General Comments on Nehemiah

     This book is historical and anecdotal, dealing with the 
return of the Jews to Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile. 
As such, reviewing the history is appropriate.  Below is the 
entry from Easton's Bible Dictionary:

     Nehemiah - comforted by Jehovah. (1.) Ezra 2:2; Neh. 7:7. 
     (2.) Neh. 3:16. 

     (3.) The son of Hachaliah (Neh. 1:1), and probably of the
     tribe of Judah. His family must have belonged to Jerusalem
     (Neh. 2:3). He was one of the "Jews of the dispersion," and
     in his youth was appointed to the important office of royal
     cup-bearer at the palace of Shushan. The king, Artaxerxes
     Longimanus, seems to have been on terms of friendly
     familiarity with his attendant. Through his brother Hanani,
     and perhaps from other sources (Neh. 1:2; 2:3), he heard of
     the mournful and desolate condition of the Holy City, 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
     it all to the king, and obtained his permission to go up to
     Jerusalem and there to act as tirshatha, or governor of
     Judea. He went up in the spring of B.C. 446 (eleven years
     after Ezra), with a strong escort supplied by the king, and
     with letters to all the pashas of the provinces through
     which he had to pass, as also to Asaph, keeper of the royal
     forests, directing him to assist Nehemiah. On his arrival he
     set himself to survey the city, and to form a plan for its
     restoration; a plan which he carried out with great skill
     and energy, so that the whole was completed in about six
     months. He remained in Judea for thirteen years as governor,
     carrying out many reforms, notwithstanding much 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,
     showing the worthlessness to a large extent of the
     professions that had been made at the feast of the
     dedication of the walls of the city (Neh. 12). Malachi now
     appeared among the people with words of stern reproof and
     solemn warning; and Nehemiah again returned from Persia
     (after an absence of some two years), and was grieved to see
     the widespread moral degeneracy that had taken place during
     his absence. He set himself with vigor 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. Of his subsequent history we know
     nothing. Probably he remained at his post as governor till
     his death (about B.C. 413) in a good old age. The place of
     his death and burial is, however, unknown. "He resembled
     Ezra in his fiery zeal, in his active spirit of enterprise,
     and in the piety of his life: but he was of a bluffer and a
     fiercer mood; he had less patience with transgressors; he
     was a man of action rather than a man of thought, and more
     inclined to use force than persuasion. His practical
     sagacity and high courage were very markedly shown in the
     arrangement with which he carried through the rebuilding of
     the wall and balked the cunning plans of the 'adversaries.'
     The piety of his heart, his deeply religious spirit and
     constant sense of communion with and absolute dependence
     upon God, are strikingly exhibited, first in the long prayer
     recorded in ch. 1:5-11, and secondly and most remarkably in
     what have been called his 'interjectional prayers', those
     short but moving addresses to Almighty God which occur so
     frequently in his writings, the instinctive outpouring of a
     heart deeply moved, but ever resting itself upon God, and
     looking to God alone for aid in trouble, for the frustration
     of evil designs, and for final reward and acceptance"
     (Rawlinson). Nehemiah was the last of the governors sent
     from the Persian court. Judea after this was annexed to the
     satrapy of Coele-Syria, and was governed by the high priest
     under the jurisdiction of the governor of Syria, and the
     internal government of the country became more and more a
     hierarchy. 


     Nehemiah, Book of

     The author of this book was no doubt Nehemiah himself. There
     are portions of the book written in the first person (ch.
     1-7; 12:27-47, and 13). But there are also portions of it in
     which Nehemiah is spoken of in the third person (ch. 8; 9;
     10). It is supposed that these portions may have been
     written by Ezra; of this, however, there is no distinct
     evidence. These portions had their place assigned them in
     the book, there can be no doubt, by Nehemiah. He was the
     responsible author of the whole book, with the exception of
     ch. 12:11, 22, 23. 

     The date at which the book was written was probably about
     B.C. 431-430, when Nehemiah had returned the second time to
     Jerusalem after his visit to Persia. 

     The book, which may historically be regarded as a
     continuation of the book of Ezra, consists of four parts.
     (1.) An account of the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem,
     and of the register Nehemiah had found of those who had
     returned from Babylon (ch. 1-7). (2.) An account of the
     state of religion among the Jews during this time (8-10).
     (3.) Increase of the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the census of
     the adult male population, and names of the chiefs, together
     with lists of priests and Levites (11-12:1-26). (4.)
     Dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, the arrangement of the
     temple officers, and the reforms carried out by Nehemiah
     (12:27-ch. 13). 

     This book closes the history of the Old Testament. Malachi
     the prophet was contemporary with Nehemiah. 


Comments on Nehemiah 1

     The book of Nehemiah is much more a first-person journal
style account than is Ezra.  Ezra remains largely historical with
only occasional first-person inserts.  Nehemiah is just the
opposite.  And so we get a better idea of what it was like for
the man on the street at this time.

     Nehemiah, in a prominent position as the king's cupbearer
(v. 11), hears word that the exiles at Jerusalem are in dire
straits (v. 1-3).  Upon hearing their plight, he laments greatly
their former rebellions and prays to the Lord for mercy,
longsuffering, and forgiveness (v. 4-10).  And he asks the Lord
the soften the king's heart (v. 11), presumably so he may leave
his service and return to Jerusalem.

     Note in v. 8-9 Nehemiah invokes the Abrahamic Covenant as
described in terms of the Law of Moses regarding the gathering of
Israel.  This is a common tactic of prophets, reminding the Lord
of the promises He has made.


Comments on Nehemiah 2

     A short time after the events of ch. 1, Nehemiah is in the
king's presence and the king sees he is sad (v. 1).  The king
asks him why he is moping, and he gets scared (v. 2), presumably
because of what he is about to request of the king.  Nehemiah
tells him he is mourning over the destruction of his people and
homeland (v. 3), and the king asks him what he wants to do about
it, so he prays to the Lord (v. 4), apparently for inspiration. 
He converses with the king and procures permission to go and
rebuild, to obtain necessary legal documents, and construction
materials, and he attributes it all to Providence (v. 5-8).
     Nehemiah travels to Jerusalem with a considerable force and
meets with the local governors (v. 9).  When the local governors
find out that he is out to champion the Israelites, they aren't
happy about it (v. 10).  Then by night, he sneaks out and inspect
the walls and gates of Jerusalem, which end up being in terrible
ruin.  So bad he cannot get his horse past any of the gates to
enter the city (v. 11-15).  He then goes to all of the Jews, who
apparently were part of the company he came up with, and
encourages them to rebuild because it is the Lord's will, and
they agree (v. 16-18).
     When the local governors find out about the plans to rebuild
they mock them, only to be cursed by Nehemiah (v. 19-20).


Comments on Nehemiah 4

     This chapter recounts some of the opposition faced by the
people at the time they were trying to rebuild the Temple.  They
are verbally mocked (v. 1-3), and later their enemies plan on a
sneak attack (v. 7-8, 11).  But, they find out about the plans
(v. 12) and post guards (v. 13).  He exhorts them to remember
they are fighting for their families, and that God will support
them (v. 14).  When the enemies find out that their plans have
been exposed, they abandon their plans for a cowardly ambush (v.
15).  From that point on they keep half the men on guard while
the other half work construction (v. 16-23).  And so present a
deterrent to any that would consider military action.

     The encouragement in v. 14 is similar to that used by Moroni
in Alma 46:12.


Comments on Nehemiah 6

     This chapter recounts two additional attempts to prevent
construction, particularly on the wall which would afford
protection.  The same guys who have been miscreants from the
start (v. 1, cp. 1:9, 1:19, 4:1) collude and try to get Nehemiah
to come out to them in private so they can assassinate him.  But,
he is privy to their intentions and avoids the trap (v. 2-4). 
So, they then try to blackmail him into coming out to them by
threatening to write slanderous letters to the Persian king (v.
5-7).  His reply informs them the allegations are false (v. 8),
and he knows they are just trying to scare and discourage them
from completing the wall (v. 9).
     After this fails, their enemies hire a false prophet to try
and subvert Nehemiah by lying to him about people coming to kill
him, but her discerns his motives (v. 10-13).  After these
events, Nehemiah requests the Lord remember the evils committed
against him by these men as a curse (v. 14).
     Despite all of the intrigue the walls are completed in a
rather short period of time (v. 15), and the enemies of Judah
aren't happy about it because it shows the Lord is with Judah (v.
16).  Even so, their enemies are still at work trying this time
to drain Nehemiah's support from with by allying nobles of Judah
with one Tobiah who is quite hostile to him.

     The statement in v. 14 indicates these trials were no small
concern for him.  Had they been, he would have just blown it off.

     Regarding this Tobiah character, Easton's Bible Dictionary
states: 

     pleasing to Jehovah, the "servant," the "Ammonite," who
     joined with those who opposed the rebuilding of Jerusalem
     after the Exile (Neh. 2:10). He was a man of great
     influence, which he exerted in opposition to the Jews, and
     "sent letters" to Nehemiah "to put him in fear" (Neh.
     6:17-19). "Eliashib the priest" prepared for him during
     Nehemiah's absence "a chamber in the courts of the house of
     God," which on his return grieved Nehemiah sore, and
     therefore he "cast forth all the household stuff of Tobiah
     out of the chamber" (13:7, 8). 


Comments on Nehemiah 8

     This chapter recounts Ezra's (apparently the same Ezra as
who wrote the book we discuss above) reading of the Law to the
people of Judah.  This is quite a change in demeanor for Judah,
as only some 70+ years earlier the people were attacking Jeremiah
for confronting them with the Law.  We have here a complete
transformation brought about by the covenant curses and blessings
associated with the Law of Moses detailed in Lev. 26 and Deut.
28.

     The people request that Ezra read the Law to them, and he
does so praising the Lord as he does.  They are quite attentive
and interested, and last all day.  The reading of the Law is
accompanied by explanations of its meaning (v. 1-9).
     The people are emotionally, and presumably spiritually
overwrought by the event and begin weeping.  So Nehemiah, Ezra, 
the priests and Levites comfort them and tell them it is not a
day for morning and fasting, but a holy day for eating and
rejoicing.  So, the people leave and rejoice in that they have
taken the Law and understood it (v. 9-12).  The admonition to not
weep and to eat is probably done to symbolize the joy they should
be experiencing at receiving and spiritually feeding on the Law.
     The following day the leaders of the people gathered
together to study the Law and they read over the portion which
discusses the feast of Booths, or Tabernacles (v. 13-14).  And
so, in preparation for the imminent feast, they send word among
all of the people telling them to prepare (v. 15).  When the
feast arrives, all the people all gather together with their
booths constructed, something that had not been done since
Joshua's time (v. 16-17).  Then every day for each of the seven
days of the feast Ezra reads the Law to the people and they
observe the ordinance of the feast (v. 18).

v3 "the book of the Law", a poor translation.  It should read
"scroll" instead of "book".



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