Nehemiah

NEHEMIAH, or Neemias, Son of Hachaliah, was born at Babylon during the Captivity. He was, according to some¹, of the Race of the Priests, but according to others² of the Tribe of Judah and the Royal Family. Those who maintain the first Opinion, support it by a Passage in the 2 Macc. i. 18. 21.Maccabees, where it is said, that Nehemiah the Priest offered Sacrifices. Jussit Sacerdos Nehemias aspergi sacrificia aquâ. And in Esdras x. 10. he is reckon’d in the Number of the Priests. Signatores fuerunt Nehemias, Sedecias, Saraias, &c. Hi Sacerdotes. But those who believe that he was of the Race of the Kings of Judah, say, 1st, That Nehemiah having govern’d the Republick of the Jews for a considerable time, there is great Probability he was of that Tribe of which the Kings always were. 2dly, Nehemiah mentions his Brethren Hanani, and some other Jews, who coming to Babylon during the Captivity, acquainted him with the sad Condition of their Country. 3dly, The Office of Cup-bearer to the King of Persia, to which Nehemiah was promoted, is a further Proof that he was of an illustrious Family. 4thly, He excuses himself from entering into the inner Part of the Temple, probably because Neh. vi. 11.he was only a Laick. Should such a Man as I flee? And who is there that being as I am, would go into the Temple to save his Life?

As to what is said in the Maccabees, where he is mentioned as a Priest, it may be answer’d, that the Greek Text does not affirm him to be a Priest³, but only that Nehemiah gave Orders to the Priests to perform their Functions. As to what is said of his signing among the Priests, this he might do in Quality of Governor of the Jews, which gave him at least an equal Rank with the Priests. Lastly, the Name of Nehemiah is found in no Catalogue, nor in any Genealogy of the Hebrew Priests.

The Scripture often gives him the Name of Tirshatha⁴, that is to say Cup-bearer; for he had this Employment at the Court of Artaxerxes Longimanus. He had an exceeding great Tenderness for the Country of his Fathers, tho’ he had never seen it; and one Day, as some Jews newly come from Jerusalem acquainted him with the miserable Estate of that City, that its Walls were beat down, its Gates burnt, and that the Jews were become a Reproach among all Nations; he was sensibly affected with this Relation, he fasted, prayed, and humbled himself before the Lord, that he would be favourable to the Design he had then conceived, of asking the King’s Permission to rebuild Jerusalem⁵. The Course of his Attendance at Court being come, he presented the Cup to the King, according to Custom, but with a sad and dejected Countenance. The King entertained some Suspicion at it, as thinking he might have some evil Design. But Nehemiah discovering the Occasion of his Disquiet, Artaxerxes gave him Leave to go to Jerusalem, and to repair its Walls and Gates; but however, on this Condition, that he should return to Court at a Time appointed. Letters were made out, directed to the Governors beyond the Euphrates, with Orders to furnish him with Timber necessary for covering the Towers and Gates of the City, and the House of Nehemiah, who was appointed Governor of Judea.

Neh. ii. 11, 12, 13, &c.Nehemiah arrived at Jerusalem with his Letters and full Powers, but was there three Days before he acquainted any one with the Occasion of his Journey. On the Night of the third Day he went round the City, and viewed the Walls, that he might know what Condition they were in. After this he assembled the chief of the People, produced his Commission and Letters, and exhorted them to undertake the repairing of the Gates and Walls of the City. He found every body ready to obey him, and immediately he began the Work. The Enemies of the Jews were jealous of these prosperous Beginnings, and only scoffed at them at first; but afterward seeing that the chief Breaches were repaired, they made use of Stratagems and Threats to deter Nehemiah from his Undertaking, and even attempted to make him away. The Jews that dwelt without informed Nehemiah of it; and to keep himself on his Guard against their Attempts, he ordered Part of his People to stand to their Arms behind the Walls, while Neh. iv. 7, 8, &c.the others carried on the Work, having also their Arms near them, in case of an Alarm. His Enemies seeing their Design discovered, durst not make use of violent Methods, but had recourse to Craft and Stratagem, endeavouring to draw him into an Ambuscade set for him in the Fields, where they pretended Neh. vi. 1, 2, 3, &c.they would finish their Dispute at an amicable Conference. But Nehemiah gave them to understand, that the Work he had begun required his personal Attendance, and therefore he could not come to them. He sent the same Answer to four several Messages, that they sent one after another on the same Subject.

Sanballat, the chief of the Enemies of the Jews, together with his Associates, wrote word, that a Report was spread the Jews were building the Walls of Jerusalem, only with a Design to make it a Place of Strength, to support them in an intended Revolt; that it was said also that Nehemiah had suborned false Prophets to favour his Designs, and to encourage the People to chuse him King; that to stop the Course of these Rumours he advised him to come to him, that they might confer together, and take such Resolutions as should be found convenient. Nehemiah gave himself no Trouble on this Account, but returned for Answer, that all those Accusations were false, and made at random. About the same time he discovered, that a false Prophet, call’d Shemaiah, had been corrupted by his Enemies, and that some of the chief of the City were secretly in Confederacy with them. Yet all this did not discourage him. He went on with his Work, and happily compleated it in two and fifty Days after it had been begun.

Neh. vi. 8.—15.Then he made a Dedication of the Walls, of the Towers, and of the Gates of Jerusalem, with the Solemnity and Magnificence that such a Work required. He separated the Priests, the Levites, and the Princes of the People into two Companies, one of which walked to the South, and the other to the North, on the top of the Walls. These two Companies were to meet at the Temple. The Procession was accompanied with Musick both vocal and instrumental. When they were all come to the Temple, they there read the Law, offered Sacrifices, and made great Rejoycings. And Neh. viii. 12.as the Feast of Tabernacles happen’d at the same time, it was celebrated with great Solemnity. Nehemiah observing that the Compass of the City was too large for its Inhabitants, ordered that the chief of the Nation should there fix their Dwelling; and caused them to draw Lots, by which a tenth Part of the whole People of Judah were obliged to dwell at Jerusalem.

Neh. xi.Then he applied himself to the reforming of such Corruptions, as had crept into the Administration of publick Affairs. He curb’d the Inhumanity of the great ones, who held in a State of Slavery and Subjection the Sons and Daughters of those that were poor or unfortunate, keeping their Lands in Possession, which these poor People had been obliged either to mortgage or sell to them.

Another Abuse there was, which Esdras had in vain attempted to redress, that they had contracted Marriages with strange and idolatrous Women. Nehemiah undertook to dissolve these Marriages, succeeded in it, and sent away all such Women as had been taken against the express Command of the Law. Neh. ix.Having likewise observed, that the Priests and Levites were obliged to take Refuge wherever they could, and so the Ministry of the Temple was not attended or performed with that Decency it ought, because they did not receive the Revenues that the Law had appointed for their Subsistence; he obliged the People punctually to pay the Ministers of the Lord what was due to them, and enjoined the Priests and Levites duly to attend on their respective Duties, and to discharge their Neh. xiii. 10, 11, &c.Functions. He enforced the Observation of the Sabbath, which had been much neglected at Jerusalem, and would not permit Strangers to come in to buy and sell, but kept the Gates of the City shut up all that Neh. xiii. 15, 16, &c.Day. And to perpetuate as much as was possible these good Regulations which he had newly established, he engaged the chief Men of the Nation solemnly to renew the Covenant with the Lord. This Ceremony was performed in the Temple, and an Instrument was drawn up, which was signed by the principal Men, both Priests and People⁶.

2 Macc. i. 19, 20, 21, &c.We read in the Books of the Maccabees, that Nehemiah sent to search for the Holy Fire, which before the Captivity of Babylon the Priests had hid in a dry and deep Pit; but not finding any Fire there, but instead thereof a thick and muddy Water, he sprinkled this upon the Altar; whereupon the Wood which had been sprinkled with this Water, took fire presently, as soon as the Sun began to appear. Which Miracle coming to the Knowledge of the King of Persia, he caused the Place to be encompass’d with Walls where the Fire had been hid, and granted great Favours and Privileges 2 Macc. ii. 13, 14.to the Priests. ‘Tis recorded in the same Books, that Nehemiah erected a Library, wherein he placed whatever he could find, either of the Books of the Prophets, of David, and of such Princes as had made Presents to the Temple. Lastly, he returned to Babylon, according to the Promise he had made to King Artaxerxes, about the thirty-second Year of this Prince⁷. From thence he returned again to Jerusalem, where he died in Peace⁸, having governed the People of Judah for about thirty Years.

The second Book⁹, which in the Latin Bibles bears the Name of Esdras, in the Hebrew has the Name of Nehemiah prefix’d to it. This Author speaks there almost always in the first Person; and at first reading one would think that he had writ it Day by Day, or had set down whatever occur’d in his daily Transactions. But if we read it with due Attention, we may observe here several Things, which could not have been written by Nehemiah. For Example, Memorials are quoted, wherein were registred the Names of the Priests in the Time of Jonathan the Son of Eliashib, and even to the Times of Jeddoa or Jaddus, who lived under Darius Codomannus, and under Alexander the Great. It is therefore very probable, that Nehemiah wrote the Memoirs of his Government, which are cited in the second Book of the Maccabees, Inserebantur 2 Macc. ii. 13.autem in descriptionibus & commentariis Nehemiæ hæc eadem, and that it is from these Memoirs in the main, that this Book has been compiled. See our Preface to the second Book of Esdras, wherein we enquire at large into this Affair.

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