In the month of chislev, in the twentieth year, while i was in the citadel of susa, 2hanani, one of my brothers, arrived with men from judah. Nehemiah 1 easytoread version erv nehemiah s prayer. In the previous posts we discussed that in chapter 1, nehemiah received devastating news that brought him into great sorrow. The achievements of the two men were complementary. The bible nehemiah, official of the king of persia education quizzes. Why was it important to rebuild the walls around jerusalem. On six occasions nehemiah asked god to remember prayer a.
The full question is, what unusual request did nehemiah pray for god to do 7 times. Why are the numbers in ezra so different from nehemiah. The book of nehemiah does not specifically name its author, but both jewish and christian traditions recognize ezra as the author. They are called the memoirs of nehemiah, and have been used more effectively by the editor than the memoirs of ezra. This is based on the fact that the books of ezra and nehemiah were originally one. The old testament book of nehemiah relates the restoration of jerusalem after. These are historical books which record the working of gods divine plans in the restoration of the jews and their right to exist as a nation. Interesting facts about nehemiah barnes bible charts meaning. At the end of his leave of absence from the king he came back to babylon, and after certain days he came again to jerusalem nehemiah 2. This book guides us on how to overcome troubles and trust in god while showing nehemiah s prayer life. He makes his first appearance in chapter 1 at shushan, the principal palace of the persian king artaxerxes i, where he served as the personal cupbearer to the king. If ezra was the writer, he was copying from the journal of nehemiah.
This was in the 20th year that artaxerxes was king. Near 520 bc after the takeover by nebuchadnezzar, ultimately king cyrus of persia arose to power, and he decided to aid the jews to return to jerusalem. You are about to discover one of the strangest prayer habits in scripture. However, rabbi isaiah di trani, in his commentary to the book of nehemiah, writes as factual that nehemiah was a kohen. This book, as was true in the book of ezra, has copies of letters, decrees, registers and other documents.
This was when king artaxerxes had ruled for 20 years. He also reinstructs the israelites who were becoming pagans because of the marriages between jews and foreigners. Review nehemiah s work ethic and methods of management. The book of nehemiah was likely written between 445 and 420 b. Nehemiah wrote it to records the events of returning to jerusalem and rebuilding the walls in 445 b. The books of ezra and nehemiah are the only completely historical books in the third section of the hebrew bible, the ketuvim writings. The book is a first person account of the events from the perspective of nehemiah. The bible teaches that this is a way of drawing close to god, and the closer one is to god, the simpler communication with him becomes. Throughout the book of nehemiah, nehemiah continued to be a good servantleader and did many good deeds for the people. Book of nehemiah simple english wikipedia, the free. Problems common to the combined books ezra nehemiah have been pointed out in the introduction to the book of ezra. I asked them about the jews those who had escaped and those who survived from the. Ask god to remove your enemy or else bring about peace between the two of you.
In the month of chislev, in the twentieth year, while i was in the citadel of susa, 2 hanani, one of my brothers, arrived with men from judah. Originally written together as a single book in the jewish scriptures, ezra and nehemiah document the fulfillment of gods promise that israel will return home after 70 years of exile in babylon and restore their ruined dwellings again. He read from the book of the law of god daily, from the first day to the last day. Nehemiah 2 niv artaxerxes sends nehemiah to jerusalem bible. Stationed in the winter palace at susa, nehemiah heard. Yes, nehemiah asked god four times to remember his deeds, and twice to remember his enemies. They appear in our bible in reverse order of the chronological order in which they took place. The name nehemiah means comforted of yah international standard bible encyclopaedia or god comforts nothing is known of nehemiah except what is written in the book bearing his name. The book of nehemiah from the holy bible new international version niv book 16 please note we have increased the volume and the pitch of.
Chronicles, ezra and nehemiah are followed by tobit, judith, and then esther in the greek septuagint. The book of nehemiah has been, since the 16th century, a separate book of the hebrew bible. It is about the return from exile and the rebuilding of jerusalem. I asked them about the jews who had escaped captivity and still lived. The book of nehemiah begins 15 years after the book of ezra ends. Before we even begin reading the book of nehemiah, the name reveals that the words will bring comfort. And they celebrated the feast seven days, and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly according to the ordinance. This account will help us to understand the book of nehemiah better. Nehemiah study questions chapter 1 west loop church. The gates of jerusalem are named throughout the bible, such as the gate of. The book of nehemiah is the last of the historical books of the bible, originally part of the book of ezra, but split off into its own volume by the church in 1448. He asked them for news about jerusalem, which was the capital of judah. It happened in the month of chislev, in the twentieth year, while i was in the citadel of susa, 2 that hanani, one of my brothers, arrived with some men from judah. God may decide to leave your enemy there for reasons you wont learn till the end of days.
So i prayed to the god of heaven 5and answered the king, if it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, i ask that you send me to judah. Visit our library of inductive bible studies for more in depth inductive studies on this and other books of the bible you can use in your small group. The span of time covered by ezra and nehemiah is around 100 years and extends from the decree of cyrus the great in 538 b. Book of nehemiah bible survey who was ezra in the bible. In the 20th year of artaxerxes i 445 or 444 bc, nehemiah was. Nehemiah s prayer 1 these are the words of nehemiah son of hacaliah. So i questioned them about the remnant of the jews who had survived the exile, and also about jerusalem. Ezranehemiah the bible project home the bible project. T hough no author is claimed in the book of nehemiah it is believed that ezra or nehemiah wrote the book. Nehemiah is identified in one aggadah with zerubbabel, the latter name being considered an epithet of nehemiah and as indicating that he was born at babylon. In english bibles, they are usually split into two, with the book of nehemiah appearing as a separate book from ezra, but in the hebrew tradition, they are one book, entitled ezra, and nehemiah is simply the second part of ezra.
The book of nehemiah tells the story of nehemiah, an official of the king of persia, who is. The book of nehemiah in the bible tells the story of how nehemiah and the people built the walls of jerusalem again. I, nehemiah, was in the capital city of susa in the month of kislev. I asked them concerning the jews who had escaped, who had survived the. He asked for the king to donate money to the people of jerusalem. Ask the holy spirit to help you see what god might be speaking to you through the scriptures and the teachings on nehemiah. The book of nehemiah is a book of the hebrew bible, thought to be a continuation of the book of ezra, and is sometimes called the second book of ezra.
Book of ezra and nehemiah covers the events of the jews returning from the babylonian captivity. What does the symbol of water represent in the bible. These small group studies of nehemiah contain outlines, crossreferences, bible study discussion questions, and applications. I had not been sad in his presence before, 2 so the king asked me, why does your face look so sad when you are not ill. Ezra and nehemiah are one book in the hebrew bible, for they are part of the same story. For as it happened in those days most leaders would lay burdens on the people, collect taxes from them. Before that date, it had been included in the book of ezra. The book of nehemiah niv audio holy bible high quality. The other seven chapters of the book are occupied with some details of nehemiah s government of the people after the completion of the walls. In fact, the books of ezra, nehemiah, and esther all come out of the same general period of israels history. The book of nehemiah tells the story of nehemiah, an official of the king of persia, who is tasked with rebuilding the wall around jerusalem. So nehemiah asked the king to send him to jerusalem to build the walls of the city again. The substantial authenticity of nehemiah s memoirs is widely accepted.
The book of nehemiah, one of the history books of the bible, continues. Before you attempt to answer the questions below you should read these chapters in the bible and answer the questions at the end of each chapter found at the website answer the questions below and then click ok to send your answers. Nehemiah set a firm political, social, and moral foundation that was a great basis for the difficult times that followed. The historical books are followed by psalms and the wisdom books in the greek septuagint, the latin vulgate, and christian old testaments of the bible. How was nehemiah s leadership different from the preceding governors. The biblical sources for nehemiah s life and work are the autobiographical portions scattered through the book. From distant persia modern day iran, nehemiah heard that its walls lay in. This summary of the book of nehemiah provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of nehemiah.