Bible Commentaries

Nehemiah 3:1-32. The Building of the Walls,—This is an independent section which breaks the connexion between Nehemiah 2:20 and Nehemiah 4:1 ff.; it is an excerpt which commences with "And Eliashib . . ." (not "then Eliashib . . ." as RV), thus betraying a connexion with something which must originally have preceded it. As the text now stands, the contents of the section do not follow on logically after Nehemiah 2:20. Further, the description here given, in itself incomplete, of the distribution of the work represents the different parts of the wall as having been repaired simultaneously, but this is contradicted by Nehemiah 6:1.

Nehemiah 3:1 Eliashib the high priest: cf. Ezra 3:2, Nehemiah 12:10; Nehemiah 13:4; in this last passage he is spoken of as the priest and as closely connected with Tobiah.—the sheep-gate: cf. Nehemiah 3:32; Nehemiah 12:39, John 5:2; it lay to the north of the Temple, and probably received this name because the sacrificial animals were led through it to the Temple.—set up the doors of it: but see Nehemiah 6:1.—the tower of Hammeah (see RVm.): cf. Nehemiah 12:39, the only other place where it is mentioned; nothing is known of it otherwise.—the tower of Hananel: see Jeremiah 31:38, Zechariah 14:10; it was probably situated on the north east corner of the city.

Nehemiah 3:3. the fish-gate: cf. Nehemiah 12:39 and see 2 Chronicles 33:14, Zephaniah 1:10*.

Nehemiah 3:5. the Tekoites: Tekoah (p. 31), which lay close to the Judæan wilderness, was the home of the prophet Amos (cf. Amos 1:1).—their nobles . . . lord: i.e. the elders of Tekoah did not join the humbler members of their community in the work—of their lord: read "lords," i.e. Nehemiah and the other leaders.

Nehemiah 3:6. the old gate: read "the gate of the old city" (mg.).

Nehemiah 3:7. which appertained . . . river: "throne" must be used here symbolically for "rule"; but the Heb. construction of the sentence is faulty, and the text is not in order.

Nehemiah 3:8. apothecaries: better "perfumers" (mg.), or "makers of ointment" (cf. Exodus 30:25; Exodus 30:35, 2 Chronicles 16:14).—they fortified Jerusalem: the Heb. reads "they abandoned J.," but the text is, of course, corrupt. Perhaps we should read, on the basis of one of the emendations proposed, "they girded (i.e. with a wall) Jerusalem."—the broad wall: cf. Nehemiah 12:38; the portion of the wall between the tower of the furnaces (see Nehemiah 3:11) and the gate of Ephraim (see Stade, Geschichte, ii. pp. 167, 175).

Nehemiah 3:9. ruler of half the district of J.: cf. Nehemiah 3:12; the reference is to the surrounding country included within the city's jurisdiction (cf. the LXX rendering, "the country round").

Nehemiah 3:11. the tower of the furnaces: situated between the gate of Ephraim and the valley gate.

Nehemiah 3:12. he and his daughters: read, "it (i.e. half the district of Jerusalem) and its villages" (see Nehemiah 11:25 ff.).

Nehemiah 3:15 Shelah: the same as Shiloah (cf. Isaiah 8:6*).—the stairs . . .: cf. Nehemiah 12:37.

Nehemiah 3:22. the men of the Plain: i.e. the Plain of Jordan (see Genesis 13:10*).

Nehemiah 3:28. the horse-gate: cf. Jeremiah 31:40, 2 Kings 11:16.

Nehemiah 3:32. Batten points out that at the beginning of this verse there is a Massoretic note, "the middle of the book," which proves that Ezr.-Neh. is a single book.