Everything about Nehemiah totally explained
Nehemiah or
Nechemya (
נְחֶמְיָה "Comforted of/is
the LORD (YHWH),"
Standard Hebrew Nəḥemya,
Tiberian Hebrew Nəḥemyāh, /ˌniəˈmaɪə/) is a major figure in the
post-exile history of the
Jews as recorded in the
Bible, and is believed to be the primary author of the
Book of Nehemiah. He was the son of
Hachaliah, (
Neh. 1:1) and probably of the
Tribe of Judah. His ancestors resided in
Jerusalem before his service in
Persia. (Neh. 2:3).
Personal history
Nehemiah lived during the period when
Judah was a province of the
Persian Empire, (see also
History of ancient Israel and Judah) having been appointed royal cup-bearer at the palace of
Shushan. The king,
Artaxerxes I (Artaxerxes Longimanus), appears to have been on good terms with his attendant, as evidenced by the extended leave of absence granted him for the restoration of Jerusalem.
Primarily by means of his brother
Hanani, (Neh. 1:2; 2:3) Nehemiah heard of the mournful and desolate condition of Jerusalem, and was filled with sadness of heart. For many days he fasted and mourned and prayed for the place of his fathers'
sepulchres. At length the king observed his sadness of countenance and asked the reason of it. Nehemiah explained this to the king, and obtained his permission to go up to Jerusalem and there to act as
tirshatha, or governor of
Judea.
He arrived in Jerusalem in the 20th year of Artaxerxes I, (445/444 BC) with a strong escort supplied by the king, and with letters to all the
pashas of the provinces through which he'd to pass, as also to
Asaph, keeper of the royal forests, directing him to assist Nehemiah.
Alternative Biblical history
The history and chronology of Nehemiah isn't entirely noncontroversial. Per the Bible, Nehemiah returned from Babylon with Zerubbabel and thus would have been over 143 years of age to be able to live down to the time of Darius II (if at least 30 when he first returned) (Neh 12:22). Thus both the Bible and some rabbinical timelines are much shorter for the Persian Period than the conventional timeline. Recent research taking a closer look at Persepolis and Naqshi-Rustam (where Persian kings are buried) tend to confirm the suspicion that Xerxes and Artaxerxes (Longimanus) were, indeed, the same king—Xerxes claiming he was "Artaxerxes" to avoid a retaliation by the Athenians after having destroyed their city's great monuments. This counterintelligence was masterminded by Themistocles who fled to Persia after himself being ostracized in Greece and discovering that Xerxes was "also known as Artaxerxes," which is confirmed by at least one extant text dated to year 36 of "Arses also known as Artaxerxes." Thus per strict Biblical and Jewish history, Nehemiah's service as the
Tirshatha would have been his original position under Cyrus as the king's "secretary." Later on he'd become the cupbearer to Artaxerxes, a position equivalent to prime minister. However, the bas-reliefs at Persepolis show the same cupbearer for Artaxerxes as being cupbearer during the co-rulership between Xerxes and Darius I; thus, again tending to confirm, again, that Xerxes and Artaxerxes were indeed the same king.
The Bible indicates that Darius' successor who would fight against Greece became king in the 6th year of Darius, meaning Darius died in his 6th year, contrary to the contemporary chronology that claims Darius I ruled for 36 years. (Compare Ezra 6:14,15 with Daniel 11:2). Thus the history of Nehemiah per the Bible is in conflict with the adaptive history of Nehemiah to an apparently revised timeline. Whether the Biblical record or the contemporary history is more correct remains an ongoing debate among Biblical scholars and historians, with the conflictive history of Nehemiah a key issue in the discussion.
Although not all scholars are agreed, there's textual and other evidence that Nehemiah was a
eunuch. He certainly seems to have been regarded as such in later
Judaism - a usually reliable text of the
Septuagint, describes him as a
eunochos (eunuch), rather than an
oinochoos. Further, he served in the presence of both the king and queen, which increases the probability of his having been castrated. According to Jewish law,
no one whose testicles are crushed or whose penis is cut off shall be admitted to the assembly of the Lord. Thus Nehemiah couldn't enter certain areas of the temple. His enemy
Shemaiah attempted to trick him into doing so.
Without children to remember him for posterity, Nehemiah prayed repeatedly:
Remember for my good, O my God, all that I've done for this people. Later tradition relaxed the Deutoronomic prohibition and pledged posterity for eunuchs in the divine memory. Nehemiah's service to his people and nation - despite prejudice and social and religious disadvantage - did indeed make a difference to the accommodation, if not yet the affirmation, of a denigrated sexual minority.
Rebuilding of Jerusalem
On his arrival in Jerusalem, Nehemiah began to survey the city secretly at night, and formed a plan for its restoration; a plan which he carried out with great skill and energy, so that the whole wall was completed over an astounding 52-day span.
"So the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty and two days" (Nehemiah 6:15).
He rebuilt the walls from the
Sheep Gate in the North, the
Hananel Tower at the North West corner, the
Fish Gate in the West, the
Furnaces Tower at the Temple Mount's South West corner, the
Dung Gate in the South, the
East Gate and the gate beneath
the Golden Gate in the East.
He remained in Judea for thirteen years as governor, carrying out many reforms, despite the opposition that he encountered (Neh. 13:11). He built up the state on the old lines, "supplementing and completing the work of Ezra," and making all arrangements for the safety and good government of the city. At the close of this important period of his public life, he returned to Persia to the service of his royal master at Shushan or
Ecbatana. Very soon after this the old corrupt state of things returned.
Some commentators believe that
Malachi now appeared among the people with words of stern reproof and solemn warning; and when Nehemiah again returned from Persia, (after an absence of some two years) he was grieved to see the widespread moral degeneracy that had taken place during his absence. He set himself with vigour to rectify the flagrant abuses that had sprung up, and restored the orderly administration of public worship and the outward observance of the Law of
Moses. (Neh. 13:6-31)
Of his subsequent history we know nothing. Probably he remained at his post as governor till his death (about
413 BCE) in a good old age. The place of his death and burial is, however, unknown.
Nehemiah was the last of the governors sent out from the Persian court. Judea was annexed to the
satrapy of
Coele-Syria after this point, and was governed by the Syrian-appointed
high priest.
Book of Nehemiah
The book of Nehemiah puts the historical record of Nehemiah's mission in a theological context. Viewed from a political angle his actions were the result of the Persians' desire for increased security in the
Levant and enhancement of Imperial control.
The reality of the 5th century BCE was that the Egyptian revolt continued with an increasing Greek military presence. The security concerns of the Persian Empire required some strategic reforms, namely the refortification of Jerusalem and proper categorisation of people living within the Levant. Hence the rebuilding of the walls and the ban on inter-marriage. (
Ezr. 10: 1-3, Neh. 13:23-25)
This however is highly unlikely. As Christian Hauer and William Young note, "Nehemiah, Ezra, and prophets like Malachi were vexed by Israelite marriages to foreign women. The two reformers obliged citizens of Jerusalem to rid themselves of foreign wives. This policy wasn't racist. The women who troubled the reformers were those who
remained pagan and foreign. Women who converted to Judaism were no longer foreigners."
Rabbinic literature
Nehemiah is identified in one haggadah with
Zerubbabel, the latter name being considered an epithet of Nehemiah and as indicating that he was born at Babylon ("Zera'+ Babel"; Sanh. 38a). With Ezra, he marks the spring-time in the national history of Judaism (Cant. R. ii. 12). A certain mishnah is declared by the Rabbis to have originated in the school of Nehemiah (Shab. 123b). Still, Nehemiah is blamed by the Rabbis for his seemingly boastful expression, "Think upon me, my God, for good" (Neh. v. 19, xiii. 31), and for his disparagement of his predecessors (ib. v. 15), among whom was Daniel. The Rabbis think that these two faults were the reason that this book isn't mentioned under its own name, but forms part of the Book of Ezra (Sanh. 93b). According to B. B. 15a Nehemiah completed the Book of Chronicles, which was written by Ezra.
Further Information
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