NEHEMIAH, whose genealogy is unknown, ex cept that he was the son of Hachaliah (Neh.
and brother of Hanani (Neh. vii. 2 ; comp. Neh. i. 2). Some think he was of priestly descent, be cause his name appears at the head of a list of priests in Neh. x. 1-8 ; but it is obvious, from Neh. ix. 33, that he stands there as a prince, and not as a priest—that he heads the list because he was head of the nation. The Vulgate, in 2 Maccab. i. 21, calls him sacerdos Nehemias ;' hut this is a false version of the Greek, which has gkeXeucre and not 6 lepeOs, which the Latin would require. The Syriac agrees with the Greek. Others with much probability infer, from his station at the Persian court and the high commission he received, that he was, like Zerubbabel, of the tribe of Judah and of the house of David (Carpzov, /ntroduetio, etc., Pt. i. 339).
While Nehemiah was cupbearer in the royal palace at Shushan, in the twentieth year of Arta xerxes Longimanus, or 444 years B.C. [ARTA XERXES], he learned the mournful and desolate condition of the returned colony in Judwa. This filled him with such deep and prayerful concern for his country, that his sad countenance revealed to the king his sorrow of heart ; ' which induced the monarch to ascertain the cause, and also to vouchsafe the remedy, by sending him, with full powers, to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.' Being furnished with this high commission, and enjoying the protection of a military escort (ch. ii. 9), Nehe miah reached Jerusalem in the year B.c. 444, and remained there till B. c. 432, being actively engaged for twelve years in promoting the public good (ch. v. 14). The principal work which he then accom plished was the rebuilding, or rather the repairing, of the city wall, which was done in fifty and two days' (ch. vi. 15), notwithstanding many dis couragements and difficulties, caused chiefly by Sanballat, a Moabite of Horonaim, and Tobiah, an Ammonite, who seem to have been leading men in the rival and unfriendly colony of Samaria (ch. iv. 1-3 ; ch. iii. 33-35 in Heb. text). These men, with their allies among the Arabians, Ammon ites, and Ashdodites (ch. iv. 7 ; ch. iv. 1 in Heb.), sought to hinder the re-fortifying of Jerusalem, first by scoffing at the attempt ; then by threatening to attack the workmen—which Nehemiah averted by setting a watch against them day and night,' and arming the whole people, so that every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon' (ch. iv. 7-18 ;
eh. iv. 1-13 in Heb.) ; and finally, when scoffs and threats had failed, by using various stratagems to weaken Nehemiah's authority, and even to take his life (ch. vi. 1-14). But in the midst of these dangers from without, our patriot encountered troubles and hindrances from his own people, arising out of the general distress, which was aggra vated by the cruel exactions and oppression of their nobles and rulers (ch. v. 1-5). These popular grievances were promptly redressed on the earnest and solemn remonstrance of Nehemiah, who had himself set a striking example of retrenchment and generosity in his high office (ch. v. 6-19). It ap pears also (ch. vi. 17- z9) that some of the chief men in Jerusalem were at that time in conspiracy with Tobiah against Nehemiah. The wall was thus built in troublous times ' (Dan. ix. 25) ; and its completion was most joyously celebrated by a solemn dedication under Nehemiah's direction (ch. xii. 27-43).
Having succeeded in fortifying the city, our re former turned his attention to other measures in order to secure its good government and prosperity. He appointed some necessary officers (ch. vii. 1-3 ; also ch. xii. 44-47), and excited among the people more interest and zeal in religion by the public read ing and exposition of the law (ch. viii. 1-12), by the unequalled celebration of the Feast of Taber nacles (ch. viii. 13-18), and by the observance of a national fast, when the sins of the people and the iniquities of their fathers were publicly and most strikingly confessed (ch. ix.), and when also a solemn covenant was made by all ranks and classes to walk in God's law,' by avoiding intermarriages with the heathen, by strictly observing the Sabbath, and by contributing to the support of the temple service (ch. x.) But the inhabitants of the city were as yet too few to defend it and to ensure its prosperity ; and hence Nehemiah brought one out of every ten in the country to take up his abode in the ancient capital, which then presented so few inducements to the settler, that the people blessed all the men that willingly offered themselves to dwell at Jerusalem' (ch. vii. 4 ; also ch. xi. 1.19).