Overview
Nehemiah completes the story of the homecoming and restoration of God’s people begun in Ezra. The book opens with the news that the exiles in Jerusalem are in “great trouble and shame” and the city walls in disrepair (1:1–3). Nehemiah laments this problem before both divine (1:4–11) and human kings (2:1–8) and is granted permission to journey to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall. The accomplishment of the wall rebuilding is recounted in Nehemiah 3–6. However, as in Ezra (e.g., Ezra 4; 9), trouble is encountered from adversaries without (Neh. 2:10, 19–20; 4:1–23; 6:1–19) and disobedience from the community within (ch. 5). The remarkable speed of wall completion is evidence of the “help of our God” (6:16), but the need to repopulate the city also becomes apparent at this time (7:1–4) as Nehemiah considers the genealogy of the people (7:5–73a).
The climax of Nehemiah and of Ezra-Nehemiah as a whole is recounted in 7:73b–13:31. The theological highpoint is reached with a covenant-renewal ceremony (7:73b–10:39), concluding with the vital pledge, “We will not neglect the house of our God” (10:39). After Jerusalem is repopulated (11:1–12:26), the culmination of Ezra-Nehemiah is reached at 12:27–13:3 as a purified community dwells within a purified city (12:30). The conclusion then narrates a series of reforms associated with the temple, Sabbath, and separation (13:4–31). These reforms remind the people to be ever vigilant in their calling to be a people holy to the Lord.
Title, Author, and Date of Writing
The book opens by informing the reader that these are the “words of Nehemiah,” a major figure in the book (1:1). He is “cupbearer to the king” (1:11b) and appointed “governor in the land of Judah” (5:14). Discussion of authorship and of date of final composition are inextricably tied to compositional questions, including the sources used to compile Ezra-Nehemiah and the relationship of 1–2 Chronicles to Ezra-Nehemiah. As with the first-person accounts of Ezra (i.e., the “Ezra Memoir”), the conventionally titled “Nehemiah Memoir” (Neh. 1:1–7:5a; 12:27–43; 13:4–31) may be dated close to the time of the events it recounts (cf. Genre and Literary Features). Nehemiah 13:6 provides an earliest possible date of 433 BC for the memoirs’ consolidation. If, as seems likely, the list of priests and Levites in 12:1–26 is a later addition, the reference to the high priest Johanan (12:23) in office at the very end of the fifth century points to a latest possible date for the work of an editor. We may then infer that at least some of the sources were combined by around 400.1 In this commentary, Ezra-Nehemiah are considered two parts of a literary unity. For this and proposals on authorship see Introduction to Ezra: Title, Author, and Date of Writing.
Date of the Book’s Events; Occasion
Two notices link Nehemiah’s actions to the reign of the Persian king Artaxerxes I (464–423 BC). The first refers to the twentieth year of Artaxerxes’s reign (445), when Nehemiah requested permission to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall (2:1). The second mentions the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes (433), when Nehemiah visited him (although purpose and length of stay are not specified; 13:6). This chronological range also fits with what is known of Sanballat from extrabiblical texts. Sanballat led those opposed to Nehemiah’s mission (Neh. 2:10, 19; 4:1; 6:1–2, 5, 12, 14; 13:28). His name is found in a letter of the Elephantine papyri. This collection of Aramaic correspondence was discovered at Elephantine, a Jewish colony located near the southern border of Egypt. The letter, dated 407, is addressed to “Bagavahya governor of Judah.” He was governor of Judah soon after Nehemiah. The addendum of the letter mentions a prior letter sent to “Delaiah and Shelemiah sons of Sanballat governor of Samaria.”2 It appears that by the last decade of the fifth century Sanballat was elderly and his sons had taken over the administrative responsibilities of the governorship. Similarly, the letter mentions the high priest Jehohanan, most certainly to be identified with “Johanan the son of Eliashib” (Neh. 12:22–23). This also accords with the chronology of Nehemiah’s earlier service under Artaxerxes I when Eliashib was high priest (3:1).3
The occasion for the book of Ezra-Nehemiah must be inferred from its contents. The book provides an account of how Nehemiah gained permission from Artaxerxes to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 1–2), its successful completion in the face of external opposition and internal injustice (Nehemiah 3–6), and the impact of this achievement upon the community (Nehemiah 7–13). It may therefore be viewed as an apology to counter the charge that wall reconstruction was an act of sedition, with the wall being rebuilt for cultural, political, or economic reasons (Ezra 4:11–16; Neh. 2:19; 6:5–9).4
By themselves, purely secular reasons for the book are unsatisfactory. God’s Word, especially his Law, exists to shape a people. The book of Nehemiah teaches the “remnant . . . who . . . survived the exile” (1:3) that God is still their God and he longs for them to dwell with him. The exemplary prayers of both Nehemiah and the community illustrate for later generations how God has remained faithful to his covenant and attentive to their pleas for help (1:5–6; 9:32). Their ongoing trouble, shame, and distress still matter to the Lord (1:3, 7; 9:33–34, 37). The faithful would also learn that God prospers the work of his people (2:20; 6:16). Therefore, in response to his mercies, they must confess their sin (1:6–7; 9:2, 29, 37) and hear and obey God’s Word (8:1–3, 8, 14, 18; 9:3; 10:29). Their pledge to covenantal faithfulness (9:38–10:39) entails their support of temple function and faithful worship (10:32–39; 12:44–47; 13:10–14) and their practicing of that which sets them apart as a holy people. This includes Sabbath keeping (10:31; 13:15–18) and a proper separation from the nations (10:30; 13:1–3, 23–28). Such matters transition to the theological features discussed below.
Genre and Literary Features
Nehemiah shares with Ezra the broad genre classification of historiography, that is, an account of past events shaped literarily for theological purposes.5 Similar to the “Ezra Memoir,” a prominent feature of the book is Nehemiah’s first-person narration, conveniently called the “Nehemiah Memoir” (Neh. 1:1–7:5a; 12:27–43; 13:4–31).6 Most of this autobiographical material narrates events within the first year of Nehemiah’s return and only briefly his several illustrative attempts at reform more than a decade later.
Also like Ezra, Nehemiah contains multiple subgenres presented as part of this single literary work. These include historical narrative (1:1–3; 2:1–20; 4:1–3, 6–23; 5:1–18; 6:10–13, 15–19; 7:1–5; 7:73b–8:18; 9:1–5a; 11:1–2; 12:27–47; 13:1–13, 15–22a, 23–28, 30–31a); a report of correspondence (6:1–9a); prayers both long (1:4–11a; 9:5b–37) and short (4:4–5, 5:19; 6:9b, 14; 13:14, 22b, 29, 31b); and a first-person account of the covenant adopted by the people (9:38; 10:28–39). Along with these, the book includes multiple lists: persons who worked on the wall (3:1–32); a genealogy of returned exiles (7:6–7:73a); those who signed the covenant (10:1–27); persons who repopulated Jerusalem (11:3–24); villages settled outside of Jerusalem (11:25–36); and priests and Levites (12:1–26). The combination of archival material and the interweaving of first- and third-person narrative are unique features to biblical literature.7
Theology of Nehemiah; Relationship to the Rest of the Bible and to Christ
Nehemiah demonstrates multiple connections with nearly every portion of the OT canon but particularly with the Pentateuch, Historical Books, and Prophets. There are no direct quotations of Nehemiah in the NT (cf. 9:6; Acts 4:24).
God Secures His Exiled People in a Walled City
The rebuilding of the altar and temple (Ezra 3–6) is followed by the reconstitution and repentance of the people under God’s Law (Ezra 7–10). Then, through the efforts of Nehemiah and the people, God rebuilds a second physical structure, the wall, by once more working his purposes in history through the decision of a Persian king (Neh. 2:1–8; 6:16; cf. Ezra 1:1; 6:14). The house of God, once burned, has been rebuilt. A people once exiled have been brought home (2 Kings 25:9–11; Neh. 7:4; 11:1–2). The wall of Jerusalem, once battered by the Babylonians (2 Kings 25:10) and halted later by Artaxerxes’s command (cf. Ezra 4:21–24), is rebuilt by the command of that same king. All of this is undergirded by prayer (Neh. 2:4–5; 6:15–16),8 the answers to which show that God is attentive to the ongoing “trouble and shame” of his people (1:3).
Of course, when Nehemiah is mentioned it is the wall of Jerusalem that comes to mind. But the significance of the wall is that it enables God’s people to live in Jerusalem, his holy habitation. This is the location of his temple and the place where he chooses to have his name dwell (1:9; Deut. 12:5, 11, 14, 18, 26; 1 Kings 8:27–30; Isa. 60:14). Stated differently, what the wall accomplishes is the ability of the people to live once more with God in their midst, fulfilling biblical themes and promises running from the Pentateuch to the Prophets. In the Pentateuch, God promised that he would dwell with and walk among his people (Lev. 26:11–12). Even the curse of exile was not the end but would be met with gracious restoration (Deut. 30:1–5).
Likewise, from the beginning of Ezra-Nehemiah prophetic words undergird both the certainty of exile (Jer. 25:8–11) and the command to return and rebuild (Ezra 1:1; 6:14; cf. Isa. 41:2; 44:26–45:1; 58:12; 61:4; Jer. 25:12–14; 29:10–14). The Lord had promised that he would “gather” his long-suffering remnant (Neh. 1:9),9 a promise found in both the Major (Isa. 54:7; 56:8; Jer. 32:37; Ezek. 11:16–17) and the Minor Prophets (Mic. 2:12; 4:6; Zeph. 3:18–20; Zech. 10:8–10). This promise of restoration, together with the promise of God’s dwelling in the midst of his regathered people, form the foundation of Nehemiah’s opening prayer (Neh. 1:8–9).
God Maintains a Covenant with His Repentant People
However, the concerns of Ezra-Nehemiah go beyond the physical structures of temple and wall. Indeed, while Ezra and Nehemiah are important leaders, the emphasis falls upon the role of the restored community, evident in the lists of people in the second half of Nehemiah (7:6–73a; 10:1–27; 12:1–26).10 The wall had been destroyed as part of Israel’s chastisement for past iniquities. Its rebuilding would signal God’s covenantal faithfulness and restoration of his people. Therefore, it is no accident that immediately following completion of a physical wall the people determine to renew the covenant, beginning with the reading of the Law (ch. 8) and concluding with renewed covenantal promises. The covenant functions like a wall itself, erecting important markers of corporate identity: obedience to God’s Law (10:29), a recommitment to separation and Sabbath practices (10:30–31), and the promise not to “neglect the house of our God” (10:39). Such remarkable corporate repentance and determination to walk in God’s statutes are alluded to in earlier prophetic promises (Jer. 32:39–40; Ezek. 11:19; 36:26–28).
The literary and theological center of the covenant and spiritual peak of Ezra-Nehemiah is the great redemptive-historical prayer of the Levites (Neh. 9:5–37) that follows the initial readings of the Law (8:1–8, 18). The impact of that reading is dramatic, resulting in evidences of repentance, further reading of the Law, and worship (9:1–5a). Stirrings of spiritual renewal lead to the prayer itself, whose themes carry forward the penitential prayers of both Ezra (Ezra 9:6–15) and Nehemiah (Neh. 1:5–11). Covering creation to their present moment, the prayer offers a summary and theological interpretation of Israel’s entire story with nearly limitless connections to the rest of the OT. Rhetorically, the prayer marks out the community’s cry for salvation in the face of slavery and oppression (9:36–37) and an implicit recommitment to the Lord and his Word. Although the people’s fathers showed signs of ongoing unbelief (9:16–17, 26, 29–30), God is still the God who “keeps covenant and steadfast love” (9:32), as Nehemiah had prayed previously (1:5). His mercies, so apparent in their history (9:17, 19, 27–28, 31), still remain possible for those who keep his covenant.
God Gives Joy to His Purified People
The dedication of the wall is the celebration of a completed building project. However, it is also much more. The sacrifices and especially the rejoicing that dominate the grand finale (12:43) are offered up by a people thankful that their faithful God has kept his promises to them. They celebrate their restoration as a purified people, the true Israel, inhabiting Jerusalem, God’s holy city (12:27–30; 11:1, 18). And yet, as the final chapter of Nehemiah shows, they must be vigilant to persevere in repentance and faithfulness (13:4–31) and not forsake the house of God (13:11; cf. 10:39).
This portrait of the hope of a purified community dwelling with God in his holy city finds its completion in Christ Jesus. In Christ, God has shown himself faithful to the everlasting covenant made first with Abram (Gen. 12:1–3; 17:7, 13, 19; Gal. 3:16). He has secured both home and inheritance for his exiled people (Matt. 5:5; John 14:2–3; 1 Pet. 1:1, 17; 2:11). Through his atoning death Christ has cleansed both Jew and Gentile by faith (Eph. 5:26; Titus 2:14; 1 John 1:7–9). He gathers his scattered people in this age (John 10:16; 11:51–52; Acts 15:15–17) and finally in the age to come (Matt. 3:12; 13:30, 47–50; 25:31–32; 2 Thess. 2:1). The destiny of the “ransomed of the Lord” is Zion (Isa. 35:10), the “holy city, the new Jerusalem” (Rev. 21:2–4), where they will dwell with God. Until that day the redeemed continue God’s mission and testify to his goodness and expand his kingdom. All this is done with the “help of our God” so that the nations might hear, fear, and turn to him (Neh. 6:16; 12:43).
Preaching from Nehemiah
With its thirteen chapters composed primarily of narrative, Nehemiah could be preached in a moderately short sermon series. However, as noted in the Introduction to Ezra, the congregation would benefit from working through both books in canonical order, because the climactic point of Ezra-Nehemiah is the covenant renewal and final celebration in Nehemiah 7:73b–13:3. A series on both books could be done within half a year or shorter if several chapters are addressed per sermon (e.g., Ezra 1–2; Neh. 11:1–12:26).
An old nursery rhyme begins, “Here’s the church and here’s the steeple, open the door and see all the people.” It is easy to focus on the physical structures, church and steeple, and neglect the population within. That danger also exists in preaching through Nehemiah. Leadership and the congregational support of building programs are important features of the book and could quickly become the main thing of a sermon series. Although this would not be inappropriate if carefully done, it is not the primary emphasis of the book.11 As in all good preaching, the attention of any sermon series on Ezra-Nehemiah must remain on the person and work of the Lord. Through his sovereign power a penitent remnant rebuilds both temple and wall. In his great mercy and covenantal faithfulness God spares this remnant, and they respond by renewing their covenant. At its core this represents the great covenantal promise, “You shall be my people, and I will be your God” (Ezek. 36:28). It is this core covenantal theme of the ingathering of a purified people that culminates in the person and work of Christ and points to its final conclusion with a holy people dwelling and rejoicing with God in his holy city (Neh. 11:1; 12:30, 43; Rev. 21:1–4).
Like any book of Christian Scripture, Nehemiah presents its own difficulties and rewards in preaching. Particular challenges will arise from varied lists within the book (cf. Genre and Literary Features). Passages like this should not be neglected. In the Response sections in this commentary, every effort has been made to think sermonically in order to provoke further reflection for users of this commentary. More positively, the prayers (Neh. 1:4–11; 9:5b–37) demonstrate a rich connection to the rest of the Bible. These reveal to congregations how a positive view of the Law shaped the repentance and worship of God’s ancient people (9:1–5a) and should continue to guide the redeemed community.
Interpretive Challenges
Were Ezra and Nehemiah Contemporaries?
At the covenant renewal in Nehemiah 7:73b–10:39, Ezra and Nehemiah are found together for the first time (8:9).12 This implies a gap of at least thirteen years between Ezra’s arrival in Jerusalem (458 BC; cf. Ezra 7:8) and his reading of the Law at the Water Gate (Neh. 8:2–3)—at the earliest 445 (cf. Neh. 2:1). This lack of interaction and thirteen-year gap are part of the larger debate of the chronological order of Ezra and Nehemiah (cf. Introduction to Ezra). The crux of the problem for many commentators is how Ezra could possibly have waited so many years to heed the explicit and initial charge of Artaxerxes (Ezra 7:12) to implement “the Law of your God” (Ezra 7:14, 25–26). In other words, we have no evidence that he actually followed through with the charge placed upon him by Artaxerxes. Writing on Nehemiah 12:27–43, one commentator states it clearly: “The question of whether Ezra and Nehemiah were ever together in Jerusalem has been one of the major topics of debate in regard to these books.”13
This lack of cooperation leads many to believe that Ezra’s reading of the Law at Nehemiah 7:73b–8:18 (and some include Neh. 9:1–37) was part of Ezra’s earlier reform and originally located not in Nehemiah but placed between Ezra 8 and 9.14 In other words, the events of Nehemiah 8 are believed to have occurred in the year of Ezra’s arrival in Jerusalem. Not only would this mean that Ezra actually taught the Law as required by Artaxerxes; placing this event in Ezra would also fit chronologically. For example, Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in the fifth month (Ezra 7:8) and commenced his marriage reforms in the ninth month (10:9), and it would make good sense that these reforms took place in response to his reading of the Law in the seventh month, which happens to be the very month (though of a different year) mentioned in Nehemiah 8:2, 14.15
Proponents of this approach therefore hold that Ezra’s reading of the Law was editorially placed in Nehemiah either by accident or for thematic or theological purposes—to show that covenant renewal was the climax of Ezra-Nehemiah.16 As a result, Nehemiah’s name at 8:9 must have been added by an editor or scribe who placed the text in its current location and also changed Ezra’s first-person narrative into a third-person narrative.17 In addition, if Nehemiah 8 was originally part of Ezra 7–10, the historical settings of Nehemiah 9–10 must also be addressed, given their connections with what precedes in Nehemiah 8 (cf. Neh. 9:1).18 Blenkinsopp’s comment on 9:1–5 seems fitting to the whole of 7:73b–10:39 when he states that there are as many opinions as there are commentators.19
It is not possible to address the multiple interlocking arguments fully here.20 However there are several points to consider. First, while it is true that Ezra does not read the Law in Ezra 7–10, this does not mean that he did not apply it. This is clear in his prayer (Ezra 9:10–12). Second, the Law reading on the first day of the seventh month (Neh. 8:2) also fits well chronologically in Nehemiah since it follows the prior temporal notice that wall completion occurred in Elul, the sixth month (Neh. 6:15). Third, there is a tendency to question the contemporaneous ministries of Ezra and Nehemiah while ignoring the possibility that they may indeed have been contemporaries.21 If the ministries of Ezra and Nehemiah did not overlap, how did the actual course of events (i.e., that they were not contemporaries) lead to the current canonical shape in which they are placed together? It is plausible but difficult to accept that the final editor brought Ezra and Nehemiah together as contemporaries merely for theological purposes. Finally, as Clines notes, if one is not willing to accept the reconstruction and to view Nehemiah’s name at 8:9 as the work of the editor, the alternatives are to (1) emend the dates of Ezra’s arrival (Ezra 7:7–8) or (2) suppose that Ezra did not read the Law until Nehemiah’s arrival.22 The latter position is reasonable. The fact that cooperation between Ezra and Nehemiah is discussed only in a limited way in Ezra-Nehemiah does not mean there was not more cooperation; it only means that detailing the cooperation was not important to the story that is preserved.
Outline
I. The Lord and Cyrus Issue Decrees and the Community Responds (Ezra 1:1–11)
II. The Community Rebuilds Temple, Torah, and Wall according to the Decrees (Ezra 2:1–Neh. 7:73a)
A. The List of Exiles Returning (Ezra 2:1–70)23
B. First Movement: Altar, Opposition, and Temple (Ezra 3:1–6:22)
C. Second Movement: Ezra Reconstitutes the People under Torah (Ezra 7:1–10:44)
D. Third Movement: Nehemiah’s Ministry Commences (Neh. 1:1–7:4)
1. Nehemiah Offers a Prayerful Request (1:1–11)
2. Nehemiah Receives Permission and Arrives in Jerusalem (2:1–20)
3. Wall-Gate Restoration (3:1–3:32)
4. Builders Make Progress with Some Trepidation (4:1–24)
5. Governor Nehemiah Shows “Interest” for All (5:1–19)
6. Enemy Attempts to Frighten Nehemiah Cannot Stop the Wall (6:1–7:4)
E. List of Exiles Repeated (7:5–73a)
1. Nehemiah Moved to Enroll by Genealogy (7:5)
2. The People of the Province Who Came Up out of the Captivity (7:6–7a)
3. The Number of the Men of the People of Israel (7:7b–38)
4. The Temple Personnel (7:39–60)
5. Those Who Could Not Prove Their Descent (7:61–65)
6. Summary Statements (7:66–73a)
III. The Community Rejoices: Covenant Renewal and Community Reconstitution (Neh. 7:73b–13:31)
A. Covenant Renewal (7:73b–10:39)
1. The Law Is Read and the Feast of Booths Celebrated (Neh. 7:73b–8:18)
2. Redemptive-Historical Covenant Confession (9:1–37)
3. The Sealing and Promises of the Renewed Covenant (9:38–10:39)
B. Habitation of Jerusalem and Its Villages; a List of Priests and Levites (11:1–12:26)
1. Jerusalem and Its Villages Populated (11:1–36)
2. A List of Priests and Levites (12:1–26)
C. Wall Dedication and Events “On That Day” (12:27–13:3)
1. Wall Dedication (12:27–43)
2. Two Further Events “On That Day”: Provisions and Purification (12:44–13:3)
D. Nehemiah’s Reforms: Temple, Sabbath, Separation (13:4–31)
1. Reforms concerning the Temple (13:4–14)
2. Reforms concerning the Sabbath (13:15–22)
3. Reforms concerning Separation from Foreign Wives (13:23–29)
4. Summary of Reforms: Purification and Provisions (13:30–31)