Names of the Book
| English: | Nehemiah |
| Hebrew: | נחמיה |
| Transliterated: | Nechamyah |
| Other names: |
Who
| Wrote the book: | Nehemiah |
| Are the key people: | Nehemiah, Ezra, Sanballat, Tobiah |
| Is it written to: | The people of Israel |
What
| Rebuilding the wall and encountering opposition (Nehemiah 1:1-7:73) |
| Reforming the people and renewing the covenant (Nehemiah 8:1-13:31) |
When
| Was it written: | c 445-432 BCE |
| Did the events occur: | c 538-445 BCE |
| Was it canonized: | c 499-100 BCE |
| (see the Timeline of the Tanakh) | |
Where
| Was it written: | Israel |
| Did the events occur: | Jerusalem |
Why
| Nehemiah was written to inform us that: |
| G-d gives us vision. |
| G-d desires prayer. |
| G-d provides leadership. |
| G-d equips us to solve problems. |
| G-d desires for us to return to Him. |
Introduction
Nehemiah is another historical narrative in Scripture. It recounts the events that occurred when the Persian King Artaxerxes sent Nehemiah the Jew, his trusted official, to assist in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. Nehemiah took with him a third wave of returning Jewish exiles and they faced intense opposition from the other peoples in the land and the disunity that existed within Jerusalem. Despite these challenges, Nehemiah rebuilt the walls of the city. He overcame various threats by taking wise defensive measures, by personal example, and by his obvious courage. Nehemiah did what G-d had put into his heart and discovered that the joy of the Lord was his strength (Nehemiah 8:10). When the Israelites once again began to fall into sin, Nehemiah called upon Ezra to read G-d's Law to them.
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