I. (1) THE WORDS OF NEHEMIAH. — Rather, _The narrative_ or _record._ Both as referring to his affairs and as written by him. (1) IN THE MONTH CHISLEU. — The names rather than the numbers of the months are generally employed after the captivity: Nisan, Iyar, Sivan, Tammuz, Av, Elul, Tishri, Marches... [ Continue Reading ]
(1-3) Introductory: tidings brought to Nehemiah concerning the sad estate of Jerusalem and the people.... [ Continue Reading ]
HE AND CERTAIN MEN OF JUDAH. — _From Judah:_ Hanani was Nehemiah’s own brother (Nehemiah 7:1). He and his companions came from “the province” of Judah (Nehemiah 1:3); nothing is said as to their motive in coming; and certainly there is no intimation that they had been sent to the Persian court on ac... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THEY SAID. — Nehemiah’s question and his friends answer refer first to the people and then to the city. As to the former the terms used have a deep pathos. Those who had returned to their country — now only _the province_ — are, in the question, _the Jews that had escaped;_ in the answer they ar... [ Continue Reading ]
(4-11) Nehemiah’s appeal to God. The prayer is a perfect example of the private and individual devotion with which the later Hebrew Scriptures abound. It begins with formal and appropriate invocation (Nehemiah 1:5), flows into earnest confession (Nehemiah 1:6), pleads the covenant promises (Nehemiah... [ Continue Reading ]