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The Histories · Old Testament

Nehemiah 3

Nehemiah 3: the builders of the wall, gate by gate

General context

The chapter lists who repaired each stretch of Jerusalem's wall, moving around the circuit from the sheep gate back to the sheep gate. Eliashib the high priest and the priests build and sanctify the sheep gate as far as the towers of Meah and Hananeel. The men of Jericho and Zaccur follow, then the sons of Hassenaah at the fish gate, setting beams, doors, locks and bars. Meremoth the son of Urijah, Meshullam the son of Berechiah, Zadok and the Tekoites come next, with the note that the Tekoite nobles did not put their necks to the work. Jehoiada and Meshullam repair the old gate; men of Gibeon and Mizpah, a goldsmith and an apothecary's son follow to the broad wall. Rulers of parts of Jerusalem, Beth-haccerem, Mizpah, Beth-zur and Keilah take sections, including Shallum, who works with his daughters. Hanun and Zanoah repair the valley gate and a thousand cubits to the dung gate; Shallun repairs the fountain gate and the wall of the pool of Siloah by the king's garden. Levites, Baruch, who repairs earnestly, and Meremoth again work up to and along the house of Eliashib. Priests of the plain and several men repair opposite their houses toward the tower by the court of the prison. The Nethinims dwell in Ophel near the water gate; the Tekoites take a second piece. From above the horse gate the priests repair opposite their own houses, then Zadok, Shemaiah the keeper of the east gate, Hananiah and Hanun, Meshullam again opposite his chamber, and Malchiah the goldsmith's son to the gate Miphkad. The goldsmiths and merchants finish the circuit to the sheep gate.

Cited passages: Nehemiah 3:1, Nehemiah 3:2, Nehemiah 3:3, Nehemiah 3:4, Nehemiah 3:5, Nehemiah 3:6, Nehemiah 3:8, Nehemiah 3:12, Nehemiah 3:13, Nehemiah 3:14, Nehemiah 3:15, Nehemiah 3:16, Nehemiah 3:17, Nehemiah 3:20, Nehemiah 3:21, Nehemiah 3:22, Nehemiah 3:25, Nehemiah 3:26, Nehemiah 3:27, Nehemiah 3:28, Nehemiah 3:29, Nehemiah 3:30, Nehemiah 3:31, Nehemiah 3:32

Nehemiah 3 (KJV)

1Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the priests, and they builded the sheep gate; they sanctified it, and set up the doors of it; even unto the tower of Meah they sanctified it, unto the tower of Hananeel.

2And next unto him builded the men of Jericho. And next to them builded Zaccur the son of Imri.

3But the fish gate did the sons of Hassenaah build, who also laid the beams thereof, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof.

4And next unto them repaired Meremoth the son of Urijah, the son of Koz. And next unto them repaired Meshullam the son of Berechiah, the son of Meshezabeel. And next unto them repaired Zadok the son of Baana.

5And next unto them the Tekoites repaired; but their nobles put not their necks to the work of their Lord.

6Moreover the old gate repaired Jehoiada the son of Paseah, and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah; they laid the beams thereof, and set up the doors thereof, and the locks thereof, and the bars thereof.

7And next unto them repaired Melatiah the Gibeonite, and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon, and of Mizpah, unto the throne of the governor on this side the river.

8Next unto him repaired Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, of the goldsmiths. Next unto him also repaired Hananiah the son of one of the apothecaries, and they fortified Jerusalem unto the broad wall.

9And next unto them repaired Rephaiah the son of Hur, the ruler of the half part of Jerusalem.

10And next unto them repaired Jedaiah the son of Harumaph, even over against his house. And next unto him repaired Hattush the son of Hashabniah.

11Malchijah the son of Harim, and Hashub the son of Pahath-moab, repaired the other piece, and the tower of the furnaces.

12And next unto him repaired Shallum the son of Halohesh, the ruler of the half part of Jerusalem, he and his daughters.

13The valley gate repaired Hanun, and the inhabitants of Zanoah; they built it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof, and a thousand cubits on the wall unto the dung gate.

14But the dung gate repaired Malchiah the son of Rechab, the ruler of part of Beth-haccerem; he built it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof.

15But the gate of the fountain repaired Shallun the son of Col-hozeh, the ruler of part of Mizpah; he built it, and covered it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof, and the wall of the pool of Siloah by the king’s garden, and unto the stairs that go down from the city of David.

16After him repaired Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, the ruler of the half part of Beth-zur, unto the place over against the sepulchres of David, and to the pool that was made, and unto the house of the mighty.

17After him repaired the Levites, Rehum the son of Bani. Next unto him repaired Hashabiah, the ruler of the half part of Keilah, in his part.

18After him repaired their brethren, Bavai the son of Henadad, the ruler of the half part of Keilah.

19And next to him repaired Ezer the son of Jeshua, the ruler of Mizpah, another piece over against the going up to the armoury at the turning of the wall.

20After him Baruch the son of Zabbai earnestly repaired the other piece, from the turning of the wall unto the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest.

21After him repaired Meremoth the son of Urijah the son of Koz another piece, from the door of the house of Eliashib even to the end of the house of Eliashib.

22And after him repaired the priests, the men of the plain.

23After him repaired Benjamin and Hashub over against their house. After him repaired Azariah the son of Maaseiah the son of Ananiah by his house.

24After him repaired Binnui the son of Henadad another piece, from the house of Azariah unto the turning of the wall, even unto the corner.

25Palal the son of Uzai, over against the turning of the wall, and the tower which lieth out from the king’s high house, that was by the court of the prison. After him Pedaiah the son of Parosh.

26Moreover the Nethinims dwelt in Ophel, unto the place over against the water gate toward the east, and the tower that lieth out.

27After them the Tekoites repaired another piece, over against the great tower that lieth out, even unto the wall of Ophel.

28From above the horse gate repaired the priests, every one over against his house.

29After them repaired Zadok the son of Immer over against his house. After him repaired also Shemaiah the son of Shechaniah, the keeper of the east gate.

30After him repaired Hananiah the son of Shelemiah, and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph, another piece. After him repaired Meshullam the son of Berechiah over against his chamber.

31After him repaired Malchiah the goldsmith’s son unto the place of the Nethinims, and of the merchants, over against the gate Miphkad, and to the going up of the corner.

32And between the going up of the corner unto the sheep gate repaired the goldsmiths and the merchants.

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Historical context

The list names gates, towers, pools and landmarks in sequence, but the chapter gives no measurements except the thousand cubits from the valley gate to the dung gate, and it does not describe the shape of the city. Eliashib is called the high priest here, the first time the book gives that title; his house is a landmark for two sections. Several names occur twice: Meremoth the son of Urijah the son of Koz repairs at verses 4 and 21, Meshullam the son of Berechiah at verses 4 and 30, and the Tekoites at verses 5 and 27; the text does not say whether these were second assignments. A Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest received Ezra's treasure in Ezra 8, and Ezra 2 says children of Koz were barred from the priesthood for lack of a register; the text does not connect these notices. The Nehemiah of verse 16 is the son of Azbuk, ruler of half of Beth-zur, and not the son of Hachaliah who narrates the book. Meshullam the son of Berechiah is later named as the father-in-law of Tobiah's son. Rulers of half parts and of parts of towns are named without explanation of the offices. The remark about the Tekoite nobles is the narrator's only criticism in the chapter, and no reason is given. Nehemiah himself does not appear as a builder in the list. Women are mentioned once, as Shallum's daughters.

Cited passages: Nehemiah 3:13, Nehemiah 3:1, Nehemiah 3:21, Nehemiah 3:4, Nehemiah 3:30, Nehemiah 3:27, Ezra 8:33, Ezra 2:61, Nehemiah 3:16, Nehemiah 1:1, Nehemiah 6:18, Nehemiah 3:9, Nehemiah 3:5, Nehemiah 3:12

Literary context

The chapter is a circuit. It starts at the sheep gate with the high priest and ends at the sheep gate with goldsmiths and merchants, so the wall closes on the page as it closes on the ground. The connective phrases change as the list proceeds: next unto him and next unto them give way to after him, marking a shift partway through the circuit. For the gates, a formula repeats, beams, doors, locks and bars, while ordinary wall sections are simply repaired. The list is arranged by place, not by rank, so priests, rulers, goldsmiths, an apothecary's son, Levites, Nethinims and merchants appear side by side, and many work over against their own house or chamber. Two brief judgments break the neutral tone, the Tekoite nobles who would not bend their necks and Baruch who repaired earnestly. The chapter has no verbs of speech and no opponents; it stands between the mockery of chapter 2 and the anger of chapter 4 as the quiet record of the work itself.

Cited passages: Nehemiah 3:1, Nehemiah 3:32, Nehemiah 3:2, Nehemiah 3:16, Nehemiah 3:3, Nehemiah 3:15, Nehemiah 3:10, Nehemiah 3:28, Nehemiah 3:5, Nehemiah 3:20, Nehemiah 2:19, Nehemiah 4:1

Key moments

  1. The high priest begins (Nehemiah 3:1). Eliashib and the priests build and sanctify the sheep gate and the towers beyond it.
  2. Nobles who would not stoop (Nehemiah 3:5). The Tekoites repair, but their nobles do not put their necks to the work.
  3. A ruler and his daughters (Nehemiah 3:12). Shallum, ruler of half of Jerusalem, repairs with his daughters.
  4. A thousand cubits to the dung gate (Nehemiah 3:13). Hanun and Zanoah rebuild the valley gate and the long stretch beyond it.
  5. Baruch repairs earnestly (Nehemiah 3:20). The narrator notes Baruch's zeal on the stretch to the high priest's door.
  6. Priests opposite their houses (Nehemiah 3:28). From the horse gate the priests each repair the wall facing their own homes.
  7. Back to the sheep gate (Nehemiah 3:32). Goldsmiths and merchants complete the circuit where it began.

For reflection

The record names dozens of builders by family, trade and town, notes that many repaired the stretch opposite their own houses, and singles out one group of nobles who would not bend their necks. What does the chapter suggest about how a shared project gets remembered, and who ends up named?

People in this chapter

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