Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
Nehemiah 1:1

Clarke's Commentary

THE BOOK OF NEHEMIAH

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Chronological Notes relative to this Book

Year from the Creation, according to Archbishop Usher, whose system of chronology is the most generally received, 3558.

-Year before the birth of Christ, 442.

-Year before the vulgar era of Christ's nativity, 446.

-Year of the Julian period, 4268.

-Year since the flood of Noah, according to the English Bible, 1902.

-Year of the Cali Yuga, or Indian era of the Deluge, 2656.

-Year from the vocation of Abram, 1476.

-Year from the destruction of Troy, 739.

-This we collect from three passages in Dionysius of Halicarnassus, (who flourished in the Augustan age,) which state that an interval of four hundred and thirty-two years elapsed from the destruction of Troy to the building of Rome.

-Year from the foundation of Solomon's temple, 565.

-Year since the division of Solomon's monarchy into the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, 529.

-Year of the era of Iphitus, king of Elis, who reestablished the Olympic games, three hundred and thirty-eight years after their institution by Hercules, or about eight hundred and eighty-four years before the commencement of the Christian era, 439.

-This epoch is famous in chronological history, as every thing previous to it seems involved in fabulous obscurity.

-Year since Coroebus won the prize at Olympia, a town of Elis in Peloponnesus, (being the twenty-eighth Olympiad after their re-establishment by Iphitus,) 331.

-Third year of the eighty-third Olympiad.

-The epoch of the Olympiads commenced according to the accurate and learned computations of some of the moderns, exactly seven hundred and seventy-six years before the Christian era, in the year of the Julian period 3938, and twenty-three years before the building of Rome.

N. B. The Olympic games were celebrated at the time of the full moon which immediately followed the day of the summer solstice; therefore the Olympiads were not of equal length, because the time of the full moon differs about eleven days every year; and for that reason the Olympiads sometimes began the next day after the solstice, and at other times four weeks after.

-Year of the Varronian or generally received era of the building of Rome, 308. This computation was used by the Romans in the celebration of their secular games.

-Year from the building of Rome, according to Cato and the Fasti Consulares, 307. Dionysius of Halicarnassus follows this account in his Roman Antiquities.

-Year from the building of Rome, according to Polybius the historian, (a native of Megalopolis in Peloponnesus, and son of Lycortas,) 306.

-Year from the building of Rome, according to Fabius Pictor, (the first Roman who wrote a history of his own country, from the age of Romulus to the year of Rome 536,) 302.

-Year of the era of Nabonassar, a king of Babylon after the division of the Assyrian monarchy, 302.

-Year since the destruction of the kingdom of Israel by Shalmaneser, the king of Assyria, 276.

-Year from the destruction of Solomon's temple by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, 143.

-Year since the publication of the famous edict of Cyrus, king of Persia, empowering the Jews to rebuild their temple, 90. The commencement of this epoch was synchronical with the termination of the seventy years during which the Jews were under the dominion of the Babylonians.

-Year since the expulsion of the Tarquins from Rome, which put an end to the regal government of the Romans, 63. The consular government immediately followed the expulsion of the Tarquins.

-Year before the celebrated Peloponnesian war, 16. This war began on the seventh of May, four hundred and thirty-one years before the Christian era; and continued twenty-seven years between the Athenians and the inhabitants of Peloponnesus, with their allies.

-Year before the commencement of the era of the Seleucidae, 134. This era was named after Seleucus, one of the captains of Alexander the Great, surnamed Nicator, or The Conqueror. The year in which he conquered Babylon (viz. 312 B. C.) is called the first year of this era.

-Year before the formation of the famous Achaean league, 165.

-Year before the commencement of the first Punic war, 182. The Arundelian marbles are said to have been composed in the first year of this war.

-Year before the fall of the Macedonian empire, 278.

-Year before the extinction of the reign of the Seleucidae in Syria, on the conquest of that country by Pompey, 381.

-Year before the commencement of the era of the Roman emperors, 415. The year in which the famous battle of Actium was fought is the first year of this era.

-Year of Archidamus, king of Lacedaemon, and of the family of the Proclidae or Eurypontidae, 24.

-Year of Plistoanax, king of Lacedaemon, and of the family of the Eurystheuidae or Agidae, 21. This king was general of the Lacedaemonian armies in the Peloponnesian war.

N. B. The kings of the Lacedaemonians of the families of the Proclidae and the Eurysthenidae sat on the throne together for several hundred years; viz., from 1102 B. C. to about 200 B. C.

-Year of Perdiccas II. the eleventh king of Macedon, 9.

-Year of Artaxerxes, surnamed Macrochir (μακροχειρ) or Longimanus because his arms were so long that when standing erect, his hands reached down to his knees, 20.

-Roman Consuls, T. Quintius Capitolinus the fourth time, and Agrippa Furius. During this consulship the AEqui and Volsci came near to the gates of Rome, and were defeated.

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Eminent men who were contemporary with Nehemiah; upon the supposition that his birth happened about 500 B. C., and his death about 420 B. C.

Acron, a physician of Agrigentum; flourished 459 B. C.

-AEschylus, the tragic poet of Athens; born, 525 B. C., died 456 B. C., at the age of 69.

-Alcidamus the philosopher; flourished 424 B. C.

-Anaxagoras, a Clazomenian philosopher; born B. C. 500., died 428 B. C., at the age of 72.

-Aristarchus the tragic poet of Tegea in Areadia; flourished about 454 B. C.

-Aristides, the Athenian; flourished about 480 B. C.

-Aristophanes, the comic poet; said to have flourished about 434 B. C.

-L. Furius Camillus, celebrated Roman; born 445 B. C., and died 365 B. C., aged 80, after he had been five times dictator, once censor, three times interrex, twice a military tribune, and obtained four triumphs.

-Charandas, who gave laws to the people of Thurium; died 446 B. C.

-Charon, a historian of Lampsacus; flourished about 479 B. C.

-L. Q. Cincinnatus, a celebrated Roman; flourished about 460 B. C.

-Cossus, a Roman who killed Volumnius, king of Veii, and obtained the Spolia Opima, A. U. C. 317, B. C. 437.

-Cratinus, the comic writer; born 528 B. C., died 431 B. C., at the age of 97.

-Democritus, the philosopher; born 470 B. C., died 361 B. C., at the advanced age of 109.

-Empedocles, a philosopher, poet, and historian, of Agrigentum in Sicily; flourished about 444 B. C.

-Epicharmus, a poet and Pythagorean philosopher of Sicily, who, according to Aristotle and Pliny, added the two letters χ and θ to the Greek alphabet; flourished 440 B. C., and died in the 90th year of his age.

-Euctemon, the astronomer; flourished about 431 B. C.

-Eupolis, a comic poet of Athens; flourished about 435 B. C.

-Euripides, the tragic poet, born at Salamis the day on which the army of Xerxes was defeated by the Greeks; torn to pieces by dogs, 407 B. C., in the 73d year of his age.

-Georgias, a celebrated sophist and orator; born 508 B. C., died 400 B. C., at the advanced age of 108.

-Hellanicus, the Greek historian; born at Mitylene, 496 B. C., died 411 B. C., in the 85th year of his age.

-Herodicus, a physician surnamed Gymnastic; flourished 443 B. C.

-Herodotus, a celebrated historian of Halicarnassus; born 484 B. C., read his history to the council of Athens, and received public honours, in the 39th year of his age, 445 B. C.

-Hippocrates, a celebrated physician of Cos; born 460 B. C., died 361 B. C., nearly 100 years of age.

-Isoarates, the orator; born 437 B. C., died about 338 B. C., aged 99.

-Leocrates, an Athenian general; flourished about 460 B. C.

-Lysias, the orator; born 459 B. C., died 378 B. C.

-Melissus, the Samian philosopher; flourished about 440 B. C.

-Meton, the astrologer and mathematician; flourished about 432 B. C.

-Peticles, the celebrated minister of Athens; born 499 B. C., died of the plague about 429 B. C.

-Phidias, a celebrated statuary of Athens; died 432 B. C.

-Pindar, a celebrated lyric poet of Thebes; born 521 B. C., died 435 B. C., at the age of 86.

-Plato, the Greek poet, called the prince of the middle comedy; flourished about 454 B. C.

-Protagoras, a Greek philosopher; died at a very advanced age, about 400 B. C.

-Socrates, one of the most celebrated philosophers of all antiquity; born 470 B. C., died 400 B. C., aged 70.

-Sophocles, a celebrated tragic poet of Athens, educated in the school of AEschylus; born 497 B. C., died 406 B. C., at the age of 91.

-Thucydides, a celebrated Greek historian; born at Athens 471 B. C., died 391 B. C., in his 80th year.

-Xenophon, the celebrated general, historian, and philosopher; born 449 B. C., died 359 B. C., aged 90.

-Zeuxis, a celebrated painter; flourished about 468 B. C.

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CHAPTER I

Account of Nehemiah, 1.

His inquiry about the Jews that had returned from their

captivity, and concerning the state of Jerusalem, of which

he receives the most discouraging information, 2, 3.

He is greatly affected; fasts and prays, 4.

His prayer and confession to God, 5-11.

NOTES ON CHAP. I

Verse Nehemiah 1:1. The words of Nehemiah — That this book was compiled out of the journal or memoranda made by Nehemiah himself, there can be no doubt: but that he was not the compiler is evident from several passages in the work it. self. As it is written consecutively as one book with Ezra, many have supposed that this latter was the author: but whoever compares the style of each, in the Hebrew, will soon be convinced that this is not correct; the style is so very different, that they could not possibly be the work of the same person.

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

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

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

Twentieth year — That is, of Artaxerxes, A. M. 3558, B. C. 446.

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

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

1:1-2:10 NEHEMIAH RETURNS TO JERUSALEM

Thirteen years had now passed since Artaxerxes issued his decree giving Ezra authority to go to Jerusalem and reform Israel (Ezra 7:7; Nehemiah 2:1). Ezra’s work had some early success, but when the Jews tried to strengthen Jerusalem’s defences by rebuilding the city wall, their enemies accused them of planning to rebel against Persia. They reported the matter to Artaxerxes, with the result that the king issued a decree commanding that the work stop immediately (Ezra 4:7-23).

Meanwhile in Persia, Nehemiah, a Jewish official in the king’s palace, had risen to the trusted rank of cupbearer (GNB: wine steward; see 1:11). When the Jews heard that one of their own people was in a position to speak to the king, they came to Persia to see him. In particular they told him of the distress that the Jews’ opponents had created in Jerusalem through carrying out the king’s decree (1:1-3; cf. Ezra 4:23). That decree allowed the king to reverse his decision at a later date if he desired (Ezra 4:21), and the Jewish representatives from Jerusalem no doubt hoped that Nehemiah could persuade the king to become favourable to them again.

But Nehemiah was not a mere opportunist. He was a man of God and a man of prayer. He knew that his people’s troubles were largely a result of their sins, and in a spirit of humble confession he brought the matter before God and asked his help (4-11).
For four months Nehemiah prayed about the matter. He was therefore fully prepared when an opportunity arose for him to speak to the king about it. The result was that he received permission to return and carry out the reconstruction work he had planned. He was also given the necessary building materials (2:1-8). This was probably the time when he was appointed governor of Jerusalem (see 5:14).

Circumstances surrounding Nehemiah’s return were different from those that had surrounded Ezra’s return, and Nehemiah felt it wise to accept the king’s offer of an armed escort (9; cf. Ezra 8:21-23). Officials who previously controlled the Jerusalem district were hostile when they found they had lost this area to Nehemiah. Besides being Jewish, he had authority from the Persian king that made him independent of them (10).

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

“The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. “Now it came to pass in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace, that Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men out of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, that were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.”

“The words of Nehemiah” This stands as the title of the whole book; and the critical canard that, “These words were probably added by a later scribe,”Arthur S. Peake’s Commentary, p. 330. should be rejected. “No other historical book begins in this manner,”F. C. Cook, Barnes’ Commentary Series, Nehemiah, p. 459. and therefore no `later scribe’ could possibly have been so foolish as to make such an unheard of addition. However, all of the prophetic books begin thus; and in all these cases they constitute the title of the book, as they most certainly do here. “Verse 1a (Nehemiah 1:1) here contains the title of the whole book.”C. F. Keil, Keil and Delitzsch’s Old Testament Commentaries, 3c, p. 155. “This book is one of the outstanding autobiographical masterpieces of the ancient world.”The New Bible Commentary, Revised, p. 404.

“Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah” The tribe to which Nehemiah belonged is not revealed; but, “Eusebius and Jerome assert that he was of the tribe of Judah.”C. F. Keil, Keil and Delitzsch’s Old Testament Commentaries, op. cit., p. 155. Jamieson supposed that this is true and added further that, “He was of the royal family of David.”Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown’s Commentary, p. 294. Matthew Henry, however, stated that, “If 2 Maccabees 1:18 is the truth in their statement that Nehemiah offered sacrifices, then we must conclude that he was a priest and therefore of the tribe of Levi.”Matthew Henry’s Commentary, Vol. 2, p. 1068, These references are an excellent example of scholarly comment on something which the sacred Scriptures do not reveal.

“The month Chislev in the twentieth year” The month Chislev corresponded to our November-December; and the twentieth year here is a reference to, “The twentieth year of the reign of Artaxerxes I (Longimanus), i.e. in the year 445 B.C.”The New Layman’s Bible Commentary, p. 534.

“In Shushan the palace” “This is the same place as Susa, where Daniel saw the vision of the ram with two horns (Daniel 8:2),”The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 7b, p. 2. and, “Where, in the year 478 B.C., Esther became Xerxes’ queen in this palace.”Wycliffe Old Testament Commentary, p. 436. “This place was the winter residence of Persian kings”;Arthur S. Peake’s Commentary, p. 330. “It was located east of the river Tigris and near the head of the Persian gulf.”The New Layman’s Bible Commentary, p. 534.

Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible

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

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

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

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

Smith's Bible Commentary

By Chuck Smith

Let's turn to Nehemiah for our study this evening.

Nehemiah introduces himself in the first verse of chapter 1 and the date of the writing of his prophecy, the twentieth year of Artaxerxes, which was the stepson of Queen Esther. So the book of Esther, if you were writing in a chronological order, would fit somewhere between Ezra and Nehemiah. The Artaxerxes here is actually the stepson of Esther, son of Artaxerxes of the husband of Esther. And so in the twentieth year would be in the twentieth year of the reign of this particular Artaxerxes. Esther would fit before Ezra and Nehemiah, actually. So you're in the twentieth year of the reign of Artaxerxes there in the palace of Susa or Shushan.

And his brother Hanani (and we learn from chapter 7 that he is actually a brother to Nehemiah) had been to Jerusalem. And when he returned from Jerusalem, Nehemiah was questioning him concerning the state and the condition of the holy city.

Now Nehemiah was born in captivity. In fact, it is now almost ninety years after the first of the captives had returned to Israel. In 536, Cyrus gave the commandment to return to Israel and rebuild the temple, and this is about 445 B.C. So it's about ninety years later, ninety-one years later, and so it is 160 years since the beginning of the Babylonian captivity.

So Nehemiah has never seen Jerusalem. He has never seen the temple. And yet, within his heart he identifies with Jerusalem and with the temple. A psalm of captivity is Psalms 137:1-9 . The psalm begins that those that were captive in Babylon hung their hearts on the willow tree and they sat down and cried by the great river. And in that psalm there is that cry, "If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning and let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth" ( Psalms 137:5-6 ). It is interesting how that God has stamped Jerusalem into the hearts of every Jew. Even those that have never seen it. Somehow there is stamped into their heart a love for Jerusalem. And it's just a part of them. They really can't help it. It is just the part, something that God has imbedded in their heart, a great love and desire for Jerusalem.

Of course, they are commanded in the scripture to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. And in their Passover celebrations, no matter where they are in the world as they observe the Passover, they make the statement, "This year here. Next year Jerusalem." And it seems to be the desire and the dream of every Jew to go to Jerusalem.

I received a letter the other day from a very good friend of ours, David Aziel. Many of you know David who have been on tours with us to Israel. And he was planning to come to California this summer, but he didn't make it because they were able to buy a piece of property in Jerusalem to build themselves a house. And he started writing about the thrill that they were experiencing being able to own a piece of property in Jerusalem. And he went on, "This holy, beautiful city that God had chosen." And he really started waxing eloquent in his letter to us all about Jerusalem. It's just something in their heart; they can't help it. But it's there. It's something that God has planted within them.

And there is something about the city. There is an aura, there is a charm, there is a magic to it that the first time you see it, you just sort of weep without being able to control yourself. There is just something about it. So this is Jerusalem. And there's a feel; there's something there that is of God. God said He would never take His eyes from Jerusalem.

And so Nehemiah, a true patriot, having never seen Jerusalem, still his heart is there. His desires are there. And so he questioned his brother all about the state of Jerusalem, the state of the city and the people and all. And he received, really, a very discouraging report from Hanani. The remnant of the people that are left are discouraged. Their enemies are harassing them. The gates of the city have been burned. The walls are lying in rubble. There's great affliction and reproach upon the people.

And so it came to pass, when Nehemiah heard these things, that he wept, and he mourned for certain days, and he fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven ( Nehemiah 1:4 ),

So this brought him great sorrow of heart. And being a true patriot, hearing of the saddened condition of Jerusalem, he wept, mourned over it. And then fasted for certain days while he prayed. Now Nehemiah was a man of prayer and he is always offering up prayers unto God. And through the book, it is one of the important aspects of your study of the book of Nehemiah is to make note of the prayer life of Nehemiah. Not always necessarily long prayers. Sometimes just prayers under his breath in a moment of time when things are transpiring and he needs special wisdom or guidance. Just, "Lord, guide me." Or, "Lord, strengthen me." Or, "Lord, help me at this point." But always throwing up these little prayers to the Lord.

Now his prayer is given to us here in chapter 1.

And I said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God, that keeps his covenants of mercy for those that love him, for those that keep his commandments ( Nehemiah 1:5 ):

Now in his prayer he is acknowledging the faithfulness of God. "God, You keep Your promises. You keep Your covenants to Your people." And he acknowledges that the destruction of Jerusalem and the captivity of the people was a part of God's righteous keeping of His word. Acknowledging the fact that God had warned them that if they would forsake the Lord, that they would be forsaken of the Lord. They had the warning. And Nehemiah in his prayer unto God recognizes and acknowledges God's faithfulness. "Lord, You told us through Moses that if we would turn from Thee that we would be driven from the land and all." And he acknowledges the faithfulness of God to His word. But then God had also promised that if the people would turn to Him, that He would restore them to the land.

And so he is reminding God of the promises that God had made unto the people.

Remember, I beseech thee, the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, If you transgress, I will scatter you abroad: but if you turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you those that were cast out unto the uttermost parts of the earth, yet I will bring thee back again ( Nehemiah 1:8-9 ).

And so the reminding God of His promises and of His word and then asking God to bless the people and to show His great hand of power towards them.

So he went in after several days to the king bearing the cup of Artaxerxes, for Nehemiah was the king's cupbearer. And so we are now moving ahead. You remember the story began in the month of December and now we've moved ahead to April, and he is taking the cup into the king and he is still troubled this much later over the condition of Israel. And the king asked him concerning his sadness. "

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

1. The news concerning Jerusalem 1:1-3

The month Chislev (Nehemiah 1:1) corresponds to our late November and early December. [Note: For the Hebrew calendar, see the appendix to my notes on Ezra.] The year in view was the twentieth year of Artaxerxes’ reign (i.e., 445-444 B.C.). Susa (or Shushan, in Hebrew) was a winter capital of Artaxerxes (cf. Esther 1:2). The main Persian capital at this time was Persepolis.

Hanani (Nehemiah 1:2) seems to have been Nehemiah’s blood brother (cf. Nehemiah 7:2). The escape in view refers to the Jews’ escape back to Judea from captivity in Babylon. Even though they received official permission to return, Nehemiah seems to have regarded their departure from Babylon as an escape, since the Babylonians had originally forced them into exile against their wills.

The news that Nehemiah received evidently informed him of the Jews’ unsuccessful attempts to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls in 458 B.C. (Ezra 4:23-24).

"It was an ominous development, for the ring of hostile neighbors round Jerusalem could now claim royal backing. The patronage which Ezra had enjoyed (cf. Ezra 7:21-26) was suddenly in ruins, as completely as the city walls and gates. Jerusalem was not only disarmed but on its own." [Note: Derek Kidner, Ezra and Nehemiah, p. 78. Cf. Eugene H. Merrill, in The Old Testament Explorer, p. 353.]

Gann's Commentary on the Bible

Book Comments

parWalking Thru The Bible

NEHEMIAH

INTRODUCTION

    AUTHOR:

    The author of the book is Nehemiah himself. Much of the book is a first-person account of the circumstance surrounding his return to Jerusalem. Nothing is known about Nehemiah’s early years or family background except that his father’s name was Hachaliah (Nehemiah 1:1) and that he had a brother named Hanani (Nehemiah 1:2).

    Nehemiah lived in Persia and had risen to a position of prominence in his pagan environment. He was serving King Artaxerxes as his personal cupbearer (Nehemiah 1:11; Nehemiah 2:1). This important position in the king’s court gives insight into Nehemiah’s life and character. A mighty monarch such as the king of Persia would select for that position a man who was wise and discreet, and consistently honest and trustworthy. Nehemiah’s position alone reveals much about his intellectual capabilities and emotional maturity.

    DATE:

    The book covers about a 12 year period of Nehemiah’s first term as governor (ch. 1-12). Nehemiah returned to the King’s service in Persia for an unknown number of years and then return for a second time as governor (ch. 13). Nehemiah probably wrote his book name soon after all the events were completed. This means the book was written about 430 BC or shortly thereafter.

    PURPOSE:

    A great revival had taken place upon Ezra’s arrival, but we again find the people in a very depressed condition. The temple had been rebuilt by Zerubbabel, beautified by Ezra, but the people are persecuted by their adversaries and unable to rebuild the wall of the city (Nehemiah 1:3). They are in "great affliction and reproach." Ezra is still present as a priest and teacher but now Nehemiah comes as governor with official instructions to rebuild the city (Nehemiah 2:5). The first step is to rebuild the wall (Nehemiah 2:17). The book tells how, under Nehemiah, the walls are rebuilt and the people revived.

OVERVIEW OF THE BOOK OF NEHEMIAH

I. Nehemiah Returns and Rebuilds the Wall-- ch. 1-6

    Ch.1 Parts of the book are in the first person, being direct quotations from Nehemiah’s official reports. Nehemiah learns of the affliction of his people in Judah.

        Note: Nehemiah was a man of prayer, patriotism, action, courage, and perseverance. His first impulse always was to pray (Nehemiah 1:4; Nehemiah 2:4; Nehemiah 4:4, Nehemiah 4:9; Nehemiah 6:9, Nehemiah 6:14). He spent 4 months in prayer before making his request to the king (Nehemiah 1:1, Nehemiah 2:1).

    Ch. 2 Nehemiah is sent to Jerusalem and makes his plans.

    Ch. 3 Building of the wall and gates.

        Note: "Stairs that go down from the city of David" (Nehemiah 3:15) "bend in the wall" (Nehemiah 3:25) "tower that stands out" (Nehemiah 3:26) are remains that may be clearly detected today.

    Ch. 4 The old-time enemies of the Jews bitterly opposed the rebuilding of the wall. They mobilized their armies and marched against Jerusalem. But Nehemiah, with faith in God, skillfully arming and arranging his men drove straight ahead with the work day and night.

    Ch. 5 The work hindered by internal selfishness and greed that Nehemiah had to correct.

    Ch. 6 The wall was finished in a remarkable 52 days and Jerusalem was again a fortified city.

II. Spiritual Revival (chapters 7-10)

    Ch. 7 & 8 After the wall was built, Nehemiah and Ezra gathered the people together to organize their national life. Ch. 7 is about the same as Ezra 2 giving a list of those who had returned to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel.

        Then for seven days every day from early morning till midday Ezra and his helpers "opened the Book of the Law, and read in the Law of God, distinctly, and gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading." This public reading and exposition of God’s Book brought a great wave of repentance among the people, a great "revival" and a solemn covenant to keep the Law, as noted in chapters 9 & 10.

    Ch. 9 & 10 In deep penitence and great earnestness, they "made a sure covenant, and wrote it, and sealed it, and entered into an oath and curse, that they would walk in God’s Law" (Nehemiah 9:38, Nehemiah 10:29).

        Note the seven provisions of this covenant:

     (1) not to marry heathens, Nehemiah 10:30;

    (2) to observe the Sabbath, Nehemiah 10:31a;

    (3) to observe the Sabbatic year, Nehemiah 10:31b;

    (4) to pay temple tax; Nehemiah 10:32-33.

    (5) to supply wood for temple altar, Nehemiah 10:34;

    (6) to give the priests and Levites their due, Nehemiah 10:35-38;

    (7) not to forsake God’s house, Nehemiah 10:39.

III. Reforming the Nation -- chapters 11 - 13

    Ch. 11 Provision made to bring one-tenth of the population into the city to live.

    Ch. 12 The dedication of the wall.

(Apparently after this Nehemiah returns to Shushan; then returns to Judah a second time as governor in chapter 13).

    Ch. 13 Corrections of laxation about tithes, Sabbath, and marriages.

         (Note: The book of Malachi appears to be contemporary with Nehemiah’s second term as governor.)

IMPORTANT LESSONS FROM NEHEMIAH

    Nehemiah stands as perhaps the greatest book every written about leadership. From the book we learn the principles that every leader must strive to emulate, whether it is concerning "leadership" in the home; the church; the community; or the nation!

1.    Nehemiah shows us how to plan--

2.    Nehemiah teaches us how to organize--

3.    Nehemiah teaches how to integrate the duties of various people.

4.    Nehemiah shows the importance (and how) of motivating people.

    One dominating feature of the book is prayer and its factor in our daily life. Not only does this book teach about prayer in a practical way, but the book contains the longest prayer in the Bible.

When You Get Busy for God

Nehemiah 4:1-23

Introduction:

1.    What should you do when trouble confronts you at every turn?

2.    Committing our lives to God does not remove us from the reality of problems in life.

3.    When one gets busy for God opposition will inevitably raise its head. Nehemiah discovered that truth. Nehemiah 4.

    a.    Who was Nehemiah? [See "Walk Thru Nehemiah."]

    b.    His name means "the comfort of the LORD."

4.    Nehemiah had opposition from without, Nehemiah 1:1-6. But even more discouraging was the opposition from within, Vs. Nehemiah 4:11-14.

5.    Nehemiah was confronted by obstacles as he sought to accomplish the work God called him to do yet his is a success story (Nehemiah 6:15).

NOTE THE KEY ELEMENTS TO HIS SUCCESS:

I. PRAYER

1.    When you get busy for God and opposition comes, the first ingredient that will lead to success is intercession (Nehemiah 4:9).

2.    Nehemiah looked up before he launched out. He prayed before he proceeded. Intercession preceded interaction.

II. PERSPIRATION

1.    When you get busy for God and opposition comes, the second ingredient that will lead to success is work. Notice Nehemiah’s initiative in verse 9.

2.    Intercession is not a substitution for initiative, but only a prelude to it, for the Bible says "the people had a mind to work" (Nehemiah 4:6).

3.    Our devotional life and practical life must always move together. They are like two hands on the clock. One person said, "I pray as if everything depended on God. Then I work as if everything depended on me." Prayer and perspiration go together.

III. PRAISE

1.    Nehemiah arose and spoke to the people about the power of God ("remember the Lord who is great and awesome") and about the purpose of their work (Nehemiah 4:14).

2.    He motivated the people by positive affirmation.

CONCLUSION:

    When you get busy for God, trouble is going to come. Expect it. Through prayer, perspiration, and praise you can turn those stumbling blocks into stepping stones. Trouble can be transformed into triumph.

    How are you facing your troubles?

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Verse Comments

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah,.... Or his transactions and deeds; for דברי "dibre" signifies things done, as well as words spoken; who Hachaliah his father was is not known; the Arabic version adds, the high priest, without any foundation; though some have thought that Nehemiah was a priest, from a passage in

"Therefore whereas we are now purposed to keep the purification of the temple upon the five and twentieth day of the month Chisleu, we thought it necessary to certify you thereof, that ye also might keep it, as the feast of the tabernacles, and of the fire, which was given us when Neemias offered sacrifice, after that he had builded the temple and the altar.'' (2 Maccabees 1:18)

and from signing and sealing the covenant at the head of priests,

Nehemiah 10:1, but he rather seems to be of the tribe of Judah, see Nehemiah 2:3, and Nehemiah may be the same that went up with Zerubbabel, and returned again, and then became the king's cupbearer; though some are of another opinion, Nehemiah 2:3- :,

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

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

as I was in Shushan the palace; a city in Persia, the royal seat of the kings of it; as Ecbatana was in the summer time, this in the spring, as Cyrus made it, according to Xenophon b; but others say c it was their seat in winter, and this was the season now when Nehemiah was with the king there; for Chisleu was a winter month, answering to part of November and of December; of Shushan, Nehemiah 1:1- :, to which may be added what a traveller of the last century says d of it,

"we rested at Valdac, once the great city Susa, but now very ruinous; it was first built by Tythonus, and his son Memnon, but enlarged by Darius the son of Hystaspes; in the building whereof Memnon was so exceeding prodigal, that, as Cassiodorus writeth, he joined the stones together with gold--such was the beauty and delectableness of it for situation, that they called it "Susa", which in the Persian tongue signified a "lily", but now it is called Valdac, because of the poverty of the place;''

and it is generally supposed to have its name from the abundance of lilies about it; but Dr. Hyde e gives another signification of its name, he says the Persians called it , "Sus", which signifies "liquorice", but for what reasons he says not. There is a city now called Shustera, and is thought by some travellers to be built at least very near where Shushan formerly stood f.

b Cyropaedia, l. 8. c. 44. c Athenaeus, l. 12. c. 1. d Cartwright's Preacher's Travels, p. 87, 88. e Hist. Relig. Vet. Pers. c. 35. p. 414. f Tavernier, tom. 1. l. 4. c. 1.

Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

      1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace,   2 That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.   3 And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.   4 And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,

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

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

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

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

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