Nehemiah Starts to Build Walls of Jerusalem
- Dates
- 444 BC
After secretly surveying the walls at night, Nehemiah calls the people in Jerusalem together and says, "Let us rise up and build." The people unite behind his leadership, though there is resistance from Sanballat and Tobiah.
In detail
After surveying the broken down walls of Jerusalem, Nehemiah rallies the people to rebuild the city's walls. It is fitting to find Eliashib the high priest setting a right example on this occasion. Later on he became "allied" by marriage to Tobiah (ch. 13:4) and was guilty of profaning the Temple (ch. 13:5). According to the line of high priests given in ch. 12:10, 11, it appears that Eliashib was the son of Joiakim, and the grandson of Jeshua, who had returned from Babylon with Zerubbabel (Ezra 2:2 3:2). The special purpose of this chapter seems to be the rendering of honor where honor was due—the placing on record of the names of the men who nobly came to the front on this important occasion, sacrificed ease to duty, and thereby exposed themselves to a threatened hostile attack (ch. 4:18—20).
Bible passages
- Nehemiah 3:1
Then 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.
Text of the King James Version.