19of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi;
20of 15Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber;
21of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; and of Jedaiah, Nethanel.
22During the reign of Darius the Persian, a record was also kept of the Levites and priests who had been hheads of their fathers’ houses in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua.
23The sons of Levi, the heads of the fathers’ houses until the days of Johanan the son of Eliashib, were written in the book of the ichronicles.
24And the heads of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel, with their brothers across from them, to jpraise and give thanks, kgroup16 alternating with group, laccording to the command of David the man of God.
25Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers keeping the watch at the storerooms of the gates.
26These lived in the days of Joiakim the son of Jeshua, the son of 17Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah mthe governor, and of Ezra the priest, nthe scribe.
Nehemiah Dedicates the Wall
27Now at othe dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought out the Levites in all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness, pboth with thanksgivings and singing, with cymbals and stringed instruments and harps.
28And the sons of the singers gathered together from the countryside around Jerusalem, from the qvillages of the Netophathites,
29from the house of Gilgal, and from the fields of Geba and Azmaveth; for the singers had built themselves villages all around Jerusalem.
30Then the priests and Levites rpurified themselves, and purified the people, the gates, and the wall.
31So I brought the leaders of Judah up on the wall, and appointed two large thanksgiving choirs. sOne went to the right hand on the wall ttoward the Refuse Gate.
32After them went Hoshaiah and half of the leaders of Judah,
33and Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam,
34Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, Jeremiah,
35and some of the priests’ sons uwith trumpets—Zechariah the son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Michaiah, the son of Zaccur, the son of Asaph,
36and his brethren, Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani, with vthe musical winstruments of David the man of God. Ezra the scribe went before them.
37xBy the Fountain Gate, in front of them, they went up ythe stairs of the zCity of David, on the stairway of the wall, beyond the house of David, as far as athe Water Gate eastward.
38bThe other thanksgiving choir went the opposite way, and I was behind them with half of the people on the wall, going past the cTower of the Ovens as far as dthe Broad Wall,
39eand above the Gate of Ephraim, above fthe Old Gate, above gthe Fish Gate, hthe Tower of Hananel, the Tower of 18the Hundred, as far as ithe Sheep Gate; and they stopped by jthe Gate of the Prison.
40So the two thanksgiving choirs stood in the house of God, likewise I and the half of the rulers with me;
41and the priests, Eliakim, Maaseiah, 19Minjamin, Michaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah, with trumpets;
42also Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer. The singers 20sang loudly with Jezrahiah the director.
43Also that day they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and the children also rejoiced, so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard kafar off.
Temple Responsibilities
44lAnd at the same time some were appointed over the rooms of the storehouse for the offerings, the firstfruits, and the mtithes, to gather into them from the fields of the cities the portions specified by the Law for the priests and Levites; for Judah rejoiced over the priests and Levites who 21ministered.
45Both the singers and the gatekeepers kept the charge of their God and the charge of the purification, naccording to the command of David and Solomon his son.
46For in the days of David oand Asaph of old there were chiefs of the singers, and songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.
47In the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah all Israel gave the portions for the singers and the gatekeepers, a portion for peach day. qThey also 22consecrated holy things for the Levites, rand the Levites consecrated them for the children of Aaron.
Nehemiah 13
Principles of Separation
(Num. 22:1—24:25)
1On that day athey read from the Book of Moses in the hearing of the people, and in it was found written bthat no Ammonite or Moabite should ever come into the assembly of God,
2because they had not met the children of Israel with bread and water, but chired Balaam against them to curse them. dHowever, our God turned the curse into a blessing.
3So it was, when they had heard the Law, ethat they separated all the mixed multitude from Israel.
The Reforms of Nehemiah
4Now before this, fEliashib the priest, having authority over the storerooms of the house of our God, was allied with gTobiah.
5And he had prepared for him a large room, hwhere previously they had stored the grain offerings, the frankincense, the articles, the tithes of grain, the new wine and oil, iwhich were commanded to be given to the Levites and singers and gatekeepers, and the offerings for the priests.
6But during all this I was not in Jerusalem, jfor in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I had returned to the king. Then after certain days I obtained leave from the king,
7and I came to Jerusalem and discovered the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, in kpreparing a room for him in the courts of the 1house of God.
8And it grieved me bitterly; therefore I threw all the household goods of Tobiah out of the room.
9Then I commanded them to lcleanse the rooms; and I brought back into them the articles of the house of God, with the grain offering and the frankincense.
10I also realized that the portions for the Levites had mnot been given them; for each of the Levites and the singers who did the work had gone back to nhis field.
11So oI contended with the rulers, and said, p“Why is the house of God forsaken?” And I gathered them together and set them in their place.
12qThen all Judah brought the tithe of the grain and the new wine and the oil to the storehouse.
13rAnd I appointed as treasurers over the storehouse Shelemiah the priest and Zadok the scribe, and of the Levites, Pedaiah; and next to them was Hanan the son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah; for they were considered sfaithful, and their task was to distribute to their brethren.
14tRemember me, O my God, concerning this, and do not wipe out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God, and for its services!
15In those days I saw people in Judah treading wine presses uon the Sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and loading donkeys with wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of burdens, vwhich they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. And I warned them about the day on which they were selling provisions.
16Men of Tyre dwelt there also, who brought in fish and all kinds of goods, and sold them on the Sabbath to the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem.
17Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said to them, “What evil thing is this that you do, by which you profane the Sabbath day?
18w“Did not your fathers do thus, and did not our God bring all this disaster on us and on this city? Yet you bring added wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath.”
19So it was, at the gates of Jerusalem, as it xbegan to be dark before the Sabbath, that I commanded the gates to be shut, and charged that they must not be opened till after the Sabbath. yThen I posted some of my servants at the gates, so that no burdens would be brought in on the Sabbath day.
20Now the merchants and sellers of all kinds of 2wares 3lodged outside Jerusalem once or twice.
21Then I warned them, and said to them, “Why do you spend the night 4around the wall? If you do so again, I will lay hands on yo
u!” From that time on they came no more on the Sabbath.
22And I commanded the Levites that zthey should cleanse themselves, and that they should go and guard the gates, to sanctify the Sabbath day.
Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of Your mercy!
23In those days I also saw Jews who ahad married women of bAshdod, Ammon, and Moab.
24And half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod, and could not speak the language of Judah, but spoke according to the language of one or the other people.
25So I ccontended with them and 5cursed them, struck some of them and pulled out their hair, and made them dswear by God, saying, “You shall not give your daughters as wives to their sons, nor take their daughters for your sons or yourselves.
26e“Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? Yet among many nations there was no king like him, fwho was beloved of his God; and God made him king over all Israel. gNevertheless pagan women caused even him to sin.
27“Should we then hear of your doing all this great evil, htransgressing against our God by marrying pagan women?”
28And one of the sons iof Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was a son-in-law of jSanballat the Horonite; therefore I drove him from me.
29kRemember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood and lthe covenant of the priesthood and the Levites.
30mThus I cleansed them of everything pagan. I also nassigned duties to the priests and the Levites, each to his service,
31and to bringing othe wood offering and the firstfruits at appointed times.
pRemember me, O my God, for good!
Nehemiah Commentaries
Nehemiah 1
1:1–7:73a Nehemiah returns to Jerusalem and successfully leads a 52 day “rebuilding of the wall” project (cf. 6:15).
1:1—2:20 This section details how Nehemiah became the governor of Judah (cf. 5:14; 8:9; 10:1; 12:26).
1:1 The words of Nehemiah. The personal records of this famous royal cupbearer, whose name means “Jehovah comforts,” (cf. 3:16; 7:7; 8:9; 10:1; 12:26, 47) contribute greatly to this book. Unlike Esther and Mordecai, named after Mesopotamian deities Ishtar and Marduk, Nehemiah was given a Heb. name. Hachaliah. Nehemiah’s father is mentioned again in Neh. 10:1, but nowhere else in the OT. Chislev. This is in Nov./Dec. 446 B.C., 4 months before Nisan (Mar./Apr.), when Nehemiah came before the king to get permission to go to Jerusalem (2:1). twentieth year. The 20th year (ca. 446/445 B.C.) in the reign of Persian king Artaxerxes (ca. 464–423 B.C.; cf. 2:1). Shushan. Also known as Susa, this city was situated E of Babylon, about 150 mi. N of the Persian Gulf. Shushan was one of the Medo-Persian strongholds, a wintering city for many officials, and the setting of Esther.
1:2 Hanani. Apparently a sibling of Nehemiah (cf. 7:2), he had gone to Jerusalem in the second return under Ezra’s leadership (ca. 458 B.C.). Jews…Jerusalem. Nehemiah was deeply concerned about the people and the city, especially during the previous 13 years, since the second return under Ezra (458 B.C.).
1:3 wall of Jerusalem…gates. The opposition had successfully thwarted the Jews’ attempts to reestablish Jerusalem as a distinctively Jewish city capable of withstanding its enemies’ assaults, which could possibly lead to another destruction of the newly rebuilt temple (ca. 516 B.C.; cf. Ezra 4:7–23).
1:4 sat down and wept, and mourned for many days. Although Nehemiah was neither a prophet nor a priest, he had a deep sense of Jerusalem’s significance to God and was greatly distressed that affairs there had not advanced the cause and glory of God.
1:5–11 This prayer represents one of the Scripture’s most moving confessions and intercessions before God (cf. Ezra 9:6–15; Dan. 9:4–19).
1:5 keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You. After 70 years of captivity in Babylon, God kept His promise to restore His people to the Promised Land. The promise appeared to be failing, and Nehemiah appealed to God’s character and covenant as the basis by which He must intervene and accomplish His pledges to His people.
1:6 we have sinned against You. Nehemiah may have believed that the sins of the returnees (cf. Ezra 9, 10) had prompted God to change His mind and withhold His favor from the Jews.
1:7 commandments…statutes…ordinances. Those which are recorded in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
1:8 Remember. Not a reminder to God as if He had forgotten, but a plea to activate His Word.
1:8, 9 the word…Moses. This represents a summary of various Mosaic writings. On “scattering” (v. 8) see Deut. 4:25–28; 28:63–65. On “regathering” see Deut. 4:29–31; 30:1–5.
1:10 redeemed by Your great power, and by Your strong hand. His allusion to the Exodus redemption recalled the faithful and strong hand of God which had brought Israel out of bondage once before and grounded his confidence in God’s power as the basis of his appeal for a second deliverance that will be as successful as the first.
1:11 who desire to fear Your name. Nehemiah alluded to the fact that Israel was the place which God had chosen for His name to dwell (1:9); the people desired to fear His name and, thus, were praying for God’s intervention. in the sight of this man. The reference to King Artaxerxes anticipated the discussion in 2:1ff. the king’s cupbearer. As an escort of the monarch at meals, the cupbearer had a unique advantage to petition the king. Not only did the king owe him his life since the cupbearer tested all the king’s beverages for possible poison, thus putting his own life at risk, but he also became a close confidant. God sovereignly used this relationship between a Gentile and Jew to deliver His people, such as He did with Joseph, Daniel, Esther, and Mordecai.
Neh. 1:11
Time Line of Nehemiah
Reference: 1:1, 4
Date: Nov./Dec. 446 B.C. (Kislev)
Event: Nehemiah hears of problems and prays.
Reference: 2:1-5
Date: Mar./Apr. 445 B.C. (Nisan)
Event: Nehemiah is dispatched to Jerusalem.
Reference: 3:1; 6:15
Date: July/Aug. 445 B.C. (Ab)
Event: Nehemiah starts the wall.
Reference: 6:15
Date: Aug./Sept. 445 B.C. (Elul)
Event: Nehemiah completes the wall.
Reference: 7:73b
Date: Sept./Oct. 445 B.C. (Tishri)
Event: Day of Trumpets celebrated (implied).
Reference: 8:13-15
Date: Sept./Oct. 445 B.C. (Tishri)
Event: Feast of Tabernacles celebrated.
Reference: 9:1
Date: Sept./Oct. 445 B.C. (Tishri)
Event: Time of confession.
Reference: 12:27
Date: Sept./Oct. 445 B.C. (Tishri)
Event: Wall dedicated.
Reference: 13:6
Date: 445-433 B.C.
Event: Nehemiah’s first term as governor (Neh. 1-12).
Reference: 13:6
Date: 433-424 B.C. (?)
Event: Nehemiah returns to Persia.
Reference: No ref.
Date: 433-? B.C.
Event: Malachi prophesies in Jerusalem during Nehemiah’s absence.
Reference: 13:1, 4, 7
Date: 424-? B.C.
Event: Nehemiah returns and serves a second term as governor (Neh. 13).
Nehemiah 2
2:1 Nisan. Mar./Apr. 445 B.C. twentieth year. See note on 1:1. when wine was before him. Since the act of tasting wine to ensure it was not dangerous to the king strengthened the trust between king and cupbearer, this was the appropriate time for Nehemiah to win Artaxerxes’ attention and approval. Not surprisingly, kings often developed so much trust in their cupbearers that the latter became counselors to the kings. Now I had never been sad. Sadness was a dangerous emotion to express in the king’s presence. The king wanted his subjects to be happy, since this reflected the well-being brought about by his administrative prowess.
2:2 dreadfully afraid. He feared that either his countenance, his explanation, or his re
quest would anger the king and thus lead to his death (cf. Esth. 4:11 with 5:1–3).
2:3 tombs…gates. Nehemiah’s deep concern and sadness over the condition of Jerusalem and his people was expressed in his reference to tombs and gates. A tomb was a place to show respect for dead community members who birthed the living generation and passed on their spiritual values to them. Tombs were also the place where the present generation hoped to be honored by burial at death. Gates were emblematic of the life of the city, since the people gathered for judicial procedure or basic social interaction near the gates. The burned gates represented the death of social life, i.e., the end of a community of people.
2:4 What do you request? The king rightly interpreted Nehemiah’s sad countenance as a desire to take action on behalf of his people and homeland. His immediate response to the king’s question illustrates how continual his prayer life was (cf. 1:6). God of heaven. See note on Ezra 1:2.
2:5 that I may rebuild it. The request undeniably referred to the city walls, for there could be no permanence without walls, but it also may have included political and administrative rebuilding as well.
2:6 the queen. Since Esther was the queen of the previous king Ahasuerus (Xerxes) ca. 486–464 B.C. and the stepmother of Artaxerxes, it could be that she had previously influenced the present king and queen to be favorably disposed to the Jews. return. This presupposes that Nehemiah was being dispatched on his desired mission and upon its completion would return to Persia (cf. Neh. 13:6).
2:7 let letters be given to me. Official letters transferred a portion of the king’s authority to Nehemiah. In this context, he needed to pass through the lands of Judah’s enemies who could harm him or prevent him from rebuilding Jerusalem. The roads upon which messengers, ambassadors, and envoys of all sorts traveled had stations where such letters could be inspected for passage. Three months of travel from Susa to Jerusalem was long, dangerous, and ridden with protocol where letters were required for passage. The danger associated with the passage, but particularly the administrative authority which Nehemiah carried in the letters, led Artaxerxes to send captains of the army and horsemen with Nehemiah for protection (2:9). See notes on Ezra 1:11; 7:8, 9.
The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV Page 232