Nehemiah (Bible)

Nehemiah
Abbreviation	Ne
Class.	Old Testament
Category	Book of History
Chapters	13 Chapters
Record Related
Writer	Nehemiah or Ezra
Date (Approx.)	c. 420 BC
Location	Jerusalem

Nehemiah is the sixteenth book of the Old Testament. It recounts how Nehemiah, the leader of the third return from exile, oversaw the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls amid strong opposition and implemented significant religious and social reforms among the people of Judah.

Authorship

The book is traditionally attributed to Nehemiah himself, as much of its first half is written in the first person singular, suggesting the use of personal memoirs.

Some scholars, however, have proposed that the book was compiled or written by Ezra. In the Hebrew Bible, Ezra and Nehemiah were originally combined into a single work under the title Ezra. Several elements in the latter half of Nehemiah—including the lists of returning exiles and various genealogies, Ezra’s public reading of the Law, communal repentance, the observance of the Feast of Tabernacles, the oath to observe the Law, and the lists of those who pledged themselves to it—are closely associated with Ezra’s ministry. According to this view, the first-person passages referring to Nehemiah may be Ezra’s direct quotations from Nehemiah’s official memoirs.

Historical Background

Historically, the people of Judah were taken into exile by Babylon (Neo-Babylonia), but around 537 BC they were released by Cyrus II of Persia and permitted to return to their homeland. Under the leadership of Zerubbabel, approximately 50,000 exiles returned in the first wave and rebuilt the Temple in Jerusalem (Ezra 1–6). About eighty years later, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes I, a second return was led by Ezra.

Roughly a decade afterward, Nehemiah, who was serving as cupbearer in the Persian royal court, learned that Jerusalem’s walls lay in ruins, its gates had been burned, and its inhabitants lived in great trouble and disgrace. After a period of prayer, Nehemiah petitioned King Artaxerxes, who granted him letters of authority and the resources necessary for reconstruction. Nehemiah then returned to Jerusalem and directed the rebuilding of the city walls around 444 BC. The first half of the book (chapters 1–7) focuses on the reconstruction of Jerusalem’s walls, while the second half (chapters 8–13) focuses on the restoration of the people’s faith and religious life.

Key Figures

• Nehemiah: Nehemiah was a Jewish official in the Persian court of King Artaxerxes, holding the prestigious position of cupbearer. Through his brother Hanani, he learned that Jerusalem lay in ruins and that its people were living in great trouble. He volunteered to return to Judah as governor to lead the rebuilding of the city’s walls. Despite strong opposition from surrounding adversaries, Nehemiah completed the reconstruction in only fifty-two days. He later resettled one-tenth of the dispersed population of Judah in Jerusalem. During his twelve-year term as governor, he refused the governor’s food allowance in order to avoid placing a burden on the people. After a brief return to Persia, Nehemiah came back to Jerusalem, where he expelled Tobiah the Ammonite from a chamber in the temple and implemented reforms addressing abuses related to tithes, Sabbath observance, and intermarriage.
• Ezra: Ezra was a priest and scribe, descended in the sixteenth generation from Aaron the high priest. Well versed in the Law of Moses, he devoted himself to its study, observance, and instruction among the people of Israel. Ezra led the second return of exiles to Jerusalem.
• Sanballat: Sanballat was a Horonite and the governor of Samaria. Following Judah’s fall to Babylon, Jerusalem came under Samaritan influence. When the Jews began rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, Sanballat perceived the effort as a threat to his authority and actively opposed the work.
• Tobiah: Tobiah was an Ammonite official who collaborated with Sanballat in resisting the reconstruction of Jerusalem’s walls. Politically shrewd, he later expanded his influence by forming alliances with Jewish nobles and priests through intermarriage, particularly after the completion of the walls.

Characteristics of the Book of Nehemiah

• Written largely in the first person, the book offers a vivid and personal account of the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls.
• Although centered on Nehemiah’s leadership and administration, it also provides valuable insight into the political, social, and religious conditions of Israel during the post-exilic period, giving the book substantial historical importance.
• The book of Nehemiah is closely connected with the book of Ezra; in the Hebrew canon, Ezra and Nehemiah originally formed a single unified work.

Structure of Nehemiah

Chapters	Content	Division
Chapters 1–3	Nehemiah’s Return and the Rebuilding of Jerusalem’s Walls	Rebuilding of Jerusalem’s Walls
Chapter 4	Opposition From Sanballat and Tobiah
Chapter 5	Policies for the Poor
Chapters 6–7	Restoration of Jerusalem
Chapters 8–10	Ezra’s Public Reading of the Law	Restoration of Faith
Chapter 11	Settlement of the People in Jerusalem
Chapter 12	Dedication of the Walls of Jerusalem
Chapter 13	Nehemiah’s Reforms

Rebuilding the Walls of Jerusalem (Chapters 1–7)

Nehemiah’s Return and the Rebuilding of Jerusalem’s Walls (Chapters 1–3)

Nehemiah Views the Ruins of Jerusalem’s Walls, Gustave Doré, 1866

In the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes of Persia, Nehemiah, a Jewish official serving in the royal court, learned from his brother Hanani that Jerusalem’s walls lay in ruins and that its inhabitants were living in great trouble. Deeply grieved, Nehemiah wept for several days and prayed earnestly for God’s help. When the king later noticed Nehemiah’s sorrowful appearance, Nehemiah explained the condition of his homeland and requested permission to return and rebuild the city’s walls. Favorably disposed, the king appointed him governor of Judah and granted him letters of authority, building materials, and an escort of army officers and cavalry.
Upon arriving in Jerusalem, Nehemiah conducted a secret inspection of the ruined walls. He then gathered the people, recounted how God had supported his mission, and presented a plan for reconstruction.

Opposition From Sanballat and Tobiah (Chapter 4)

The community responded with unity and determination, and the rebuilding work progressed in an orderly manner, with families and groups assigned to specific sections of the wall. Opposition soon arose. Sanballat, the governor of Samaria, reacted with anger and mocked the project, while Tobiah the Ammonite ridiculed the effort, claiming that even a fox climbing on the wall would cause it to collapse. They not only sought to hinder the progress of the construction but also did not hesitate to issue threats. When the wall was about halfway completed, they even made secret plans to raid the construction site and kill the people.
In response, Nehemiah urged the people to trust in God and organized continuous defense measures. Guards were stationed day and night, and many workers labored with tools in one hand and weapons in the other, maintaining constant vigilance.

Policies for the Poor (Chapter 5)

Internal social tensions also threatened the progress of the work. Many of the poorer members of the community, burdened by heavy taxation and economic hardship, were forced to mortgage their fields, vineyards, and houses. Some even sold their children into debt slavery in order to meet their obligations. Nehemiah strongly rebuked the nobles and officials for charging interest and exploiting their fellow Israelites. Confronted with Nehemiah’s accusation, the leaders were put to shame and took an oath to cancel the debts and to restore the confiscated fields, vineyards, and houses. Throughout his twelve-year tenure as governor, Nehemiah himself refused the governor’s food allowance, devoting himself fully to the rebuilding of Jerusalem.

Restoration of Jerusalem (Chapters 6–7)

As the work neared completion, Sanballat and Tobiah intensified their opposition to Nehemiah, even bribing Shemaiah to deliver a false prophecy in an attempt to frighten him into abandoning the project. Nehemiah, however, relied on God’s guidance and discerned the deception.

Despite all these efforts to undermine the work, the walls of Jerusalem were completed in just fifty-two days. The surrounding nations recognized that the rebuilding had been accomplished with God’s help and were filled with fear. Following the completion of the wall, Nehemiah appointed gatekeepers, singers, and Levites, and placed Hanani and Hananiah in charge of the city. Guards were stationed to ensure the security of Jerusalem.

Although the city of Jerusalem was large and spacious, its population remained small, and many houses had not yet been rebuilt. Nehemiah therefore examined the genealogical records of the earlier returnees and resettled priests, the Levites, and some of the people from the surrounding towns in Jerusalem.

Restoration of Faith (Chapters 8–13)

Ezra’s Public Reading of the Law (Chapters 8–10)

On the first day of the seventh month, the Feast of Trumpets, the people assembled in the square before the Water Gate. There, Ezra the priest and scribe read aloud from the book of the Law and instructed them in its meaning. On the fifteenth day of the same month, during the Feast of Tabernacles, the people built booths from branches as prescribed in the Law and lived in them for seven days, observing the feast with renewed obedience. Through these feasts, they gained a clearer understanding of God’s will. Clothed in sackcloth and covered with ashes, they fasted and repented of forsaking the covenant, which had brought their nation to ruin. With one accord, they pledged to keep God’s commandments, statutes, and ordinances faithfully.

Settlement of the People in Jerusalem (Chapter 11)

The leaders of the people resided in Jerusalem, while one-tenth of the remaining population was selected by lot to live in the city. Those who willingly volunteered to settle in Jerusalem were publicly commended and blessed by the people.

Dedication of the Walls of Jerusalem (Chapter 12)

A great dedication ceremony was held for the walls of Jerusalem. The priests and the Levites purified themselves, along with the people, the gates, and the wall. Two large choirs were formed and marched along the top of the wall, singing songs of thanksgiving as they processed toward the temple, accompanied by leaders and priests. The celebration was marked by great joy, and the sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem was heard far away. On that day, regulations concerning the duties and support of the priests and the Levites were reaffirmed.

Nehemiah’s Reforms (Chapter 13)

After serving twelve years as governor, Nehemiah returned briefly to Persia. Upon his later return to Jerusalem, he discovered that the people had once again fallen into sin.
Eliashib the priest had provided Tobiah the Ammonite with a chamber in the temple courts that was intended for storing sacred vessels and offerings. Angered by this violation, Nehemiah threw out Tobiah’s household goods, cleansed the chamber, and restored it to its proper use. Nehemiah also addressed the neglect of tithes, recalling the Levites from their fields and reinstating them in their temple duties.

Although the people had pledged to observe the Law faithfully after the wall’s completion, some began profaning the Sabbath. Nehemiah rebuked them for treading winepresses, carrying grain, and bringing goods into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, saying, “What is this wicked thing you are doing—desecrating the Sabbath day?” To enforce observance, he ordered the gates closed at sundown the day before the Sabbath and kept them shut until it ended. In addition, Nehemiah confronted the issue of intermarriage with foreign peoples. He disciplined those who had taken foreign wives and expelled the grandson of the high priest, who had become the son-in-law of Sanballat, a former opponent of the rebuilding. Through these reforms, Nehemiah sought to separate the community from foreign practices and to secure their exclusive devotion to God.