BRYAN O’NEAL
OUTLINE
Introduction
I. The Plight of Jerusalem and the Jewish People (1:1–2:20)
A. Nehemiah Is in Babylon and Hears of Jerusalem’s Plight (1:1–2:8)
1. Jerusalem’s Plight (1:1-3)
2. Nehemiah’s Prayer (1:4-11)
3. Artaxerxes’ Permission (2:1-8)
B. Nehemiah Travels to Jerusalem and Surveys the Situation (2:9-20)
1. Travel to Jerusalem (2:9-10)
2. Surveying the Walls of Jerusalem (2:11-16)
3. Beginning the Work of Rebuilding (2:17-20)
II. The Rebuilding of the Walls (3:1–6:19)
A. Nehemiah Leads the Rebuilding of the Walls (3:1-32)
B. Opposition: the Military Challenge (4:1-23)
1. The Mockery of the Opposition (4:1-6)
2. The Threat of Violence (4:7-15)
3. The Renewed Work (4:16-23)
C. Opposition: The Moral Challenge (5:1-19)
1. The Problem of Usury (5:1-13)
a. The People’s Complaint (5:1-5)
b. Nehemiah’s Response (5:6-13)
2. The Example of Nehemiah (5:14-19)
D. Finishing the Wall (6:1-19)
1. The Physical Threat (6:1-9)
2. The Political Threat (6:10-14)
3. The Wall Complete (6:15-19)
III. The Rebuilding of the People (7:1–10:39)
A. Genealogies (7:1-73)
1. The Instructions for Security (7:1-4)
2. The Genealogical Record (7:5-65)
a. The Returned Exiles with Genealogical Records (7:5-60)
b. The Returned Exiles without Genealogical Records (7:61-65)
3. Summary (7:66-73)
B. The Public Reading of the Law (8:1-18)
1. The Reading of the Law (8:1-8)
2. The Sacred Feast (8:9-12)
3. The Feast of Booths (8:13-18)
C. The Confession and History of Israel (9:1-37)
1. The Assembly of the Levites and People (9:1-5)
2. Creation and the Call of Abraham (9:6-8)
3. The Exodus and Wandering (9:9-22)
4. The Conquest under Joshua and Subsequent Unfaithfulness (9:23-31)
5. Confession and Repentance (9:32-37)
D. The Establishing of a New Sacred Covenant (9:38–10:39)
1. The Signers of the Covenant (9:38–10:27)
2. The Content of the Covenant (10:28-39)
IV. The Dedication of the People, Walls, and Temple (11:1–13:31)
A. Populating Jerusalem and Its Region (11:1-36)
B. Dedicating the Walls of Jerusalem (12:1-47)
1. The Priests and Levites Who Returned from Exile (12:1-21)
2. The Leading Levites (12:22-26)
3. Purification of Levites, People, and Wall (12:27-30)
4. Two Choirs (12:31-43)
a. First Choir under Ezra (12:31-37)
b. Second Choir under Nehemiah (12:38-43)
5. Worship and Celebration (12:44-47)
C. Purifying the Promised Land (13:1-31)
1. Purifying the Temple (13:1-14)
2. Purifying the Sabbath (13:15-22)
3. Purifying the People (13:23-29)
4. Purifying the Priests (13:30-31)