Session 12: Nehemiah's Wall Completion and the Great Return

Nehemiah 1:1-4

These verses pre-date Ezra 1:1-4 (Chapter 10) but are included here to maintain the interlinked chronology of the books at the forefront.

Nehemiah's Concluding Days (v. 1-3)

Nehemiah is giving a bit of a flashback to the days "when the wall was built" (v. 1)
- At that point, he finished up the work with the "finishing touches" of porters (gate keepers), singers, and Levites.
As Nehemiah was about to return to Persia, he appointed "Hanani, and Hananiah" (the same person, his brother) to be "the ruler of the palace."
- "Ruler" here is not so much "governor" as "chief security officer," which would have been under Nehemiah's authority to appoint.
- The "palace" is the stronghold just north of the Temple (compare 2:8)
- His brother is known for his faithfulness and fear of God.
The instruction concerning the gates (v. 3) highlights the "too close for comfort" status of the city upon completion.
Note, at the point of vv. 1-4, Nehemiah likely was not governor. Nehemiah began his governorship in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes (the same year he received his burden - Neh 2:1) and served as governor for 12 years (Nehemiah 5:14). However, it was probably not until after the completion of the walls that he was appointed governor.
The narrative is about to "jump forward" to a time much later when Ezra would return to rebuild the Temple.

This verse is key to understanding the chronology of Ezra / Nehemiah
Large city - few people.
- It was a city that once held thousands, but now had been destroyed and empty for decades.
- The city walls were restored, but little else, and few people lived there. It was mostly a dream.
- Note that Nehemiah (7:5-??) and Ezra (Ezra 1:5-??) are about to talk about the return of nearly 50,000 people. This must have taken place after verses 1-4.
The houses were not built
- It is impossible to reconcile this happening after Ezra has done his work.
- Compare Haggai 1:4
In my estimation, Neh. 7:4 is the most important verse in the two books for determining chronology.

Recall that Nehemiah is writing his account years later
His desire is a list of those who "came up" (to Jerusalem) "at the first."
- Not came first (with his group), but came when the city had walls but few people
Having this desire, he began to do the work but he "found a register" already completed and written, so he includes it here. It duplicates Ezra's work.
- Neh. 7:6-73 and Ezra 2:1-70
- The two passages are highly parallel, with nearly identical content and structure
- Both lists record the same census of the returnees from Babylonian exile
  - They list the same families, towns, and numbers of people who returned
  - They both conclude with summary totals and details about servants, animals, and gifts
- The overall totals are consistent:
  - Both give the grand total as 42,360 (Ezra 2:64; Neh. 7:66)
  - Both mention 7,337 servants and 200 singing men and women
  - Both record similar numbers of horses, mules, camels, and donkeys
- The parallelism confirms these are the same census list, with Nehemiah copying from the register he found (which was likely Ezra's original record or a copy of it)

Those listed are from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, along with Levites.
They are called "the people of Israel" (Num. 7:7), showing that the name was used both for the southern Kingdom (Judah) and the northern kingdom (Israel). The name Israel is not limited to the Northern Kingdom alone, but must be taken in context.
They were led by Zerubbabel (Neh. 7:7). He was the grandson of Jehoiachin, the last king of Judah (2 Chron 36:9-10), who was carried into captivity.
Religiously, they were led by Joshua (Neh. 7:7). He was the grandson of Seraiah, the last high priest of Judah, who was killed by Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 25:18-21).
Mordecai was one of the returnees. He was one of the last to be deported to Babylon (Esther 2:5-6). Likely a young man when deported, he would be an old man by this return to Jerusalem.
The "men of Anathoth" returned (Neh. 7:27). Jeremiah, before the captivity, had been prophetically instructed to buy land in his hometown of Anathoth, signifying that someday the people would return (Jer. 32).
There were a total of 4,289 priests that returned - almost 10% of the total (Neh 7:39-42).
There were only 74 Levites (Neh. 7:43), indicating that perhaps the Levites had largely integrated into secular work during the captivity and their role had diminished.
A total of 42,360 returned (Neh. 7:64).