Book of Nehemiah
The book of Nehemiah is an Old Testament Bible book of thirteen chapters. It follows on from the book of Ezra, which relates the construction of the temple in Jerusalem. Because it is rarely included in the liturgical calendar of texts, this book is little-known. Let's take a look at this book, which relates events that took place in the 5th century BC.
What does the Book of Nehemiah tell us?
Nehemiah was an Israelite official and cupbearer (i.e. servant) to King Artaxerxes. This account takes place in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes' reign (2:1), thirteen years after Ezra had gone up to Jerusalem.
When Nehemiah learns of the ruined state of the walls of Jerusalem and the distress of the people, he weeps, fasts and prays (1:4). Seeing his sadness, Artaxerxes asks Nehemiah what is the cause of his grief (2:2). Nehemiah mentions the deplorable state of the city of Jerusalem and asks the king for permission to go and rebuild the city. The king agreed, providing him with letters to the governors so that he could pass through, as well as an escort (chapter 2). At the start of his mission, Nehemiah faces opposition from those living near Jerusalem, notably from Sanballat and Tobiyya. Despite the opposition of the enemies and their wiles, the wall is rebuilt, thanks in particular to Nehemiah's zeal, the protection of an armed guard provided by the king, and to a large number of servants, such as Eliashib, Senaa, Meshullam, Shallun, the Thekohites, the sons of Ha-Senaa, the people of Jericho, etc.
In chapter 8, Nehemiah has given way to the priest Ezra. Ezra brings the Book of the Law (the Torah) and reads it on the spot for seven days during the Feast of Tabernacles, a feast to remember God's faithfulness in the Book of Exodus. In the next chapter, the Israelites confess the sins of their fathers and praise God for all He has done, which then leads to a further written commitment, including by the priests, Levites and leaders of the people. One of the key events rewarding the work of Nehemiah and his servants is the feast of the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, reported in chapter 12.
The end of the book, however, unfortunately sounds like a relapse. As he tours Jerusalem, Nehemiah finds that the people have not honored their part of the covenant. The temple was being neglected, the Torah was being violated, and people were working on the Sabbath. Nehemiah's work on the walls of Jerusalem is even threatened, as people trade around the ramparts and conduct transactions on the Sabbath, hence Nehemiah's anger and outburst. The book ends with Nehemiah's final prayer to God, in the form of a plea, to remember him.
6 biblical passages from the book of Nehemiah
when Hanani, one of my brothers, came with other men from Judah. I asked them about the Jews, the remnant preserved after the captivity, and about Jerusalem. They answered me: “The survivors of the captivity there in the province are in great distress and under reproach. The wall of Jerusalem has been breached, its gates gutted by fire.” When I heard this report, I began to weep and continued mourning for several days, fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
the king asked me, “Why do you look sad? If you are not sick, you must be sad at heart.” Though I was seized with great fear, I answered the king: “May the king live forever! How could I not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates consumed by fire?” The king asked me, “What is it, then, that you wish?” I prayed to the God of heaven and then answered the king: “If it please the king, and if your servant is deserving of your favor, send me to Judah, to the city where my ancestors are buried, that I may rebuild it.” Then the king, with the queen seated beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take and when will you return?” My answer was acceptable to the king and he agreed to let me go; I set a date for my return.
The wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul; the work had taken fifty-two days. When all our enemies had heard of this, and all the neighboring Gentiles round about had taken note of it, they were very discouraged, for they knew that it was with our God’s help that this work had been completed.
Now when the seventh month came, the whole people gathered as one in the square in front of the Water Gate, and they called upon Ezra the scribe to bring forth the book of the law of Moses which the L ord had commanded for Israel. On the first day of the seventh month, therefore, Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly, which consisted of men, women, and those children old enough to understand. In the square in front of the Water Gate, Ezra read out of the book from daybreak till midday, in the presence of the men, the women, and those children old enough to understand; and all the people listened attentively to the book of the law.
In Jerusalem itself the Tyrians residing there were importing fish and every other kind of merchandise and selling it to the Judahites on the sabbath. I reprimanded the nobles of Judah, demanding: “What is this evil thing you are doing, profaning the sabbath day? Did not your ancestors act in this same way, with the result that our God has brought all this evil upon us and upon this city? Would you add to the wrath against Israel by once more profaning the sabbath?”
Remember against them, my God, how they defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites! So I cleansed them of all foreign contamination. I established the various functions for the priests and Levites, so that each had an appointed task. I also provided for the procurement of wood at stated times and for the first fruits. Remember this in my favor, my God!
What does the book of Nehemiah call us to today?
Against a backdrop of secularization and a sharp decline in religious practice in the West, Nehemiah's message is a timely one for the Church today. Like Nehemiah, who helped rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, every baptized person has a role to play in evangelization. Nehemiah's message is so relevant that dioceses in France in 2024 have decided to offer a course on this book as part of a pastoral conversion.
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