Bible in one year 7/19/2022 Nehemiah Chapter 11-13 By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce

Bible in one year 7/19/2022 Nehemiah Chapter 11-13

By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce    

Christian Arts Ministries : Biblical precepts & Gospel music; Pastoral ministry & Counseling

Chapter 11 Reforming the nation- Repopulating the cities –Jerusalem

            Now that Jerusalem (here first referred to as the holy city) was secured with walls, it needed to be repopulated, so lots were cast to bring one-tenth of the county’s population into the city. Others apparently moved voluntarily (v.2). From the verses 3-24 these verses (1Chron.9:2-17) apparently list those already resident in Jerusalem, including laymen(vv.3-9), priests(vv.10-14), Levites (vv.15-18), gatekeepers (v.19), temple servants (v.21: on Ophel see note on 3:26), and certain other individuals (vv.22-24; and on Asaph on Ezra2:41).  Verses 25-26 these verses list towns in the former territories of Judah(vv.25-30) and Benjamin (vv.31-36), where other Jews lived.

Chapter 12 Priest and Levites

            Verses 1-9 The priests and Levites who returned with Zerubbabel and Joshua (Ezra2:2,36-40) are listed in this section. Verses 10-11 a listing of the line of high priests from Joshua to Jaddua (v.22). Joiahim. Joshua’s successor as high priest (v.10). Zechariah. (v.16) the famous prophet(Ezra5:1). Eliashib(v.22) a contemporary of Nehemiah and the grandson of Joshua, the high priest in Zerubbabel’s day. Johanan. The same as Jonathan of v.11 Jaddua. Many identify him as the man who, according to Josephus, was high priest when Alexander the Great invaded Persia (333 B.C.). If so, the Darius of this verse was Darius III (335-331 B.C.), and a copyist, not Nehemiah, added this part of the genealogy. It is quite possible, however that there were two high priests with the same name and the Nehemaih knew this Jaddua as a young man, if not as high priest (though this is possible as well, since, according to the Elephantine Papyri, Johanan was high priest in 408, and Nehemaih may have lived until about 400 and seen Jaddua become high priest sometime between 408 and 400). IF this is an earlier Jaddua, then the Darius mentioned was Darius II(423-404 B.C).

Rededicating the Wall

The places named were all near Jerusalem.(vv.28-29). The purification of the wall would have been done by sprinkling sacrificial blood on it.(v.30). Nehemiah organized two groups to encircle the city. The first, led by Ezra, proceeded from the SW corner of the city wall E., then N., led by singers (v.31), followed by princes (vv.32-33), then priests with trumpets (vv.35,41) and Levites with stringed instruments(v.36). The other group proceeded N., then E. to the Temple area, meeting the first group in the Temple courts(v.40), where they offered sacrifices and praised God (vv.41-43). For the location of the various gates see note on chapter 3.  

 

Chapter 13 reforms in the relation to non-Jews, priesthood, Sabbath, marriage

            According to Deut.23:3-6 for this restriction on the Ammonite and Moabite. All who were of foreign descent. Included heathen who attached themselves to the Jews by marriage, commerce, or religious observances (Ex.12:38). Tobiah.(vv.4-6) An Ammonite (2:19) to who Eliashib had turned over a large room in the court of the Temple during Nehemiah’s absence from Jerusalem. King of Babylon. Artaxerxes, who was probably in Babylon at that time, since it was an administrative center of the Persian Empire. When Nehemiah returned and discovered, to his horror, what Eliashib had done, he threw Tobiah’s belongings out and ceremonially cleansed the room. (vv.7-9). Nehemiah discovered that, in spite of the oath the people had taken, the Levites (and presumably also the priests)had not been receiving their tithes and , as a result, had to work in the fields. To rectify this, he appointed four reliable treasurers over the storerooms(v.13). 

Verses 15-22 Also in violation of the covenant (10:30-31), some Jews were preparing and transporting wares on the Sabbath(v.15) and Phoenician traders were actually selling on the Sabbath(v.16).

Verses 23-25 The sin of mixed marriages had erupted again (Ezra9:1-4 and 10:44), and the children of these marriages could not speak Hebrew. Nehemiah dealt firmly with the offenders (on pulling out the hair, see note on Isa.50:4-9). Foreign wives had proved to be Solomon’s downfall(1Kings 11:1-8). One of the younger sons of Joiada (Johanan was the oldest son, 12:11,22) married a daughter of Sanballat (2:10). He deserved to be expelled, because the priestly line was not to be contaminated by intermarriage (Lev.21:6-8,14-15).

Bibliography,

 Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie study Bible (NIV).Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986