Bible Commentary (1871–1879 Edition) (continued)
Nehemiah'g Commission from Arlaxerxes. NEHEMIAH III. XavicH and Order of Ihe Biiddari, ticularly remarkPd the ptilislied and graceful manner in wUieli the cup-hearcr.s ol Mie Mediuii. antl eoiisequently from which turning round the fount of Ophel. lo the king's imol ; but there wa.s uo place for the bciist that was under me to pass— /. c, by the sides of tliis jiool— Solomon's—there being water in the pool, and too much tlie Pei-sian, iiiouarcli.s jierlbniied liu ir duty ol presenting tlie wine to llieir royjl nia-sler. Uaving waslied tliecup rubbisli about it to permit the passage of tlie beast. 15. Then 1 went up . . . by the brook— /. e., Kedmn. and entered by the gae <>it «hc valley, and so i cluiited The gate leading to the valley of Jehoshaijlial, east ol the
In the kind's presence, and poured into tlieir h it liand a little of tlie wine, wliieli tliey drank oil' in liis presi iice, tUey then lianded tlie eiip ti> him, not grasped, but lightly held with the tips of tlieir tliumb and lingers. Tliis city. lie went out by this gate, and liaving made the circuit of the city, went in by it again. [Bakclav's City OF TMK Okicat King.] 10-18. the rulers knew not—The following day, having assembled the eiders, Nehemiah produced his commission and exhorted them to assist in the work. The sight of his credentials, ami the animating strain of his address and example, so revived their drooping spirits, that they resolved immediately to commence the building, which they did, despite of tlie bitter taunts and scolling ridicule of some influential men.
description has received some tairious illusiraiions Iroin the nionuinentsi of Assyria and I'ersia, on wiiich tlie (Uipbearers are fre<iuontly ivpn'sented in ilie act of liandiug wine to the king. 'i. the kin saiil iiulo me. Why is tliy countenance sad 1— It was deemed liigljly unhicom Ing to appear in the royal presence Willi any weeds or signs of sorrow (Esther 4. 2)\ and lience it was no wonder that the king was struc-k with tiie dejected air of his cupbearer, while that att<jndant, on his part, felt his agitation Increased by his deep an.Yiely aboul the issue ol tiie conversation so abruptly begun. Hut the piet.v and intense earnestness of the man immediately restored him to calm self-possession, and enabled him to communicate, first, the cause of his sadness, anil next, the patriotic wish of his heart to be the honoured instruineiil of reviving the ancient glory of the ciiy of his fathers. G-9. tiie jjinecn also sit Uug l>y Itiiu—-Vs the Persian nionarehs did not admit their wives to be present at their state festivals,
CHAPTER III.
Ver. 1-.S2. The Names and Oudp:r of them that UtULDED THE W A.IA, OF Jekusale.M. 1. Then £linshib the high priest—The grandson of Jeshua, and the first high priest after tlie return from Babylon, rose up, with his brethren the priests i. e., set an exaiajjle by commencing the work—their labors l)eing confined to the sacred localities, they buildcd the sheep-gale—close lo the temple. Its name arose eilher from the sheep-market, or from the pool of liethesda, where the sheep were washed, whicli Wiis there (John .5. 2), and thence they were taken to the temple for sacrifice, they saucti Aed it, and set up this must have been a private occasion. Tlic qneeii referred to was probably Esther, whose presence would tend greatly to emijoiden Nehemiah in stating his request; and through lier influence, powerlnlly e.xeried it ni.ty be supposed, also by her sympathy with the patriotic design, his petition was gi'anttfd, to go as deputy-governor of Judea, accompanied by a military guard, and invested with full powers to ol)taiii nmterials lor the building in Jerusalem, as well as to get all requisite aid in promoting his enterprise. 6. I set Hilin a time—Considering the great despatch made in raising tlie walls, it iij probable that this leave of absence was limited at liist to a year or Bix months, after which he returned to his duties in Bhushan. The circumstance of fixing a set time for his return, as well as entrusting so important a work as the tlie doors—Being the common entrance into the temple, and the first part of the building repaired, it is probable that some religious ceremonies were observed in gratitude for its completion. " It was the first-fruits, and therefore, in the sanctification of it,.the whole lump and building was sanctified." [Poole.] the tower of Meah — This word is improperly considered, in our version, as the name of a tower ; it is tlie Hebrew word for " a hundred," so that the meaning is, they not only rebuilt the sheepgate, but also a hundred cubits of the wall, which extended as far as the tower of Hananeel. 2. next unto liim builded the men of Jericho, &c.—The wall was divided into portions, one of which was assigned respectively to each of the great families which had returned from the captivity, and this distribution, by which the building was carried on in all parts simultaneously with great energy, was eminently favourable to despatch. "The villages where the restorers resided being mostly mentioned, it will be seen that this circumstance affords a general indication of the part of the wall upon which they laboured, such places being on that side of the city nearest their placeof abode; the onlj' apparent exception being, perhaps, where they repaired more than their piece. Having completed their first undertaking (if they worked any more), there being no more work to be done on the side next their residence, or having arrived after the repairs on that part of the city nearest them under operation were completed, they would go wherever their services would be required." [Barclay's City of the Great King.] 8. they fortlflcd Jerusalem unto tlie broad wall—or double wall, extending from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, 400 cubits in length, formerly broken down by Joash, king of Israel, but afterwards rebuilt by Uzziah, who made it so strong that the Chaldeans, finding it difficult to demolisli it, had left it standing. 12. Shallum . . . he and his daughters—who were either heiresses or rich widows, who undertook to defray the expenses of a part of the wall next them. 13. the inhabitants of Zanoah—There were two towns so called in the territory of Judah (Joshua 15. 3t, 56). 14. Beth-haccereni —a city of Judah, supposed to be now occupied by Bethulia, ona hill of the same name, which is sometimes called also the mountain of the Franks, between Jerusalem and Tekoa. 16, the sepiilchres of David, and to the pool that was iade, and unto the house-of the mighty refortilication of Jerusalem to his care, proves the high favour and confidence Nehemiah enjoyed at the Persian court, and the great estimation in which his services were held. At a later period he received a new commission for the better settlement of the af Tairs of ,Iudea, and remained governor of that province for twelve years (ch. 5.1 1). 7. letters l>e gi cn me to the governors beyond the river—The Persian empire at this time was of vast extent, reaching from the Indus to the Mediterranean, and the Euphr.ates was considered as naturally dividing it Into two parts, eastern and western (see Ezrao. 8, 4). 8. according to the good ii.ind of my God upon me—The piety of Nehemiah api)ears in every circumstance. The conception of his-patriotic design—the favourable disposition of the king, and the success of tlie undertaking are all ascril)ed to God. 9, 10. Sanballat the Horunite Horonaim being a town in Moab, tliis person, it is probable, was a Moabite. Tobiahthc servant, the .1.minonite —The term used indicates him to have been a freed slave, elevated to some official dignity. These were district magistrates under the government of the satrap of Syria and they seem to have been leaders of the Samaritan faction. 11, lii< So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days—Deeply affected with the desolations of Jerusalem, and uncertain what course to follow, he remained three days before informing any one of the object of his mission, and at tlie end of the third day, accompanied with a few attendants, he made, under covert of night, a secret survey of the walls and gates. 13-15. I went out by night by the gate of the valley i. c, the Jaffa gate, near the tower of Hippicus. evei» before the dragon well i. c, fountain on the opposite side of the valley, and to the duitg-i>ort—The gate on the east of the city, through which there ran a common sewer to the brook Kedron and the valley of Hinnom. 14. Then i. «., after having passed through the gate of the Essenes. I went on to the gate of the fountain— i. e,, SUoaii, i, e., along ttie precipitous clilTs of Ziou. [Barcl.\y.] 19. 295