Nehemiah 7
PATucss, unto which even heathens, perhaps, might have such regard as not to violate it; whereas the gates of Jerusalem were not yet in such a condition as to keep them out. By this means he hoped Nehemiah would become contemptible, when the people saw his cowardice; and the Jews would be disheartened, as much as their enemies took courage. And, perhaps, he intended, with some priests, his confederates, to seize on him, and deliver him into the hands of Sanballat: at least, it would give some countenance to the calumny he had raised, of his affecting to bo king; because he fled from his work, and durst not stand upon his integrity. Shemaiah also might think hereby to draw him in to offend God, by coming into that court where the priests only might come, and where it is supposed this prophet now was. Yea, in the night will they come to slay thee.] I take the meaning to be, Even this very night will they fall upon thee; therefore consult thy safety, by fleeing hither. man that came from Jerusalem to Shushan, to acquaint him with the deplorable condition of the city, and implore his help, (chap. i. 2.) And Hananiah the ruler of the palace.) So the house where Nehemiah dwelt is called, because he was governor for the king, and a kind of viceroy, who did all the king’s, business, and here gave audience to all people, as the king was wont to do in his palace. Charge over Jerusalem.] He made Hanani, I suppose, principal governor over Jerusalem, and Hananiah was his assistant and deputy. (For he teas a faithful man, and feared God above many).] He saith nothing of Hanani, who was well known to be zealous for God and for his country, by the journey he took to Shushan (which I before mentioned); but he gives the reason why he joined Hananiah with him, because he knew he might be trusted, being a man of con-, science, who acted out of religious principles, which a great many in those days did not. The reason why he took this care for the city, it is likely, was, because he himself was returning to Shushan, to give the king an account of the state of affairs in Judea; and therefore placed such men in Jerusalem as he knew would faithfully secure it in his absence. -
Nehemiah 7:1
J\0W it came to pass, when the wall was built, and I had set up the doors, and the porters, and the singers, and the Levites, were appointed. The porters were to attend the gates; but what the Levites and the singers had to do there is not easily resolved: perhaps they were to be ready against the time that the wall should be dedicated, which is mentioned chap. xii.
Nehemiah 7:2
That I gave my brother Hanani. Who was the
Nehemiah 7:3
And I said unto them. Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun be hot J. Till it had been risen a good while, that they might see clearly round about them, and that all the people might be ready in case of any danger. And while they stand by, let them shut the doors, and bar them.] And at night he charges them to stand by and see the gates shut and barred in their presence. Or, as some expound it, they should not suffer any man to stir till they shut the gates, lest through carelessness they should chance to be left open. So De Dieu renders the words, While the standers-by shut the gates, hold them fast; that is, he gave them power to keep all there present, and not let them go away till this was done. And appoint watches of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, every one in his watch, and every one to be over against his house.] The gates being shut, he charges them to set the watch in proper places; every one keeping watch in that part which was next to his own house.
Nehemiah 7:4
Now the city was large and great. And therefore required many watches. But the people were few therein.] In comparison with the bigness of the city. And the houses were not builded.] That is, not all that had been in former times, but a great deal of ground still l&y waste.
Nehemiah 7:5
And my God put into mine heart to gather together the nobles, and the rulers, and the people. Whatsoever good motion came into his mind he ascribed it to God,, and not to his own prudent consideration, though that was employed in this business. For without God we can do nothing, who ought therefore to be in all our thoughts. Tliat they might be reckoned by genealogy.] That, by knowing of what family they were, and where they formerly dwelt, he might recall those of them whose habitations had heretofore been in Jerusalem, to come and settle there again, now that the wall was built, and they might dwell there in safety. And I found. a register of the genealogy of them which" came up at the first, and found written therein.] The words following: Ver. G. These are the children of the province, that went up out of the captivity, of those that had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away, and fame again to Jerusalem and to Judah, every one unto his city.] These are the very words which wo read in the second chapter of Ezra, ver. 1, &c. from whence he seems to have transcribed them, and added something’ to them.
Nehemiah 7:7
Who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah* Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, Baanah; the number, I say, of the men of the people of Israel was this.] He that is here called Azariah, is called there Saraiah; and there are some other small differences in the names, but all the same, only here- Nahamani is added.
Nehemiah 7:8
The children ofParosh, two thousand a hundred seventy and two. I shall not transcribe all this genealogy, concerning which I have nothing to observe, but that in some few things it differs from that in Ezra. (Seemy annotations on Ezra ii. 5.) There are also some families named here which are not in Ezra, as in ver. 22. » 48 — 52. which are all omitted in Ezra. For it must be considered, that one of these accounts was taken by Ezra in Babylon, the other by Nehemiah in Judea: and therefore it is no wonder that a greater number are sometimes mentioned in Nehemiah than in Ezra; for in the first account that was taken of them, many were ignorant’ of their genealogy; but before the last, the book of their genealogy was found: and yet in the whole number the two accounts agree, though in the particular sums they vary. Compare ver. 66. of this chapter with the second of Ezra, ver. G4. of which Dr. Lightfoot gives this account in his Chronicle of the Times of the Old Testament, p. 146. “The matter is to be conceived and apprehended thus: That Nehemiah found that list and catalogue of those that came up in the first of Cyrus, as it was taken then; and that he called over the names of the families as “they lay in order there: he observed the order of that list in calling and listing them; but he took the number of them, as they were now when he numbered them. And some families were now more in number than they were when that first was made, and some were less; and some that were in that list were not to be found now: for some had more of the same stock come out of Babel since the first numbering; and some that had come up at first, and were then numbered, were now gone back.” And so he observed, by comparing that list and the present number, how the plantation in Judea had gone forward or backward, increased or decayed, since the first return. *
Nehemiah 7:11
And I said, Should such a man as I flee?. Who am a governor, and ought to give a good example of undaunted courage; and have professed to put great confidence in God; and hitherto been marvellously preserved by him, and assisted in his undertaking.. And who is there, that, being as I am, would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in.] There might have been colour for this advice, if Jerusalem had been an open place, without any walls, without armed men in it, or that had no courage to defend it: but they had appeared on the walls to defend it, (chap. iv. 13.) and being so well appointed, he w r as resolved still to Tely on God, and on their fidelity and valour; and not be so base as to desert them, till they deserted him; which they might well do, if they saw him flee from them for fear.
Nehemiah 7:12
And,lo, I perceived that God had not sent him; but that he pronounced this prophecy against me. Not to secure him, but to betray him; as he plainly discovered in a little time: which shewed, there was no such danger, as this false prophet pretended., Por Tobiah’and Sanballat had hired him.] Tobiah was not idle all this time, but it is likely invented this plot, to bribe this man to be a false prophet: which, perhaps, was discovered to Nehemiah by some undoubted prophets of God, who were on their side.
Nehemiah 7:13
TJierefore was he hired, that I should be afraid, and do so, and sin. That they might draw him in to offend God, by distrusting his care of him; and dishonour himself by base cowardice. And that they might have matter for an evil report, that they might reproach me.] As a man guilty of what they accused him.
Nehemiah 7:14
My God, think thou upon Tobiah and Sanballat, according to these their works. Their calumnies, and malicious contrivances, and foul practices, which life hoped God would take a time to punish. < And on the prophetess Noadiah,and the rest of the prophets, that would have put me in fear.] The wicked temper of this people is very wonderful, who had already got false prophets among them, both men and women, whom Nehemiah did not think fit as a judge to punish, but left them to the judgment of God. Nor do we read that he informed the king of Persia of the foul dealings of these men (which certainly he would have punished), but prayed God to reward them after their deeds: idr he would have all know that he depended wholly upon the power of God to enable him to perfect this work, and not upon the help of human force.
Nehemiah 7:15
So the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty and two days. Which may seem incredible to those who do not reflect what a great number of people (who were not hired, but voluntarily) engaged in this work, and how full they were of zeal, and that the foundation of the wall was not razed by the Chaldeans; nay, there were some pieces of it standing, only great gaps being made in it. And other histories acquaint us with the like diligence; particularly Arrianus and Curtius relate, that Alexander the Great built the walls of Alexandria (which was seven miles in compass) in the space of twenty days.
Nehemiah 7:16
And it came to pass, that when all our enemies heard thereof, and all the heathen that were about us saw these things. When they heard how all the designs of their enemies were disappointed, and saw Jerusalem was built, and flourished. They were?nuch cast down in their own eyes: for they perceived that this work was wrought of our God.] Being finished in so short a time, beyond all expectation, and in the midst of great fears and sad apprehensions.
Nehemiah 7:17
Moreover, in those days the?iobles ofjudali sent many letters unto Tobiah, and the tetters of Tobiah came unto them. To add to all the other wickedness of this nation, there were false brethren among their great men, who held a correspondence with their most, pestilent enemies against Nehemiah.
Nehemiah 7:18
For there were manyinJudah sivorn unto him.* Against the interest of their country, and of their religion; to such a height of impiety were many arrived. Because he teas the son-in-law of Shechaniah the son of Arah; and his son Johanan had taken the daughter of Me* shullam the son of Berechiah.] So dangerous were marriages with foreigners, which Ezra therefore had great reason to make void; for by these alliances they were engaged in wicked designs against their country.
Nehemiah 7:19
Also they reported his good deeds before me. To such an impudence were they arrived, that they highly commended him as a very worthy man in the presence of Nehemiah, who knew so much of his wickedness. And uttered my ivords to him.] Or informed him of all that Nehemiah did. For so we translate in the margin, matters, not words. And Tobiah sent letters to put me in fear.] Still continued such practices as are mentioned ver. 6. that, if it were possible, they might put him into such fear, as would move him to do something to disgrace himself.
Nehemiah 7:65
And the Tirshatha said unto them, that they should not eat of the most holy things till there stood up a * priest xvith urim and thummim. It is the opinion of Jacobus Capellus, that Zerubbabel is here meant by the Tirshatha, (Ezra ii. G3.) Whosoever he* was, he expresses his hope that God might in time restore the nrim and thummim (as he’ had done the nation), and so give answer about obscure and difficult matters, as he had done in former ages. But till then these priests were not admitted to partake of the most holy things, because it did not appear by good proof