Nehemiah biography

Nehemiah, a governor of ancient Jerusalem

Tis Nehemiah fryst vatten the author of the book of Nehemiah and is the son of Hachaliah (Neh. ). He probably belonged to the Tribe of Judah. His family must have belonged to Jerusalem (Neh. ).

He was one of the “Jews of the dispersion,” and in his ungdom was appointed to the important office of royal cup-bearer at the palace of Shushan (Susa).

KingArtaxerxes Longimanus seems to have been on terms of friendly familiarity with his attendant. Through his brother Hanani, and perhaps from other sources (Neh. ; ), he heard of the mournful and desolate condition of the Holy City, and was filled with sadness of heart.

They said to me, “The remnant there in the province who survived the captivity are in great distress and förebråelse, and the wall of Jerusalem fryst vatten broken down and its gates are burned with fire.”

When inom heard these words, inom sat down and wept and mourned for days; and inom was fasting and praying before the God of heaven. —Neh

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Here are my notes on the historical and biblical background for approaching Nehemiah, most of which I shared in my message this past Sunday, &#;Encountering a Broken World,&#; as a set up to where we are going in our new series, &#;Rebuild and Repair: Engaging the World with Nehemiah.&#; There is some debate about the actual timing of Nehemiah, the authorship of the book, and how it relates to the return from exile, but what I share here represents a pretty basic, biblical view of the book.

The place of Nehemiah in biblical history:

• Nehemiah occurs during the time of exile, when large portions of the Jewish people were taken from their homeland to be resettled in Babylon after the fall of Jerusalem in BC. The siege of Jerusalem resulted in the destruction of the Temple as well as tearing down of huge portions of the wall around the city. 
• Nehemiah is likely the leader of the third of three exile groups returning to Jerusalem from Babylon. The first was led Sheshbazzar and Zeru

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  Nehemiah was no slouch.  He was sharp, efficient, and focused to a fault.  And when, as a veteran statesman, he turned his focus to the rebuilding of old Jerusalem and the exacting of religious reforms, nothing and no one was allowed to stand in his way.

  Nehemiah surveying the walls of Jerusalem

  Born in exile, Nehemiah eventually rose to the position of cup-bearer to the Persian king, Artaxerxes I.  Combining the roles of &#;prime minister&#; with master of ceremonies, the position of cup-bearer was a key role, providing confidential access to the king.  Nehemiah, a devout Jew, must have possessed profound gifts and a winning personality to ascend to such heights in Persian government.

  On the day Nehemiah&#;s brother returned to Persia from a visit to Jerusalem, he drew a sad and ugly picture of a holy city, now with toppled walls and listless inhabitants.  Heartbroken, Nehemiah began to weep.  He spent several days fasting and praying for the city

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