This book complements our last book (Ezra). The man Nehemiah differs from many of those individuals we've looked at previously. He is not a king or member of the ruling class. He is not a priest or Levite or member of the religious group. He is not a politician. He is not a military man.

He is the king’s cupbearer. This position is one of great responsibility. One of the duties included in the title, is to taste all of the king’s food and drink. This means that he would be close to the king at all times, and probably be one of the King’s closest confidants, and maybe a good friend also. The king must trust him completely. This seems to be the relationship between Nehemiah and Artaxerxes. The Nehemiah also seems to be "get it done" type of individual.

(chpt:  1 Vs: 001)  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, 

(chpt:  1 Vs: 002)  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. 

(chpt:  1 Vs: 003)  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. 

Verse 4. He is so concerned about what he hears that he goes into a period of fasting and prayer. It might pay us to review the small door labeled "prayer". This is a classic prayer involving both confession and intercession.

(chpt:  1 Vs: 004)  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, 

(chpt:  1 Vs: 005)  And said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments: 

(chpt:  1 Vs: 006)  Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have sinned. 

(chpt:  1 Vs: 007)  We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses. 

(chpt:  1 Vs: 008)  Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations: 

(chpt:  1 Vs: 009)  But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there. 

(chpt:  1 Vs: 010)  Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand. 

(chpt:  1 Vs: 011)  O LORD, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king's cupbearer. 

This chapter tells us that as Nehemiah is performing his duties, the king becomes conscious of Nehemiah’s sad state and questions him concerning his problems. Nehemiah tells the king of his concern about the Jews in Jerusalem and the status of the walls around Jerusalem.

(chpt:  2 Vs: 001)  And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him: and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence. 

(chpt:  2 Vs: 002)  Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid, 

(chpt:  2 Vs: 003)  And said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire? 

Verse 4: The king then asks him if he desires to make a request.

(chpt:  2 Vs: 004)  Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven. 

Verse 5: Nehemiah states his request.

(chpt:  2 Vs: 005)  And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it. 

Beginning with verse 6: It is noted in this verse that the Queen is present when the request is made. A number commentaries state that she is probably Esther who we will meet in the next book that we study. An agreement is made including the length of time that Nehemiah expects to be gone and the issuance of letters by the king giving Nehemiah authority to do that which he considers to be necessary.

(chpt:  2 Vs: 006)  And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time. 

(chpt:  2 Vs: 007)  Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come into Judah; 

(chpt:  2 Vs: 008)  And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me. 

Verses 9 and 10 recorded Nehemiah's trip and the initial resistance by certain individuals named in verse 10. We will see more of them as we go along.

(chpt:  2 Vs: 009)  Then I came to the governors beyond the river, and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me. 

(chpt:  2 Vs: 010)  When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel. 

Verses 11 through 15 tell us about Nehemiah's arrival and his private nighttime survey of the condition of the walls and city.

(chpt:  2 Vs: 011)  So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days. 

(chpt:  2 Vs: 012)  And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem: neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon. 

(chpt:  2 Vs: 013)  And I went out by night by the gate of the valley, even before the dragon well, and to the dung port, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and the gates thereof were consumed with fire. 

(chpt:  2 Vs: 014)  Then I went on to the gate of the fountain, and to the king's pool: but there was no place for the beast that was under me to pass. 

(chpt:  2 Vs: 015)  Then went I up in the night by the brook, and viewed the wall, and turned back, and entered by the gate of the valley, and so returned. 

Starting with verse 16 we have Nehemiah presenting the need and his plans to rulers of the city. He meets immediate resistance from those individuals we met in the previous chapter.

(chpt:  2 Vs: 016)  And the rulers knew not whither I went, or what I did; neither had I as yet told it to the Jews, nor to the priests, nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest that did the work. 

(chpt:  2 Vs: 017)  Then said I unto them, Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach. 

(chpt:  2 Vs: 018)  Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king's words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work. 

(chpt:  2 Vs: 019)  But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king? 

(chpt:  2 Vs: 020)  Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem. 

This chapter presents a row call of the individuals and groups who participated in building the wall. Along with the roll call, the basic construction plan is also outlined. I take special note of the individuals in verse 5 who seem to have thought they were too good to get their hands dirty. We will meet them later.

(chpt:  3 Vs: 001)  Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the priests, and they builded the sheep gate; they sanctified it, and set up the doors of it; even unto the tower of Meah they sanctified it, unto the tower of Hananeel. 

(chpt:  3 Vs: 002)  And next unto him builded the men of Jericho. And next to them builded Zaccur the son of Imri. 

(chpt:  3 Vs: 003)  But the fish gate did the sons of Hassenaah build, who also laid the beams thereof, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof. 

(chpt:  3 Vs: 004)  And next unto them repaired Meremoth the son of Urijah, the son of Koz. And next unto them repaired Meshullam the son of Berechiah, the son of Meshezabeel. And next unto them repaired Zadok the son of Baana. 

(chpt:  3 Vs: 005)  And next unto them the Tekoites repaired; but their nobles put not their necks to the work of their LORD. 

(chpt:  3 Vs: 006)  Moreover the old gate repaired Jehoiada the son of Paseah, and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah; they laid the beams thereof, and set up the doors thereof, and the locks thereof, and the bars thereof. 

(chpt:  3 Vs: 007)  And next unto them repaired Melatiah the Gibeonite, and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon, and of Mizpah, unto the throne of the governor on this side the river. 

(chpt:  3 Vs: 008)  Next unto him repaired Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, of the goldsmiths. Next unto him also repaired Hananiah the son of one of the apothecaries, and they fortified Jerusalem unto the broad wall. 

(chpt:  3 Vs: 009)  And next unto them repaired Rephaiah the son of Hur, the ruler of the half part of Jerusalem. 

(chpt:  3 Vs: 010)  And next unto them repaired Jedaiah the son of Harumaph, even over against his house. And next unto him repaired Hattush the son of Hashabniah. 

(chpt:  3 Vs: 011)  Malchijah the son of Harim, and Hashub the son of Pahathmoab, repaired the other piece, and the tower of the furnaces. 

(chpt:  3 Vs: 012)  And next unto him repaired Shallum the son of Halohesh, the ruler of the half part of Jerusalem, he and his daughters. 

(chpt:  3 Vs: 013)  The valley gate repaired Hanun, and the inhabitants of Zanoah; they built it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof, and a thousand cubits on the wall unto the dung gate. 

(chpt:  3 Vs: 014)  But the dung gate repaired Malchiah the son of Rechab, the ruler of part of Bethhaccerem; he built it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof. 

(chpt:  3 Vs: 015)  But the gate of the fountain repaired Shallun the son of Colhozeh, the ruler of part of Mizpah; he built it, and covered it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof, and the wall of the pool of Siloah by the king's garden, and unto the stairs that go down from the city of David. 

(chpt:  3 Vs: 016)  After him repaired Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, the ruler of the half part of Bethzur, unto the place over against the sepulchres of David, and to the pool that was made, and unto the house of the mighty. 

(chpt:  3 Vs: 017)  After him repaired the Levites, Rehum the son of Bani. Next unto him repaired Hashabiah, the ruler of the half part of Keilah, in his part. 

(chpt:  3 Vs: 018)  After him repaired their brethren, Bavai the son of Henadad, the ruler of the half part of Keilah. 

(chpt:  3 Vs: 019)  And next to him repaired Ezer the son of Jeshua, the ruler of Mizpah, another piece over against the going up to the armoury at the turning of the wall. 

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