Writer: Nehemiah

1. What position of trust did Nehemiah hold, and what was uppermost in his mind?

NEHEMIAH, whose name means “Jah Comforts,” was a Jewish servant of the Persian king Artaxerxes (Longimanus). He was cupbearer to the king. This was a position of great trust and honor, one to be desired, for it gave access to the king at times when he was in a happy frame of mind and ready to grant favors. However, Nehemiah was one of those faithful exiles who preferred Jerusalem above any personal “cause for rejoicing.” (Ps. 137:5, 6) It was not position or material wealth that was uppermost in Nehemiah’s thoughts but, rather, the restoration of Jehovah’s worship.

2. What sorry condition grieved Nehemiah, but what appointed time was drawing near?

² In 456 B.C.E. those “left over from the captivity,” the Jewish remnant that had returned to Jerusalem, were not prospering. They were in a lamentable condition. (Neh. 1:3) The wall of the city was rubble, and the people were a reproach in the eyes of their ever-present adversaries. Nehemiah was grieved. However, it was Jehovah’s appointed time for something to be done about the wall of Jerusalem. Enemies or no enemies, Jerusalem with its protective wall must be built as a time marker in connection with a prophecy that Jehovah had given Daniel concerning the coming of Messiah. (Dan. 9:24-27) Accordingly, Jehovah directed events, using faithful and zealous Nehemiah to carry out the divine will.

3. (a) What proves Nehemiah to be the writer, and how did the book come to be called Nehemiah? (b) What interval separates this book from the book of Ezra, and what years does the book of Nehemiah cover?

³ Nehemiah is undoubtedly the writer of the book that bears his name. The opening statement, “The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah,” and the use of the first person in the writing clearly prove this. (Neh. 1:1)