 it says, "I said to them" which confirms that there were two men involved. Hanani is first mentioned in 1:2 as Nehemiah's brother and source of his information about the condition of Jerusalem. The name Hananiah also appears in the list of 10:23.

▣ "the commander of the fortress" Most walled cities had an inner fortress. It is also used to describe Susa in 1:1 and Esth. 1:2,5, etc). Jerusalem's citadel was close to the temple (cf. 2:8), possibly incorporating the towers, the Hundred and Hananel (cf. 3:1). The same word "fortress" (BDB 108) was used of the temple itself in I Chr. 29:1,19.

NASB, NRSV"he was a faithful man"
NKJV"he was a faithful man"
TEV"Hananiah was a reliable"
NJB"he was a more trustworthy"

The term (BDB 54) for "faith" in the OT has the connotation of

1. reliability, sureness (e.g., "the right way," Gen. 24:48)

2. stability, continuance, faithfulness (e.g., Neh. 7:2; Isa. 38:3)

3. truth (e.g., Esth. 9:30; Jer. 33:6)

This same term is often used of God (e.g., 9:33; Exod. 34:6; Isa. 38:18,19; Zech. 8:8).

▣ "feared God more than many" This term (BDB 431, KB 432, Qal PERFECT [OT Parsing Guide, p. 380], but Qal PARTICIPLE [Analytical Key to OT, p. 69]) is used several times in Nehemiah and in several senses.

1. Qal form

a. fear God, 1:11; 7:2

b. fear men, 2:2; 4:14; 6:13

2. Niphal form

God as awesome/fearful, 1:5; 4:14; 9:32

3. the NOUN, fear of God, 5:9,15

Effective leaders are those who are trustworthy and revere YHWH!

7:3 This verse has two IMPERFECTS used in a JUSSIVE sense ("be opened," "shut") and one IMPERATIVE ("bolt").

The New English Bible and REV think it refers to closing the gates during the noon time rest, while the RSV, TEV, and NJB imply that the gates were to be opened late (well after sunrise) and closed early (well before sundown). Whatever the specifics of this verse mean it is obvious that special care was given to the opening, closing, and guarding of these gates during this period.

Notice how the residents and businesses were to guard the entrances closest to their homes and shops. This is the same personal interest used to construct the walls. The NIV and the NET Bibles understand this aspect to relate to the separate guard stations, one at the gates and one by their homes.

7:4 "the city was large and spacious" This is exactly opposite of the new size of the reduced city. What can this mean? It must relate to the number of people living there, not a comparison of the previous size of the city or there was plenty of room for new houses and shops (an invitation for people to move into the city). Remember context, not lexicons, determine word meaning!

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 7:5
⁵Then my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles, the officials and the people to be enrolled by genealogies. Then I found the book of the genealogy of those who came up first in which I found the following record:

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 7:6-7a
⁶These are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away, and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his city, ⁷who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, Baanah.

7:6 "each to his city" This links up with 7:73a ("all Israel lived in their cities"). This was important because Nehemiah divided the responsibilities for building and wall construction (and guarding and protecting) by

1. original city of the returnees' parents

2. residence in Jerusalem

3. guild/trade

4. tribe (Levites, priests)

7:7a These are the main leaders and families.

▣ "Azariah" In Ezra 2:2 this is replaced by "Seraiah," in I Esdras 5:8, "Zaraias."

▣ "Raamiah" In Ezra 2:2 this is spelled Reelaiah; in I Esdras 5:9, Resaias.

▣ "Mispereth" In Ezra 2:2 this is spelled Mispar; it is not in I Esdras.

▣ "Nehum" In Ezra 2:2 this is replaced by Rehum; it is not in I Esdras.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 7:7b-38
^7bThe number of men of the people of Israel:
⁸ the sons of Parosh, 2,172;
⁹ the sons of Shephatiah, 372;
¹⁰ the sons of Arah, 652;
¹¹ the sons of Pahath-moab of the sons of Jeshua and Joab, 2,818;
¹² the sons of Elam, 1,254;
¹³ the sons of Zattu, 845;
¹⁴ the sons of Zaccai, 760;
¹⁵ the sons of Binnui, 648;
¹⁶ the sons of Bebai, 628;
¹⁷ the sons of Azgad, 2,322;
¹⁸ the sons of Adonikam, 667;
¹⁹ the sons of Bigvai, 2,067;
²⁰ the sons of Adin, 655;
²¹ the sons of Ater, of Hezekiah, 98;
²² the sons of Hashum, 328;
²³ the sons of Bezai, 324;
²⁴ the sons of Hariph, 112;
²⁵ the sons of Gibeon, 95;
²⁶ the men of Bethlehem and Netophah, 188;
²⁷ the men of Anathoth, 128;
²⁸ the men of Beth-azmaveth, 42;
²⁹ the men of Kiriath-jearim, Chephirah and Beeroth, 743;
³⁰ the men of Ramah and Geba, 621;
³¹ the men of Michmas, 122;
³² the men of Bethel and Ai, 123;
³³ the men of the other Nebo, 52;
³⁴ the sons of the other Elam, 1,254;
³⁵ the sons of Harim, 320;
³⁶ the men of Jericho, 345;
³⁷ the sons of Lod, Hadid and Ono, 721;
³⁸ the sons of Senaah, 3,930.

7:8ff Except for numbers and spelling errors this is an exact parallel to Ezra 2.

7:8 "Parosh, 2,172" In I Esdras 5:9 it is "Phoros 2,172."

7:9 "Shephatiah, 372" In I Esdras 5:10 it is "Saphat, 472."

7:10 "Arah, 652" In I Esdras 5:10 it is "Ares, 756."

▣ "652" In Ezra 2:5 the number is 775.

7:13 "Zattu, 845" In Ezra 2:8 the number is 945; I Esdras 5:12 has "Zathui, 945."

7:14 "Zaccia, 760" I Esdras 5:13 has "Chorbe, 705."

7:15 "Bennui" In Ezra 2:10 this is spelled Bani (as it is in I Esdras 5:13). The number of returnees is also different. Ezra has 642, but Nehemiah has 648 (as it is in I Esdras 5:13).

7:16 "628" In Ezra 2:12 the number is 623.

7:17 "Azgad, 2,322" In Ezra 2:12 the number is 1,222. In I Esdras 5:13 it is "Astad, 1,322."

7:18 "667" In Ezra 2:13 the number is 666.

7:19 "Bigvai, 2,067" In Ezra 2:14 the number is 2,056; in I Esdras 5:14 it is "Bagoi, 2,066."

7:20 "Adin, 655" In Ezra 2:15 the number is 454; in I Esdras 5:14 it is "Adinu, 454."

7:22 "Hashum 328" In Ezra this name appears in 2:19 and the number is 223.

7:23 "Bezai, 324" In Ezra 2:17 the number is 323; in I Esdras 5:16 it is "Bassia, 323."

7:24 "Hariph, 112" In Ezra 2:18 this is replaced by "Jorah, 112; in I Esdras 5:17 it is "Arsiphorith, 112."

7:25 Gibeon" In Ezra 2:20 this is spelled Gibbar.

7:26 Nehemiah's list combines the two cities with one number, 188, while Ezra 2:21-22 has 123 plus 56 which equals 179; I Esdras 5:17-18 has 123 plus 55 equaling 178.

7:28 "Beth-azmaveth" In Ezra 2:24 this is replaced simply by Azmareth. Beth was a common addition to city names ("house of," cf. v. 26). The NET Bible (p. 732) has "the family of Azmaveth," which is probably the sense intended.

7:29 "Kiriath-jearim" In Ezra 2:25 this is spelled Kiriath-arim"; in I Esdras 5:19 it is "Kariathiarius."

7:32 "Ai" This is the city mentioned in Josh. 7-8.

▣ "123" In Ezra 2:28 the number is 223.

7:33 "the men of the other Nebo 52" "The other" is left out in Ezra 2:29. In Ezra 2:30 "sons of Magbish" appears, but is left out in Nehemiah.

7:37 "721" Ezra 2:33 has the number 725. Also "the men of Jericho" in Ezra 2:34 is left out of Nehemiah.

7:38 "3,930" In Ezra 2:35 the number is 3,630.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 7:39-42
³⁹The priests: the sons of Jedaiah of the house of Jeshua, 973;
⁴⁰ the sons of Immer, 1,052;
⁴¹ the sons of Pashhur, 1,247;
⁴² the sons of Harim, 1,017.

7:39 "Jedaiah of the house of Jeshua, 973" Ezra 2 has the same, but I Esdras 5:24 has "Jeddu, the son of Jesus, among the sons of Sanasib, 972."

7:40 "the sons of Immer, 1,052" Ezra 2 has the same, but I Esdras 5:24 has "the sons of Emmeruth, 1,052."

7:41 "the sons of Pashhus, 1,247" Ezra 2 has the same, but I Esdras 5:25 has "the sons of Phassurus, 1,246."

7:42 "the sons of Harin, 1,017" Ezra 2 has the same, but I Esdras 5:25 has "the sons of Charme, 1,017."

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 7:43-45
⁴³The Levites: the sons of Jeshua, of Kadmiel, of the sons of Hodevah, 74.
⁴⁴The singers: the sons of Asaph, 148.
⁴⁵The gatekeepers: the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hittite, the sons of Shobai, 138.

7:43 "Hodevah" In Ezra 2:40 this is spelled "Hodariah." This name is not found in I Esdras 5:26; it has "Bannas and Sudias."

7:44 "Asaph" He was appointed by David as Levitical musician (cf. I Chr. 25; II Chr. 25:12). He became the head of a family of musicians (cf. Ezra 2:41; 3:10; Neh. 11:17,22; 12:35).

▣ "148" In Ezra 2:41 the number is 128 (as it is in I Esdras 5:27).

7:45 "138" In Ezra 2:45 the number is 139 (as it is in I Esdras 5:28).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 7:46-56
⁴⁶The temple servants: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth,
⁴⁷the sons of Keros, the sons of Sia, the sons of Padon,
⁴⁸the sons of Lebana, the sons of Hagaba, the sons of Shalmai,
⁴⁹the sons of Hanan, the sons of Giddel, the sons of Gahar,
⁵⁰the sons of Reaiah, the sons of Rezin, the sons of Nekoda,
⁵¹the sons of Gazzam, the sons of Uzza, the sons of Paseah,
⁵²the sons of Besai, the sons of Meunim, the sons of Nephushesim,
⁵³the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakupha, the sons of Harhur,
⁵⁴the sons of Bazlith, the sons of Mehida, the sons of Harsha,
⁵⁵the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of Temah,
⁵⁶the sons of Neziah, the sons of Hatipha.

7:47 "Sia" In Ezra 2:44 this is spelled Siaha; in I Esdras 5:29, "Sua."

7:48 "the sons of Lebana, ths sons of Hagaba, the sons of Shalmai" In Ezra 2:45 the first two names have a concluding "h" and the last name is replaced by "Akkub." Nehemiah's list seems to omit Hagab. These two names, "Hagabah" and "Hagab," found in Ezra 2:45-46, are easily confused. The list is quite different and abbreviated in I Esdras.

7:52 Nehemiah's list leaves out "Asnah" of Ezra 2:50; "Asana" of I Esdras 5:31.

▣ "Nephushesim" In Ezra 2:50 this is spelled Nephisim.

7:54 "Bazleth" In Ezra 2:52 this is spelled Bazluth; Basaloth in I Esdras.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 7:57-60
⁵⁷The sons of Solomon's servants: the sons of Sotai, the sons of Sophereth, the sons of Perida,
⁵⁸the sons of Jaala, the sons of Darkon, the sons of Giddel,
⁵⁹the sons of Shephatiah, the sons of Hattil, the sons of Pochereth-hazzebaim, the sons of Amon.
⁶⁰All the temple servants and the sons of Solomon's servants were 392.

7:57 "Sophereth" In Ezra 2:55 it is spelled Hassophereth; I Esdras 5:33 has "Assaphioth." This word (BDB 709) may be related to the root "to write" (BDB 706), which would mean it refers to a family of scribes as in I Chr. 2:54.

▣ "Perida" In Ezra 2:55 this is spelled Peruda; in I Esdras 5:33 it is "Pharida."

7:59 "Amon" In Ezra 2:57 this is replaced by Ami; I Esdras 5:34 has several short names beginning with "a"—Agia, Addui, Allon.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 7:61-65
⁶¹These were they who came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon and Immer; but they could not show their fathers' houses or their descendants, whether they were of Israel: ⁶²the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, the sons of Nekoda, 642. ⁶³Of the priests: the sons of Hobaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, the sons of Barzillai, who took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai, the Gileadite, and was named after them. ⁶⁴These searched among their ancestral registration, but it could not be located; therefore they were considered unclean and excluded from the priesthood. ⁶⁵The governor said to them that they should not eat from the most holy things until a priest arose with Urim and Thummim.

7:62 "642" In Ezra 2:60 the number is 652.

7:63 "Hobaiaha" Ezra 2:61 spells the name "Habaiah."

7:64 "they were considered unclean" The VERB (BDB 146 II, KB 169, Pual IMPERFECT) means "defiled," here in the same sense that their Levitical ancestry could not be confirmed. The special food for the priests could not be eaten by them (cf. Lev. 2:3; 7:21-36).

7:65 "The governor" refers to Nehemiah (Ezra 2:63, "Tirshatha"; I Esdras 5:40 has "Nehemias" and "Attharias"). He demanded that their confirmation be a heavenly affirmation. The Urim and Thummim were a set of objects (cf. Exod. 28:30; Lev. 8:8) kept by the High Priest (cf. Deut. 33:8) to determine the will of God (cf. Num. 27:21). Nehemiah seems to be using these objects and a future priest as a way of referring to God's Promised One (much like Zechariah used Jesusha).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 7:66-69
⁶⁶The whole assembly together was 42,360, ⁶⁷besides their male and their female servants, of whom there were 7,337; and they had 245 male and female singers. ⁶⁸Their horses were 736; their mules, 245; ⁶⁹their camels, 435; their donkeys, 6,720.

7:66 "42,360" This same number is also in Ezra 2:64. When you add up both Ezra's (29,818) and Nehemiah's (31,089) lists by names, cities and groups neither equal this number. This shows that both lists are incomplete.

Milton Terry, Biblical Hermeneutics, p. 525, has an interesting numerical comment.

"The probability is that neither list is intended as a perfect enumeration of all the families that returned from exile, but only of such families of Judah and Benjamin as could show an authentic genealogy of their father's house, while the 42,360 includes many persons and families belonging to other tribes who in their exile had lost all certain record of their genealogy, but were nevertheless true descendants of some of the ancient tribes. It is also noticeable that Ezra's list mentions 494 persons not recognized in Nehemiah's list, and Nehemiah's list mentions 1,765 not recognised in Ezra's list; but if we add the surplus of Ezra to the sum of Nehemiah (494 + 31,089 = 31,583) we have the same result as by adding Nehemiah's surplus to the sums of Ezra's numbers (1,765 + 29,818 = 31,583). Hence it may be reasonably believed that 31,583 was the sum of all that could show their father's house, that the two lists were drawn up independently of each other; and that both are defective, though one supplies the defects of the other."

7:67 "245" In Ezra 2:65 the number of singers is 200; I Esdras 5:42 also has "245."

7:68 Many Hebrew manuscripts omit this verse, as does the Septuagint. However, it is present in 2:66.

7:69 The amounts and weights of valuable metals between Ezra and Nehemiah are very different.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 7:70-72
⁷⁰Some from among the heads of fathers' households gave to the work. The governor gave to the treasury 1,000 gold drachmas, 50 basins, 530 priests' garments. ⁷¹Some of the heads of fathers' households gave into the treasury of the work 20,000 gold drachmas and 2,200 silver minas. ⁷²That which the rest of the people gave was 20,000 gold drachmas and 2,000 silver minas and 67 priests' garments.

7:70-71 "gold drachmas. . .silver minas" See SPECIAL TOPIC: ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN WEIGHTS AND MEASURES (METROLOGY) at Ezra 7:22.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 7:73a
⁷³Now the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the temple servants and all Israel, lived in their cities.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought provoking, not definitive.

1. How are the list of names in Ezra 2 related to the list in Nehemiah 7?

2. What is the purpose of these lists?

Nehemiah 8

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

NKJV	NRSV	TEV	NJB
Ezra Reads the Law	Reading the Book of the Law	Ezra Reads the Law to the People	Judaism is Born. Ezra Reads the Law, The Feast of Shelters
			7:72b-8:3
7:73b-8:8	7:73b-8:8
		8:1-3
		8:4	8:4-8
		8:5-6a
		8:6b
		8:7-8
8:9-12	8:9-12	8:9-10	8:9
			8:10-12
		8:11-12
The Feast of Tabernacles	Celebration of the Festival of Booths	The Festival of Shelters
8:13-18	8:13-18	8:13-15	8:13-17
		8:16-18
			8:18

READING CYCLE THREE (from "A Guide to Good Bible Reading")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT THE PARAGRAPH LEVEL

1. First paragraph

2. Second paragraph

3. Third paragraph

4. Etc.

CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS, NEHEMIAH 7:73b-10:39

This entire passage seems to form a literary unit, which deals with a recommitment to Yahweh as the faithful Covenant God (cf. 9:17), and a reaffirmation of the stipulations of the covenant (which Israel had broken repeatedly, cf. chapter 9), particularly dealing with the Feasts of the Seventh Month, and the continual maintenance of the temple (cf. Malachi).

A. There is much discussion about the date and historical accuracy of the book of Ezra-Nehemiah. It is obvious that these are both post-exilic leaders; Ezra being a priest/scribe, and Nehemiah being an administrator and high Persian governmental official. They are named together in 8:9.

B. There has been much debate over why the Day of Atonement, mentioned in Leviticus 16, that should have occurred on the 10th day of Tishri (seventh month, cf. Num. 28), is not mentioned in this section, when the Feast of Tabernacles (cf. Lev. 23) is so prominent. This occurred on the 15th of Tishri. Chapter 9 does describe a fast day that seems to have been a special occurrence not related to the annual Day of Atonement.

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 7:73b
^73bAnd when the seventh month came, the sons of Israel were in their cities.

7:73b "And when the seventh month came" This was the beginning of the civil calendar. On the first day (cf. v. 2; Deut. 31:9-11) was the New Year festival called Feast of Trumpets and today called Rosh Ha-Shanah (cf. Lev. 23:23-25; Num. 29:16). The Feast of Booths/Tabernacles starts on the 15^th day. The Day of Atonement was to occur on the 10^th. See Special Topic: Feasts of Israel at Ezra 3:4.

▣ "the sons of Israel were in their cities" This phrase is also found in Ezra 3:1, which shows the close connection between the book of Ezra and Nehemiah 8.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 8:1-8
¹And all the people gathered as one man at the square which was in front of the Water Gate, and they asked Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses which the Lord had given to Israel. ²Then Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly of men, women and all who could listen with understanding, on the first day of the seventh month. ³He read from it before the square which was in front of the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of men and women, those who could understand; and all the people were attentive to the book of the law. ⁴Ezra the scribe stood at a wooden podium which they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand; and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and Meshullam on his left hand. ⁵Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. ⁶Then Ezra blessed the Lord the great God. And all the people answered, "Amen, Amen!" while lifting up their hands; then they bowed low and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. ⁷Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, the Levites, explained the law to the people while the people remained in their place. ⁸They read from the book, from the law of God, translating to give the sense so that they understood the reading.

8:1 "all the people gathered as one man" This is a Hebrew idiom of unity (cf. Ezra 3:1). Both Ezra 2 and 3 parallel Nehemiah 7 and 8. This was purposeful to link these two leaders together.

▣ "at the square" It is highly unusual that this convocation should occur at the city square, and not at the temple. Possibly this meeting occurred at the city gate, which was the place of justice and social life in ancient Jewish communities. This was the place where justice and wisdom were to be regularly proclaimed (cf. Prov. 1:20, 21; 8:1ff).

▣ "the Water Gate" This seems to be on the east side of the new city wall, just south of Ophel (cf. 3;26), close to the major water source of the city of Jerusalem, the Gihon Spring (where Solomon was anointed, I Kgs. 1:33,38,45).

▣ "Ezra the scribe" At this point in the book of Nehemiah the priest/scribe Ezra appears. See Introduction to Ezra, Authorship, for more information.

▣ "the book of the Law of Moses" I reject modern JEDP source criticism. I hold to the Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch (i.e., Genesis-Deuteronomy), even though it may have been edited by someone like Ezra or Jeremiah. See Special Topic: Moses' Authorship of the Pentateuch at Ezra 6:18. How much of the book of the law (cf. II Chr. 34:15) was read on this occasion is uncertain. The word "book" (BDB 706) would refer to a scroll.

▣ "which the Lord had given to Israel" The basic meaning of this VERB (BDB 845, Peel PERFECT) is "charge," "command." The covenant people (i.e., Israel from Jacob) were required to keep the covenant. There were privileges and responsibilities (cf. 10:29). For the possible meanings of "Israel" see note at 2:10.

8:2 "the assembly of men, women, and all who could listen with understanding" It was unusual to include women and children in these convocations. This shows the seriousness of the occasion.

The phrase "who could listen with understanding" reflects the Jewish concept of sin and responsibility. They do not focus on Gen. 3, as the church does, to explain human rebellion and an evil world. Jews prefer to assert that spiritual responsibility is related to age and knowledge (at 13 years of age the boy's rite is called Bar Mitzvah and at 12 the girls is called Bath Mitzvah). Only after a period of study and personal commitment is a Jewish male of thirteen responsible to obey the Law.

The VERB (BDB 1033) means "to hear so as to do" (e.g., Deut. 4:1,6,9,13,14; 5:1; 6:4; 9:1; 20:3; 27:9-10). Knowledge brings responsibility (cf. Luke 12:48). A person by this name appears in v. 4, "Shema."

▣ "on the first day of the seventh month" The seventh month was a very important month to the Hebrews (cf. Lev. 23). It was not only a time of new year, but a time of fasting and repentance (the 10th), as well as a time of feasting and thanking God for the harvest (the 15th).

8:3 "He read from it, before the square. . .from early morning until midday" Apparently Ezra read for something like 6 hours in Hebrew (cf. v. 7).

▣ "In the presence of men and women, those who could understand" If this meeting had occurred in the temple, only men could have attended. By it being at the square, the entire Jewish population could come.

▣ "all the people were attentive to the book of the law" There is no VERB, literally "the ears of all the people to the book of Law." This idiom shows the level of commitment and anticipation on the part of the people.

8:4 These people listed were apparently priests or Levites (Masseiah in both vv. 4 & 7). Many of the names appear only here, but others appear in other chapters of Ezra/Nehemiah. One is never certain if it is the same person or just the same name. An example is "Meshullam." There are over twenty-one people (Young's Analytical Concordance, p. 656). Some appear in Ezra - Nehemiah:

1. Ezra 8:16

2. Ezra 10:15

3. Ezra 10:29

4. Neh. 3:4,30; 6:18

5. Neh. 3:6

6. Neh. 8:4

7. Neh. 10:7

8. Neh. 10:20

9. Neh. 11:7

10. Neh. 12:13,33

11. Neh. 12:16

12. Neh. 12:25

Uriah and Meshullam seem to be the ones who helped build two sections of the wall (cf. 3:4,30). Meshullam was later oath-bound to Tobiah (cf. 6:18).

It is probable that Ezra could not read loudly for five or six hours, so these other men took turns reading with him. This would accentuate the Word of God and not just one leader. This format is followed in the synagogues where several read from the Scriptures.

I wonder if the origin of a raised, wooden pulpit came from this specially prepared, wooden platform (lit. "tower," BDB 153) for reading the word of God.

8:5 "And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people. . .and when he opened it, all the people stood up" This was a sign of respect at the reading of God's word. God's word is a recurrent theme in Ezra-Nehemiah. Did they stand for the entire six hours?

This translation implies that the Law was written in codex form, but this was a later development. The word "book" (BDB 706) can mean scroll; if so "opened" (BDB 834 I) may imply scrolled to the beginning.

The Jewish (and later Christian) tradition of standing when the word of God is read comes from this verse.

8:6 "Amen, amen." This Hebrew word comes from the root "to be firm." It is related etymologically to the Hebrew word emunah, which is found in Habakkuk 2:4 and is translated in English "faith." Here the crowd affirms the truth that the Lord is a great God (cf. 1:5; 4:14; 9:32). See SPECIAL TOPIC: AMEN at Neh. 5:13.

▣ "the Lord the great God" As there was a transition from the centrality of the priesthood to the leadership of the prophet in early Israeli life, now another transition as the influence of the word of God (scroll of Moses) transcends the temple ritual as the focus of worship. Yes, they still performed the temple rituals, but the study of the Word, as seen in the further development of the synagogue, becomes the focus of daily life. The Word of God is a recurrent emphasis in Nehemiah. YHWH does not manifest Himself in the awesome physical ways that He did during the Exodus or dedication of Solomon's temple, but His power, promises, and presence are fully revealed in His word (by faith).

▣ "while lifting up their hands; then they bowed low and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground" The normal posture for Jewish prayer was the hands and the open eyes uplifted to heaven (as if in conversation with God). At certain times of intensity, there are Old Testament examples of Jewish people kneeling in prayer (cf. I Kgs. 8:54; Ps. 95:6; Isa. 45:23; Dan. 6:10). Here they bowed to the ground (cf. Exod. 34:8; Josh. 5:14; II Chr. 20:18; Job 1:20). This prostration before the Lord shows an intense degree of emotion and worship (cf. Exod. 4:31; 12:27). It is very similar to the posture and form of modern Muslim prayers.

8:7 This list of names seems to include priests and Levites; both functioned as teachers (cf. Lev. 10:11; Deut. 17:10-11; 33:10). However, because of v. 9 some see this as referring to Levites only (cf. NRSV, TEV, NJB, NET Bible). The Septuagint, I Esdras 9:48, and Vulgate do not have "and" before "the Levites." C. D. Ginsburg also thinks the "and" should be dropped (notes in his Hebrew Bible). Levites were also teachers of the Law (esp. in later Judaism, cf. II Chr. 35:3). Here as Ezra (and the others of v. 4) read the Hebrew text they moved among the crowd and translated it (cf. v. 7) into Aramaic, which was the language used in the Persian Empire.

▣ "explained the law to the people" The VERB (BDB 106, KB 122, Hiphil PARTICIPLE PLURAL) means "to discern." The Hiphil was often used of teaching the Law (cf. II Chr. 25:8; II Chr. 35:3; Neh. 8:7,9,12). It is often used of the wise in Proverbs (cf. 8:9; 17:10,24; 28:2,7,11). The implication is that they understood and then obeyed (cf. 8:12; II Chr. 26:5), which is parallel to shema (cf. v. 2).

▣ "to the people while the people remained in their place" This may relate either to (1) the people grouping themselves, and each group having an assigned teacher or (2) that they remained standing in family groups throughout the reading of the Law.

8:8

NASB, NJB"translating"
NKJV"distinctly"
NRSV"with interpretation"
TEV"oral translation"

The Hebrew VERB "translating" (BDB 831 I, KB 976, Pual PARTICIPLE) is uncertain. The Aramaic counterpart (Pael PASSIVE PARTICIPLE) is found in Ezra 4:18, where the NASB marginal note has "plainly read." In this passage it could mean:

1. The Levites translate from Hebrew to Aramaic (Talmud sees this as this beginning of the Targums, (cf. Megillah 3a; TEV). This is the only place which implies that the returning Jews could not speak Hebrew and it is based on a disputed VERB. If they could not read Hebrew why are all the Scriptural books of the period written in Hebrew (cf. Hard Sayings of the Bible, pp. 251-252).

2. The Levites explained the Scripture to the hearers (also a function of the Targums)

3. The Levites spoke very distinctly (Rotherham's Emphasized Bible, p. 486).

4. The Levites divided the reading into its literary units and then explained the meaning of that unit.

5. The hearers listened very carefully (cf. v. 3).

There seem to be two groups of people mentioned in this early part of chapter 8. A group that stood with Ezra, and possibly helped him read the Law, and another group that went among the crowd translating into Aramaic and explaining the reading's meaning.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 8:9-12
⁹Then Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, "This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep." For all the people were weeping when they heard the words of the law. ¹⁰Then he said to them, "Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength." ¹¹So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, "Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved." ¹²All the people went away to eat, to drink, to send portions and to celebrate a great festival, because they understood the words which had been made known to them.

8:9 "The governor" This is a Persian loan word (BDB 1077, cf. Ezra 2:63; Neh. 7:65,70; 8:9; 10:1). The Hebrew equivalent is Pechah (BDB 808, cf. Ezra 5:3,6,14; 6:6,7,13; 8:36; Neh. 2:7,9; 3:7; 5:14,15,18; 12:26). All of Israel's leaders (the last VERB of v. 12 is PLURAL "their") participated in these events (Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the official in charge of proper worship, and the Levite instructors).

▣ "for all the people were weeping when they heard the words of the Lord" This seems to mean godly sorrow over their apathy and non-performance concerning the word of God. This is the same attitude required for the Day of Atonement in Lev. 16. A similar time of fasting and repentance is found in chapter 9. It is surprising that the Day of Atonement is not mentioned as these people tried to reinstate and be obedient to the writings of Moses.

8:10 "eat of the fat" This term (BDB 1032) is used only here in the OT. It means the best pieces of meat. This is not the term for "fat" (BDB 804) which was offered only to God on the altar of sacrifice (cf. Lev. 1:8,12; 3:3-4; 4:8-10).

▣ "Go, eat. . .drink. . .send" These are all Qal PLURAL IMPERATIVES.

▣ "drink of the sweet" The term "sweet" (BDB 609), used of wine, is found only here in the OT. See Special Topic: Biblical Attitudes Toward Alcohol (Fermentation) and Alcoholism (Addiction) at Ezra 7:17.

▣ "send portions to him who has nothing prepared" The term "portion" (BDB 584) refers to the part of a sacrifice given back to an offerer (and his family, cf. I Sam. 1:4-5; Esth. 9:19,22). This was a common act in times of rejoicing (cf. Esth. 9:22). God cares for the poor, the widow, the orphan, and the alien, so too, must His people, who are to reflect His character (e.g., Exod. 23:11; Deut. 15:4,7,11; 26:11-13; Prov. 14:31; 19:17; 22:9).

▣ "this day is holy to our Lord" In context this means given to or dedicated to God (adon). It was a covenant renewal ceremony, something like Josh. 8:30-35. See SPECIAL TOPIC: HOLY at Ezra 8:28.

▣ "do not be grieved" The VERB (BDB 780 I, KB 864, Niphal IMPERFECT used in a JUSSIVE sense) means "grieved" or "pained." The people were stunned at their disobedience and the disobedience of their ancestors (cf. chapter 9). However, the occasion was one of renewal and new beginnings; they must rejoice with the God of the Covenant.

Deity is denoted by Adon in the phrase "holy to the Lord," but in this phrase He is called YHWH, the covenant, the redeemer title for God.

▣ "the joy of the Lord is your strength" Both "joy" (BDB 292) and "strength" (BDB 738, as a stronghold, cf. II Sam. 22:23; Prov. 10:29) describe God Himself in I Chr. 16:27. The believers' joy and strength are in YHWH, not in themselves. Understanding of God's word unlocks the confusion of sin.

8:11-12 This shows the festival nature of Israel's religious feasts. Knowing God issues in joy, not sadness! All days with Him are festivals of joy! Only the Day of Atonement was a fasting occasion. The Levites communicated to the people the wishes of the leadership (cf. v. 11).

8:12 "the words which had been made known to them" The NIDOTTE, vol. 2, p. 414, makes the interesting comment that this VERB (BDB 393, KB 390, Hiphil PERFECT) is used for those who pass on God's word:

1. Moses, Exod. 18:20

2. Samuel, I Sam. 10:8

3. Priests, Ezek. 44:23

4. Levites, Neh. 8:12

It also notes the missionary aspect of this VERB. God's people are to live and speak God's word so that "the nations" may also know YHWH (e.g., I Kgs. 8:43,60; II Kgs. 19:19; Isa. 12:4-5; 19:21; Ezek. 38:16).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 8:13-18
¹³Then on the second day the heads of fathers' households of all the people, the priests and the Levites were gathered to Ezra the scribe that they might gain insight into the words of the law. ¹⁴They found written in the law how the Lord had commanded through Moses that the sons of Israel should live in booths during the feast of the seventh month. ¹⁵So they proclaimed and circulated a proclamation in all their cities and in Jerusalem, saying, "Go out to the hills, and bring olive branches and wild olive branches, myrtle branches, palm branches and branches of other leafy trees, to make booths, as it is written." ¹⁶So the people went out and brought them and made booths for themselves, each on his roof, and in their courts and in the courts of the house of God, and in the square at the Water Gate and in the square at the Gate of Ephraim. ¹⁷The entire assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in them. The sons of Israel had indeed not done so from the days of Joshua the son of Nun to that day. And there was great rejoicing. ¹⁸He read from the book of the law of God daily, from the first day to the last day. And they celebrated the feast seven days, and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly according to the ordinance.

8:13 "on the second day, the heads of the fathers' households of all the people" The first day of Tishri was a general assembly, but the second day was a special day of training for the elders and leaders of the people that they might instruct their own tribal groups and clans in the Law of Moses.

8:14 "They found written in the Law how the Lord. . .the feast of the seventh month" The Feast of Tabernacles or Booths is discussed in Exod. 23:16; 34:22; Lev. 23:39-44; Num. 29:12-40; Deut. 16:13-15.

8:15 A helpful book on identifying flowers, crops, and trees in Palestine is Fauna and Flora of the Bible in the "Help for Translators" series from the United Bible Societies (ISBN 0-8267-0021-7).

▣ "go" This VERB (BDB 422, KB 425) is a Qal IMPERATIVE.

▣ "bring" This VERB (BDB 97, KB 112) is a Hiphil IMPERATIVE.

8:17 The Feast of Booths had been celebrated (cf. II Chr. 7:8; 8:13; Ezra 3:4; Hosea 12:9), but possibly the booths had not been a regular or required aspect of the feast.

8:18 "he read from the Book of the Law daily. . .on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly according to the ordinance" This shows that the Feast of the Tabernacle was an eight day feast, with the eighth day having special significance (cf. Num. 29:35). This seems to relate to Jesus' words in John 7:37.

The Syriac has "they read" instead of "he read."

The Discussion Questions for this chapter are included with those in chapter 9.

Nehemiah 9

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

NKJV	NRSV	TEV	NJB
The People Confess Their Sin	The Great Confession	The People Confess Their Sin
9:1-4	9:1-5	9:1-3
		9:4
9:5-8		9:5
		The Prayer of Confession
	9:6-8	9:6-8
9:9-15	9:9-15	9:9-14
		9:15-21
9:16-25	9:16-25
		9:22-25
9:26-31	9:26-31	9:26-31
9:32-37	9:32-37	9:32-37
		The People Sign an Agreement (9:38-10:27)
9:38	9:38	9:38-10:1

READING CYCLE THREE (from "A Guide to Good Bible Reading")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT THE PARAGRAPH LEVEL

1. First paragraph

2. Second paragraph

3. Third paragraph

4. Etc.

CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS

A. Nehemiah's summary of YHWH's gracious acts and covenant faithfulness (cf. v. 17) may have come from Ezra's reading of the Book of Moses (i.e., Pentateuch).

B. The chapter outlines as

1. YHWH as creator (Gen. 1-11), v. 6

2. YHWH's choice of Abraham (Gen. 12-50), vv. 7-8

3. YHWH's actions in the Exodus (Exodus), vv. 9-14

4. YHWH's faithful care and provision during the wilderness wandering period (Numbers), vv. 15-21

5. YHWH's promises to Abraham fulfilled (period of the conquest, i.e., Joshua), vv. 22-25

6. Israel's further rebellion (period of the Judges), vv. 20-31

7. YHWH's covenant faithfulness and Israel's unfaithfulness continue (the period of the Monarchy), vv. 32-38

C. Chapter 9 shows the theological basis of Israel's history—YHWH's faithfulness to His covenant; Israel's unfaithfulness to His covenant. It was not YHWH's powerlessness, but Israel's sin that brought destruction and exile; however, it is YHWH's character and power that Israel thus exists and is back in the land!

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 9:1-4
¹Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the sons of Israel assembled with fasting, in sackcloth and with dirt upon them. ²The descendants of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners, and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. ³While they stood in their place, they read from the book of the law of the Lord their God for a fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and worshiped the Lord their God. ⁴Now on the Levites' platform stood Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani and Chenani, and they cried with a loud voice to the Lord their God.

9:1 "On the twenty-fourth day of this month, the sons of Israel assembled with fasting, in sackcloths, with dirt upon them" Two days after the Feast of the Booths (cf. 8:13-18) and twenty-three days after the reading of the law (cf. 8:2), the repentant actions so characteristic of the Day of Atonement (cf. Lev. 16, which was to be observed on the 10^th day) occurred (cf. 1:4). During the reading of the law these returnees felt these same feelings of remorse and guilt (cf. 8:9). Israel needed forgiveness as the rest of chapter 9 clearly shows. Their covenant God was faithful (cf. Ezra 9:8-9), but they were not (cf. 1:6; Ezra 9:6-7,10).

9:2 "descendants of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners" This VERB (BDB 95, KB 110, Niphal IMPERFECT) means "to withdraw from," "separate ourselves from." This withdrawal was for the stated purpose of obeying YHWH's commands (cf. Exod. 33:16; Lev. 20:24,26; Ezra 6:21; 9:1; 10:1). To worship and obey YHWH meant a complete break with the pagan and semi-pagan culture and practices (cf. Lev. 20:24,26; e.g., marriages to foreign women).

▣ "confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers" This VERB (BDB 392, KB 389 II, Hithpael IMPERFECT) means "to confess" (cf. Lev. 5:5; 16:21; Ezra 10:1; Neh. 1:6; Dan. 9:4,20). Apparently this confession involved personal and national sin (e.g., Lev. 26-40; Jer. 3:25; 14:20).

9:3 "they stood in their place" This seems to refer to 8:4 (cf. v. 4).

▣ "they read from the book of the law of the Lord their God for a fourth of the day" These returnees longed to be instructed from the Law of Moses. It seems at this point that a major turning point in the life of the Jews occurred. Instead of being primarily people of the temple (ritual, liturgy, and form) they became people of the Book (the influence of the synagogue). This was a reading/teaching session lasting three hours in the morning (Bible study) and three hours in the afternoon (confession and worship).

9:4 If v. 3 refers to 8:4, then this verse must refer to a separate platform. The names mentioned here refer to the Levites of 8:7, who translated and interpreted Ezra's (and the men standing with him) words.

These two groups may have been involved in antiphonal reading interspersed with translation and interpretation.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 9:5-8
⁵Then the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah and Pethahiah, said, "Arise, bless the Lord your God forever and ever!
O may Your glorious name be blessed
And exalted above all blessing and praise!
⁶You alone are the Lord.
You have made the heavens,
The heaven of heavens with all their host,
The earth and all that is on it,
The seas and all that is in them.
You give life to all of them
And the heavenly host bows down before You.
⁷You are the Lord God,
Who chose Abram And brought him out from Ur of the Chaldees,
And gave him the name Abraham.
⁸You found his heart faithful before You,
And made a covenant with him
To give him the land of the Canaanite,
Of the Hittite and the Amorite,
Of the Perizzite, the Jebusite and the Girgashite—
To give it to his descendants.
And You have fulfilled Your promise,
For You are righteous."

9:5 The Septuagint adds the phrase "and Ezra said. . ." Apparently it is asserting the authorship of chapter 9 to Ezra instead of the Levite leaders, as the MT implies. The rest of this chapter is a history of God's faithful covenant promises and the people's unfaithful responses.

▣ "Arise, bless" These are both IMPERATIVES. The first VERB (BDB 877, KB 1086, Qal IMPERATIVE) means "to stand up." Apparently unlike Ezra's first reading of the Law (cf. Chapter 8), the people did not stand up the entire time (cf. 8:5).

The second VERB (BDB 138, KB 159 II, used twice, the first a Peel IMPERATIVE, the second a Peel IMPERFECT used in a JUSSIVE sense) means to praise or adore for having special power (cf. 8:6; I Chr. 29:20).

▣ "the Lord your God" The covenant name of God, YHWH, translated Lord, is from the Hebrew VERB "to be" in its CAUSATIVE form. Therefore, the phrase "forever and ever" is parallel. They both refer to the ever-living, only-living One! See SPECIAL TOPIC: NAMES FOR DEITY at Neh. 1:4.

▣ "forever and ever" For "forever" see Special Topic: 'Olam (Forever) at Ezra 3:11.

▣ "Thy glorious name" The name is a Hebraic idiom for the person (e.g., Exod. 32:33; I Chr. 28:13; Ps. 72:19; Acts 1:18; 4:10). God is glorious.

SPECIAL TOPIC: GLORY (DOXA)

▣ "above all blessing and praise" The TEV catches the meaning as "although no human praise is great enough."

9:6 This verse is an emphasis on God as the only (in the spirit of Exod. 20:2-3 and Deut. 6:4) Creator and Sustainer of the Universe. Here creation is attributed to YHWH. Usually it is attributed to Elohim (cf. Gen. 1). See SPECIAL TOPIC: NAMES FOR DEITY at Neh. 1:4.

▣ "Thou has made the heavens" This phrase is parallel to "the earth and all that is on it." "Heavens" here refers to the atmosphere of this planet (cf. Gen. 1:1).

▣ "the heaven of heavens with all their hosts" This seems to refer to the ancient association of heavenly bodies (e.g., sun, moon, planets, stars, comets) with gods or angels (cf. v. 6g; Deut. 4:19; Job 38:7).

There has been an ongoing discussion among the rabbis as to how many "heavens" there are and to what they refer. The "highest" heaven would be God's throne. Some see this as the third heaven (cf. II Cor. 12:2), while others assert "seventh heaven" (b. Hagigah 11b).

In this context the "heavens of heavens" refers to the starry heavens (cf. Deut. 10:14; Ps. 148:3-4) that personified worship and praise to God.

NASB"You give life to all of them"
NKJV"You preserve them all"
NRSV"to all of them you give life"
TEV"you gave life to all"
NJB"You keep them all alive"

This VERB (BDB 310, KB 309, Peel PARTICIPLE) can mean

1. preserve alive (NKJV, JPSOA, cf. Col. 1:17)

2. give life (NASB, NRSV, TEV, NJB, NIV, REB)

3. restore life

YHWH is creator, sustainer, and restorer of life!

9:7-8 This seems to deal with God's choosing and covenanting with Abraham (cf. Gen. 12-18).

9:7 "the Lord God" This is YHWH Elohim. This combined title occurs first in Gen. 2:4. See Special Topic: Names for Deity at Neh. 1:4.

▣ "Who chose Abraham" This VERB (BDB 103, KB 119, Qal PERFECT) refers to God's choice. Here of Abraham (cf. Gen. 12); in Deut. 7:7 of Israel as a people. This refers theologically to the initiation of a covenant relationship. God must initiate. The burning question is does He call, choose, initiate to all or to some select group? Even in the OT, the choice of Abraham was a means to choose all humans (cf. Gen. 12:3); the choice of Israel was a choice for all humans (cf. Exod. 19:4-6, esp. v. 5c).

SPECIAL TOPIC: Election/predestination and the Need for a Theological Balance

SPECIAL TOPIC: Predestination (Calvinism) vs. Human Free Will (Arminianism)

▣ "brought Him out of Ur of the Chaldees" Originally Abraham's family were apparently worshipers of the moon god (cf. Gen. 11:31). Ur was one of several centers for moon god (i.e., sin or zin) worship. At this point, in history all were polytheists (many gods) or henotheists (many gods, but one special god for me).

▣ "gave him the name Abraham" His original name "Abram" means "exalted Father" (BDB 4, KB 10). The term Abraham means "chief of a multitude" (BDB 4, KB, cf. Gen. 17:5, where it is defined as "the father of a multitude of nations").

9:8 "You found his heart faithful before Thee" Because of the use of the word "faithful," this must refer to Gen. 15:6 (cf. Rom. 4:3,9,22; Gal. 3:6; James 2:23), which refers to God's promise of descendants. Abraham's faith is fully revealed in Gen. 22 (cf. James 2:22).

The term "heart" is a Semitic idiom for the whole person. See Special Topic: Heart at Neh. 4:6.

▣ "and made a covenant with him" This covenant is first delineated in Gen. 12:1-3, but reaffirmed in chapters 15 and 17. See SPECIAL TOPIC: COVENANT at Ezra 6:14.

▣ "give him the land of the Canaanite" This aspect of the covenant is fully delineated in Gen. 15:17-21. For a full discussion of these tribes of Canaan see Ezra 9:1.

▣ "to his descendants" This is literally the term "seed." In the OT it focuses on the Jewish people, but in the NT Paul sees it as referring uniquely to Christ (cf. Gal. 3:15-22).

▣ "You have fulfilled Your promise" This relates to Gen. 15:12-21, which refers to the Exodus from Egypt and the conquest of Canaan.

▣ "For You are righteous" This relates to YHWH's character (cf. II Chr. 12:6; Ezra 9:15), but the same term is used in v. 33, translated "just" and refers to His actions (i.e., judgments, cf. Exod. 9:27; Ps. 119:137; 145:17). See Special Topic: Righteousness at Neh. 4:5b. The specific texts that relate to the reason for the Canaanite defeat is Deut. 9:4-6.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 9:9-15
⁹"You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt,
And heard their cry by the Red Sea.
¹⁰Then You performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh,
Against all his servants and all the people of his land;
For You knew that they acted arrogantly toward them,
And made a name for Yourself as it is this day.
¹¹You divided the sea before them,
So they passed through the midst of the sea on dry ground;
And their pursuers You hurled into the depths,
Like a stone into raging waters.
¹²And with a pillar of cloud You led them by day,
And with a pillar of fire by night
To light for them the way
In which they were to go.
¹³Then You came down on Mount Sinai,
And spoke with them from heaven;
You gave them just ordinances and true laws,
Good statutes and commandments.
¹⁴So You made known to them Your holy sabbath,
And laid down for them commandments, statutes and law,
Through Your servant Moses.
¹⁵You provided bread from heaven for them for their hunger,
You brought forth water from a rock for them for their thirst,
And You told them to enter in order to possess
The land which You swore to give them."

9:9-14 This deals with the period of the Exodus and wilderness wandering period. God's promise and fulfillment of bringing the children of Israel out of Egypt is a recurrent theme (e.g., Ps. 78:12ff; 105:23ff; 106:7ff; 135:8ff; 136:10ff).

9:9 "You saw see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt" This relates to Exod. 2:25; 3:7 (Acts 7:34).

▣ "And heard their cry by the Red Sea" This refers specifically to Exod. 14.

SPECIAL TOPIC: The Red Sea

9:10 This verse refers to the series of plagues that YHWH sent through Moses (cf. Exod. 7-11). These plagues target and repudiate the nature and animal gods of Egypt. YHWH wants Egyptians to believe in Him also (cf. v. 10d; Exod. 9:14-16).

9:11 "their pursuers You hurled into the depths" This refers to Exod. 14, especially vv. 26-31.

▣ "like a stone into raging waters" This is almost an exact quote from the Song of Moses in Exod. 15:5,10.

9:12 "a pillar of fire" This refers to Shekinah cloud of glory (physical symbol of the presence of YHWH) that separated the children of Israel from the army of Pharaoh, and led them throughout the wilderness wandering period (e.g., Exod. 13:22; 14:19-24; 16:10; 19:9,16; 24:15-18; 34:5; 40:34-38). This is referred to again in v. 19.

▣ "the way"

SPECIAL TOPIC: The Route of the Exodus

9:13 "then You came down on Mount Sinai"

SPECIAL TOPIC: Location of Mt. Sinai

▣ "You gave them just ordinances and true laws" There are some cultural examples similar to the decalog.

1. The Laws of Lipit-Ishtar (Sumerian), from the king of Isin (1934-1924 b.c.)

2. The Laws of Eshnunna (old Babylonian), dating about 1800 b.c. from the reign of Dadusha, king of Ashnunna

3. The Code of Hammurabi (old Babylon) from the king of Babylon, Hammurabi (1728-1686 b.c.)

4. The law codes of the Hittite kings Mupsilis I or Hattusilis I, from about 1650 b.c.

5. The Mesopotamian law codes focus primarily on civil laws, while the biblical laws focus primarily on religious/cultic laws. ". . .we might suggest a civil bias in all cuneiform law and a cultic bias in Israelite law. . ., in Mesopotamia, offense is ultimately viewed in relation to society; while in Israel, all offense is ultimately against God." Walton, p. 80.

6. Albrecht Alt in Essays on Old Testament History and Religion, Oxford, 1966, pp. 81-132, has identified two types of laws:

a. casuistic, which use conditional clauses. It is characterized by an "if. . .then" structure. It does not appeal to religious or societal norms but states a prohibition and consequence.

b. apodictic, which does not use conditional clauses.

(1) Exodus 21 and Deut. 27:15-26 use the third person and relate to individual, specific cases

(2) Lev. 18:7-17 and Exodus 20/Deuteronomy 5 use the second person and are more general in scope.

c. Mesopotamian law is primarily casuistic while Israelite law is primarily apodictic.

9:14 This verse, like v. 13, relates to the giving of the Ten Commandments to Moses on Mt. Sinai recorded in Exodus 19-20.

The phrase "Thy holy sabbath" probably refers to Exod. 20:8-11, which is a theological development of the seventh day of rest of Gen. 2:1-3.

NASB, NRSV,
TEV, NJB"Through Thy servant Moses"
NKJV"By the hand of Moses Your servant"

The NKJV retains the literal idiom. Moses is said to have "written" God's laws several times (cf. Exod. 17:14; 24:4,7; 34:27,28; Num. 33:2; Deut. 31:9,22,24-26!

9:15-21 This is a description of the wilderness wandering period and God's unique care amidst the children of Israel's rebellion (Ezra's theme in chapter 9).

9:15 "You provided bread from heaven" This daily provision of manna is described in Exodus 16, especially vv. 14-15,31.

▣ "You brought forth water from a rock" This must have occurred regularly, but only two times are recorded (Exod. 17:6; Num. 20:7-13).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 9:16-25
¹⁶ "But they, our fathers, acted arrogantly;
They became stubborn and would not listen to Your commandments.
¹⁷They refused to listen,
And did not remember Your wondrous deeds which You had performed among them;
So they became stubborn and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt.
But You are a God of forgiveness,
Gracious and compassionate,
Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness;
And You did not forsake them.
¹⁸Even when they made for themselves
A calf of molten metal
And said, 'This is your God
Who brought you up from Egypt,'
And committed great blasphemies,
¹⁹You, in Your great compassion,
Did not forsake them in the wilderness;
The pillar of cloud did not leave them by day,
To guide them on their way,
Nor the pillar of fire by night, to light for them the way in which they were to go.
²⁰You gave Your good Spirit to instruct them,
Your manna You did not withhold from their mouth,
And You gave them water for their thirst.
²¹Indeed, forty years You provided for them in the wilderness and they were not in want;
Their clothes did not wear out, nor did their feet swell.
²²You also gave them kingdoms and peoples,
And allotted them to them as a boundary.
They took possession of the land of Sihon the king of Heshbon
And the land of Og the king of Bashan.
²³You made their sons numerous as the stars of heaven,
And You brought them into the land
Which You had told their fathers to enter and possess.
²⁴So their sons entered and possessed the land.
And You subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites,
And You gave them into their hand, with their kings and the peoples of the land,
To do with them as they desired.
²⁵They captured fortified cities and a fertile land.
They took possession of houses full of every good thing,
Hewn cisterns, vineyards, olive groves,
Fruit trees in abundance.
So they ate, were filled and grew fat,
And reveled in Your great goodness."

9:16-17 Here is the recurrent theme of the chapter.

1. God's faithfulness and love, v. 17b

2. Israel's unfaithfulness and rebellion, vv. 16-17a

YHWH's righteousness and Israel's rebellion are graphically revealed in Deut. 9:4-6,7,13,24,27.

9:16

NASB"they became stubborn"
NKJV"hardened their necks"
NRSV"stiffened their necks"
TEV"grew. . .stubborn"
NJB"grew obstinate"

The VERB (BDB 904 I, KB 1151, Hiphil IMPERFECT) and the NOUN (BDB 791) both denote purposeful rejection of truth (i.e., rebellion, cf. v. 17,29; II Chr. 30:8; 36:13; Jer. 7:26; 17:23; 19:15).

9:17 "Thy wondrous deeds" This VERB (BDB 810, KB 927, Niphal PARTICIPLE) can mean "difficult" (cf. Deut. 17:8; Prov. 30:18) or "wonderful" (cf. Exod. 3:20; Ps. 78:12-16). In this passage, like so many Psalms, it refers to God's mighty, powerful, extraordinary acts of deliverance during the exodus, wanderings, and conquest.

▣ "appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt" This relates specifically to Num. 14:4. The precursor is found in Exod. 14:10-12 and Num. 11:1-9.

This translation follows the Septuagint and a few medieval Hebrew manuscripts. Instead of "Egypt" the MT has "bondage" (BDB 715, cf. NKJV), which is very similar in spelling.

▣ "You are a God" There are six specific things stated about God's character.

1. forgiving (BDB 699, used exclusively of God's forgiveness)

2. gracious (BDB 337, cf. Deut. 4:31; II Chr. 30:9)

3. compassionate (BDB 933)

4. slow to anger (cf. Num.14:18)

5. abounding in lovingkindness (BDB 338, Covenant loyalty, see Special Topic: Hesed at 13:14)

6. He did not forsake them!

This is one of a select number of OT texts that delineate the basic nature of God—Exod. 34:6-7; Ps. 103:8; and Joel 2:13.

Part of this text's litany of God's characteristics became a standard way of referring to His character (cf. Ps. 86:15; 145:8; Jonah 4:2). This is who God is! Rejoice and be glad!

Believers' hope is based on the unchanging character of God. Remember the list is given in a verse that describes Israel's intentional rejection of God and His word. See Special Topic below.

SPECIAL TOPIC: CHARACTERISTICS OF ISRAEL'S GOD

9:18 "they made for themselves a calf of molten metal" The calf was meant as a physical representation of YHWH, not as another god (cf. Exod. 32:1-8.31).

▣ "and committed great blasphemies" There is a series of sins recorded in Exod. 32.

1. idolatry (cf. LSS & Vulgate) or at least making a physical image of YHWH (cf. Exod. 20:4-5)

2. drunkenness

3. sexual promiscuity (cf. Exod. 32:6, "rose up to play" means a sexual orgy, cf. Gen. 26:18 for another use of this phrase)

9:20 "You gave Your good Spirit to instruct them" God's "good spirit" does not necessarily refer to the NT Trinitarian understanding of the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity. In the OT God's Spirit is a way of referring to His will being accomplished (cf. Gen. 1:2). In this context it is probably parallel to God's angel who accompanied Israel during the wilderness wandering period (cf. Exod. 3:2; 14:19; 23:20,23,34; 33:2).

Also, God's Spirit is a way of referring to revelation or inspiration (cf. v. 30; Ps. 143:10). He (NT Trinitarian sense) is the agent of inspiration (cf. 9:30; Num. 11:17,25,29; I Sam. 10:6,9-11; II Sam. 23:2; I Kgs. 22:24; I Chr. 12:18; II Chr. 24:20; Isa. 11:2; 42:1; Ezek. 11:5,24; Hos. 9:7; Joel 2:28-29; Micah 3:8; Zech. 7:12).

9:21 Even though the wilderness wandering period was a time of judgment because of their unbelief, God was with them in a personal, powerful, daily way. The rabbis later called this time "the honeymoon" period because of YHWH's tender care and provision. The term "forty" is a round, symbolic number. This period only lasted 38 years. The specific reference to the clothes not wearing out is from Deut. 8:4; 29:5.

9:22 This refers to Joshua's conquest on the eastern side of the Jordan (cf. Num. 21:21-35; Ps. 35:11; 36:19-20).

9:23-25 This seems to refer to Joshua's conquest of the land of Canaan.

9:23 "You made their sons numerous as the stars of heaven" This was part of the Abrahamic covenant (cf. Gen. 15:5; 22:17; 26:4; Exod. 32:13, i.e., numerous descendants also referred to as "like the sand of the sea," cf. Gen. 22:12; 32:12; Isa. 48:19; Hos. 1:10).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 9:26-31
²⁶"But they became disobedient and rebelled against You,
And cast Your law behind their backs
And killed Your prophets who had admonished them
So that they might return to You,
And they committed great blasphemies.
²⁷Therefore You delivered them into the hand of their oppressors who oppressed them,
But when they cried to You in the time of their distress,
You heard from heaven, and according to Your great compassion
You gave them deliverers who delivered them from the hand of their oppressors.
²⁸But as soon as they had rest, they did evil again before You;
Therefore You abandoned them to the hand of their enemies, so that they ruled over them.
When they cried again to You, You heard from heaven,
And many times You rescued them according to Your compassion,
²⁹And admonished them in order to turn them back to Your law.
Yet they acted arrogantly and did not listen to Your commandments but sinned against Your ordinances,
By which if a man observes them he shall live.
And they turned a stubborn shoulder and stiffened their neck, and would not listen.
³⁰However, You bore with them for many years,
And admonished them by Your Spirit through Your prophets,
Yet they would not give ear.
Therefore You gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.
³¹Nevertheless, in Your great compassion You did not make an end of them or forsake them,
For You are a gracious and compassionate God."

9:26-31 This refers to the period of the Judges, which was one of the darkest periods of Israel's history. Cycle after cycle of sin and restoration!

9:26 "and cast them behind their backs" This is a Hebrew idiom for being out of sight, being out of mind (cf. Isa. 38:17). It has the connotation of willful rejection (cf. I Kgs. 14:9; Ezek. 23:35 and the same concept is in Ps. 50:17).

▣ "And killed Your prophets" God's people did not want to hear from God through His spokespersons so they silenced the speaker!

▣ "return" See SPECIAL TOPIC: REPENTANCE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT in the OT at 1:9.

9:27 The recurrent theme of YHWH's patience, love, and covenant loyalty is contrasted with Israel's rebellion, generation after generation (cf. v. 28).

9:29 "to turn back" See Special Topic: Repentance in the OT at 1:9.

NASB"they acted arrogantly"
NKJV"they acted proudly"
NRSV"they acted presumptuously"
TEV"in pride they rejected"
NJB"they became arrogant"

This VERB (BDB 267, KB 268, Hiphil PERFECT) implies the willful rejection of God's authority expressed through His prophets (cf. v. 30) and His word. Often one's personal, cultural, or national opinions are substituted for God's truth (e.g., false prophets).

▣ "By which if a man observes them he shall live" This is the OT understanding of salvation (cf. Lev. 18:5; Gal. 3:12). However, the repeated failure of each and every generation of the sons of Adam forced YHWH to bring about a "new covenant" (cf. Jer. 31:31-34; Ezek. 36:22-38) based on God's performance (in Christ) only dependent on a faithful human reception. The goal is still the same—a righteous people, but the mechanism has changed; an internal law/a new heart/a new spirit!

▣ "They turned a stubborn shoulder and stiffened their neck" This terminology refers to Deut. 9:6, 7,13,24,27.

9:30 "the peoples of the land" In Ezra (cf. 3:3; 9:1,2,11; 10:2,11) and Nehemiah (cf. 9:30; 10:29,31,32) this means native inhabitants (i.e., those who survived the deportations and those resettled in Palestine and the resulting intermarriages). Earlier in the OT it referred to either (1) the wealthy land owners or (2) the people who had legal rights as citizens.

9:31 God's covenant judgment (cf. Deut. 27-29) was always an attempt to cause Israel to repent and return. However, grace and mercy rejected results in judgment even beyond this life. God chose Israel to choose the world! He retained a faithful remnant to accomplish His Messianic promises and world evangelization!

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 9:32-37
³²"Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and lovingkindness,
Do not let all the hardship seem insignificant before You,
Which has come upon us, our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, our fathers and on all Your people,
From the days of the kings of Assyria to this day.
³³However, You are just in all that has come upon us;
For You have dealt faithfully, but we have acted wickedly.
³⁴For our kings, our leaders, our priests and our fathers have not kept Your law
Or paid attention to Your commandments and Your admonitions with which You have admonished them.
³⁵But they, in their own kingdom,
With Your great goodness which You gave them,
With the broad and rich land which You set before them,
Did not serve You or turn from their evil deeds.
³⁶Behold, we are slaves today,
And as to the land which You gave to our fathers to eat of its fruit and its bounty,
Behold, we are slaves in it.
³⁷Its abundant produce is for the kings
Whom You have set over us because of our sins;
They also rule over our bodies
And over our cattle as they please, So we are in great distress.
³⁸Now because of all this We are making an agreement in writing; And on the sealed document are the names of our leaders, our Levites and our priests."

9:32-37 These verses deal with the period of the United (Saul, David, and Solomon) and Divided Monarchy (Israel until 922 b.c. and Judah until 586 b.c.).

9:32 "our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and lovingkindness" Again the character and faithfulness of YHWH, in contrast to His people, is emphasized (cf. v. 33). This is the recurrent theme.

The term "great" (BDB 152) is attributed (1) several times (cf. 1:5; Deut. 7:21; 10:17; Ps. 77:13; 95:3; Jer. 32:18; Dan. 9:4); (2) to Elohim (cf. 8:6; II Chr. 2:5); and (3) to YHWH (cf. Exod. 18:11; I Chr. 16:25; Ps. 48:1; 96:4; 99:2; 135:5; 145:3; Jer. 10:6). God's power is great (Num. 14:17); God's name is great (II Sam. 7:26; I Chr. 17:24); God's works are great (Ps. 92:5).

The term "awesome" (BDB 431, KB 432, Niphal PARTICIPLE) is used in several but related senses in connection to God.

1. God's redemptive acts (e.g., Deut. 10:21)

2. description of God Himself (e.g., Deut. 7:21; 10:17; Neh. 1:5; 4:18; 9:32)

a. of His name (e.g., Deut. 28:58)

b. of His appearance (e.g., Jdgs. 13:6; Isa. 64:3).

Humans tremble or should tremble at the presence or even mention of the God of creation.

The last two in the list are synonymous. God's power is established by His faithfulness (see Special Topic: Hesed at 13:14) to His promises. These last two characteristics often appear together (cf. 1:5; 9:32; Deut. 7:2,9,12; I Kgs. 8:23; II Chr. 6:14; Dan. 9:4).

A good article on the relationship between berith (covenant) and hesed (lovingkindness) is EdmundJacob, Theology of the Old Testament, pp. 103-107.

▣ "from the days of the kings of Assyria to this day" Assyria took the Northern Ten Tribes captive in 722 b.c. For a list of their kings in sequence see Appendix.

9:33 "You are just in all that has come upon us" The consequences for covenant violation are clearly spelled out in Deut. 27-29. God's judgments are both judicially fair and redemptively purposeful.

9:35 "the broad and rich land" The Promised Land could hardly be characterized as "spacious," so it must be used metaphorically for a place of freedom (cf. Exod. 3:8).

Canaan was a very fertile land in Moses' day (cf. Exod. 3:8,17; 13:5; Num. 13:23,27).

9:36 "Behold, we are slaves today" This refers to the continuing domination, albeit benevolent, under Persia.

9:38 "we are making an agreement in writing" Although the word "covenant" is not used here, a similar but rare word is employed. The term "agreement" is really from the Hebrew root "amen" and should be translated "firm agreement" (BDB 53). The verb "making" is the Hebrew term "to cut" (BDB 503, KB 500, Qal ACTIVE PARTICIPLE). This is often associated with the common phrase "to cut a covenant."

9:38-10:27 "leaders, Levites, priests" The leaders are mentioned in 10:1,14-27; the Levites in 10:9-13; and priests in 10:2-8 (cf. 12:1-7). There has been much discussion among scholars whether individuals or families are listed. It is also unusual that Ezra is not mentioned, however, he was a member of the first named priestly family (Seraiah).

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought provoking, not definitive.

1. How are vv. 1-2 related to the Day of Atonement?

2. Is confession individual or corporate or both? How does this affect the way we pray/confess today?

3. Who verbalizes the Psalm (vv. 5-32)?

4. How is the group on the platform in v. 4 related to the group speaking in v. 5?

5. Outline the different periods of Israel's history alluded to in the Psalm.

6. Why is v. 17 so important?

7. Explain the OT concept of "Spirit." How do v. 20 and v. 30 relate?

8. Explain the significance of v. 31.

Nehemiah 10

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

NKJV	NRSV	TEV	NJB
The People Who Sealed the Covenant	The Covenant to Support God's House (9:38-10:39)	The People Sign an Agreement (9:38-10:27)	The Record of the Promise Made by the Community
	9:38-10:27	9:38-10:1	(9:38 counted as 10:1)
10:1-27			10:1
		10:2-8	10:2-9
		10:9-13	10:10-14
		10:14-27	10:15-28
The Covenant That was Sealed		The Agreement
10:28-39	10:28-31	10:28-29	10:29-30
		10:30	10:31
		10:31a	10:32a
		10:31b	10:32b
	10:32-39	10:32	10:33-35
		10:33
		10:34
		10:35	(10:35 & 40 placed last)
		10:36	10:36-40b
		10:37a
		10:37b-39a
		10:39b

READING CYCLE THREE (from "A Guide to Good Bible Reading")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT THE PARAGRAPH LEVEL

1. First paragraph

2. Second paragraph

3. Third paragraph

4. Etc.

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 10:1-27
¹Now on the sealed document were the names of: Nehemiah the governor, the son of Hacaliah, and Zedekiah,
²Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah,
³Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah,
⁴Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch,
⁵Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,
⁶Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch,
⁷Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,
⁸Maaziah, Bilgai, Shemaiah. These were the priests.
⁹And the Levites: Jeshua the son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel;
¹⁰also their brothers Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan,
¹¹Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah,
¹²Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,
¹³Hodiah, Bani, Beninu.
¹⁴The leaders of the people: Parosh, Pahath-moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani,
¹⁵Bunni, Azgad, Bebai,
¹⁶Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin,
¹⁷Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur,
¹⁸Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai,
¹⁹Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai,
²⁰Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir,
²¹Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua,
²²Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah,
²³Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub,
²⁴Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek,
²⁵Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah,
²⁶Ahiah, Hanan, Anan,
²⁷Malluch, Harim, Baanah.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 10:28-31
²⁸ Now the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants and all those who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the law of God, their wives, their sons and their daughters, all those who had knowledge and understanding, ²⁹are joining with their kinsmen, their nobles, and are taking on themselves a curse and an oath to walk in God's law, which was given through Moses, God's servant, and to keep and to observe all the commandments of God our Lord, and His ordinances and His statutes; ³⁰and that we will not give our daughters to the peoples of the land or take their daughters for our sons. ³¹As for the peoples of the land who bring wares or any grain on the sabbath day to sell, we will not buy from them on the sabbath or a holy day; and we will forego the crops the seventh year and the exaction of every debt.

10:28 This mentions the other groups of Israeli society.

▣ "all who had knowledge and understanding" See note at 8:2. This seems to refer to the children.

10:29 "a curse and an oath to walk in God's law" This is a covenant renewal service much like Josh. 8:30-35 and 24:1ff. These renewal ceremonies were based on the covenant blessings and cursings summarized in Deut. 27-29. Obedience and disobedience had consequences in this life and the next!

The term "walk" is a biblical metaphor for lifestyle faith. God's word/teachings are a path for His people to follow (e.g., Ps. 119:105; Prov. 6:23).

▣ "the commandments. . .ordinances. . .statutes" The revelation of God to God is characterized by several terms. Notice the list and parallelism of Ps. 19:7-9.

NASB"God our Lord"
NKJV, NRSV,
TEV"the Lord our Lord"
NJB"Yahweh our Lord"

The first term is YHWH, the covenant name for God (cf. Gen. 2:4). The second is Adon, which meant husband, owner, master, or lord. See Special Topic: Names for Deity at Neh. 1:11.

10:30 "and we will not give our daughters to the people of the land or take their daughters for our sons" This does not refer to racial exclusion, but religious exclusion (cf. Exod. 34:12-16 Ezra 9:10; Neh. 13:23-28). This was a major issue in restored Judah.

10:31 "as for the peoples of the land who bring wares or any grain on the sabbath day to sell" The indigenous habitants of the Persian province who were supposedly "YHWHistic" were violating the Sabbath requirements. This is one example of the problems of trying to work with or associate with the inhabitants who were in the land when the returnees arrived.

▣ "and we will forgo the crops the seventh year" This is a second feature of Mosaic law which was a means of acknowledging YHWH's ownership of the land and His care and concern for the needy (cf. Exod. 23:10-11; Lev. 25:4-7,20-22).

▣ "and the exaction of every debt" This is a third element related to Moses' law. All debts were cancelled on the seventh year (cf. Deut. 15:1-2; 31:10), which was called the Sabbath year. They were serious about reinstating the Mosaic law in its fullness.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 10:32-33
³²We also placed ourselves under obligation to contribute yearly one third of a shekel for the service of the house of our God: ³³for the showbread, for the continual grain offering, for the continual burnt offering, the sabbaths, the new moon, for the appointed times, for the holy things and for the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, and all the work of the house of our God.

10:32 "to contribute yearly one third of a shekel for the service of the house of our God" In Exod. 30:11-16, it is a half of a shekel given to the tabernacle, but it is not given annually. Exactly what the fee paid for is delineated in v. 33. In the pre-exilic period, the king supported the cost of the temple, but in the post-exilic community the cost was shared among the people

10:33 "the showbread" See Exod. 25:23-30.

▣ "the continual grain offering" See Num. 28:1-8.

▣ "the continual burnt offering" See Exod. 29:38-42; Num. 28:1-8

▣ "the sabbaths, the new moon, for the appointed times" See Num. 28:9-10,11-15; 29:39-40.

▣ "for the sin offering to make atonement for Israel" See Lev. 4:1 - 5:13 and Num. 15:23-29.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 10:34-39
³⁴ Likewise we cast lots for the supply of wood among the priests, the Levites and the people so that they might bring it to the house of our God, according to our fathers' households, at fixed times annually, to burn on the altar of the Lord our God, as it is written in the law; ³⁵and that they might bring the first fruits of our ground and the first fruits of all the fruit of every tree to the house of the Lord annually, ³⁶and bring to the house of our God the firstborn of our sons and of our cattle, and the firstborn of our herds and our flocks as it is written in the law, for the priests who are ministering in the house of our God. ³⁷We will also bring the first of our dough, our contributions, the fruit of every tree, the new wine and the oil to the priests at the chambers of the house of our God, and the tithe of our ground to the Levites, for the Levites are they who receive the tithes in all the rural towns. ³⁸The priest, the son of Aaron, shall be with the Levites when the Levites receive tithes, and the Levites shall bring up the tenth of the tithes to the house of our God, to the chambers of the storehouse. ³⁹For the sons of Israel and the sons of Levi shall bring the contribution of the grain, the new wine and the oil to the chambers; there are the utensils of the sanctuary, the priests who are ministering, the gatekeepers and the singers. Thus we will not neglect the house of our God.

10:34 "we cast lots for the supply of wood" The casting of lots was a mechanical way (like the Urim and Thummim) to discern God's will. In this case the lots help divide the responsibility for wood for the burnt offerings among the returnees. Each family was responsible for a period of time. This later turns into a feast (cf. Josephus, Wars 17.6).

10:35 "the first fruits" Giving God the first ripened fruit was a way to show God's ownership of the entire harvest. These offerings helped support the priests. See Exod. 22:29; 23:19; 34:26; Deut. 26:1-11; and Ezek. 44:30.

10:36 "the firstborn of our sons and of our cattle" this was a way to show God's ownership of all things. See Exodus 13.

10:37 "we shall also bring the first of our dough" See Lev. 23:17.

▣ "and the tithe of our ground to the Levites" See Lev. 27:30.

10:38 "the priest. . .shall be with the Levites" This was one of the checks and balances procedures installed to insure the taxation system.

▣ "the tenth of the tithes" The Levites were required to tithe to the priests (cf. Num. 18:26). In the OT there were many Levites so the priests got all they needed from their tithe, but in these days there were few Levites. The priests, however, did not want to alter the Mosaic regulations.

There is some confusion about exactly how the tithing system in Israel worked. From Deut. 14:22-29

1. individuals brought a tithe to the central sanctuary for two years

2. the third year the tithe was paid locally to benefit the poor

3. every seventh year the fields lay fallow so there was no tithe of produce

In this passage (vv. 32-39), all non-produce items were brought to the priests in Jerusalem, but the produce was brought to the Levites in the local towns, who then tithed that to Jerusalem. The special offerings like "the first fruits" or "first born" were also taken to Jerusalem.

10:39 "new wine" See Special Topic: Biblical Attitudes Toward Alcohol (Fermentation) and Alcoholism (Addiction) at Ezra 7:17.

▣ "Thus we will not neglect the house of God" All of the provisions mentioned in vv. 34-39 were to equip the temple and its personnel for its regular duties.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought provoking, not definitive.

1. What is the relationship between the books of Ezra and Nehemiah?

2. Can you name the post-exilic prophets?

3. Why is the Day of Atonement left out of this section?

4. Outline chapter 9 concerning God's relationship to Israel through the years.

Nehemiah 11

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

NKJV	NRSV	TEV	NJB
The People Dwelling in Jerusalem	A Census List	People Who Lived in Jerusalem	Nehemiah's Method of Repopulating Jerusalem
11:1-2	11:1-2	11:1-3a	11:1-3
11:3-14	11:3-6
		11:3b	The Jewish Population at Jerusalem
		11:4-6	11:4a
			11:4b-6
	11:7-9	11:7-9	11:7-8
			11:9
	11:10-14	11:10-14	11:10-14a
			11:14b
11:15-18	11:15-18	11:15-18	11:15-18
			Supplementary Notes
11:19-21	11:19-21	11:19	11:19 (v. 20 follows v. 24)
		11:20-21
			11:21-24
11:22-24	11:22-24	11:22-23
		11:24
The People Dwelling Outside Jerusalem		The People in Other Towns and Cities	The Jewish Population Outside Jerusalem
11:25-30	11:25-36	11:25-30	11:20,25-30
11:31-36		11:31-36	11:31-35
			11:36

READING CYCLE THREE (from "A Guide to Good Bible Reading")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT THE PARAGRAPH LEVEL

1. First paragraph

2. Second paragraph

3. Third paragraph

4. Etc.

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 11:1-2
¹Now the leaders of the people lived in Jerusalem, but the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to live in Jerusalem, the holy city, while nine-tenths remained in the other cities. ²And the people blessed all the men who volunteered to live in Jerusalem.

11:1 "the leaders of the people lived in Jerusalem" Since the terrible siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 b.c., no one wanted to live in the city. The leaders (the wealthy laymen, cf. v. 3) and the temple personnel were the only large groups that lived within the city's walls (cf. v. 3; 2:16-17). They were to be joined by 10% of the Jewish population of the surrounding towns plus any volunteers (cf. v. 2). This involved leaving established homes and farms. This same subject is first introduced in 7:4.

▣ "cast lots" This VERB (BDB 656, KB 709, Hiphil PERFECT) means "casting lots (cf. I Chr. 24:31; 25:8; 26:13-14; Esth. 3:7; 9:24). This had religious connotations (cf. 10:34; Num. 26:55-56; Josh. 14:2; Prov. 16:33; 18:18). It was a way to know the will of YHWH, as was the Urim and Thummim (cf. Exod. 28:30; Lev. 8:8; Num. 27:21). The Urim was used exclusively by the High Priest, but "lots" were used to know YHWH's will by others (cf. NIDOTTE, vol. 1, pp. 840-842).

▣ "the holy city" This was a way of referring to the place where YHWH dwelt (cf. Isa. 48:2; 52:1; Dan. 9:24).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 11:3-6
³Now these are the heads of the provinces who lived in Jerusalem, but in the cities of Judah each lived on his own property in their cities—the Israelites, the priests, the Levites, the temple servants and the descendants of Solomon's servants. ⁴Some of the sons of Judah and some of the sons of Benjamin lived in Jerusalem. From the sons of Judah: Athaiah the son of Uzziah, the son of Zechariah, the son of Amariah, the son of Shephatiah, the son of Mahalalel, of the sons of Perez; ⁵and Maaseiah the son of Baruch, the son of Col-hozeh, the son of Hazaiah, the son of Adaiah, the son of Joiarib, the son of Zechariah, the son of the Shilonite. ⁶All the sons of Perez who lived in Jerusalem were 468 able men.

11:3 "Now these are the heads of the provinces who lived in Jerusalem" This list is quite similar to I Chr. 9; about half of the names are the same. The exact relationship between these two lists as with other lists in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, is uncertain.

▣ "each lived on his own property" The term "property" (BDB 28) usually meant "to grasp" or "to seize," but in connection to tribal allotments it has the connotation of given by YHWH (both as a promise to Abraham, cf. Gen. 5:12-21 and by the Urim in Josh. 13-19).

▣ "Israelites" This refers to Jewish laymen. This verse lists the different elements of Jewish society. The different kinds of temple personnel and lay persons are included.

▣ "temple servants" This term (BDB 682) in post-exilic texts always has the ARTICLE and is PLURAL. It designs a temple labor force. The origin of the term may be "the given ones," referring to those non-Israelites defeated in battle by King David and given to the temple to help the Levites (cf. Ezra 8:20); therefore, they are like "Solomon's servants" (cf. Ezra 2:58; Neh. 7:60; 11:3).

11:4 "sons of Judah. . .sons of Benjamin" The preponderance of returning Jews were from these two tribes because they made up the last tribal groups to be exiled. Simeon was also part of the tribe of Judah but had lost their tribal identity.

▣ "Perez" See Gen. 38:29.

11:5 "the son of the Shilonite" This designation is surprising in a list of names (cf. I Chr. 9:5). There is no first name associated with this place (Shiloh, a city in Ephraim). It is possible that the consonants of "Shilonites" should refer to "Shelah," one of Judah's sons in Gen. 38:5,26, therefore, "Shelanite" (cf. Derek Kidner, Tyndale Commentary, p. 118), which is the way NEB and REB translate I Chr. 9:5 and the form appears in Num. 26:20.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 11:7-9
⁷Now these are the sons of Benjamin: Sallu the son of Meshullam, the son of Joed, the son of Pedaiah, the son of Kolaiah, the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ithiel, the son of Jeshaiah; ⁸and after him Gabbai and Sallai, 928. ⁹Joel the son of Zichri was their overseer, and Judah the son of Hassenuah was second in command of the city.

11:8

NASB, NKJV,
JPSOA"after him"
NRSV, NJB"his brothers"
TEV"close relatives"
NET, NIV"his followers"
REB"his kinsmen"

This Hebrew term (BDB 29) has a large usage. All of the above translations are a possibility. For me those that focus on kinship fit the context best. However, "brothers" involves a textual emendation.

11:9 "their overseer" This term (BDB 824) means "commissioner, deputy, overseer. It is used in v. 22 for a leader of Levites. It is used of the king's officers in II Chr. 24:11 and of the king's military officers in II Kgs. 25:19. This text does not specify exactly what kind of overseer.

▣ "second in command of the city" This may imply that he was next to Nehemiah's brother, Hanani (cf. 7:2). It is possible that Judah was the overseer of Benjamin's labor force who helped rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

The NIV translates this phrase "was over the Second District of the city." The only other English translation that I have found that has this interpretation is James Moffatt, A New Translation of the Bible. It is also in the footnote of the NEB.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 11:10-14
¹⁰From the priests: Jedaiah the son of Joiarib, Jachin, ¹¹Seraiah the son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, the leader of the house of God, ¹²and their kinsmen who performed the work of the temple, 822; and Adaiah the son of Jeroham, the son of Pelaliah, the son of Amzi, the son of Zechariah, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malchijah, ¹³and his kinsmen, heads of fathers' households, 242; and Amashsai the son of Azarel, the son of Ahzai, the son of Meshillemoth, the son of Immer, ¹⁴and their brothers, valiant warriors, 128. And their overseer was Zabdiel, the son of Haggedolim.

11:11

NASB, NKJV"the leader of the house of God"
NRSV"officer of the house of God"
TEV"who was High Priest"
NJB"the chief of the Temple of God"

The term (BDB 617) means "one in front." It is used of political leaders, but also of religious leaders (cf. II Chr. 31:12; 35:8; Jer. 20:1, also of High Priest, I Chr. 9:11; II Chr. 31:13 [different word in v. 10]; Neh. 11:11; Dan. 11:22).

11:14

NASB, NRSV"valiant warriors"
NKJV"mighty men of valor"
TEV"outstanding soldiers"
NJB"outstanding people"
NET "capable men"
REB"men of substance"

This term (BDB 298) can refer to

1. physical strength

2. military prowess (e.g., Josh. 1:14; 8:3; 10:7; Jdgs. 6:12; 11:1; II Chr. 13:3; 14:8)

3. ability (cf. v. 6; Exod. 18:21,25; I Chr. 9:13)

4. wealth (I Sam. 9:1; II Kgs. 15:20)

Because these men are priests either #1 or #3 fits the context best.

NASB, NRSV"the son of Haggedolim"
NKJV"the son of one of the great men"
TEV"a member of a leading family"
NJB"men of substance"

The term (BDB 153, KB 177) means "great" and is used to describe many things and persons (NASB 1970 marginal note, p. 700, "the great ones"). The TEV translation carries the basic thought of the PLURAL form in this context.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 11:15-18
¹⁵Now from the Levites: Shemaiah the son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Bunni; ¹⁶and Shabbethai and Jozabad, from the leaders of the Levites, who were in charge of the outside work of the house of God; ¹⁷and Mattaniah the son of Mica, the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph, who was the leader in beginning the thanksgiving at prayer, and Bakbukiah, the second among his brethren; and Abda the son of Shammua, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun. ¹⁸All the Levites in the holy city were 284.

11:16 "who were in charge of the outside work of the house of God" In the context of Nehemiah, one wonders if this refers to

1. normal temple activities, but done outside the precincts of the temple (e.g., raising sacrificial sheep)

2. the work done on the walls and gates of the city which were near the temple area

3. other administrative assignments (cf. I Chr. 26:29)

The term has the connotation in this text of secular work.

11:17 "Asaph. . .Jeduthun" These were two of the three groups of temple singers appointed by David (cf. I Chr. 25:1-4; II Chr. 5:12).

NASB"who was the leader in beginning the thanksgiving at prayer"
NKJV"who was the leader who began the thanksgiving with prayer"
NRSV"who was the leader to begin the thanksgiving in prayer"
TEV"He led the Temple choir in singing the prayer of thanksgiving"
NJB"who led the praises and intoned the thanksgiving associated with the prayer"

This Levite was somehow related to the liturgical aspect of prayer/praise. The Hebrew "the begin" is close to the Hebrew "the praise" (cf. LXX & Vulgate). The JPSOA combines the meaning by "he would lead off with praise" (The Jewish Study Bible, p. 1706).

Asaph was a leader of a Levitical family involved in temple music and praise (cf. I Chr. 25:1-2; II Chr. 5:12).

▣ "and Bakbukiah, the second among his brethren" This seems to imply that this Levite was the assistant to Mattaniah (cf. TEV). This Hebrew term (BDB 1041) is often used to denote the second in charge/control/leadership (cf. II Kgs. 23:4; 25:18; I Chr. 5:12; 15:18; II Chr. 31:12; Jer. 52:24).

▣ "Abda the son of Shammua" I Chronicles 9:16 has Obadiah son of Shemaiah.

11:18 Many of the Levites lived outside of the city of Jerusalem (cf. vv. 3,20), but 284 did live in the city.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 11:19-21
¹⁹Also the gatekeepers, Akkub, Talmon and their brethren who kept watch at the gates, were 172. ²⁰The rest of Israel, of the priests and of the Levites, were in all the cities of Judah, each on his own inheritance. ²¹But the temple servants were living in Ophel, and Ziha and Gishpa were in charge of the temple servants.

11:19 "the gatekeepers" These were also ancient families who were appointed to this special task at the temple (cf. I Chr. 9:17-27; 23:5; Ezra 2:42).

11:20 "each on his own inheritance" Originally the tribe of Levi did not inherit land. The Lord Himself was their inheritance (cf. Num. 18:20,24; Deut. 10:9; 18:1-2; Josh. 13:14,33). The Levites asked Joshua for houses in certain special cities called "Levitical cities" (cf. Josh. 21) along with a small part of the surrounding pasture land. In this way they could grow vegetable gardens or raise an animal.

11:21 "the temple servants" See note at Ezra 2:43.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 11:22-24
²²Now the overseer of the Levites in Jerusalem was Uzzi the son of Bani, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Mica, from the sons of Asaph, who were the singers for the service of the house of God. ²³For there was a commandment from the king concerning them and a firm regulation for the song leaders day by day. ²⁴Pethahiah the son of Meshezabel, of the sons of Zerah the son of Judah, was the king's representative in all matters concerning the people.

11:22 There are so many lists of people in Ezra and Nehemiah. Often the names are common. The only way to try to tell them apart is to

1. check which group they are a part of (e.g., lay persons, priests, Levites, etc.)

2. check the tribe

3. check the order of the names

Here in v. 22 it is obvious that Uzzi is from the same family of Asaph mentioned in v. 17.

11:23 "the king" This refers to David, not Artaxerxes I (cf. 12:24,45-46). These temple personnel were appointed special tasks to perform in the temple on a regular basis, many of the tasks going back to David's day.

11:24 "Pethahiah" This is the name of a priest in David's day who was involved in the twenty-four divisions (cf. I Chr. 24:16).

There is another man by this same name mentioned in v. 24. The interpretive question is (1) do vv. 23 and 24 go together and, thereby "the king" refers to David or (2) is the man a representative of Artaxerxes I, the Persian king during Ezra's and Nehemiah's day?

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 11:25-36
²⁵Now as for the villages with their fields, some of the sons of Judah lived in Kiriath-arba and its towns, in Dibon and its towns, and in Jekabzeel and its villages,
²⁶and in Jeshua, in Moladah and Beth-pelet,
²⁷and in Hazar-shual, in Beersheba and its towns,
²⁸and in Ziklag, in Meconah and in its towns,
²⁹and in En-rimmon, in Zorah and in Jarmuth,
³⁰Zanoah, Adullam, and their villages, Lachish and its fields, Azekah and its towns. So they encamped from Beersheba as far as the valley of Hinnom. ³¹The sons of Benjamin also lived from Geba onward, at Michmash and Aija, at Bethel and its towns,
³²at Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah,
³³Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim,
³⁴Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat,
³⁵Lod and Ono, the valley of craftsmen.
³⁶From the Levites, some divisions in Judah belonged to Benjamin.

11:25-36 The list of cities in chapter 3 which relates those who worked on the city wall is different from this list. The only name that is the same is Zamoah. This is hard to explain for the lists are supposed to be a list of the surrounding cities with Jewish populations. The possibilities are (1) that these cities mark the extent of the boundaries of Judah and Benjamin, not the cities close to Jerusalem or (2) that these are cities in the pre-exilic land allocations of Judah (cf. vv. 25-30) and Benjamin (cf. vv. 31-36) in which the returnees settled.

11:25 "Kiriath-arba" This is the ancient name for Hebron (cf. Gen. 23:2), which is 20 miles south of Jerusalem (cf. Josh. 14:15; 15:54; 20:7; Jdgs. 1:10).

▣ "and its towns" This is literally the Hebrew idiom "daughters."

▣ "Dibon" This is possibly the same as Dimonah. See Josh. 15:21-26.

▣ "Jekabzeel" A village in southern Judah close to Edom. See Joshua 15:21.

11:25, 28, 32, 34 "Jekabzeel. . .Meconah. . .Ananiah. . .Neballat" These are cities which appear only here in the Bible.

11:26 "Moladah" See Josh. 15:26; 19:2; I Chr. 4:28.

▣ "Beth-pelet" This is a village in southern Judah. See Josh. 15:27.

11:27 "Hazar-Shual, in Beersheba" Both are mentioned in Josh. 15:28.

11:28 "Ziklag" See Josh. 15:31; 19:5; I Sam. 27:6; 30:1,14,25.

11:29 "En-rimmon" See Josh. 15:32.

▣ "Zorah" See Josh. 15:33.

▣ "Jarmuth" Like Lachish this was originally an Amorite city. See Josh. 10:3,5,23; 12:11; 15:35.

11:30 "Zanoah, Adullam" Both are mentioned in Josh. 15:34-35.

▣ "Lachish" This was a major walled city (e.g., Josh. 10; 12:3-16; 11 Chr. 11:9; 22:9).

▣ "Azekah" This is a city of Judah located on the coastal plain. See Josh. 15:35.

▣ "Beersheba" This is about 32 miles south of Jerusalem. The current Persian land allocation for Judah did not extend that far north.

▣"the valley of Hinnom" One of the valleys in Jerusalem known as the location of the worship of the Phoenician fire god Molech. This valley was later used as the garbage dump for Jerusalem. Jesus uses it to describe Hell - Gehenna.

SPECIAL TOPIC: Where Are the Dead?

11:31 "Geba" This was a northern city of Benjamin. Its name means "height" or "hill." See Joshua 18:24.

▣ "Michmash and Aija" Both are mentioned in Isa. 10:28-20. They were located near Bethel. Aija means "ruins" and may be a way of referring to Ai.

11:32 "Anathoth" This was a Levitical city three miles north of Jerusalem (cf. Josh. 21:18). It was Jeremiah's hometown (cf. Jer. 1:1).

▣ "Nob" Another Levitical city two miles north of Jerusalem (cf. I Sam. 21:1; 22:9,11,19; Isa. 10:32).

11:33 "Hazor" Often these village names, like the people, are hard to identify because there are several by the same name. Hazor is a good example.

1. a major Canaanite walled city in the north of Palestine (cf. Josh. 11; 12:19; 19:36)

2. a small city in the south of Judah (cf. Josh. 15:23; I Kgs. 9:15)

3. another city in southern Judah (Hazor-Hadattah, cf. Josh. 15:25)

4. a small post-exilic city north of Jerusalem (cf. Neh. 11:35)

5. this term even refers to countries or chiefdoms east of Arabia (cf. Jer. 49:28,30,33)

As an added point, people are hard to identify because

1. in this period Levites and priests often used the names of ancestors

2. in this period the Jewish families named their children after their grandfathers

▣ "Ramah" This is a city of Benjamin five miles north of Jerusalem. See Joshua 18:25; Jdgs. 4:5; 19:13; Ezra 2:26.

▣ "Gittaim" The name means "two wine presses" and was northwest of Jerusalem. See II Sam. 4:3.

11:34, 35 "Hadid. . .Lod and Ono" See Ezra 2:33 and Neh. 7:37.

11:35 "the valley of craftsmen" The ancient guilds lived close together (cf. I Chr. 4:14).

11:36 As vv. 25-30 describe the restored land of Judah in this Persian period, so vv. 31-35 describe the extent of the land of Benjamin. The Levites lived in all areas of the restored land (cf. TEV).

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