NEHEMIAH 1 — NEHEMIAH HEARS OF JERUSALEM'S RUINS AND PRAYS

Nehemiah is the last of the historical books of the Old Testament in the Hebrew sequence of events, and it was originally joined to Ezra in a single book. Its events begin in 445 BC, the twentieth year of Artaxerxes I, about thirteen years after Ezra's mission. Much of the book is written in the first person, drawn from Nehemiah's own memoir, which gives it a strongly personal tone, though it also includes lists, records, and third-person sections. Nehemiah was a layman and a high-ranking servant at the Persian court, not a priest or prophet, and the book shows how God uses ordinary people in practical leadership. Its main themes are prayer, courageous leadership, the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem, resistance to opposition, social justice, the public reading of the law, the renewal of the covenant, and the cleansing of the community. The wall of Jerusalem had been destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC. In the decades after the return, the temple was rebuilt, but the city remained exposed and vulnerable. An attempt to rebuild the walls had been blocked by royal order (Ezra 4:7–23), and the news that Nehemiah hears in this chapter may reflect that setback or a more recent destruction. A city without walls was open to attack and lacked a secure identity, so the condition of the walls reflected the condition of the community. The date of Chislev, the ninth month, corresponds to December 446 BC. Nehemiah's memoir begins with a month of prayer and waiting, which will end in Nisan (2:1).

The details of this chapter agree with the historical situation of the mid-fifth century BC. Susa was a Persian capital, and excavations have uncovered its palaces and the inscriptions of Darius and Xerxes. The twentieth year of Artaxerxes I, which began in 465 BC, was 445 BC. The Elephantine papyri show that the Jews in the Persian Empire corresponded with the authorities in Judah and Samaria, and they confirm the existence of the governors named in the book. The title cupbearer is known from Persian and Assyrian sources as a position of great trust. The lifestyle of a Jewish man in the Persian court is consistent with the picture of Daniel and Esther. Nehemiah's prayer follows the style of other penitential prayers in Scripture and the form of covenant lawsuit, which supports its authenticity.