The book of Nehemiah
The Book of Nehemiah
What is the book of Nehemiah about?
With a heavy heart, Nehemiah asks the king’s permission to go to Judah to rebuild it. He was distraught that the place his ancestors were buried in lied in ruins and the gates destroyed by fire. Encountering much opposition much like what was noted in the book of Ezra, Nehemiah managed to complete the construction in an astounding 52 days (Ne 6:15). In Ne 6:16 it states that the enemies and surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence because it was obvious that the work of this magnitude had been done with the help of God.
Who wrote the book of Nehemiah?
Unknown but sources point to Ezra the priest putting Nehemiah’s memoirs on paper.
Who is the audience?
The people of Judah who have returned from exile.
Timeframe Nehemiah was written:
Written sometime after 430 B.C.
"In short" (One sentence summary):
Nehemiah returns to Jerusalem (in Judah) to lead the Jews’ rebuilding of the city walls that were destroyed by the Babylonians around 586 B.C.
Fun facts about Nehemiah/Did you know?
Nehemiah reinforced many of the laws that the Jews came to forgot. For example, he reformed the city to not work on the Sabbath and he also rebuked and called curses upon those who intermarried with pagans.
