Eliashib the high priest and the priests began rebuilding the wall at the Sheep Gate. They sanctified the gate and rebuilt as far as the Tower of the Hundred and the Tower of Hananel. Many commentators discussed the historical context and locations of these gates and towers. The passage then describes how different people and groups worked together to rebuild different sections of the wall around Jerusalem.

1. EHEMIAH 3 COMME TARY
EDITED BY GLE PEASE
Builders of the Wall
1 Eliashib the high priest and his fellow priests
went to work and rebuilt the Sheep Gate. They
dedicated it and set its doors in place, building as
far as the Tower of the Hundred, which they
dedicated, and as far as the Tower of Hananel.
BAR ES, "Eliashib (compare the marginal reference) was the grandson of Joshua,
the high priest contemporary with Zerubbabel.
The sheep gate - This was a gate in the eastern wall, not far from the pool of
Bethesda, marginal reference, which was perhaps originally a sheep-pool.
The exact line which the writer follows in describing the circuit of the wall will
probably be always a matter of dispute. According to the view here taken, the line
described commences near the pool of Bethesda, on the east of the city, and is traced
thence, first, northward, then westward, then southward, and finally eastward, as far as
the pool of Siloam Neh_3:15. From this point, it seems to the writer of this note that the
line of the outer wall is not followed, but, instead of this, the inner wall of the “city of
David,” which included the temple, is traced. This wall is followed northward from the
pool of Siloam, past the “sepulchres of David” and Hezekiah’s pool to the “armoury”
Neh_3:19 at its northwest corner; it is then followed eastward to “the tower which lieth
out from the king’s house” Neh_3:25; from this it is carried southward, along the
western edge of the Kidron valley to the “great tower which lieth out” Neh_3:27, and
then southwestward to the point at which it commenced near Siloam Neh_3:27. The
special wall of the “city of David” being thus completed, the writer finishes his entire
account by filling up the small interval between the northeast angle of this fortification
and the “sheep-gate” Neh_3:28-32, from which he started.
They sanctified it - The priests commenced the work with a formal ceremony of
consecration. When the work was completed, there was a solemn dedication of the entire
circuit (see Neh. 12:27-43).
The tower of Hananeel is often mentioned; that of Meah, or rather Hammeah, or “the
Hundred,” in Nehemiah only. Both towers must have been situated toward the
northeastern corner of the city.

2. CLARKE, "Eliashib the high priest - It was right that the priests should be first
in this holy work; and perhaps the sheep gate which is mentioned here is that by which
the offerings or sacrifices were brought into the temple.
They sanctified it - As they began with the sacred offering as soon as they got an
altar built, it was proper that the gate by which these sacrifices entered should be
consecrated for this purpose, i. e., set apart, so that it should be for this use only.
GILL, "Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the priests,....
This was the grandson of Jeshua or Joshua the high priest, his father's name was
Joiakim, Neh_12:10, being high priest, and rising first, he set a good example both to the
priests and to the people, and served no doubt greatly to animate and encourage them:
and they built the sheep gate; so called, because the sheep were led through it to the
temple, and near it was the sheep market, where they were sold, and the sheep pool,
where the sacrifices were washed; and this being near the temple, and for the service of
it, the priests undertook that; not that they laboured with their hands at it, though it is
possible some of them might; but they were at the expense of it, employed labourers,
and paid them, and directed them, and had the oversight of them: this gate was to the
south of the city; and Rauwolff (u) says, it was still standing by Moriah, the mountain of
the temple, which the Turks have taken to themselves, and built on it a Turkish mosque
or temple. Near the gate you see still, he says, the sheep pond, which is large and deep,
wherein the Nethinims used to wash the beasts, and then gave them to the priests; it is
said (w) to lead to the mount of Olives, to Bethany, to Jericho, the desert, and all the east
country to Jordan:
they sanctified it; this being for sacred use, and they sacred persons; and this the first
part of the building, they prayed for a blessing on it, and in it on the whole work
undertaken, of which this was the firstfruits:
and set up the doors of it; and so finished it:
even unto the tower of Meah they sanctified it, unto the tower of Hananeel;
so far they built, and what they built they sanctified. The tower of Meah, or a "hundred",
as the word signifies, might be so called, either because it was one hundred cubits from
the sheep gate on one side, and as many from the tower of Hananeel on the other side,
standing between both; or because it was one hundred cubits high: these two towers,
perhaps, were firm and strong, and needed no repair, since no mention is made of any;
though they seem to me to be one and the same tower; see Jer_31:38.
HE RY, "The best way to know how to divide this chapter is to observe how the
work was divided among the undertakers, that every one might know what he had to do,
and mind it accordingly with a holy emulation, and desire to excel, yet without any
contention, animosity, or separate interest. No strife appears among them but which
should do most for the public good. Several things are observable in the account here
given of the building of the wall about Jerusalem: -
I. That Eliashib the high priest, with his brethren the priests, led the van in this troop

3. of builders, Neh_3:1. Ministers should be foremost in every good work; for their office
obliges them to teach and quicken by their example, as well as by their doctrine. If there
be labour in it, who so fit as they to work? if danger, who so fit as they to venture? The
dignity of the high priest was very great, and obliged him to signalize himself in this
service. The priests repaired the sheep-gate, so called because through it were brought
the sheep that were to be sacrificed in the temple; and therefore the priests undertook
the repair of it because the offerings of the Lord made by fire were their inheritance.
And of this gate only it is said that they sanctified it with the word and prayer, and
perhaps with sacrifices perhaps, 1. Because it led to the temple; or, 2. Because with this
the building of the wall began, and it is probable (though they were at work in all parts of
the wall at the same time) that this was first finished, and therefore at this gate they
solemnly committed their city and the walls of it to the divine protection; or, 3. Because
the priests were the builders of it; and it becomes ministers above others, being
themselves in a peculiar manner sanctified to God, to sanctify to him all their
performances, and to do even their common actions after a godly sort.
II. That the undertakers were very many, who each took his share, some more and
some less, in this work, according as their ability was. Note, What is to be done for the
public good every one should assist in, and further, to the utmost of his place and power.
United force will conquer that which no individual dares venture on. Many hands will
make light work.
JAMISO , "Neh_3:1-32. The names and order of them that builded the wall of
Jerusalem.
Then Eliashib the high priest — the grandson of Jeshua, and the first high priest
after the return from Babylon.
rose up with his brethren the priests — that is, set an example by commencing
the work, their labors being confined to the sacred localities.
and they builded the sheep gate — close to the temple. Its name arose either from
the sheep market, or from the pool of Bethesda, which was there (Joh_5:2). There the
sheep were washed and then taken to the temple for sacrifice.
they sanctified it, and set up the doors — Being the common entrance into the
temple, and the first part of the building repaired, it is probable that some religious
ceremonies were observed in gratitude for its completion. “It was the first-fruits, and
therefore, in the sanctification of it, the whole lump and building was sanctified” [Poole].
the tower of Meah — This word is improperly considered, in our version, as the
name of a tower; it is the Hebrew word for “a hundred,” so that the meaning is: they not
only rebuilt the sheep gate, but also a hundred cubits of the wall, which extended as far
as the tower of Hananeel.
K&D, "The narrative of the building is connected with what precedes by ‫ם‬ ָ‫ק‬ָ ַ‫,ו‬ which
alludes to the carrying out of the resolve, ‫קוּם‬ָ‫,נ‬ Neh_2:18. The enumeration begins with
Eliashib the high priest and his brethren, i.e., the ordinary priests. These built the sheep-
gate, rightly sought by modern topographers in the eastern wall north of Haram, the site
of the ancient temple, i.e., in the position or neighbourhood of the present St. Stephen's
gate, through which the Bedouins to this day drive sheep into the town for sale (Tobler,
Topogr. i. p. 149). “Although,” as Bertheau remarks, “we are not generally justified, after
the lapse of so many centuries, during which great changes have been made in the
positions of the gates and walls, and in face of the fact that the present walls and gates

4. were not erected till the years 1536, 1537, and 1539, in determining the direction and
extent of the walls between the several gates, and the locality of the gates in this
description, by the direction and extent of the wall and the locality of the gates in
modern Jerusalem (Tobl. Topogr. Dritte Wanderung, p. 265), yet in the present
instance valid arguments exist in favour of this view. The very neighbourhood of the
temple and the nature of the soil bear witness that from ancient times a gate was placed
here which took its name from the circumstance that sheep were driven in by it, whether
for sale in the market or for sacrificial purposes.”
(Note: In the neighbourhood of this gate was the pool of Bethesda (Joh_5:2), i.e.,
either the present Birket Israel or Birket es Serain, south of St. Stephen's gate
(Tobler, Denkblätter, p. 53f., and Dritte Wanderung, p. 221), or the Struthion pool
mentioned by Josephus, bell. Jud. v. 11. 4, κολυµβήθρα τοሞ στρουθίου; Krafft,
Topographie von Jerusalem, p. 127f.)
They sanctified it and set up its doors: and to the tower Hammeah they sanctified it unto
the tower Hananeel. ‫שׁ‬ ֵ ִ‫,ק‬ to sanctify, to dedicate (comp. 1Ki_8:64), can here only mean
that the priests dedicated that portion of building on which they were engaged, as soon
as they had finished it, for the purpose of sanctifying the whole work by this preliminary
consecration; the solemn dedication of the whole wall not taking place till afterwards,
and being related Neh_12:27. The setting up of the doors in the gates did not, according
to Neh_6:1, take place till after all the breaches in the wall had been repaired, i.e., till the
building of the wall was completed. It is, however, mentioned here, and in Neh_3:3,
Neh_3:6, etc., contemporaneously with the wall-building; because the builders of the
several gates, undertaking also the construction and setting up of the doors, the
intention is to give a summary of the work executed by the respective building parties.
‫ה‬ፎ ֵ ַ‫ה‬ ‫ל‬ ַ ְ ִ‫ד־מ‬ ַ‫ע‬ְ‫ו‬ is still dependent on ‫נוּ‬ ְ‫ב‬ִ‫,י‬ that is to say, this verb must be mentally repeated
before the words: they built to the tower Hammeah, they sanctified it (the suffix in ‫שׁוּהוּ‬ ְ ִ‫ק‬
can only relate to ‫ל‬ ַ ְ ִ‫.)מ‬ ‫נוּ‬ ְ‫ב‬ִ‫י‬ must also be repeated before ‫ל‬ ֵ‫א‬ְ‫נ‬ַ‫נ‬ ֲ‫ח‬ ‫ל‬ ַ ְ ִ‫מ‬ ‫ד‬ ַ‫:ע‬ and they built
further, unto the tower Hananeel. The tower ‫ה‬ፎ ֵ ַ‫ה‬ (the hundred) is only mentioned here
and Neh_12:39, but the tower Hananeel is likewise spoken of Jer_31:38 and Zec_14:10.
From these passages it appears that the two towers were so situated, that any one going
from west to east along the north wall of the city, and thence southward, would first
come to the tower Hananeel, and afterwards to the tower Hammeah, and that both were
between the fish-gate and the sheep-gate. From the passages in Jeremiah and Zechariah
especially, it is evident that the tower Hananeel stood at the north-east corner of the
wall. Hence the statement in this verse, that the portion of wall built by the priests
extended to the north-east corner of the wall; and the tower Hammeah must be sought
between the sheep-gate and the north-east corner of the wall. Whence the names of
these towers were derived is unknown.
COFFMA , "DETAILS OF HOW THEY ALL WORKED O THE WALL
The skill and ability of ehemiah appear dramatically in this chapter. Even the
High Priest, of all people, was enlisted in the work. obody was exempt; the entire
population of Judah, some twenty five or thirty thousand men, all went to work at
one time on the city wall. o wonder it was finished in record time.

5. Eliashib the High Priest, like many of the nobles and a large number of priests,
would oppose some of ehemiah's reforms; but this building of the city wall was a
project that received the unanimous support of the whole population, a fact that
clearly surfaces in this chapter.
THOSE WHO BUILT THE WALL AT THE SHEEP GATE
"Then Eliashib the High Priest rose up with his brethren the priests, and they
builded the sheep gate; they sanctified it, and set up the doors of it; even unto the
tower of Hammeah they sanctified it, even unto the tower of Hananel. And next unto
him builded the men of Jericho. And next to them builded Zaccur the son of Imri."
It was quite appropriate that the High Priest and his associate workers should have
been assigned to build that section of the wall that included the sheep gate, because
that was located at the northeastern corner of the city adjacent to the Temple area.
We do not subscribe to the critical dictum that this chapter, in any manner, is some
kind of an addition to ehemiah's account. ehemiah was the one who planned and
engineered every portion of this remarkable building project. Only ehemiah had
the ability to have done such a thing.
"There were approximately forty sections of the wall, in variable lengths and
proportions; and, as they are listed here, they appear in a succession to the left, that
is, counterclockwise, beginning here at the sheep gate and finally ending at this same
sheep gate."[1]
COKE, "Verse 1
ehemiah 3:1. Then Eliasbib the high priest— Eliashib was the grandson of Jeshua
the high-priest; and he, with his brethren the priests, set a noble example, in being
the first to rebuild the walls of the holy city, which the Babylonians had burned
when they took it. The sheep-gate was on the south side of the city, in that part of
the valley which looked toward mount Zion and the temple. It had its name from the
sheep intended for sacrifice being brought through it to the temple. See John 5:2.
REFLECTIO S.—The work being resolved upon, we have here the distribution of
it. Holy emulation warmed their hearts, and zeal for the public welfare quickened
their labour.
1. The high-priest, with his brethren, led the way; and when they had finished their
portion, they sanctified it by prayer and thanksgiving for the assistance that God
had given them. ote; (1.) Ministers of God should shew, among the foremost, zeal
for his glory, and diligence in his service. (2.) Our common employments should be
sanctified by prayer and thanksgiving. (3.) They who look up to God for help will be
enabled to finish the work that he has given them to do.
2. The rest zealously followed so good an example; and not the inhabitants of
Jerusalem only, but those of the neighbouring cities and villages, cheerfully lent

6. their hand to the work. Rulers, and people of all trades and occupations, assisted.
one were so great as to think themselves debased by labouring; none so little, but
they could contribute something to the general good. The nobles of Tekoa alone
refused their assistance; and therefore a just brand of infamy stands for ever on
their memory. ote; (1.) Unanimity in a good cause is the surest token of success.
(2.) Every man has something to do for God, according to his station and abilities:
none are so little as to be useless; none so great, as to be above the work of the Lord.
3. Shallum's daughters are honourably mentioned, as assisting in this good work.
Though they could not themselves handle the trowel, they could hire assistance, and
provide materials. Good women, in every age, have been great helpers in the cause
of God.
4. One of the builders is noted for his zeal, ehemiah 3:20 another, though the sixth
son, is remarked as more honourable than his brethren, who seem not to have, like
him, engaged in the service. ote; (1.) When the work is God's, we cannot be too
zealously affected. (2.) The blessing of God does not always follow the birthright:
the younger son is often the better man.
5. Some, who had finished their first portion, having done sooner than their
brethren, undertook a second. When we affect the service, we shall not merely
consider how much we must do to save our credit; but shall do all we can, because
we love the cause.
ELLICOTT, "(1) Then Eliashib.—The account begins with due honour to the high
priest and the priesthood.
The sheep gate was in the neighbourhood of the priests’ quarter. Through it the
victims passed for sacrifice, first being washed in the neighbouring pool of Bethesda.
This being built, “they sanctified it,” as an earnest of the subsequent consecration of
the entire wall. Their work and the sanctification of it extended to two towns near
each other at the north-east corner.
TRAPP, " ehemiah 3:1 Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the
priests, and they builded the sheep gate; they sanctified it, and set up the doors of it;
even unto the tower of Meah they sanctified it, unto the tower of Hananeel.
Ver. 1. Then Eliashib the high priest rose up] He was first, as fit he should, for
example’s sake; ministers must be patterns of piety; they have many eyes upon
them, and everything in their practice should be worthy imitation. This Eliashib was
grandchild to Jeshua, ehemiah 12:10.
With his brethren the priests] Who were before fearful, or forgetful; till reminded
and excited by ehemiah; who, as a lion, became captain to this hosts of harts, and
achieved great matters. So strong and so sweet an operation hath a seasonable
exhortation, when it falleth on a prepared heart, and is set on by God.

7. And they built the sheep gate] And reason it was, saith an interpreter (Bishop
Pilkington), that as they were shepherds to the people, so they should build the
sheep gate, which was at the east end of the city where the Temple was, where the
sheep came in that were offered in sacrifice, and whereof they had their parts,
according to the law. This gate may well be compared to Christ Jesus, who sought
the lost sheep, and was sacrificed as a lamb, and is the gate whereby only we enter,
and his shepherds must be the builders of it, and bring the people into the fold.
They sanctified it] i.e., beautified it, and then consecrated it by their prayers and
devotions. This was priest like; and probably hereupon followed that miracle of an
angel’s descending, at their several solemn feasts, into the pool of Bethesda (which
was near to this gate, and where they washed their sacrifices), and healing all
diseases, John 5:4.
Even unto the tower of Meah] Or the centenary tower, so called for its hundred
pinnacles, haply; or, because a hundred cubits high.
PETT, "Verse 1
‘Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brothers the priests, and they rebuilt
the sheep gate; they sanctified it, and set up its doors; even to the tower of
Hammeah they sanctified it, to the tower of Hananel.’
Even the greatest were involved in the project. Eliashib the High Priest (the
grandson of Jeshua - ehemiah 12:10-11), together with his brother priests, set to
work with a will on the portion allotted to them. And as each part was built they
sanctified it (set it apart to God as holy). The priests were genuinely grateful to God
for the fact that the wall was being built, as well they might be, for it protected their
Temple. ‘They rose up -- and built.’ Thus we see them fulfilling what had been
decided on earlier, ‘we will arise and build’ ( ehemiah 2:20). The narrative
deliberately begins with the activity of the priests, (it does not commence at the
north east corner, see ehemiah 3:32). Central to the whole description is that the
house of God is being protected, along with the city that it made holy.
The priests apparently commenced work at the Sheep Gate (near the north east
corner), but the work would no doubt also continue on at the same time along the
whole of their section on the northern wall, as far as the Tower of Hammeah (The
Hundred) and the Tower of Hananel. These may well have been the Towers of the
great fortress protecting the northern approach.
‘They rebuilt the Sheep Gate and sanctified it.’ This sanctifying of it is prior to the
setting up of its doors, which would have occurred some time later (after ehemiah
6:1). It would be second nature to the priests to sanctify their work as they went
along in view of its proximity to the Temple. The Sheep Gate was probably the gate
through which sacrificial sheep were brought to the Temple. It was in the north-east

8. corner of the city wall. Compare John 5:2.
They also worked from there westward and rebuilt the Tower of The Hundred, and
sanctified it, and as far as the Tower of Hananel. The Tower of The Hundred is not
mentioned anywhere else (except in ehemiah 12:39), but was clearly seen as of
importance in relation to the Temple as it was specifically sanctified. (The ‘it’
cannot refer to the wall as it is the wrong gender). The Tower of Hananel is
mentioned in ehemiah 12:39, and is referred to as an identifying feature in
Jeremiah 31:38 and Zechariah 14:10. It was possibly the northernmost point of
Jerusalem.
Verses 1-32
The Rebuilding Of The Walls Of Jerusalem ( ehemiah 3:1-32).
It is difficult to overemphasise the huge impact of what was about to be
accomplished. A city which was largely uninhabited, lay partially in ruins, had no
means of protection, and was making little impact on the surrounding area (apart
from its significance to the returnees themselves as the site of the Temple), was
about to arise from the ashes and become a powerful influence throughout the area.
And it would all begin with the rebuilding of its walls.
That this was clearly seen by all comes out both in the ferocity of the opposition that
was provoked, and in the dedication of God’s people to the task in hand. On the one
hand were those who strove to prevent it by any means possible, including
propaganda, threats and violence ( ehemiah 2:19; ehemiah 4:1-3; ehemiah 4:7-
8), and on the other were those who were prepared, as depicted in this chapter, to
set aside personal interests, and work together in spite of their differences, in order
to ensure the completion of the work. It is a picture in microcosm of the work of
God’s people in the world today, divided by differences of viewpoint, but each with
their appointed portion of the wall to complete. or would the building work
continue without cost. Many of those who were involved in the building would
consequently find themselves in debt ( ehemiah 5:3-5), all would have to be on
constant alert against the dangers of threatened violence ( ehemiah 4:17-18), and
their families would meanwhile have to struggle on alone in the face of adversity.
This chapter, which might at first appear simply to be a list of names, brings out the
intensity of what was involved. For in it we have described to us details of those who
were involved in the building of the wall, both in their unity and in their diversity,
and how they worked together as one in their fulfilment of their God-given task.
Each group was given its task to do and were left to get on with it. What is only a
name to us represented a gang of dedicated builders. This mention of them
individually can be seen as an indication that they were all observed by God.
Divinely speaking it reminds us that God has a place for all of us so that we can
participate in His purposes, and that He is individually interested in what each of us
is doing. Humanly speaking it is the record of a great achievement in which many
disparate elements united to achieve a common purpose. It was probably written by
the leaders of those involved as they indicated their pride in their achievement (note

9. the use of the third person and the lack of ehemiah’s usual pithy comments), while
being later incorporated by ehemiah into his memoirs.
That it was a great achievement cannot be doubted. The necessary material had to
be obtained and shaped, no doubt including making use of the stones from the old
wall; there had to be full cooperation where one piece of wall connected with the
next; and food and drink had to be continually supplied to the workers, no doubt by
interested womenfolk. It was a combined operation on a large scale carried out
voluntarily by all involved.
It also provides interesting information about where the returnees dwelt in the land
round about. It is a reminder that they were not just in a little cluster around
Jerusalem. At least five administrative areas have been detected on the basis of the
words ‘ruler of’; Jerusalem ( ehemiah 3:9), Beth-hakkerrem ( ehemiah 3:14 - 5
kilometres (3 miles) north of Bethlehem), Mizpah ( ehemiah 3:15 - 7 kilometres (4
miles) south of Bethel), Beth-zur ( ehemiah 3:16 - 6 kilometres (4 miles) north of
Hebron), and Keilah ( ehemiah 3:17 - in the Shephelah, 16 kilometres (10 miles)
north east of Lachish). We also have mention of the men of Jericho ( ehemiah 3:2),
Gibeon and Mizpah ( ehemiah 3:7), and the men of Tekoa ( ehemiah 3:5;
ehemiah 3:27). Tekoa was 10 kilometres (6 miles) south of Bethlehem.
We must not underestimate the enormity of the task achieved. Furthermore, it was
achieved in a remarkably short space of time such that it took even their enemies by
surprise. They probably worked in shifts continually day and night. The chapter
certainly bears testimony to ehemiah’s organisational capabilities and his ability to
enthuse disparate elements to join together in a common task, although, having said
that, there can be no doubt that the allocation of the work was determined in
consultation with interested parties, for it displays knowledge that ehemiah could
not have gained in so short a time without such consultation. We will note, for
example, how work was allocated in accordance with people’s interests, whilst
responsibility for many sections appears to have been in the hands of those directly
involved with those areas, and the way in which the work progressed confirms their
capability. They were wisely chosen.
The change to the third person in the narrative suggests that the record is based, not
on ehemiah’s memory of events, but on a contemporary record made by those
involved. They wanted it recording as a reminder of the work done, and the
participation of all involved. And this is confirmed by the fact that it describes the
bolts, bars and doors of the gate as being put in place, whereas in ehemiah 6:1
ehemiah states that he had not yet hung the doors. This was therefore clearly a
later record, incorporated by ehemiah into a contemporary record of his own. But
that it was made an essential part of ehemiah’s own record is quite clear from the
fact that otherwise we would have no record of the building of the wall which was a
main purpose for which he had come. Also from the fact that it fits so neatly into the
narrative.
BE SO , " ehemiah 3:1. Then Eliashib the high-priest rose up — The grandchild

10. of Jeshua, the first high-priest after their return from Babylon. He, with his
brethren, set a noble example, in being the first that began to rebuild the walls of
the holy city, which the Babylonians had demolished. Ministers should be foremost
in every good work, animating others by their example as well as doctrine. And they
built the sheep-gate — Which was on the south side of the city, in that part of the
valley which looked toward mount Zion and the temple; called the sheep-gate,
because the sheep were brought through it to be sacrificed. Thus he not only shows
by whom, but in what order, the wall was built. They sanctified it — Or they
prepared, or repaired it; for so the word sometimes signifies. But our translation
seems best, both because that use of the word is most common, and because this is
spoken only of this gate, which, being built by the priests, and nearest to the temple,
and with a special eye to the service of the temple, for which both men and things
were most commonly brought in this way, and being also the first part of the
building, might be in a peculiar manner sanctified by solemn prayer and sacrifice,
whereby it was dedicated to God’s service. Even unto the tower of Meah they
sanctified it — That is, they sanctified the rest of the wall which they built as far as
the tower of Meah on one side, and the tower of Hananeel on the other.
CO STABLE, "Verses 1-4
B. The Rebuilding of the Walls3:1-7:4
ehemiah described the reconstruction of the walls, starting with the Sheep Gate
near the city"s northeast corner, moving counterclockwise. This record honors
those who-by building-helped reestablish Israel in the Promised Land, in harmony
with God"s will (cf, e.g, Isaiah 52:11-12).
Verses 1-32
1. The workers and their work ch3
Eliashib ( ehemiah 3:1) was evidently the grandson of Jeshua, the high priest (
ehemiah 12:10; Ezra 3:2). Construction was an act of consecration because this
was a project that God had ordained.
Archaeologists continue to study the exact location of the wall at many places, as
well as that of towers and gates. There is debate among them regarding various
sites, as well as the total extent of the wall. Those who hold to a smaller city are
"minimalists," [ ote: E.g, K. Kenyon, Jerusalem: Excavating3000 Years of History,
p107; Fensham, pp165-66 , 171; David M. Howard Jeremiah , Introduction to the
Old Testament Historical Books, p290; . Avigad, Rediscovering Jerusalem, pp61-
63; H. G. M. Williamson, Ezra ,, ehemiah , p188; and idem, " ehemiah"s Wall
Revisited," Palestinian Exploration Quarterly116 (1984):81-88.] and those who
believe the walls extended farther out are "maximalists." [ ote: Cf. R. Grafman,
" ehemiah"s Broad Wall," Israel Exploration Journal24 (1974):50-51; and H.
Geva, "The Western Boundary of Jerusalem at the End of the Monarchy," Israel
Exploration Journal29 (1979):84-91.]
"This chapter is one of the most important in the Old Testament for determining

11. the topography of Jerusalem. Though some locations are clear, others are not.
Opinions differ widely about whether the wall enclosed the southwest hill today
called "Mount Zion" (the Maximalist view) or only the original settlement-including
the temple area-of the southwest hill of Ophel (the Minimalist view)." [ ote:
Yamauchi, " Ezra -, ehemiah ," p692.]
According to the maximalist view, the two and one-half-mile wall would have
enclosed about220 acres. According to the minimalist view the wall would have been
two miles long and enclosed about90 acres. I think there is better support for the
minimalist position. The hill of Ophel (lit. swelling or bulge) was the site between the
temple area and the City of David (cf. 2 Chronicles 27:3; 2 Chronicles 33:14).
" ethinim [ ehemiah 3:26] means given. Probably this is another name for the
Gibeonites who were assigned by Joshua to be perpetual slaves as "hewers of wood
and drawers of water" for the house of God ( Joshua 9:23). As drawers of water it is
appropriate that they dwelt at the water gate. The ethinim are mentioned: 1
Chronicles 9:2; Ezra 2:43; Ezra 2:58; Ezra 2:70; Ezra 7:7; Ezra 7:24; Ezra 8:17;
Ezra 8:20; ehemiah 3:31; ehemiah 7:46; ehemiah 7:60; ehemiah 7:73;
ehemiah 10:28; ehemiah 11:3; ehemiah 11:21." [ ote: The ew Scofield
Reference Bible, p548.]
EXPOSITOR'S BIBLE COMME TARY, "BUILDI G THE WALLS
ehemiah 3:1-32
THE third chapter of the Book of ehemiah supplies a striking illustration of the
constructive character of the history of the Jews in the Persian period. or is that
all. A mechanical, Chinese industry may be found side by side with indications of
moral littleness. But the activity displayed in the restoration of the city walls is more
than industrious, more than productive. We must be struck with the breadth of the
picture. This characteristic was manifest in the earlier work of building the temple,
and it pervades the subsequent religious movement of the shaping of Judaism and
the development of The Law. Here it is apparent in the fact that the Jews unite in a
great common work for the good of the whole community. It was right and
necessary that they should rebuild their private houses, but though it would appear
that some of these houses must have been in a very ruinous condition, for this was
the case even with the governor’s residence, [ ehemiah 2:8] the great scheme now
set on foot was for the public advantage. There is something almost socialistic about
the execution of it; at all events we meet with that comprehensiveness of view, that
elevation of tone, that sinking of self in the interests of society, which we should look
for in true citizenship.
This is the more noteworthy because the object of the Jews in the present
undertaking was what is now called "secular." The earlier public building
operations carried out by their fathers had been confessedly and formally religious.
Zerubbabel and Jeshua had led a band of pilgrims up to Jerusalem for the express

12. purpose of rebuilding the temple, and at first the returned exiles had confined their
attention to this work and its associated sacrificial rites, without revealing any
political ambition, and apparently without even coveting any civic privileges.
Subsequently some sense of citizenship had begun to appear in Ezra’s reformation,
but every expression of it had been since checked by jealous and hostile influences
from without. At length ehemiah succeeded in rousing the spirit of citizenship by
means of the inspiration of religious faith. The new enthusiasm was not directly
concerned with the temple; it aimed at fortifying the city. Yet it sprang from prayer
and faith. Thus the Jews were feeling their way to that sacredness of civic duties
which we in the freer air of Christianity have been so slow to acknowledge.
The special form of this activity in the public interest is also significant. The process
of drawing a line round Jerusalem by enclosing it within the definite circuit of a
wall helped to mark the individuality and unity of the place as a city, which an
amorphous congeries of houses could not be, according to the ancient estimate,
because the chief distinction between a city and a village was just this, that the city
was walled while the village was unwalled. The first privilege enjoyed by the city
would be its security-its strength to withstand assaults. But the walls that shut out
foes shut in the citizens-a fact which seems to have been present to the mind of the
poet who wrote, -
"Our feet are standing
Within thy gates, O Jerusalem;
Jerusalem, that art builded
As a city that is compact together." [Psalms 122:2-3]
The city is "compact together." City life is corporate life. It is not at all easy for us
to appreciate this fact while our idea of a city is only represented by a crowd of men,
women, and children crammed into a limited space, but with scarcely any sense of
common life and aims, still less when we look behind the garish splendour of the
streets to the misery and degradation, the disease and famine and vice, that make
their nests under the very shadow of wealth and pleasure. aturally we turn with
loathing from such sights, and long for the fresh, quiet country life. But this
accidental conglomerate of bricks and human beings is in no sense a city. The true
city-such a city as Jerusalem, or Athens, or Rome in its best days-is a focus of the
very highest development of life known to man. The word "civilisation" should
remind us that it is the city which indicates the difference between the cultivated
man and the savage. Originally it was the civis, the citizen, who marched in the van
of the world’s progress. or is it difficult to account for his position. Inter-
communication of ideas sharpening intelligence-"as iron sharpeneth iron,"-division
of labour permitting the specialisation of industry, combination in work making it
possible for great undertakings to be carried out, the necessity for mutual
considerateness among the members of a community and the consequent
development of the social sympathies, all tend to progress. And the sense of a

13. common life realised in this way has weighty moral issues. The larger the social unit
becomes, the more will people be freed from pettiness of thought and selfishness of
aim. The first step in this direction is made when we regard the family rather than
the individual as the true unit. If we pass beyond this in modern times, we
commonly advance straight on to the whole nation for our notion of a compact
community. But the stride is too great. Very few people are able to reach the
patriotism that sinks self in the larger life of a nation. With a Mazzini, and even
with smaller men who are magnetised by the passion of such an enthusiast in times
of excitement, this may be possible. But with ordinary men in ordinary times it is
not very attainable. How many Englishmen leave legacies for the payment of the
ational Debt? Still more difficult is it to become really cosmopolitan, and acquire a
sense of the supreme duty of living for mankind. Our Lord has come to our aid here
in giving us a new unit-the Church, so that to be a citizen of this "City of God" is to
be called out of the circle of the narrow, selfish interests into the large place where
great, common duties and an all-comprehensive good of the whole body are set
before us as the chief aims to be pursued.
In rebuilding the city walls, then, ehemiah was accomplishing two good objects; he
was fortifying the place, and he was restoring its organic unity. The two advantages
would be mutually helpful, because the weakness of Jerusalem was destroying the
peculiar character of her life. The aristocracy, thinking it impossible to preserve the
community in isolation, had encouraged and practised intermarriage with
neighbouring people, no doubt from a politic regard to the advantage of foreign
alliances. Although ehemiah was not yet prepared to grapple with this great
question, his fortification of Jerusalem would help the citizens to maintain their
Jewish separateness, according to the principle that only the strong can be free.
The careful report which ehemiah has preserved of the organisation of this work
shows us how complete it was. The whole circuit of the walls was restored. Of course
it was most necessary that nothing less should be attempted, because, like the
strength of a chain, the strength of a fortress is limited to that of its weakest part.
And yet-obvious as it is-probably most failures, not only in public works, but also in
private lives, are directly attributable to the neglect of this elementary principle of
defence. The difficulty always is to reach that kind of perfection which is suggested
by the circle, rather than the pinnacle-the perfection of completeness. ow in the
present instance the completion of the circuit of the walls of Jerusalem testifies to
the admirable organising power of ehemiah, his tact in putting the right men in
the right places-the most important and difficult duty of a leader of men, and his
perseverance in overcoming the obstacles and objections that must have been thrust
in his path-all of them what people call secular qualities, yet all sustained and
perfected by a noble zeal and by that transparent unselfishness which is the most
powerful solvent of the selfishness of other people. There are more moral qualities
involved in the art of organisation than they would suppose who regard it as a hard,
mechanical contrivance in which human beings are treated like parts of a machine.
The highest form of organisation is never attained in that brutal manner. Directly
we approach men as persons endowed with rights, convictions, and feelings, an
element of sympathy is called for which makes the organising process a much more

14. delicate concern.
Another point calls for remark here. ehemiah’s description of his organisation of
the people for the purpose of building the walls links the several groups of men who
were responsible for the different parts with their several districts. The method of
division shows a devolution of responsibility. Each gang had its own bit of wall or its
own gate to see to. The rule regulating the assignment of districts was that, as far as
practicable, every man should undertake the work opposite his own house. He was
literally to "do the thing that lay nearest" to him in this business. It was in every
way a wise arrangement. It would prevent the disorder and vexation that would be
excited if people were running about to select favourite sites-choosing the easiest
place, or the most prominent, or the safest, or any other desirable spot. Surely there
is no principle of organisation so simple or so wise as that which directs us to work
near home in the first instance. With the Jews this rule would commend itself to the
instinct of self-interest. obody would wish the enemy to make a breach opposite his
own door, of all places. Therefore the most selfish man would be likely to see to it
that the wall near his house was solidly built. If, however, no other inducements had
been felt in the end, the work would have failed of any great public good, as all
purely selfish work must ultimately fail. There would have been gaps which it was
nobody’s interest in particular to fill.
ext it is to be observed that this building was done by "piece work," and that with
the names of the workmen attached to it, so that if any of them did their work ill the
fact would be known and recorded to their lasting disgrace, but also so that if any
put an extra amount of finish on their work this too should be known and
remembered to their credit. The idle and negligent workman would willingly be lost
in the crowd, but this escape was not to be permitted, he must be dragged out and
set in the pillory of notoriety. On the other hand, the humble and devoted citizen
would crave no recognition, doing his task lovingly for the sake of his God and his
city, feeling that the work was everything-the worker nothing. For his own sake one
who labours in this beautiful spirit seems to deserve to be sheltered from the blaze
of admiration at the thought of which he shrinks back in dismay. And yet this is not
always possible. St. Paul writes of the day when every man’s work shall be made
manifest. [1 Corinthians 3:13] If the honour is really offered to God, who inspires
the work, the modesty which leads the human agent to seek the shade may be
overstrained, for the servant need not blush to stand in the light when all eyes are
directed to his Master. But when honour is offered to the servant also, this may not
be without its advantages. Rightly taken it will humble him. He will feel that his
unworthiness would not have permitted this if God had not been very gracious to
him. Then he will feel also that he has a character to maintain. If it is ruinous to lose
a reputation-"the better part of me," as poor Cassio exclaims in his agony of
remorse-it must be helpful to have one to guard from reproach. "A good name is
rather to be chosen than great riches," [Proverbs 22:1] not only because of the
indirect advantages it brings from the consideration of the world-its mere
purchasing power in the market of human favour; this is its least advantage. Its
chief value is in the very possession of it by one whose honour is involved in living
worthily of it.

15. From another point of view the record of the names of people who have rendered
good service may be valuable. It will be a stimulus to their successors. The early
church preserved the names of her confessors and martyrs in the diptychs which
were expressly provided for use in public worship, that God might be praised for
their noble lives, and that the living might be stimulated to follow their example.
Here is one of the great uses of history. We cannot afford to forget the loyal service
of the past, because out of it we draw inspiration for the present. The people with a
great history have come into a rich heritage. To be a child of a really noble house, to
spring from a family truly without reproach-a family all whose sons are pure and all
whose daughters are brave-surely this is to receive a high commission to cherish the
good name unsullied. As the later Jews gazed at the towers of Jerusalem and
marked well her bulwarks, with the thought that this massive strength was the fruit
of the toil and sacrifice of their own forefathers-so that the very names of individual
ancestors were linked with exact spots on the grey walls-they would hear a call to
loyal service worthy of their noble predecessors.
To proceed, we may observe further that the groups of builders fall into several
classes. The first place is given to the priestly order-"the high-priest and his
brethren the priests." [ ehemiah 3:1] This is quite in accordance with the
sacerdotal spirit of the times, when the theocracy was emerging into power to take
the place left vacant by the decay of the house of David. But the priests are not only
named first. ehemiah states that they were the first to respond to his appeal.
"Then" - i.e., after he had addressed the assembled Jews-"Then Eliashib the high-
priest rose up," etc. This man-the grandson of Jeshua, from whom so much was
expected by Zechariah-was the first to set his hand to the tremendous task. First in
honour, he was first in service. The beauty of his action lies in its silence. ot a word
is recorded as spoken by him. But he was not satisfied to sanction the work of
humbler men. He led the people in the best possible way, by beginning the work
himself, by directly taking upon him his share of it. In this noble simplicity of
service Eliashib was followed by the priesthood generally. These men put forth no
claims to immunity from the obligation of civic duties or secular occupations. It
never occurred to them to object that such employments were in the least degree
inconsistent with their high office. The priestly order was hampered by the strictest
rules of artificial separation, but the quaint notion-so common in the East, and not
quite unknown in the West-that there is something degrading in hard work did not
enter into them.
There are two points to be noticed in the special work of the priests. First, its
locality. These ministers of the temple set up the "Sheep Gate," which was the gate
nearest to the temple. Thus they made themselves responsible for their own
quarters, guarding what was especially entrusted to their care. This was in
accordance with the plan observed all round the city, that the inhabitants should
work in the neighbourhood of their respective houses. The priests, who have the
honour of special connection with the temple, feel that a special charge accompanies
that honour, and rightly, for responsibility always follows privilege. Second, its
consecration. The priests sanctified their work-i.e., they dedicated it to God. This

16. was not in the sacred enclosure-the Haram, as it is now called. evertheless, their
gate and wall, as well as their temple, were to be reckoned holy. They did not hold
the strange modern notion that while the cemetery, the city of the dead, is to be
consecrated, the city of the living requires no consecration. They saw that the very
stones and timbers of Jerusalem belonged to God, and needed His presence to keep
them safe and pure. They were wise, for is He not "the God of the living" and of all
the concerns of life?
The next class of workmen is comprised of men who were taken according to their
families. These would probably be all of them citizens of Jerusalem, some present by
right of birth as descendants of former citizens, others perhaps sprung from the
inhabitants of distant towns not yet restored to Israel who had made Jerusalem
their home. Their duty to fortify their own city was indubitable.
But now, as in the earlier lists, there is another class among the laity, consisting of
the inhabitants of neighbouring towns, who are arranged, not according to families,
but according to their residence. Most likely these men were living in Jerusalem at
the time, and yet it is probable that they retained their interest in their provincial
localities. But Jerusalem was the capital, the centre of the nation, the Holy City.
Therefore the inhabitants of other cities must care for her welfare. In a great
scheme of religious centralisation at Jerusalem Josiah had found the best means of
establishing unity of worship, and so of impressing upon the worshippers the idea of
the unity of God. The same method was still pursued. People were not yet ripe for
the larger thoughts of God and His worship which Jesus expressed by Jacob’s well.
Until that was reached, external unity with a visible centre was essential if a
multiplex division of divinity was to be avoided. After these neighbours who thus
helped the metropolis we have two other groups-the temple servants and the trade
guilds of goldsmiths and merchants.
ow, while on all sides ready volunteers press forward to the work, just one painful
exception is found to mar the harmony of the scene, or rather to lessen its volume-
for this was found in abstention, not in active opposition. To their shame it is
recorded that the nobles of Tekoa "put not their necks to the work of their Lord."
[ ehemiah 3:5] The general body of citizens from this town took part. We are not
told why the aristocracy held back. Did they consider the labour beneath their
dignity? or was there a breach between them and the townsfolk? The people of
Tekoa may have been especially democratic. Ages before, a herdsman from this
same town, the rough prophet Amos, had shown little respect for the great ones of
the earth. Possibly the Tekoites had vexed their princes by showing a similar spirit
of independence. But if so, ehemiah would regard their conduct as affording the
princes no excuse. For it was the Lord’s work that these nobles refused to
undertake, and there is no justification for letting God’s service suffer when a
quarrel has broken out between His servants. Yet how common is this miserable
result of divisions among men who should be united in the service of God. Whatever
was the cause-whether it was some petty personal offence or some grave difference
of opinion-these nobles go down the ages, like those unhappy men in the early days
of the Judges who earned the "curse of Meroz," disgraced eternally, for no positive

17. offence, but simply because they left undone what they ought to have done.
ehemiah pronounces no curse. He chronicles the bare fact. But his ominous silence
in regard to any explanation is severely condemnatory. The man who builds his
house on the sand in hearing Christ’s words and doing them not, the servant who is
beaten with many stripes because he knows his lord’s will and does not perform it,
that other servant who buries his talent, the virgins who forget to fill their vessels
with oil, the people represented by goats on the left hand whose sole ground of
accusation is that they refused to exercise the common charities-all these illustrate
the important but neglected truth that our Lord’s most frequent words of
condemnation were expressed for what we call negative evil-the evil of harmless but
useless lives.
Happily we may set exceptional devotion in another quarter over against the
exceptional remissness of the nobles of Tekoa. Brief as is his summary of the
division of the work, ehemiah is careful to slip in a word of praise for one Baruch
the son of Zabbai, saying that this man "earnestly repaired" his portion. [ ehemiah
3:20] That one word "earnestly" is a truer stamp of worth than all the honours
claimed by the abstaining nobles on grounds of rank or pedigree; it goes down the
centuries as the patent of true nobility in the realm of industry.
"MARK YE WELL HER BULWARKS."
ehemiah 3:1-32
THE book of ehemiah is our principal authority for the ancient topography of
Jerusalem. But, as we have been already reminded, the sieges from which the city
has suffered, and the repeated destruction of its walls and buildings, have
obliterated many of the old landmarks beyond recovery. In some places the ground
is now found to be raised sixty feet above the original surface, and in one spot it was
even necessary to dig down a hundred and twenty feet to reach the level of the old
pavement. It is therefore not at all wonderful that the attempt to identify the sites
here named should have occasioned not a little perplexity. Still the explorations of
underground Jerusalem have brought some important facts to light, and others can
be fairly divined from a consideration of the historical record in the light of the
more general features of the country, which no wars or works of man can alter.
The first, because the most obvious, thing to be noted in considering the site of
Jerusalem is its mountainous character. Jerusalem is a mountain city, as high as a
Dartmoor tor, some two thousand feet above the Mediterranean, with a drop of
nearly four thousand feet on the farther side, beyond the Mount of Olives, towards
the deep pit where the Dead Sea steams in tropical heat. Looked at from the
wilderness, through a gap in the hills round Bethlehem, she soars above us, with her
white domes and towers clean-cut against the burning sky, like a city of clouds. In
spite of the blazing southern sunshine, the air bites keenly on that fine altitude. It
would be only reasonable to suppose that the vigour of the highlanders who dwelt in
Jerusalem was braced by the very atmosphere of their home. And yet we have had
to trace every impulse of zeal and energy after the restoration to the relaxing plains

18. of the Euphrates and the Tigris! In all history the moral element counts for more
than the material. Race is more than habitat, and religion is more than race.
Closely associated with this mountainous character of Jerusalem is a second feature.
It is clear that the site for the city was chosen because of its singularly valuable
ready-made defences. Jerusalem is a natural fortress. Protected on three sides by
deep ravines, it would seem that she could be easily made impregnable. How awful,
then, is the irony of her destiny! This city, so rarely favoured by nature for security
against attack, has been more often assaulted and captured, and has suffered more
of the horrors of war, than any other spot on earth.
The next fact to be noticed is the small size of Jerusalem. The dimensions of the city
have varied in different ages. Under the Herods the buildings extended far beyond
the ancient limits, and villas were dotted about on the outlying hills. But in
ehemiah’s day the city was confined within a surprisingly contracted area. The
discovery of the Siloam inscription, leading to the identification of the gorge known
to the Romans as the Tyropaeon with the ancient "Valley of Hinnom" or "Tophet,"
cuts off the whole of the modern Zion from the site of the ancient city, and points to
the conclusion that the old Zion must have been nearer Moriah, and all Jerusalem
crowded in the little space to the east of the chasm which was once thought to have
run up through the middle of the city. o doubt the streets were narrow; the houses
may have been high. Still the population was but slender, for after the walls had
been built ehemiah found the space he had enclosed too large for the inhabitants.
[ ehemiah 11:1] But our interest in Jerusalem is in no way determined by her size,
or by the number of her citizens. A little town in a remote province, she was
politically insignificant enough when viewed from the standpoint of Babylon, and in
comparison with the many rich and populous cities of the vast Persian dominions. It
is the more remarkable, then, that successive Persian sovereigns should have
bestowed rare favours on her. From the day when Solomon built his temple, the
unique glory of this city had begun to appear. Josiah’s reformation in concentrating
the national worship at Jerusalem advanced her peculiar privileges, which the
rebuilding of the temple before the restoration of the city further promoted.
Jerusalem is the religious metropolis of the world. To be first in religious honour it
was not necessary that she should be spacious or populous. Size and numbers count
for very little in religion. Its valuation is qualitative, not quantitative. Even the
extent of its influence, even the size and mass of this, depends mainly on its
character. Moreover, in Jerusalem, as a rule, the really effective religious life was
confined to a small group of the "pious"; sometimes it was gathered up in a single
individual-a Jeremiah, an Ezra, a ehemiah. This is a fact replete with
encouragement for faith. It is an instance of the way in which God chooses the weak
things-weak as to this world-to confound the strong. If a small city could once take
the unique position held by Jerusalem, then why should not a small Church now?
And if a little knot of earnest men within the city could be the nucleus of her
character and the source of her influence, why should not quite a small group of
earnest people give a character to their church, and, through the church, work
wonders in the world, as the grain of mustard seed could move a mountain? The
secret of the miracle is, like the secret of nature, that God is in the city and the

19. church, as God is in the seed. When once we have discovered this truth as a certain
fact of life and history, our estimate of the relative greatness of things is
revolutionised. The map and the census then cease to answer our most pressing
questions. The excellence we look for must be spiritual-vigour of faith, self-
abnegation of love, passion of zeal.
As we follow ehemiah round the circuit of the walls the more special features of
the city are brought under our notice. He begins with the "Sheep Gate," which was
evidently near the temple, and the construction of which was undertaken by the
priests as the first piece of work in the great enterprise. The name of this gate agrees
well with its situation. Opening on the Valley of the Kidron, and facing the Mount of
Olives and the lonely pass over the hills towards Jericho, it would be the gate
through which shepherds would bring in their flocks from the wide pasturage of the
wilderness. Possibly there was a market at the open space just inside. The vicinity of
the temple would make it easy to bring up the victims for the sacrifices by this way.
As the Passover season approached, the whole neighbourhood would be alive with
the bleating of thousands of lambs. Rich associations would thus cluster round the
name of this gate. It would be suggestive of the pastoral life so much pursued by the
men of Judah, whose favourite king had been a shepherd lad, and it would call up
deeper thoughts of the mystery of sacrifice and the joy of the Paschal redemption of
Israel. To us Christians the situation of the "Sheep Gate" has a far more touching
significance. It seems to have stood near where the "St. Stephen’s Gate" now
stands; here, then, would be the way most used by our Lord in coming to and fro
between Jerusalem and Bethany, the way by which He went out to Gethsemane on
the last night, and probably the way by which He was brought back "as a sheep"
among her shearers, "as a lamb" led to the slaughter.
Going round from this spot northwards, we have the part of the wall built by the
men of Jericho, which would still look east, towards their own city, so that they
would always see their work when they got their first glimpse of Jerusalem as they
passed over the ridge of the Mount of Olives on their pilgrimages up to the feasts.
The task of the men of Jericho ended at one of the northern gates, the construction
of which, together with the fitting of its ponderous bolts and bars, was considered
enough for another group of builders. This was called the "Fish Gate." Since it
faced north, it would scarcely have been used by the traders who came up from the
sea fisheries in the Mediterranean; it must have received the fish supply from the
Jordan, and perhaps from as far as the Sea of Galilee. Still its name suggests a wider
range of commerce than the "Sheep Gate," which let in flocks chiefly from
neighbouring hills. Jerusalem was in a singularly isolated spot for the capital of a
country, one chosen expressly on account of its inaccessibility - the very opposite
requisite from that of most capitals, which are planted by navigable rivers.
evertheless she maintained communication, both political and commercial, with
distant towns all along the ages of her chequered history.
After passing the work of one or two Jewish families and that of the Tekoites,
memorable for the painful fact of the abstention of the nobles, we come to the "Old
Gate." That a gate should bear such a name would lead us to think that once gates

20. had not been so numerous as they were at this time. Yet most probably the "Old
Gate" was really new, because very little of the original city remained above
ground. But men love to perpetuate memories of the past. Even what is new in fact
may acquire a flavour of age by the force of association. The wise reformer will
follow the example of ehemiah in linking the new on to the old, and preserving the
venerable associations of antiquity wherever these do not hinder present efficiency.
ext we come to the work of men from the northern Benjamite towns of Gibeon and
Mizpah, [ ehemiah 3:7] whose volunteer service was a mark of their own brotherly
spirit. It should be remembered, however, that Jerusalem originally belonged to the
tribe of Benjamin. Working at the northern wall, in accordance with the rule
observed throughout that all the Jews from outlying places should build in the
direction of their own cities, these Benjamites carried it on as far as the districts of
the goldsmiths and apothecaries, [ ehemiah 3:8] whose principal bazaars seem to
have occupied the north quarter of the city-the quarter most suitable for trade,
because first reached by most travellers. There, however-if we are to accept the
generally received emendation of the text mentioned in the margin of the Revised
Version-they found a bit of wall that had escaped destruction, and also probably the
"Ephraim Gate," which is not named here, although it existed in the days of
ehemiah. [ ehemiah 8:16] Inasmuch as the invasions had come from the north,
and the recent Samaritan raid had also proceeded from the same quarter, it seems
likely that the city had been taken on this side. If so, the enemy, after having got in
through a gate which they had burnt, or through a breach in the wall, did not think
it necessary to waste time in the heavy labour of tearing down the wall in their rear.
Perhaps, as this was the most exposed quarter, the wall was most solid here-it was
known as "the broad wall." The wealthy goldsmiths would have been anxious that
their bazaars should not be the first parts of the city to entertain a marauding host
through any weakness in the defences. The next bit of wall was in the hands of a
man of some importance, known as "the ruler of half the district of Jerusalem,"
[ ehemiah 3:9] i.e., he had the management of half the land belonging to the city-
either a sort of police supervision of private estates, or the direct control of land
owned by the municipality, and possibly farmed for the time being on communal
principles.
Still following the northern wall, we pass the work of several Jerusalem families,
and so on to the potteries, as we may infer from the remark about "the tower of the
furnaces." [ ehemiah 3:11] Here we must be at the "Corner Gate," [2 Chronicles
26:9, Jeremiah 31:38] which, however, is not now named; "the tower of the
furnaces" may have been part of its fortifications. Evidently this was an important
position. The manager of the second half of the city estates and the villages on them-
known as "his daughters"-had the charge of the work here. It was four hundred
cubits from the "Ephraim Gate" to the corner. [2 Kings 14:13] At this point the long
north wall ends, and the fortifications take a sharp turn southwards. Following the
new direction, we pass by the course of the Valley of Hinnom, leaving it on our
right. The next gate we meet is named after this ravine of evil omen the "Valley
Gate." It would be here that the poor children, victims to the savage Moloch
worship, had been led out to their fate. The name of the gate would be a perpetual

21. reminder of the darkest passage in the old city’s history of sin and shame. The gate
would face west, and, in accordance with the arrangement throughout, the
inhabitants of Zanoah, a town lying out from Jerusalem ten miles in that direction,
undertook the erection of it. They also had charge of a thousand cubits of wall-an
exceptionally long piece, but the gates were fewer on this side, and here possibly the
steepness of the cliff rendered a slighter wall sufficient.
This long, unbroken stretch of wall ends at the "Dung Gate," through which the
refuse of the city was flung out to the now degraded valley which once had been so
famous for its pleasure gardens. Sanitary regulations are of course most necessary.
We admire the minuteness with which they are attended to in the Pentateuch, and
we regard the filthy condition of modern eastern cities as a sign of neglect and
decay. Still the adornment of a grand gateway by the temple, or the solid building of
a noble approach to the city along the main route from the north, would be a more
popular undertaking than this construction of a "Dung Gate." It is to the credit of
ehemiah’s admirable skill in organisation that no difficulty was found in filling up
the less attractive parts of his programme, and it is even more to the credit of those
who accepted the allotment of them that, as far as we know, they made no
complaint. A common zeal for the public good overcame personal prejudices. The
just and firm application of a universal rule is a great preventative of complaints in
such a case. When the several bands of workers were to undertake the districts
opposite their own houses if they were inhabitants of the city, or opposite their own
towns if they were provincial Jews, it would be difficult for any of them to frame a
complaint. The builders of the "Dung Gate" came, it would seem, from the most
conspicuous eminence in the wilderness of Southern Judaea - that now known as the
"Frank Mountain." The people who would take to such an out-of-the-world place of
abode would hardly be such as we should look to for work requiring fineness of
finish. Perhaps they were more suited to the unpretentious task which fell to their
lot. Still this consideration does not detract from the credit of their good-natured
acquiescence, for self-seeking people are the last to admit that they are not fit for the
best places.
The next gate was in a very interesting position at the southwest corner, where the
Tyropaeon runs down to the Valley of the Kidron. It was called the "Fountain
Gate," perhaps after the one natural spring which Jerusalem possesses-that now
known as the "Virgin’s Fountain," and near to the Pool of Siloam, where the
precious water from this spring was stored. The very name of the gate would call up
thoughts of the value of its site in times of siege, when the fountain had to be
"sealed" or covered over, to save it from being tampered with by the enemy. Close
by is a flight of steps, still extant, that formerly led down to the king’s garden. We
are now near to Zion, in what was once the favourite and most aristocratic portion
of the town. The lowering of the top of Zion in the time of the Maccabees, that it
might not overlook the temple on Mount Moriah, and the filling up of the ravines,
considerably detract from the once imposing height of this quarter of the city. Here
ancient Jerusalem had looked superb-like an eagle perched on a rock. With such a
fortress as Zion her short-sighted citizens had thought her impregnable, but
ehemiah’s contemporaries were humbler and wiser men than the infatuated Jews

22. who had rejected the warnings of Jeremiah.
The adjoining piece of wall brings us round to the tombs of the kings, which,
according to the custom of antiquity, as we learn from a cuneiform inscription at
Babylon, were within the city walls, although the tombs of less important people
were outside-just as to this day we bury our illustrious dead in the heart of the
metropolis. ehemiah had been moved at the first report of the ruin of Jerusalem by
the thought that his fathers’ sepulchres were there.
From this spot it is not so easy to trace the remainder of the wall. The mention of the
Levites has given rise to the opinion that ehemiah now takes us at once to the
temple again, but this is hardly possible in view of his subsequent statements. We
must first work round by Ophel, the "Water," the "East,’" and the "Horse" Gates-
all of them apparently leading out towards the Valley of the Kidron. Levites and
Priests, whose quarters we are gradually approaching, and other inhabitants of
houses in this district, together with people from the Jordan Valley and the east
country, carried out this last piece of work as far as a great tower standing out
between Ophel and the corner of the temple wall, a tower so massive that some of its
masonry can be seen still standing. But the narrative is here so obscure, and the sites
have been so altered by the ravages of war and time, that the identification of most
of them in this direction baffles inquiry. "Mark ye well her bulwarks." Alas! they
are buried in a desolation so huge that the utmost skill of engineering science fails to
trace their course. The latest great discovery, which has simply revolutionised the
map by identifying the Tyropaeon with the Old Testament "Valley of Hinnom" or
"Tophet," is the most striking sign of these topographical difficulties. The valley
itself has been filled up with masses of rubbish, the sight of which today confirms
the dreadful tragedy of the history of Jerusalem, the most tragic history on record.
o city was ever more favoured by Heaven, and no city was ever more afflicted.
Hers were the most magnificent endowments, the highest ideals, the fairest
promises; hers too was the most miserable failure. Her beauty ravaged, her sanctity
defiled, her light extinguished, her joy turned into bitterness, Heaven’s bride has
been treated as the scum of the streets. And now, after being abused by her own
children, shattered by the Babylonian, outraged by the Syrian, demolished by the
Roman, the city which stoned her prophets and clamoured successfully for the death
of her Saviour has again revived in poverty and misery-the pale ghost of her past,
still the victim of the oppressor. The witchery of this wonderful city fascinates us
today, and the very syllables of her name "JERUSALEM" sound strangely sweet
and ineffably sad-
"Most musical, most melancholy."
It was fitting that the tenderest, most mournful lament ever uttered should have
been called forth by our Lord’s contemplation of such a city-a city which, deeming
herself destined to be the joy of all the earth, became the plague-spot of history.
LA GE, " ehemiah 3:1. Eliashib the high-priest.—This man was afterwards
closely allied to Jerusalem’s enemies, one of his grandsons having married

23. Sanballat’s daughter ( ehemiah 13:28). His alliance with Tobiah became so close
that he prepared a room for Tobiah in the temple ( ehemiah 13:4; ehemiah 13:7).
Eliashib may have excused this desecration on the ground that Tobiah was a Jew by
birth. (See on ehemiah 2:10.) Eliashib was grandson of Jeshua, who, with
Zerubbabel, led the original return. otwithstanding the unworthiness of this high-
priest and his probable want of sympathy with ehemiah’s piety and patriotism, he
could not refuse to take the lead in the wall-building. Public opinion was too strong
under the appeals of ehemiah.
The sheep-gate,Sha’ar hatz-tzon, must have been by the temple, or else the priests
would not have been selected to build it. It is probably the προβατικὴ of John 5:2,
translated in E. V. “sheep-market.” It seems to have been at the north-eastern
corner of the temple-area, in the neighborhood of the present St. Stephen’s gate. It
might derive its name from the fact that through this gate the sheep and goats (for
the word refers to all small cattle) destined for the sacrifices were driven. (See
Excursus.)
They sanctified it and set up the doors of it.—This gate is the only one which is said
to be sanctified (kidshuhu), and we cannot tell whether it was done at once, so soon
as it was built by the priests, or afterwards when the doors were set up ( ehemiah
6:1). The other gates were purified (another verb, taher) after the completion of the
wall ( ehemiah 12:30). This seems to indicate a special connection with the temple.
It probably opened into the temple-area. The setting up of the doors was not done
until afterwards, but is here anticipated.[F 1] (See ehemiah 6:1.)
The tower of Mean,migdol ham-meah,… the tower of Hananeel,migdol hananeel.—
These two towers were between the sheep-gate and the fish-gate. They are have
occupied the north-eastern corner of the temple-enclosure, and the corner west of
that, where the city-wall from the north joined the wall of the temple-enclosure.
Hence they would (like the sheep-gate) be both connected with the temple, and
hence they were sanctified. (See Excursus.) (They sanctified it in the second
occurrence seems to refer to the wall including the two towers. )—The tower of
Meah may have been the place where the nobles and rulers collected their
hundredth ( ehemiah 5:11), Meah being the Heb. for the “hundredth:” but?
2 The men of Jericho built the adjoining section,
and Zakkur son of Imri built next to them.

24. BAR ES, "The people of each provincial town were set to work for the most part on
the portion of the wall nearest their city. Thus, “the men of Jericho,” were employed at
the northeast corner of Jerusalem.
GILL, "And next unto him builded the men of Jericho,.... The posterity of those
that formerly inhabited that city; these began where Eliashib and the priests ended, and
went on from thence:
and next to them; or rather "to him", the high priest:
builded Zaccur the son of Imri; who probably was the chief of the men of Jericho.
HE RY, " That many were active in this work who were not themselves inhabitants
of Jerusalem, and therefore consulted purely the public welfare and not any private
interest or advantage of their own. Here are the men of Jericho with the first (Neh_3:2),
the men of Gibeon and Mizpah (Neh_3:7), and Zanoah, Neh_3:13. Every Israelite
should lend a hand towards the building up of Jerusalem.
JAMISO , "next unto him builded the men of Jericho, etc. — The wall was
divided into portions, one of which was assigned respectively to each of the great
families which had returned from the captivity. This distribution, by which the building
was carried on in all parts simultaneously with great energy, was eminently favorable to
dispatch. “The villages where the restorers resided being mostly mentioned, it will be
seen that this circumstance affords a general indication of the part of the wall upon
which they labored, such places being on that side of the city nearest their place of
abode; the only apparent exception being, perhaps, where they repaired more than their
piece. Having completed their first undertaking (if they worked any more), there being
no more work to be done on the side next their residence, or having arrived after the
repairs on that part of the city nearest them under operation were completed, they
would go wherever their services would be required” [Barclay, City of the Great King].
K&D, "Neh_3:2
Next to him built the men of Jericho (comp. Ezr_2:24); and next to them built Zaccur
the son of Imri. The suffix of the first ‫ּו‬‫ד‬ָ‫י‬ ‫ל‬ ַ‫,ע‬ though in the singular number, refers to
Eliashib and the priests (Neh_3:1), and that of the second to the men of Jericho, while in
Neh_3:4 and Neh_3:9, on the contrary, a singular noun is followed by ‫ם‬ ָ‫ד‬ָ‫י‬ ‫ל‬ ַ‫;ע‬ both ‫ּו‬‫ד‬ָ‫י‬ ‫ל‬ ַ‫ע‬
and ‫ם‬ ָ‫ד‬ָ‫י‬ ‫ל‬ ַ‫ע‬ expressing merely the notion beside, next to, and builders of the respective
portions being at one time regarded as in a plural, at another in a singular sense (as a
company). The portion built by the men of Jericho and Zaccur the son of Imri, the head
of a family, not mentioned elsewhere, let between the tower Hananeel and the fish-gate
in the north wall. When individuals are, like Zaccur, mentioned in the following
description, e.g., Neh_3:4, Neh_3:6, as builders or repairers of portions of wall, they are
heads of houses who engaged in the work of building at the head of the fathers of
families and individuals who were dependent on them.

25. ELLICOTT, "(2) ext unto him.—At his hand, the customary phrase throughout
the chapter, indicating the order of the building, which, however, involves some
difficulty towards the close. The phrase, as first used, does honour to the high priest,
who must be supposed to have presided only over the religious ceremonial.
The men of Jericho.—At the point, it will be observed, opposite their own city.
TRAPP, "Ver. 2. And next unto him builded the men of Jericho] And are thereby
here eternalized for their forwardness.
Claros inter, habent nomina clara, vires.
They have fame among men of fame. Though they dwelt farthest off, yet they were
of the first that came to work. Jericho was the first city that Joshua overthrew for
their wickedness, and cursed him that should rebuild it. ow it is the first that
comes to help forward this city of God. So great is the change when God turneth
people’s hearts. Our fathers were as barbarous and brutish as the very Scythians;
their religion was a mere irreligion and worse till Christ came among us, and gave
us the pre-eminence. For besides that England was the first of all the provinces that
publicly received the gospel (as saith Sabellicus), our Constantine hath been
reckoned the first Christian emperor, our Lucius the first christened king, and our
Henry VIII the first that brake the neck of the pope’s usurped authority. As we
were the first that submitted to that man of sin, so were we among the first that cast
him off again; and although we are penitus toto divisi orbe Britanni (Lucan.), yet we
have been hitherto famous all the world over for our faith and forwardness in God’s
service; though of late we have run retrograde, to the reproach of our nation.
Diogenes in a great assembly going backward on purpose, and seeing every one
laughing him to scorn, asked them aloud, if they were not ashamed so to do: since he
went backwards but once, when they did so continually. Oh, let it not be said of us,
as once of Jerusalem, that we are "slidden back by a perpetual backsliding, that we
hold fast deceit, and refuse to return," Jeremiah 8:5. This is to be worse than
wicked Jericho, &c.
Builded Zaccur] Whose memory therefore is blessed, when "the name of the wicked
shall rot," Proverbs 10:7.
PETT, "Verse 2
‘And next to them built Zaccur the son of Imri.’
ext to them built Zaccur, the son of Imri. He rebuilt the next section as far as the
Fish Gate. Clearly Zaccur did not build on his own. This no doubt refers to him as
including the fairly large household or wider family which were his as a prominent
and comparatively wealthy man. His whole wider family would be involved in
building. It was possibly this Zaccur who was a sealant of ehemiah’s covenant
( ehemiah 10:12), in which case he was a Levite, and probably identifiable with the
father of Hanan ( ehemiah 13:13).

26. Zaccur was a fairly common Jewish name, previously being that of the father of
Shammua the Reubenite spy ( umbers 13:4); of a Simeonite (1 Chronicles 4:26);
and of two other Levites: (a) a Merarite (1 Chronicles 24:27); and (b) a "son" of
Asaph (1 Chronicles 25:2; 1 Chronicles 25:10; ehemiah 12:35)
3 The Fish Gate was rebuilt by the sons of
Hassenaah. They laid its beams and put its doors
and bolts and bars in place.
BAR ES, "The fish gate - The gate through which fish from the Jordan and the Sea
of Galilee entered Jerusalem; a gate in the north wall, a little to the east of the modern
Damascus gate.
Locks - The word used (here and in Neh_3:6, Neh_3:13-15) is thought to mean
rather a “cross-bar” than a lock, while that translated “bars” is regarded as denoting the
“hooks” or “catches” which held the cross-bar at its two ends.
CLARKE, "The fish gate - We really know scarcely any thing about these gates -
what they were, why called by these names, or in what part of the wall situated. All plans
of Jerusalem, its temple, walls, and gates, are mere works of conjecture; and yet how
learnedly have some men written on all these subjects!
GILL, "But the fish gate did the sons of Hassenaah build,.... So called, because
fish was brought from the sea coasts through it, and near it was the fish market; this also
was southward, according to Dr. Lightfoot (x); others say northward; some say it led to
the sea of Galilee, Jordan, and all the east and north country: but it is most likely to be
westward towards the Mediterranean sea, Tyre, and Joppa, from whence fish were
brought; and Rauwolff says (y) it is still standing towards the west, behind Mount Sion,
and over against Mount Gihon, see 2Ch_33:14 he also says, this gate was called the gate
of Hebron, because the road of Hebron went through it, which is about seven or eight
hours' walking distant from it:
who also laid the beams thereof, and set up the doors thereof, the locks
thereof, and the bars thereof; completely finished it.

27. K&D, "The fish-gate did the sons of Senaah build (see rem. on Ezr_2:35); they laid
its beams, and set up its doors, bolts, and bars. The fish-gate probably received its name
from the fish-market in its neighbourhood, to which the Syrians brought sea-fish (Neh_
3:13, Neh_3:16); it is also mentioned in Neh_12:39; 2Ch_33:14, and Zep_1:10. It was
not situated, as Thenius has represented it in his plan of Jerusalem, close to the corner
tower of Hananeel, but somewhat to the west of it in the north wall; two lengths of wall
being, according to Neh_3:2, built between this tower and the gate in question. With
respect to ‫רוּהוּ‬ ֵ‫,ק‬ see rem. on Neh_2:8. Besides the doors for the gate, ‫עוּיו‬ְ‫נ‬ ַ‫מ‬ and ‫יו‬ ָ‫יח‬ ִ‫ר‬ ְ are
mentioned, as also Neh_3:6, Neh_3:13-15. Both words denote bars for closing doors.
‫ים‬ ִ‫ח‬ ִ‫ר‬ ְ are, to judge from the use of this word in the description of the tabernacle (Exo_
26:26. and elsewhere), longer bars, therefore cross-bars, used on the inner side of the
door; and ‫ים‬ ִ‫עוּל‬ְ‫נ‬ ַ‫מ‬ the brackets into which they were inserted.
COFFMA , "THOSE WHO WORKED O THE WALL HAVI G THE FISH
GATE
"And the fish gate did the sons of Hassenaah build; they laid the beams thereof, and
set up the doors thereof, the bolts thereof, and the bars thereof. And next unto them
repaired Meremoth the son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, and next unto them
repaired Meshullum the son of Berechiah, the son of Meshezabel, and next unto
them repaired Zadok the son of Baana. And next unto them the Tekoites repaired;
but the nobles put not their neck to the work of their lord."
The fish gate was the northern gate of the city, See map on page 138 by Merrill F.
Unger.[2]
"The Tekoites lived south of the city and were probably in sympathy with Sanballat,
or afraid of reprisals if they openly identified themselves with ehemiah."[3] This
would account for the fact that "Their nobles put not their neck to the work."
ELLICOTT, "(3) The fish gate.—Through which fish entered from the Jordan and
Galilee.
The sons of Hassenaah.—Contrary to custom, their names are not mentioned.
The locks thereof, and the bars thereof.—The crossbars thereof, and the catches
thereof, the latter holding the former at the two ends. Similarly in several other
verses.
TRAPP, "Verse 3
ehemiah 3:3 But the fish gate did the sons of Hassenaah build, who [also] laid the
beams thereof, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof.
Ver. 3. But the fish gate] That stood toward the sea, and let in fishermen, as the men

28. of Tyre, ehemiah 13:16; ehemiah 13:19.
Did the sons of Hassenaah build] Whether this Hassenaah were a man or a city it
appeareth not.
PETT, "Verse 3
‘And the sons of Hassenaah rebuilt the fish gate; they laid its beams, and set up its
doors, its bolts, and its bars’.
The Fish Gate itself was repaired by ‘the sons of Hassenaaah’. Hassenaah (Senaah
with the definite article ‘ha’) is probably a place name, referring to the place to
which the sons of Senaah had returned (Ezra 2:35; ehemiah 7:38). These returnee
families, now living in Senaah, rebuilt the fish gate. This gate may well have been
near the north-west corner of the walls, possibly a little to the south of it, although
we cannot identify it specifically. Compare ehemiah 12:39; Zephaniah 1:10; 2
Chronicles 33:14. It presumably led into the fish market.
It must be recognised that the repairing of a gateway was not simply a matter of
preparing a place to hang the gates, but would include the construction and repair
of guardrooms, administrative rooms and storerooms within the gateway.
‘They laid its beams, and set up its doors, its bolts, and its bars’. The setting up of
the doors, bolts and bars would have been done after the gateway had been rebuilt,
and therefore after ehemiah 6:1. See ehemiah 7:1. It is a recurring idea in
connection with gateways ( ehemiah 3:13-15). The gateway having been rebuilt, the
doors would later be set up, and bolts and bars would be provided so as to bar the
gateways. ote the emphasis placed on security. This was a main reason for the
building of the walls.
We learn here a recurring lesson of life in that having rebuilt our spiritual gateway
with God’s help we are to set up doors, bars and bolts to keep out the Enemy
(compare Ephesians 6:10-18). It is not spiritual to be careless.
BE SO , " ehemiah 3:5. ext unto them the Tekoites repaired — The inhabitants
of the city of Tekoa, in the tribe of Judah. But their nobles put not their necks to the
work — Would not submit to it, would not further it, either through pride, or sloth,
or covetousness, or secret compliance with the enemies of the Jews. Of their Lord —
Of God, whom they owned for their Lord, whose work this was, because it had
proceeded thus far by his singular providence; and because it was done for the
defence of the city, and people, and temple of God. And therefore they are branded
to all posterity. Let not nobles think any thing beneath them, by which they may
benefit their country. What is their nobility good for, but that it places them in a
higher and larger sphere of usefulness?
LA GE, " ehemiah 3:3. The fish-gate,Sha’ar had-dagim, was east of the present
Damascus-gate in the north wall. It is mentioned 2 Chronicles 33:14 and Zephaniah
1:10. (See Excursus.)

29. The sons of Hassenaah.—Rather: the sons of Senaah. (See Ezra 2:35.) Senaah was a
city, or more likely a large territory (if we are to judge from the large numbers in
Ezra, l. c.), near Jericho. In the Onomasticon we find a Senna, seven miles north of
Jericho.—The locks thereof were probably the sockets into which the bars fitted.
4 Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz,
repaired the next section. ext to him Meshullam
son of Berekiah, the son of Meshezabel, made
repairs, and next to him Zadok son of Baana also
made repairs.
GILL, "And next unto them repaired Meremoth, the son of Uriah, the son of
Koz,.... And the men under him; see Ezr_8:33, this part of the wall on which they
worked was not wholly demolished, only weakened, and therefore did not rebuild it, but
repaired and strengthened it, and this phrase is used all along afterwards:
and next unto them repaired Meshullam, the sort of Berechiah, the son of
Meshezabeel: and next unto them repaired Zadok, the son of Baana; but who
they were cannot be said.
K&D 4-5, "Next to these, Meremoth the son of Urijah, the son of Hakkoz, Meshullam
the son of Berechiah, Zadok the son of Baana, and the Tekoites, repaired in the above
order, each a portion of wall. ‫יק‬ִ‫ז‬ ֱ‫ח‬ ֶ‫,ה‬ to strengthen, means here to repair the gaps and
holes in the wall; comp. Neh_3:9, Neh_3:27. Meremoth ben Urijah repaired, according
to Neh_3:21, another portion besides. Meshullam ben Berechiah was, according to Neh_
6:18, a person of consideration in Jerusalem. The men of Tekoa, who do not occur
among those who returned with Zerubbabel (Ezra 2), also repaired a second portion.
“But their nobles brought not their neck to the service of their Lord.” The expression “to
bring the neck to service” is, according to Jer_27:11, to be understood as meaning: to
bring the neck under the yoke of any one, i.e., to subject oneself to the service of another.
‫ם‬ ָ‫ר‬ָ‫וּ‬ ַ‫צ‬ stands for ‫ם‬ ָ‫אר‬ָ‫וּ‬ ַ‫.צ‬ It is questionable whether ‫ם‬ ֶ‫יה‬ֵ‫ּנ‬‫ד‬ ֲ‫א‬ is to be taken as the plural of
excellence, and understood of God, as in Deu_10:17; Psa_135:3; Mal_1:6; or of earthly
lords or rulers, as in Gen_40:1; 2Sa_10:3; 1Ki_12:27. The former view seems to us
decidedly correct, for it cannot be discerned how the suffix should (according to

30. Bertheau's opinion) prevent our thinking of the service of God, if the repairing of the
wall of Jerusalem may be regarded as a service required by God and rendered to Him.
Besides, the fact that ‫ים‬ִ‫ּנ‬‫ד‬ ֲ‫א‬ is only used of kings, and is inapplicable whether to the
authorities in Jerusalem or to Nehemiah, speaks against referring it to secular rulers or
authorities.
TRAPP, " ehemiah 3:4 And next unto them repaired Meremoth the son of Urijah,
the son of Koz. And next unto them repaired Meshullam the son of Berechiah, the
son of Meshezabeel. And next unto them repaired Zadok the son of Baana.
Ver. 4. Meshullam the son of Berechiah] This Meshullam was one of those men of
understanding and made use of by Ezra, Ezra 8:16.
PETT, "Verse 4
‘And next to them repaired Meremoth the son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz.’
The verb now changes from ‘rebuilt’ to ‘repaired, made strong’. This may indicate
that in this section the walls were in a better state of preservation. But as it is also
used of the building of new walls later in the chapter it is possibly simply a general
term for building.
This important northern section was repaired under the oversight of Meremoth, the
son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz. It is probable that he is the same Meremoth, son of
Uriah, son of Hazzoz, who is described as being in charge of a group of priestly
builders in ehemiah 3:21 with regard to ‘a second portion’. Thus he was clearly
seen as very reliable, having oversight over two portions. It has been suggested that
ehemiah 3:17 may suggest that that Meremoth was a Levite, which might discount
the connection, but that interpretation is not necessary.
One question is whether this Meremoth is to be identified with Meremoth the son of
Uriah who was one of the treasurers to whom Ezra handed over the treasures that
he had brought from Persia (Ezra 8:33). There he was called ‘the priest’, i.e. one of
the chief priests. While that Meremoth is not also further called ‘the son of Hakkoz’
there is a good likelihood that the identity can be maintained, even though it be
admitted that both names were popular ones. This would make Meremoth a very
important man, and would serve to confirm the close association of the ministry of
Ezra with the time of ehemiah. The problem with this identification is that the
sons of Hakkoz had not earlier been accepted as priests because they could not
prove their genealogy (Ezra 2:62), but it is quite probable that by this time that had
been remedied. In ehemiah 10:6 a Meremoth is listed as eleventh among the
priests, but is seen as important enough to be called on as a sealant of the covenant
of ehemiah. This may well be the same Meremoth. In ehemiah 12:3 a Meremoth,
(clearly not the same one), was one of the chiefs of the priests who had come up with
Zerubbabel. This Meremoth the son of Uriah may have been his grandson.
ehemiah 3:4

31. ‘And next to them repaired Meshullam the son of Berechiah, the son of
Meshezabel.’
Meshullam was a very popular Jewish name. It appears that this Meshullam later
gave his daughter to be wife of Jehohanan, the son of Tobiah, suggesting that, at
least by that stage, he was favourably inclined towards Tobiah, who was an
adversary of ehemiah’s and opposed to the building of the wall ( ehemiah 2:19).
But however that may be, Meshullam here, along with his wider family, plays his
full part in the building of the wall. His presence is, however, a reminder of the
divisions which grew up among the descendants of the returnees as they continued
to settle in the land ( ehemiah 6:17-19). He was not the only one to be so involved.
Many of the aristocracy became friendly with Tobiah and were in constant
communication with him ( ehemiah 6:17), reminding us that not all was
straightforward for ehemiah, even among the descendants of the returnees. But
differences had to be set aside when the walls of Jerusalem had to be rebuilt.
Another Meshullam, son of Besodeia, helped to repair the gate of the old city
( ehemiah 3:6) whilst even another ‘Meshullam, the son of Berechiah’, repaired a
further part of the wall ( ehemiah 3:30). This latter might be seen as identifiable
with the one here, but as there is no mention of him as building ‘a second portion’
(contrast ehemiah 3:11; ehemiah 3:19-21; ehemiah 3:24; ehemiah 3:30), it
may simply be a coincidence of names.
ehemiah 3:4
‘And next to them repaired Zadok the son of Baana.’
The next section was repaired under the supervision of Zadok ben-Baana. This was
probably the same Zadok who was also one of the signatories to the covenant made
with ehemiah by the princes, priests and Levites of Israel ( ehemiah 10:21),
although the name was a admittedly very popular one. We do not know whether the
Zadok mentioned in ehemiah 13:13 is identical with him.
LA GE, " ehemiah 3:4. Meremoth, the son of Urijah, is the same who is called in
Ezra 8:33 “Mere-moth, the son of Uriah the priest.” (See ehemiah 10:5.) He was of
the family of Hakkoz, written wrongly in E. V. in this place Koz. See 1 Chronicles
24:10.
Meshullam, the son of Berechiah, the son of Meshezabeel.—This Meshullam was
allied to Tobiah, for Tobiah’s son Johanan had married Meshullam’s daughter (
ehemiah 6:18). ehemiah made the Jews, allied to the enemies of Judah, to commit
themselves to the welfare of the city, as against their chosen intimates of the
heathen. The “Meshezabeel” may be the same mentioned in ehemiah 10:21;
ehemiah 11:24.—Zadok, the son of Baana, seems to be the same as the Zadok of
ehemiah 10:21. Both Meshullam and Zadok were probably of the tribe of Judah.

32. 5 The next section was repaired by the men of
Tekoa, but their nobles would not put their
shoulders to the work under their supervisors.[a]
GILL, "And next unto them the Tekoites repaired,.... The inhabitants of Tekoa, a
city in the tribe of Judah; see Amo_1:1
but their nobles put not their necks to the work of their Lord; either of
Nehemiah, as some, or rather of the lord and prince appointed over their families, as
Aben Ezra, to whom they would not be subject; though it seems best, with Jarchi, to
understand it of the Lord their God, by whose command this work was begun; but they
refused to give any assistance to it with their purses or presence, but withdrew from it,
as refractory oxen withdraw their necks from the yoke. This is observed to their disgrace,
when the common people of their city were ready to work, and did.
HE RY, " Here is a just reproach fastened upon the nobles of Tekoa, that they put
not their necks to the work of their Lord (Neh_3:5), that is, they would not come under
the yoke of an obligation to this service; as if the dignity and liberty of their peerage were
their discharge from serving God and doing good, which are indeed the highest honour
and the truest freedom. Let not nobles think any thing below them by which they may
advance the interests of their country; for what else is their nobility good for but that it
puts them in a higher and larger sphere of usefulness than that in which inferior persons
move?
ELLICOTT, "(5) The Tekoites.—This verse is remarkable, as introducing men of
Tekoah, not mentioned among Zerubbabel’s Returned, who furnish the solitary
instance of internal opposition to the building; and as terming the common work
“the work of the Lord.” The ordinary people of the place, however, did double duty.
(See ehemiah 3:27.)
TRAPP, " ehemiah 3:5 And next unto them the Tekoites repaired; but their nobles
put not their necks to the work of their Lord.
Ver. 5. The Tekoites repaired] The common sort of them; for the nobles refused.
The lesser fishes bite best; the poor are gospelized, Matthew 11:5, destined to the
diadem, James 2:5.

33. But their nobles put not their necks] So haughty they were and high minded, they
thought it a business below their greatness; somewhat of that profane earl of
Westmoreland’s mind, who said that he had no need to pray to God, for he had
tenants enough to pray for him. " ot many mighty, not many noble," saith the
apostle, 1 Corinthians 1:26; well if any. The lion and eagle were not for sacrifice, as
the lamb and dove were. Yet the old nobility of Israel were forward with their staves
of honour, and are therefore famous, umbers 21:18.
To the work of the Lord] Though they knew him to be Lord of lords, who are all his
vassals and underlings; and, by special relation, their Lord, so avouched by these his
holy day servants; yet so stiffnecked were they, that they would not stoop to his
service; but cried out, as the Popish clergy do, Domine, nos sumus exempti, we may
not work, we will not contribute.
PETT, "Verse 5
‘And next to them the Tekoites repaired; but their nobles did not put their necks to
the work of their lords (or ‘of their Lord’).’
ext to Zadok and his wider family were the Tekoites. However, their leadership
refused to be involved. They were stiffnecked. They refused to take on themselves
the yoke ‘of their lords’. That may signify ehemiah and the nobles as ‘their lords’,
or it may signify the Lord God as ‘their Lord’ (using an intensive plural). Tekoa
was a sub-region of Beth-zur, south of Bethlehem (Bethlehem was probably in the
region of Beth-hakkerem) Their leaders may well not have been descendants of the
returnees, but may have been of those who had remained in the land. It may be
another reminder of the tensions still remaining among the people in the district of
Judah. On the other hand they might simply have felt themselves above this kind of
work, while willingly offering their townsfolk for the task. It is clear, however, that
ehemiah did not view their attitude with anything but disfavour. He felt that all
should be willing to do what they could for the Lord.
LA GE, " ehemiah 3:5. The Tekoites.—Tekoa (still bearing its old name) is nine
miles due south of Jerusalem, and about two miles south-west of the conspicuous
Frank Mountain.—Their nobles put not their necks to the work of their Lord.—
ehemiah’s task was an immense one, to unite a people, in many of whom there was
no sympathy with the cause, for a rapid and successful movement. The fashionable
part of Jerusalem was in virtual league with the enemies of God. Some of these were
constrained (as Eliashib) by circumstances to take part in the work of rebuilding the
Holy City, but others (as these Tekoite nobles) resolutely kept aloof.
6 The Jeshanah[b] Gate was repaired by Joiada
son of Paseah and Meshullam son of Besodeiah.

34. They laid its beams and put its doors with their
bolts and bars in place.
BAR ES, "The old gate - Either the modern Damascus gate, the main entrance to
the city on the north side; or a gate a little further eastward.
GILL, "Moreover, the old gate repaired Jehoiada, the son of Paseah, and
Meshullam the son of Besodeiah,.... Which some think was so called because it led
to the old city Salem. Dr. Lightfoot (a) thinks it is the same with the second or third gate,
Zep_1:10. According to Vatablus, it was the gate of the old pool, Isa_22:11, or rather,
perhaps, it was the gate of the old wall Josephus speaks of (b); it led to the north of the
land:
they laid the beams thereof; as in Neh_3:3.
HE RY, "Two persons joined in repairing the old gate (Neh_3:6), and so were co-
founders, and shared the honour of it between them. The good work which we cannot
compass ourselves we must be thankful to those that will go partners with us in. Some
think that this is called the old gate because it belonged to the ancient Salem, which was
said to be first built by Melchizedek.
K&D, "From the gate of the old wall to the valley gate. - Neh_3:6 ‫ה‬ָ‫נ‬ ָ‫שׁ‬ְ‫י‬ ַ‫ה‬ ‫ר‬ ַ‫ע‬ ַ‫שׁ‬ does not
mean the old gate, for ‫הישׁנה‬ is genitive. Schultz (Jerus. p. 90), Thenius, and Bertheau
supply ‫יר‬ ִ‫ע‬ ָ‫,ה‬ gate of the old town, and explain the name from the fact that Bezetha, the
new town, already existed as a suburb or village in front of the gate, which was named
after the contrast. To this Arnold rightly objects (in Herzog's Realencycl. xviii. p. 628)
that it is by no means proved that there was at that time any contrast between the old
and new towns, and as well as Hupfeld (die topograph. Streitfragen über Jerus., in the
morgenl. Zeitschrift, xv. p. 231) supplies ‫ה‬ ָ‫ּומ‬‫ח‬: gate of the old wall. He does not, however,
derive this designation from the remark (vv. Neh_3:8), “They fortified Jerusalem unto
the broad wall,” as though this old wall received its name from having been left
undestroyed by the Chaldeans, which is irreconcilable with the fact (4-8) that both the
gate of the old wall and the portions of wall adjoining it on each side were now built, but
understands the term “old wall” as used in contrast to the “broad wall,” which had
indeed been rebuilt after the destruction by Joash (2Ki_14:13). This view we esteem to
be correct. The individuals specified as the builders of this gate are not further known.
That two principes were employed in the rebuilding of this gate is explained by Ramb. as
arising vel quod penitus disturbata a Chaldaeis, vel quod magnis sumtibus reparanda
fuit, quos unus princeps ferre non potuit.
COFFMA , "LIST OF THE FOREME WHO REPAIRED THE OLD GATE

35. "And the old gate repaired Joiada the son of Paseah and Meshullum the son of
Besodeiah; they laid the beams thereoff and set up the doors thereof, and the bolts
thereof, and the bars thereof. And next unto them repaired Melatiah the Gibeonite
and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon, and of Mizpah, that appertained to
the throne of the governor beyond the River. ext unto him repaired Uzziel the son
of Harhaiah, goldsmiths. And next unto them repaired Hananiah one of the
perfumers, and they fortified Jerusalem even unto the broad wall. And next unto
them repaired Rephaih the son of Hur, the ruler of half the district of Jerusalem.
And next unto them repaired Jedaiah the son of Harumaph, over against his house.
And next unto him repaired Hattush the son of Hashabneiah. Malchijah the son of
Harim, and Hasshub the son of Pahath-moab, repaired another portion, and the
tower of the furnaces. And next unto him repaired Shallum the son of Hallohesh,
the ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, he and his daughters."
Critics attempting to make this chapter some kind of an interpolation claim that, "It
is intent upon underscoring the role of the clergy in the rebuilding of the wall."[4]
However, no such intention is evident in this chapter. On the other hand, the focus is
not upon the clergy at all, but upon the fact that EVERYBODY engaged in the
work. "All classes participated in the project, including priests ( ehemiah 3:1),
goldsmiths and perfumers ( ehemiah 3:8), rulers of the city and even women
( ehemiah 3:12), also Levites ( ehemiah 3:17) and merchants ( ehemiah 3:32)."[5]
Where is there any emphasis on the clergy in all that?
ot merely the population of Jerusalem engaged in this project, but their fellow-
countrymen who lived throughout the area. "These included the men of Jericho
( ehemiah 3:2), the Tekoites ( ehemiah 3:5), the men of Gibeon and Mizpah
( ehemiah 3:7), the inhabitants of Zanoah ( ehemiah 3:13), those who lived in the
district of Bethzur ( ehemiah 3:16), those in Keilah ( ehemiah 3:17), and the men
of the Plain, the Jordan valley ( ehemiah 3:22)."[6] Again, we must ask, "Where is
there any special emphasis upon the clergy in this chapter"?
Another factor that ties this chapter irrevocably to the person of ehemiah is the
frequent mention of the great beams used for the doors of the various gates. Only
ehemiah had the king's permission to bring these, presumably from the forest of
Lebanon; and it was therefore the men directly obedient to the orders of ehemiah
who delivered these great timbers to the various locations. The fact of ehemiah's
name not being mentioned in these verses is of no importance whatever.
ELLICOTT, "(6) The old gate.— ot mentioned elsewhere: probably that of
Damascus; but (by a conjectural addition to the text,) it has been translated the gate
of the old wall, as if distinguished from “the broad wall.”
TRAPP, " ehemiah 3:6 Moreover the old gate repaired Jehoiada the son of Paseah,
and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah; they laid the beams thereof, and set up the
doors thereof, and the locks thereof, and the bars thereof.

36. Ver. 6. Moreover the old gate] Famous only for its antiquity; like as many old books
are monumenta adorandae robiginis, of more antiquity than authority; and as that
image at Ephesus, that was said, but falsely, to have fallen down from Jupiter (
Dιοπετες), so the covetous priests persuaded the credulous people, Acts 19:35. The
Rabbis say, that this was a gate ever since the time that David took Zion from the
Jebusites, Quis hoc credat, nisi sit pro teste vetustas? Who would believe this unless
he winessed it?
PETT, "Verse 6
‘And Joiada the son of Paseah and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah repaired the
gate of the old (city or wall). They laid its beams, and set up its doors, and its bolts,
and its bars.’
The next gate following the Fish Gate was the ‘gate of the old’, that is, either of the
old city or of the old wall. It was jointly repaired by Joiada ben-Paseah and
Meshullam ben-Besodeia and their families. Both were popular Jewish names. A son
of Eliashib the High Priest was also called Joiada. The gateway and the gatehouses
would be repaired first, with the beams being put in place ready for the gates, then
later on (after ehemiah 6:1) the gates with their bolts and bars would be hung.
ote that once again trusting in God does not prevent the need for bolts and bars.
We are not called on to be foolish. This gate was near the north-west corner of the
city.
LA GE, " ehemiah 3:6. The old gate must have been in the north wall, east of the
present Damascusgate. Keil reads: “gate of the old wall” with Arnold and Hupfeld,
as referring to the old wall in distinction from the “broad wall,” which was newer. If
we are to read Jeshanah as a genitive, it is possible that the gate was “the gate of
Jeshanah” as leading to that town ( 2 Chronicles 13:19). (See Excursus.)
7 ext to them, repairs were made by men from
Gibeon and Mizpah—Melatiah of Gibeon and
Jadon of Meronoth—places under the authority
of the governor of Trans-Euphrates.
BAR ES, "Unto the throne ... - The meaning is thought to be “the men of Gibeon
and Mizpah, who, though they worked for Nehemiah, were not under his government,
but belonged to the jurisdiction of the governor on this side the river.”

37. CLARKE, "The throne of the governor - His house, and the place where he
dispensed justice and judgment. Previously to the days of Nehemiah, Jerusalem was
governed by a deputy from the Persian king; (see Neh_5:15); but after this time they
were governed by governors and judges chosen from among themselves.
GILL, "And next unto them repaired Melatiah the Gibeonite, and Jadon the
Meronothite, the men of Gibeon and Mizpah,.... Which places were both in the
tribe of Benjamin, Jos_18:25 and one of these men was of the one place, and the other of
the other:
unto the throne of the governor on this side the river; where the governor of
those parts under the king of Persia had his seat, and now Nehemiah; but, according to
Aben Ezra, Cisse, rendered "throne", is the name of a man who was the governor.
K&D, "Neh_3:7
Next unto them repaired Melatiah the Gibeonite, and Jadon the Meronothite, the men
of Gibeon and of Mizpah. If Melatiah is to be regarded as the superintendent of the men
of Gibeon, Jadon the Meronothite must be equally esteemed that of the men of Mizpah.
Meronoth, mentioned only here and 1Ch_27:30, must have been some small place near
Mizpah. Mizpah (‫ה‬ ָ ְ‫צ‬ ִ ַ‫,ה‬ the watch-tower) is probably the modern Nebi Samwil, two
leagues to the north-east of Jerusalem; see rem. on Jos_19:26. The meaning of the
words next following, ‫וגו‬ ‫ת‬ ַ‫ח‬ ַ ‫א‬ ֵ ִⅴ ְ‫,ל‬ is questionable. Bertheau, together with Osiander,
Cler., de Wette, and others, understands them as more precisely defining the men before
named, as men of Gibeon and Mizpah, of the throne or belonging to the throne of the
Pechah of Eber hannahar. This addition brings to light the fact that Jews who were not
under the jurisdiction of Nehemiah, nevertheless took part in the restoration of the wall.
It also distinguishes these men of Mizpah from those mentioned Neh_3:15 and Neh_
3:19, who were certainly not under the Pechah of Eber hannahar. Finally, the boundary
of the little territory of the returned Jewish community must have been at about Mizpah
and Gibeon; and a statement that certain inhabitants of this district were not under the
Pechah of Jerusalem, but under the Pechah of the province west of Euphrates, would
agree with the position of Gibeon and Mizpah. None, however, of these reasons are of
much force. For if, according to Neh_3:5 and Neh_3:27, the Tekoites repaired two
different lengths of wall, without this fact implying any distinction between these two
parties of Tekoite builders, the same may be the case with the men of Gibeon and
Mizpah. Besides, neither in this verse nor in Neh_3:15 and Neh_3:19 are the men of
Mizpah in general spoken of, so as to make a distinction necessary; for in this verse two
chiefs, Melatiah and Jadon, are designated as men of Gibeon and Mizpah, and in Neh_
3:15 and Neh_3:19 two rulers of the district of Mizpah are specified by name. Hence the
view that part of the inhabitants of Mizpah were under the jurisdiction of the Pechah of
the province west of Euphrates, and part under that of the Pechah of Jerusalem, is
devoid of probability. Finally, there is no adequate analogy for the metonomy set up in
support of this view, viz., that ‫א‬ ֵ ִⅴ, a seat, a throne, stands for jurisdiction. The words in

38. question can have only a local signification. ‫א‬ ֵ ִⅴ may indeed by metonomy be used for
the official residence, but not for the official or judicial district, or jurisdiction of the
Pechah. ‫א‬ ֵ ִⅴ ְ‫ל‬ does not state the point to which, but the direction or locality in which,
these persons repaired the wall: “towards the seat of the Pechah,” i.e., at the place where
the court or tribunal of the governor placed over the province on this side Euphrates was
held when he came to Jerusalem to administer justice, or to perform any other official
duties required of him. This being so, it appears from this verse that this court was
within the northern wall, and undoubtedly near a gate.
ELLICOTT, "(7) Unto the throne.—Unto the seat of the pechah of the whole
district this side the Euphrates: his residence when he came to Jerusalem.
TRAPP, " ehemiah 3:7 And next unto them repaired Melatiah the Gibeonite, and
Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon, and of Mizpah, unto the throne of the
governor on this side the river.
Ver. 7. Unto the throne of the governor] i.e. Of the king of Persia’s viceroy, who had
there his throne, or tribunal. But to what a height of pride were the bishops grown,
that sat in thrones, and from on high despised their fellow servants! this was their
ruin, God putts down the mighty from their throne, and exalts them of low degree,
Luke 1:52.
PETT, "Verse 7
‘And next to them repaired Melatiah the Gibeonite, and Jadon the Meronothite, the
men of Gibeon, and of Mizpah, which pertains to the seat of the governor of Beyond
the River.’
The part of the wall following the Gate of the Old City/Wall was repaired by
Melatiah the Gibeonite, and Jadon the Meronothite, who supervised the men of
Gibeon and Mizpah. As Melatiah was a Gibeonite, Meronoth was presumably
connected with Mizpah. The Mizpah in question is possibly identified as being the
place where the Governor of Beyond The River had his residence when he visited
Judah (‘the seat of the Governor’). Or it may be that ‘towards the seat of the
governor of Beyond the River’ refers to the part of the wall being repaired, it being
by the Governor’s Jerusalem residence. Either way it is probable that Mizpah is the
Mizpah of 2 Kings 25:23; Jeremiah 40:5-12.
All the work described above was on the northern wall, and it is around this point
that we move to the work on the western wall.
LA GE, " ehemiah 3:7. Meronothite.—Here and in 1 Chronicles 27:30 only.
Meronoth may have been a dependent village of Mizpah.—Unto the throne of the
governor on this side the river.—They did not repair unto (i.e. as far as) the throne,
etc. Then the preposition would have been ’ad, but it is l (i.e. el). It connects the
description with Mizpah, and describes this Mizpah as belonging to the throne (or
sway) of the governor beyond the river (i.e. beyond the river from Susa and the
empire’s centre), or as our version has it “the governor on this side the river.”

39. Perhaps this was to distinguish it from the Gilead Mizpah, which was under another
governor ( Judges 10:17, etc.). In this case the “river” would be the Jordan. Some
place Mizpah at eby Samwil, some at Scopus.
8 Uzziel son of Harhaiah, one of the goldsmiths,
repaired the next section; and Hananiah, one of
the perfume-makers, made repairs next to that.
They restored Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall.
CLARKE, "Goldsmiths - From the remotest period of the history of the Jews they
had artists in all elegant and ornamental trades; and it is also evident that goldsmiths,
apothecaries, and merchants were formed into companies in the time of Nehemiah.
Apothecaries - Rather such as dealt in drugs, aromatics, spices, etc., for embalming,
or for furnishing the temple with the incense consumed there.
GILL, "Next unto him repaired Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, of the
goldsmiths,.... Or Tzorephim, which, according to Jarchi, was the name of a family so
called from their trade and business:
next unto him also repaired Hananiah the son of one of the apothecaries; or
confectioners, which also might be the name of a family so called for the same reason:
and they fortified Jerusalem unto the broad wall; which reached from the gate of
Ephraim to the corner gate, which was broken down by Joash, king of Israel, but was
rebuilt so strong by Uzziah, king of Judah, that it stood firm to this time; wherefore
these men repaired up to it, but left that as they found it; see 2Ch_25:23, and were not
careful to repair it, it not wanting any repair.
HE RY, "Several good honest tradesmen, as well as priests and rulers, were active in
this work - goldsmiths, apothecaries, merchants, Neh_3:8, Neh_3:32. They did not
think their callings excused them, nor plead that they could not leave their shops to
attend the public business, knowing that what they lost would certainly be made up to
them by the blessing of God upon their callings.
JAMISO , "they fortified Jerusalem unto the broad wall — or, “double wall,”

40. extending from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, four hundred cubits in length,
formerly broken down by Joash, king of Israel [2Ch_25:23], but afterwards rebuilt by
Uzziah [2Ch_26:9], who made it so strong that the Chaldeans, finding it difficult to
demolish, had left it standing.
K&D, "Neh_3:8
Next to him repaired Uzziel the son of Harhaiah of the goldsmiths, and next to him
repaired Hananiah, a son of the apothecaries. ‫ים‬ ִ‫פ‬ ְ‫ּור‬‫צ‬ is in explanatory apposition to the
name Uzziel, and the plural is used to denote that his fellow-artisans worked with him
under his direction. Hananiah is called ‫ים‬ ִ‫ח‬ ָ ַ‫ר‬ ָ‫ן־ה‬ ֶ , son of the apothecaries, i.e., belonging
to the guild of apothecaries. The obscure words, ‫וגו‬ ‫בוּ‬ְ‫ז‬ ַ‫ע‬ַ ַ‫,ו‬ “and they left Jerusalem unto
the broad wall,” have been variously interpreted. From Neh_12:38, where the broad wall
is also mentioned, it appears that a length of wall between the tower of the furnaces and
the gate of Ephraim was thus named, and not merely a place in the wall distinguished for
its breadth, either because it stood out or formed a corner, as Bertheau supposes; for the
reason adduced for this opinion, viz., that it is not said that the procession went along
the broad wall, depends upon a mistaken interpretation of the passage cited. The
expression “the broad wall” denotes a further length of wall; and as this lay, according to
Neh_12:38, west of the gate of Ephraim, the conjecture forces itself upon us, that the
broad wall was that 400 cubits of the wall of Jerusalem, broken down by the Israelite
king Joash, from the gate of Ephraim unto the corner gate (2Ki_14:13), and afterwards
rebuilt by Uzziel of a greater breadth, and consequently of increased strength (Joseph.
Antiq. ix. 10. 3). Now the gate of Ephraim not being mentioned among the rebuilt gates,
and this gate nevertheless existing (according to Neh_8:16) in the days of Nehemiah, the
reason of this omission must be the circumstance that it was left standing when the wall
of Jerusalem was destroyed. The remark, then, in this verse seems to say the same
concerning the broad wall, whether we understand it to mean: the builders left
Jerusalem untouched as far as the broad wall, because this place as well as the adjoining
gate of Ephraim needed no restoration; or: the Chaldeans had here left Jerusalem, i.e.,
either the town or town-wall, standing. So Hupfeld in his above-cited work, p. 231;
Arnold; and even older expositors.
(Note: Bertheau's interpretation of this statement, viz., that at the rebuilding and
re-fortification of the town after the captivity, the part of the town extending to the
broad wall was left, i.e., was not rebuilt, but delayed for the present, answers neither
to the verbal sense of the passage nor to the particular mentioned Neh_12:38, that at
the dedication of the wall the second company of them that gave thanks went upon
the wall from beyond the tower of the furnaces even unto the broad wall, and over
from beyond the gate of Ephraim, etc. Haneberg (in Reusch's theol. Literaturbl.
1869, No. 12) supports this view, but understands by “the broad wall” the wall which
had a broad circuit, i.e., the wall previous to the captivity, and hence infers that the
Jerusalem now rebuilt was not equal in extent to the old city. But if a portion of the
former city had here been left outside the new wall, the gate of Ephraim would have
been displaced, and must have been rebuilt elsewhere in a position to the south of
the old gate. Still less can the attempt of the elder Buxtorf (Lexic. talm. rabb. s. v.
‫ב‬ַ‫ז‬ ָ‫,)ע‬ now revived by Ewald (Gesch. iv. p. 174), to force upon the word ‫ב‬ַ‫ז‬ ֲ‫ע‬ the meaning
restaurare, or fortify, be justified.)

41. ELLICOTT, "(8) And they fortified Jerusalem unto the broad wall.—The word
translated “fortified” means literally left, and this yields a good sense: they left
Jerusalem untouched as far as a certain portion of the wall extended which needed
no restoration. The gate of Ephraim was in this (see ehemiah 12:38-39); and it is
significant that nothing is said about the rebuilding of this important gate.
TRAPP, " ehemiah 3:8 ext unto him repaired Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, of the
goldsmiths. ext unto him also repaired Hananiah the son of [one of] the
apothecaries, and they fortified Jerusalem unto the broad wall.
Ver. 8. Of the goldsmiths … the son of one of the apothecaries] These were ever
thriving trades; they both had wealth, and hearts to part with it, upon so good a
work. Difficile est animos opibus non tradere, &c. It is not difficult that their spirits
deliver help. (Martial).
Unto the broad wall] Which, haply for the thickness of it, was left undemolished by
the Chaldeans.
PETT, "Verse 8
‘ ext to him repaired Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, goldsmiths.’
The next part of the wall was repaired by the family or guild of Uzziel ben
Harhaiah, who were goldsmiths. The name of the family guild head is intended to
include both his own wider family and the guild of goldsmiths who would all assist
in building. In Jerusalem each occupation would have its guild, and they would tend
to live together in their own ‘quarter’ where their products were sold. This part of
the wall probably sheltered ‘the quarter of the goldsmiths’, where gold was moulded
and then sold in the gold market. ote, however, that in ehemiah 3:32 we learn of
goldsmiths involved in the Temple area, no doubt on religious artefacts.
ehemiah 3:8
‘And next to him repaired Hananiah one of the perfumers, and they left out part of
Jerusalem even to the broad wall.’
ext to the quarter of the goldsmiths was the quarter of the perfumers where
perfume was made and traded (or ‘of the apothecaries’). A leading light of the guild
was Hananiah, a well recognisable Jewish name. This part of the wall appears to
have been built leaving outside the wall a section of Jerusalem, which had possibly
grown up subsequently since the previous wall was built. ‘They’ may indicate the
perfumers, or it may indicate a number of those previously mentioned.
‘Even to the broad wall.’ This suggests that there was a section of Jerusalem which
was left outside the walls going ‘as far as the broad wall’, a no doubt recognisable
landmark. If this omitted section had never previously been included within the
walls of Jerusalem we can understand why they would not want to build a new wall
enclosing it due to time pressure. Rather they repaired the old one which left it

42. outside. The work had to be done quickly. We do not know why the broad wall was
called ‘the broad wall’. It may have been because it was at the widest part of the
city, or it may have been because it had previously had to be rebuilt and had been
made broader in order to increase its strength. Sites on the western hill (outside the
wall) have been found to contain iron age remains, which would tie in with what we
find here.
BE SO , " ehemiah 3:8. ext unto him repaired Uzziel; also Hananiah — These
were two eminent persons, one among the workers or casters of gold, the other
among the perfumers. They fortified Jerusalem, &c., unto the broad wall — It is not
said, they repaired, but, they fortified it, either because this part of the wall was less
demolished than the other, and therefore they needed not to repair it, but only to
make it stronger; or, to note their extraordinary care and diligence, that they would
not only repair it, but make it stronger than ever.
LA GE, " ehemiah 3:8. The son of one of the apothecaries.—Probably the name
Shelemiah ( ehemiah 3:30) has dropped out here. The goldsmiths and apothecaries
(makers of spices, ointments and perfumes) worked under these leaders. These
apothecaries are supposed by some to have been priests ( 1 Chronicles 9:30).
Fortified Jerusalem.—Here and at ehemiah 4:2, the Heb. word ’azab is translated
in E. V. “fortify.” Fürst derives it from an original meaning of “knot” or “bind;”
hence “fasten” or “repair.” Ewald gives it the meaning of “shelter.” But in Exodus
23:5 it seems to mean “help,” though Fürst there gives it the meaning of “loosen.” A
common meaning of the word is “to forsake” as in Deuteronomy 31:16. This last
meaning Fürst and Gesenius retain in ehemiah 4:2 by translating: “will they (the
governors) forsake the matter to them?” or “will they allow them?” May not this
general notion be intended here: “they loosened (i. e freed from exposure and peril)
Jerusalem?” Keil retains the common meaning of azab, and reads: “they (the
builders, or else the Chaldeans) left Jerusalem untouched as far as the broad wall.”
The broad wall,hahomah harehavah ( ehemiah 12:38) seems to have been a special
fortification at the north-west corner of the city. Keil would identify it with the four
hundred cubits destroyed by Joash, and afterward rebuilt by Uzziah. (See
Excursus.)
9 Rephaiah son of Hur, ruler of a half-district of
Jerusalem, repaired the next section.

43. CLARKE, "Ruler of the half part of Jerusalem - Probably the city was divided
into two parts; one for Judah, and the other for Benjamin, each having its proper
governor. Rephaiah mentioned here was one of these governors, and Shallum,
mentioned Neh_3:12, was the other. There were other rulers or governors of particular
country or village districts.
GILL, "And next unto them repaired Rephaiah, the son of Hur, the ruler of
the half part of Jerusalem. That city belonging partly to the tribe of Judah, and
partly to the tribe of Benjamin; one part of it was under a governor that was of the tribe
of Judah, as this man seems to be; and the other part under one of the tribe of Benjamin;
see Neh_3:12.
K&D, "Neh_3:9-10
Further lengths of wall were built by Rephaiah ben Hur, the ruler of the half district of
Jerusalem, i.e., of the district of country belonging to Jerusalem (comp. Neh_3:19 with
Neh_3:15, where Mizpah and the district of Mizpah are distinguished); by Jedaiah ben
Harumaph, ‫ּו‬‫ת‬‫י‬ ֵ ‫ד‬ֶ‫ג‬ֶ‫נ‬ְ‫,ו‬ and indeed before (opposite) his house, i.e., the portion of wall
which lay opposite his own dwelling; and by Hattush the son of Hashabniah. Whether
Hattush is to be identified with the priest of this name (Neh_10:5), or with the similarly
named descendant of David (Ezr_8:2), or with neither, cannot be determined.
TRAPP, " ehemiah 3:9 And next unto them repaired Rephaiah the son of Hur, the
ruler of the half part of Jerusalem.
Ver. 9. Ruler of the half part of Jerusalem] Which, being part in Judah and part in
Benjamin, had two general rulers. See ehemiah 3:12.
PETT, "Verse 9
‘And next to them repaired Rephaiah the son of Hur, the ruler of half the district of
Jerusalem.’
‘Them’ refers to the perfumers. ext to the perfumers repaired Rephaiah, and the
residents of half the district of Jerusalem over whom he was ruler. Rephaiah is a
common Jewish name used elsewhere of a member of David's family (1 Chronicles
3:21); of a captain of Simeon (1 Chronicles 4:42); of a grandson of Issachar (1
Chronicles 7:2), and of a descendant of Saul (1 Chronicles 9:43; in 1 Chronicles 8:37
called "Raphah").
‘The ruler (plch, an unusual word for ruler, possibly cognate with Akkadian pilku =
region) of half the district (‘circle’) of Jerusalem.’ This district would include land
outside the city of Jerusalem as well as in it. The mention of five rulers of districts in
the passage is a reminder of the fact that Judah was split up into administrative
districts. (The others mentioned are Beth-hakkerrem ( ehemiah 3:14 - 5 kilometres

44. (3 miles) north of Bethlehem), Mizpah ( ehemiah 3:15 - 7 kilometres (4 miles) south
of Bethel), Beth-zur ( ehemiah 3:16 - 6 kilometres (4 miles) north of Hebron), and
Keilah ( ehemiah 3:17 - in the Shephelah, 16 kilometres (10 miles) north east of
Lachish). The non-mention of other such rulers of districts may either suggest that
their rulers were not sympathetic to the returnees, or that they were simply not
sympathetic towards the rebuilding of the wall.
BE SO , " ehemiah 3:9-10. The ruler of the half part of Jerusalem — As Rome
was anciently divided into several quarters or regions, so was Jerusalem; and
especially into two parts, whereof one was in the tribe of Benjamin, and nearest the
temple, the other in the tribe of Judah; these accordingly had two several rulers, this
man and the other, ( ehemiah 3:12,) but both under the chief governor of the city.
Jedaiah — over against his house — That part of the wall which was next to him,
which his own interest obliged him to repair.
LA GE, " ehemiah 3:9. Ruler of the half part of Jerusalem.—Compare ehemiah
3:12; ehemiah 3:14-18. Pelek means a circuit, and is a governmental term.
Rephaiah was ruler of half the circuit of Jerusalem, and Shallum ( ehemiah 3:12)
was ruler of the other half. The circuits of Beth-zur and Keilah had each two rulers
also (see ehemiah 3:16-18). These circuits were probably districts deriving their
names from their chief towns.
10 Adjoining this, Jedaiah son of Harumaph made
repairs opposite his house, and Hattush son of
Hashabneiah made repairs next to him.
GILL, "And next unto him repaired Jedaiah, the son of Harumaph, over
against his house,.... That part of the wall which stood right against his house; and to
take this part he could not well object to it, and it might be reasonably thought he would
take care to repair it well, and make it strong for his own safety:
and next unto him repaired Hattush, the son of Hashabniah; but who he was is
not known.
HE RY, " Of some it is said that they repaired over against their houses (Neh_3:10,
Neh_3:23, Neh_3:28, Neh_3:29), and of one (who, it is likely, was only a lodger) that he
repaired over against his chamber, Neh_3:30. When a general good work is to be done

45. each should apply himself to that part of it that falls nearest to him and is within his
reach. If every one will sweep before his own door, the street will be clean; if every one
will mend one, we shall be all mended. If he that has but a chamber will repair before
that, he does his part.
TRAPP, " ehemiah 3:10 And next unto them repaired Jedaiah the son of
Harumaph, even over against his house. And next unto him repaired Hattush the
son of Hashabniah.
Ver. 10. Even over against his house] Thither he was assigned, probably, because
there he would build the stronger, for his own security.
PETT, "Verse 10
‘And next to them repaired Jedaiah the son of Harumaph, and over against his
house.’
This suggests that Jedaiah was an important man who had a large house in that part
of Jerusalem. It confirms that where possible those who had residences in Jerusalem
built the section of the wall in which they were most interested (as with the
goldsmiths and the perfumers). This may, of course, have been at their own
suggestion, but it would certainly encourage them to ensure that the work was done
properly.
Jedaiah, which means ‘Yah knows’, was another popular name. ‘Sons of Jedaiah’
had previously arrived with the first batch of exiles a hundred years earlier
( ehemiah 7:39; Ezra 2:36). Thus Jedaiah was a family name. It was the name of a
priest in Jerusalem after the Exile (1 Chronicles 9:10; 1 Chronicles 24:7); a Jedaiah
was found among the priests and Levites who returned with Zerubbabel ( ehemiah
11:10; ehemiah 12:6; ehemiah 12:19), and another priest was also called Jedaiah
( ehemiah 12:7; ehemiah 12:21). A Jedaiah was one of those previously called on
by Zechariah to fashion a crown for the symbolic crowning of Joshua the High
Priest as ‘the Branch’ (Zechariah 6:10; Zechariah 6:14).
ehemiah 3:10
‘And next to him repaired Hattush the son of Hashabneiah.’
ext to the household of Jedaiah, repaired Hattush, son of Hashabneiah, and his
household. Here was another prominent man, made responsible for the repair of
this part of the wall.
A Hattush was one of those who signed the covenant with ehemiah ( ehemiah
10:4), but that may have been the prominent Hattush of the sons of David who had
returned with Ezra (Ezra 8:2). A Hattush, the son of Shemaiah, of the sons of David,
is mentioned in 1 Chronicles 3:22. These are probably not connected with this
Hattush, who was a son of Hashabneiah. Hashabneiah was the name of a Levite
mentioned in connection with the prayer preceding the signing of the covenant
( ehemiah 9:5), but again there was probably no connection.

46. 11 Malkijah son of Harim and Hasshub son of
Pahath-Moab repaired another section and the
Tower of the Ovens.
BAR ES, "The other piece - Rather, “another piece” (as in Neh_3:19, Neh_3:21,
Neh_3:27, Neh_3:30). It is conjectured that a verse has fallen out in which Malchijah’s
and Hashub’s “first piece” was mentioned.
The tower of the furnaces - Either a tower at the northwestern angle of the city;
or, midway in the western wall. The origin of the name is uncertain.
CLARKE, "Repaired the other piece - That which was left by Jedaiah after he
had repaired the wall opposite to his own house. Probably some of the principal people
were obliged to repair those parts of the wall opposite to their own dwellings. Perhaps
this was the case generally.
GILL, "Malchijah the son of Harim, and Hashub the son of Pahathmoab,....
The fathers of these were heads of families that came out of captivity with Zerubbabel,
Ezr_2:6
repaired the other piece: or second piece, below and next to that which Hattush
repaired, the last builder mentioned:
and the tower of the furnaces; near to which were furnaces for the baking of bread,
or of bricks.
K&D, "Neh_3:11
A second section of wall was repaired by Malchijah the son of Harim, and Hashshub
ben Pahath-Moab, two families who came up with Zerubbabel, Ezr_2:6 and Ezr_2:32.
Bertheau understands ‫ית‬ִ‫נ‬ ֵ‫שׁ‬ ‫ה‬ ָ ִ‫מ‬ of a second section of wall added to a first already
repaired by the same builders. So, too, he says, did Meremoth ben Urijah build one
portion, Neh_3:4, and a second, Neh_3:21; comp. Neh_3:5 and Neh_3:27, Neh_3:15
and Neh_3:19, Neh_3:8 and Neh_3:30. This first portion, however, which this mention
of a second presupposes, not being named, he infers that our present text has not

47. preserved its original completeness, and thinks it probable, from Neh_12:38 and Neh_
12:39, that certain statements, in this description, relating to the gate of Ephraim and its
neighbourhood, which once stood before Neh_3:8, have been omitted. This inference is
unfounded. The non-mention of the gate of Ephraim is to be ascribed, as we have
already remarked on Neh_3:8, to other reasons than the incompleteness of the text; and
the assertion that ‫ית‬ִ‫נ‬ ֵ‫שׁ‬ ‫ה‬ ָ ִ‫מ‬ assumes that a former portion was repaired by the same
builders, receives no support from a comparison of Neh_3:5 with Neh_3:27, Neh_3:15
with Neh_3:19, and Neh_3:8 with Neh_3:30. Hananiah the son of Shelemiah, and
Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph, who, according to Neh_3:30, built ‫י‬ִ‫נ‬ ֵ‫שׁ‬ ‫ה‬ ָ ִ‫,מ‬ are not
identical with Hananiah the son of the apothecaries, Neh_3:8. The same remark applies
to Ezer the son of Jeshua, the ruler of Mizpah (Neh_3:19), and Shallum the ruler of the
district of Mizpah (Neh_3:15). Only in Neh_3:5 and Neh_3:27, and Neh_3:4 and Neh_
3:21, are the names of the builders the same. Moreover, besides Neh_3:21 and Neh_
3:27, ‫ית‬ִ‫נ‬ ֵ‫שׁ‬ ‫ה‬ ָ ִ‫מ‬ occurs five times more (Neh_3:11, Neh_3:19, Neh_3:20, Neh_3:24, and
Neh_3:30) with respect to builders not previously (nor subsequently) mentioned in this
list. Hence, in five different places, the names of the building parties, and the notices of
the portions of wall built by them respectively, must have been lost, - a circumstance à
priori incredible. When, however, we consider the verses, in which ‫ית‬ִ‫נ‬ ֵ‫שׁ‬ ‫ה‬ ָ ִ‫מ‬ occurs, more
closely, the second length is, in Neh_3:19, Neh_3:20, Neh_3:21, Neh_3:24, and Neh_
3:27, more nearly defined by a statement of locality: thus, in Neh_3:19, we have a second
piece over against the ascent to the arsenal at the angle; in Neh_3:20, a second piece
from the angle to the door of the house of Eliashib; in Neh_3:21, a second piece from the
door of the house of Eliashib to ... ; in Neh_3:24, a second piece from the house of
Azariah to ... , who, according to Neh_3:23, built near his own house; in Neh_3:27, a
second piece over against the great projecting tower ... , as far as which, according to
Neh_3:26, the Nethinim dwelt in Ophel. From all this, it is evident that ‫ית‬ִ‫נ‬ ֵ‫שׁ‬ ‫ה‬ ָ ִ‫מ‬ in these
verses, always denotes a second portion of that length of wall previously spoken of, or a
portion next to that of which the building was previously mentioned. And so must ‫ית‬ִ‫נ‬ ֵ‫שׁ‬
‫ה‬ ָ ִ‫מ‬ be understood in the present Neh_3:11, where it is used because Malchiah and
Hashshub repaired or built the tower of the furnaces, besides the portion of wall. ‫ית‬ִ‫נ‬ ֵ‫שׁ‬ ‫ה‬ ָ ִ‫מ‬
may be rendered, “another or a further piece.” the word ‫ית‬ִ‫נ‬ ֵ‫שׁ‬ is chosen, because that
previously mentioned is regarded as a first. The tower of the furnaces lay, according to
this verse and Neh_12:38, where alone it is again mentioned, between the broad wall
and the valley-gate. Now, since there was between the gate of Ephraim and the corner-
gate a portion of wall four hundred cubits long (see 2Ki_14:13), which, as has been
above remarked, went by the name of the broad wall, it is plain that the tower of the
furnaces must be sought for in the neighbourhood of the corner-gate, or perhaps even
identified with it. This is the simplest way of accounting for the omission of any notice in
the present description of this gate, which is mentioned not merely before (2Ch_26:9;
Jer_31:38; and 2Ki_14:13), but also after, the captivity (Zec_14:10). It is probable that
the tower of the furnaces served as a defence for the corner-gate at the north-western
corner of the town, where now lie, upon an earlier building of large stones with morticed
edges, probably a fragment of the old Jewish wall, the ruins of the ancient Kal'at el
Dshalud (tower of Goliath), which might, at the time of the Crusades, have formed the
corner bastion of the city: comp. Rob. Palestine, ii. p. 114; Biblical Researches, p. 252;
and Tobler, Topogr. i. p. 67f.

48. ELLICOTT, "(11) The other piece.—This expression occurs a few times when the
repairers have been mentioned as having repaired a first piece. But it occurs several
times when there is no such mention; and in these cases, as here, must mean only
what the margin indicates, a second measure, in relation to what had just been
referred to.
TRAPP, " ehemiah 3:11 Malchijah the son of Harim, and Hashub the son of
Pahathmoab, repaired the other piece, and the tower of the furnaces.
Ver. 11. The son of Pahathmoab] This man might be a Moabite by stock or descent,
and an Israelite by religion; like as Jether was by nature an Ishmaelite, 1 Chronicles
2:17, but by his faith an Israelite, 1 Chronicles 7:38.
And the tower of the furnaces] That had furnaces or ovens under it; like as the
library at Bonony hath an eating house and a wine cellar. In commendation of
which situation Cardinal Bobba conceited that he had very wittily (indeed wickedly)
applied that text, Proverbs 9:1-2, Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath also
mingled her wine, she hath also furnished her table.
PETT, "Verse 11
‘Malchijah the son of Harim, and Hasshub the son of Pahath-moab, repaired
another portion, and the tower of the furnaces.’
Two further prominent men and their households, Malchijah and Hasshub,
repaired the next section. This included the tower of the furnaces (or ‘ovens’). This
was possibly the quarters occupied by the bakers. The tower of the furnaces is also
mentioned in ehemiah 12:38, lying between the Valley Gate and the broad wall.
The sons of Harim and the sons of Pahath-moab were listed with the returnees
(Ezra 2:6; Ezra 2:32).
Malchijah, the son of Harim, is mentioned elsewhere as having taken a foreign wife,
and having to put her away at the behest of Ezra because of her idolatry (Ezra
10:31). She was probably from a prominent family and the affair no doubt caused
some resentment against the returnees. This confirms that Ezra and ehemiah were
contemporaries (compare also on ehemiah 3:4 a). Two other Malchijahs, besides
the son of Harim, had also taken foreign wives (Ezra 10:25)
Malchijah (Yah is my king) was a prominent Israelite name. Two other Malchijahs
were involved in the building of the wall, one the son of Rechab, ruler of
Bethhecceram ( ehemiah 3:14), and the other a goldsmith ( ehemiah 3:31). A
Malchijah is mentioned as one of those at Ezra’s left hand during the reading of the
Law ( ehemiah 8:4), and a Malchijah was a signatory of ehemiah’s covenant
( ehemiah 10:3). Identification of who was who is impossible.
The name was also that of a Levite, descendant of Gershom, who was one of those
whom David set over the "service of song" in worship (1 Chronicles 6:40). It was

49. that of the head of the 5th course of priests (1 Chronicles 24:9). It was that of the
father of Pashhur ( ehemiah 11:12; Jeremiah 21:1; Jeremiah 38:1), an ancestor of
Adaiah, the latter being one of those who took up his dwelling in Jerusalem at the
behest of ehemiah ( ehemiah 11:12). It was that of a priest, who was a singer at
the dedication of the walls of Jerusalem under Ezra and ehemiah ( ehemiah
12:42).
Hasshub was also a prominent name. It was the name of another prominent builder
of the wall ( ehemiah 3:23), and of one of the signatories to ehemiah’s covenant
who was one of ‘the chiefs of the people’. It was also the name of a Levite chief
( ehemiah 11:15; 1 Chronicles 9:14).
LA GE, " ehemiah 3:11. The other piece,middah shenith, “a second piece,” as in
ehemiah 3:19; ehemiah 3:21; ehemiah 3:27; ehemiah 3:30. The first piece
(“first,” perhaps, because first assigned to them) which they repaired is mentioned
in ehemiah 3:23, where Malchijah is called Benjamin. The Harim and the Pahath-
moab, who are mentioned as the fathers of Malchijah and Hashub, who repaired
this second piece, were probably remote ancestors, Harim being the third of the
twenty-four who in David’s time gave name to the priestly divisions or courses ( 1
Chronicles 24:8), and Pahath-moab being one of the chiefs of families who came
back with Zerubbabel a century before (see ehemiah 7:11). The name Pahath-
moab (governor of Moab) is one of the evidences of a close connection with Moab on
the part of some of the families of Israel. Elimelech’s residence in Moab and David’s
use of Moab as a place of safety for his family are other evidences. (See also 1
Chronicles 4:22 for another allusion.)
The Tower of the Furnaces,Migdal hattannurim would naturally fall into the
neighborhood of the Jaffa Gate, and may be represented by the north-eastern tower
of the citadel, which Dr. Robinson identifies with Herod’s tower of Hippicus. (See
Excursus.)
12 Shallum son of Hallohesh, ruler of a half-
district of Jerusalem, repaired the next section
with the help of his daughters.

50. CLARKE, "The son of Halohesh - Or, the son of the Enchanter: conjectured to be
thus named from having the art to charm serpents.
The ruler of the half part - See on Neh_3:9 (note).
GILL, "And next unto him repaired Shallum, the son of Hallohesh,.... So
called, as Ben Melech says, from his being an enchanter of serpents, or a wise prudent
counsellor:
the ruler of the half part of Jerusalem; of the other half; see Neh_3:9
he and his daughters; who were rich widows or heiresses, and employed men to build
at their own expense; he seems to have had no sons.
HE RY, "That several rulers, both of Jerusalem and of other cities, were active in
this work, thinking themselves bound in honour to do the utmost that their wealth and
power enabled them to do for the furtherance of this good work. But it is observable that
they are called rulers of part, or the half part, of their respective cities. One was ruler of
the half part of Jerusalem (Neh_3:12), another of part of Beth-haccerem (Neh_3:14),
another of part of Mizpah (Neh_3:15), another of the half part of Beth-zur (Neh_3:16),
one was ruler of one half part, and another of the other half part, of Keilah, Neh_3:17,
Neh_3:18. Perhaps the Persian government would not entrust any one with a strong
city, but appointed two to be a watch upon each other. Rome had two consuls.
JAMISO , "Shallum ... he and his daughters — who were either heiresses or
rich widows. They undertook to defray the expenses of a part of the wall next them.
K&D, "Neh_3:12
Next repaired Shallum, ruler of the other (comp. Neh_3:9) half district of Jerusalem,
he and his daughters. ‫הוּא‬ can only refer to Shallum, not to ‫,הוּא‬ which would make the
daughters signify the daughters of the district, of the villages and places in the district.
ELLICOTT, "(12) He and his daughters.—Shallum was governor of the second
half-district around Jerusalem; and it has been thought that the “daughters” here
are the villages of the district. But needlessly: the women of Jerusalem might do
voluntarily what as females they were not pressed to do.
TRAPP, " ehemiah 3:12 And next unto him repaired Shallum the son of Halohesh,
the ruler of the half part of Jerusalem, he and his daughters.
Ver. 12. Shallum the son of Halohesh] Some read it, the son of an enchanter, or
conjurer; and tells us that conjuring was a common thing among the Jews, as, Acts
13:8 Elymas, and elsewhere the sons of Sceva, &c. But Shallum (if ever any such)
forsook that science (as did afterwards also Cyprian) to become a Christian.

51. He and his daughters] Either finishing what their father (now dead) had begun; or
parting with their portions toward the repair of the wall; and haply laying their own
hands to the Lord’s work.
PETT, "Verse 12
‘And next to him repaired Shallum the son of Hallohesh, the ruler of half the
district of Jerusalem, he and his daughters.’
In charge of the repairing of the next section of the wall were Shallum, ruler of half
the district of Jerusalem (compare ehemiah 3:9 for the ruler of the other half),
‘and his daughters’. The daughters no doubt took oversight rather than doing the
actual building, (they were chief’s daughters). They would inherit his name and
property, and can be compared with the daughters of Zelophehad ( umbers 36:1-
8). They are the only women described as involving themselves in the work. It is,
however, extremely probable that others played their part in some way in a more
humble fashion.
Shallum was such a popular name that it is hard to know where to begin. It was the
name of the youngest son of aphtali (1 Chronicles 7:13), called "Shillem" in
Genesis 46:24; umbers 26:49, who went into Egypt with Jacob. It was the name of
a descendant of Simeon, being the son of Shaul and the father of Mibsam (1
Chronicles 4:25). He lived in the mid-second millennium BC. It was the name of a
son of Sismai, descended through the female line from Sheshan of the tribe of Judah
(1 Chronicles 2:34; 1 Chronicles 2:40-41), who lived later in the second millennium
BC. It was the name of a son of Kore, a porter of the sanctuary during the reign of
David (1 Chronicles 9:17; 1 Chronicles 9:19; 1 Chronicles 9:31; compare Ezra 2:42;
ehemiah 7:45). The name is also written as "Me-shullam" in ehemiah 12:25,
"Me-shelem-iah" in 1 Chronicles 26:1-2; 1 Chronicles 26:9, and "Shelemiah" in 1
Chronicles 26:14. He lived about 1050 BC.
It was the name of a son of Zadok, who as such was the father of Hilkiah, a high
priest and ancestor of Ezra the scribe (1 Chronicles 6:12-13; Ezra 7:2). It was the
name of the fifteenth king of Israel, the son of Josiah (Jeremiah 22:11; 2 Chronicles
34:22) who took the throne name of Jehoahaz II (2 Chronicles 36:1). It was the
name of a son of Bani, a priest who had taken a foreign wife and was compelled by
Ezra the scribe to put her away (Ezra 10:42). It was the name of the father of
Jehizkiah, an Ephraimite in the time of Ahaz king of Israel (2 Chronicles 28:12). It
was the name of the husband of the prophetess Huldah (2 Kings 22:14; 2 Chronicles
34:22). He was the keeper of the sacred wardrobe and was probably the uncle of
Jeremiah the prophet (Jeremiah 32:7; compare Jeremiah 35:4). It was the name of a
Levite who was a porter at the time of Ezra (Ezra 10:24).
BE SO , " ehemiah 3:12. Shallum, the ruler of the half part, &c. — That is, of the
other half of Jerusalem: see on ehemiah 3:9. He and his daughters — Who were
either heiresses or rich widows, and caused part to be done at their charges.

52. 13 The Valley Gate was repaired by Hanun and
the residents of Zanoah. They rebuilt it and put its
doors with their bolts and bars in place. They also
repaired a thousand cubits[c] of the wall as far as
the Dung Gate.
BAR ES, "Zanoah lay west of Jerusalem, at the distance of about 10 miles (Jos_
15:34 note).
CLARKE, "The inhabitants of Zanoah - This was a town in the tribe of Judah.
Jos_15:34.
GILL, "The valley gate repaired Hanun,.... Of which see Neh_2:13,
and the inhabitants of Zanoah; a city in the tribe of Judah, Jos_15:34,
they built it, and set up the doors thereof, &c. see Neh_3:3,
and a thousand cubits on the wall to the dung gate; that is, they repaired the wall
to such a length from the valley gate to the dung gate; see Neh_2:13.
JAMISO , "the inhabitants of Zanoah — There were two towns so called in the
territory of Judah (Jos_15:34, Jos_15:56).
K&D 13-14, "From the valley-gate to the dung-gate. The valley-gate lay in the west,
in the neighbourhood of the present Jaffa gate (see rem. on Neh_2:13), ”where,” as
Tobler, Topogr. i. p. 163, expresses it, “we may conclude there must almost always have
been, on the ridge near the present citadel, the site in the time of Titus of the water-gate
also (Joseph. bell. Jud. v. 7. 3), an entrance provided with gates.” Hanun and the
inhabitants of Zanoah are here connected, probably because Hanun was the chief or

53. ruler of the inhabitants of this place. Zanoah, now Zanna, is in the Wady Ismail, west of
Jerusalem; see rem. on Jos_15:34. They built and set up its doors, etc.; comp. Neh_3:6.
The further statement, “and a thousand cubits on the wall unto the dung-gate,” still
depends on ‫יק‬ִ‫ז‬ ֱ‫ח‬ ֶ‫,ה‬ the principal verb of the verse. It is incomprehensible how Bertheau
can say that this statement does not refer to the repairing of the wall, but only declares
that the distance from the valley-gate to the dung-gate amounted to one thousand
cubits. For the remark, that a section of such a length is, in comparison with the other
sections, far too extensive, naturally proves nothing more than that the wall in this part
had suffered less damage, and therefore needed less repair. The number one thousand
cubits is certainly stated in round numbers. The length from the present Jaffa gate to the
supposed site of the dung-gate, on the south-western edge of Zion, is above two
thousand five hundred feet. The dung-gate may, however, have been placed at a greater
distance from the road leading to Baher. ‫ּות‬‫פ‬ ְ‫ֽשׁ‬ ָ‫ה‬ is only another form for ‫ּות‬ ְ‫שׁ‬ፍ ָ‫ה‬ (without
‫א‬ prosthetic). Malchiah ben Rechab, perhaps a Rechabite, built and fortified the dung-
gate; for though the Rechabites were forbidden to build themselves houses (Jer_35:7),
they might, without transgressing this paternal injunction, take part in building the
fortifications of Jerusalem (Berth.). This conjecture is, however, devoid of probability,
for a Rechabite would hardly be a prince or ruler of the district of Beth-haccerem. The
name Rechab occurs as early as the days of David, 2Sa_4:5. ‫ם‬ ֶ‫ר‬ ֶⅴ ַ‫ית־ה‬ ֵ , i.e., the garden or
vineyard-house, where, according to Jer_6:1, the children of Benjamin were wont to set
up a banner, and to blow the trumpet in Tekoa, is placed by Jerome (Comm. Jer 6) upon
a hill between Jerusalem and Tekoa; on which account Pococke (Reise, ii. p. 63) thinks
Beth-Cherem must be sought for on the eminence now known as the Frank mountain,
the Dshebel Fureidis, upon which was the Herodium of Josephus. This opinion is
embraced with some hesitation by Robinson (Pal. ii. p. 397), and unreservedly by Wilson
(The Holy City, i. p. 396) and v. de Velde, because “when we consider that this hill is the
highest point in the whole district, and is by reason of its isolated position and conical
shape very conspicuous, we shall find that no other locality better corresponds with the
passage cited.
COFFMA , "THE WALL THAT I CLUDED THE VALLEY GATE A D THE
DU G GATE REPAIRED
"The valley gate repaired Hanun, and the inhabitants of Zanoah; they built it, and
set up the doors thereof, the bolts thereof, and the bars thereof, and a thousand
cubits of the wall unto the dung gate.
"And the dung gate repaired Malchijah the son of Rechab, the ruler of the district
of Beth-haccherem; he built it, and set up the doors thereof, the bolts thereof, and
the bars thereof."
Thousands of the Israelites worked on the walls, but only the leaders of the
companies working on the various sections were named. ote that one group of
workers build a thousand cubits of the wall ( ehemiah 3:13). That is fifteen
hundred feet! The Rechabites also appear to have made their contribution, as may
be indicated by the name of the ruler mentioned in ehemiah 3:14.

54. The next section of the wall mentioned is that including the fountain gate, on the
southeastern section of the city, where the walls were the most completely
demolished. That accounts for the fact that the majority of the workers were
employed there.
ELLICOTT, "(13) A thousand cubits.— ot so much “built” as “strengthened.”
This comparatively large space—mentioned in round numbers—had probably
suffered less damage, and therefore needed less repairing.
TRAPP, " ehemiah 3:13 The valley gate repaired Hanun, and the inhabitants of
Zanoah; they built it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars
thereof, and a thousand cubits on the wall unto the dung gate.
Ver. 13. The valley gate] See ehemiah 2:13.
And the inhabitants of Zanoah] Together with Hanun, their governor. ot priests
and Levites only, but the great men in every country, yea, and the country people
too, must work at God’s building. Every one must be active in his own sphere; not
live to himself, but help to bear the burdens of Church and commonwealth, toti
natum se credere mundo, as Cato did (Lucan).
PETT, "Verse 13
‘Hanun, and the inhabitants of Zanoah repaired the valley gate. They built it, and
set up its doors, its bolts and its bars, and a thousand cubits of the wall to the dung
gate.’
ext to Shallum and his daughters were Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah.
They repaired the Valley Gate (from which ehemiah initially went out to view the
walls. See ehemiah 2:13; 2 Chronicles 26:9), and the wall for the next fifteen
hundred feet (almost five hundred metres), going as far as the Dung Gate, which
was at the southernmost part of the walls. The Dung Gate was the gate through
which rubbish was taken out in order to be flung into the valley below. It was by the
Pool of Siloam, and may well be the Potsherd Gate of Jeremiah 19:2. Responsibility
for such a large section may suggest that the wall in that section was in a fairly good
state of repair.
Hanun, which means ‘favoured’ or ‘pitied’, was also the name of one of the six sons
of Zalaph who assisted in repairing the East wall ( ehemiah 3:30), as well as being
the name of a son and successor of ahash, king of Ammon, who dishonoured
David’s messengers and rued the consequences (2 Samuel 10:1 ff; 1 Chronicles 19:1
ff).
Zanoah was a town in the Judean Shephelah (lowlands), grouped with Eshtaol,
Zorah and Ashnah (Joshua 15:34). It was 3 kilometres (2 miles) south of
Bethshemesh and was reoccupied by Jews after the Exile ( ehemiah 11:30). Along
with Jericho it indicates something of the area in which the returnees settled (from

55. Jericho to the Shephelah).
14 The Dung Gate was repaired by Malkijah son
of Rekab, ruler of the district of Beth Hakkerem.
He rebuilt it and put its doors with their bolts and
bars in place.
CLARKE, "Beth-haccerem - A village or town in the tribe of Benjamin. See Jer_
6:1.
GILL, "But the dung gate repaired Malchiah the son of Rechab,.... If this was
one of the Rechabites, they were forbid to build houses, Jer_35:7 but, perhaps, though
they might not build private houses for themselves to dwell in, they might be employed
in building walls and fortresses for public security; though it is more probable that this
man was not of that family:
the ruler of part of Bethhaccerem; or of the tract of Bethhaccerem, a place between
Tekoah and Jerusalem; see Jer_6:1,
he built it, and set up the doors thereof; &c. as in Neh_3:3.
JAMISO , "Beth-haccerem — a city of Judah, supposed to be now occupied by
Bethulia, on a hill of the same name, which is sometimes called also the mountain of the
Franks, between Jerusalem and Tekoa.
TRAPP, " ehemiah 3:14 But the dung gate repaired Malchiah the son of Rechab,
the ruler of part of Bethhaccerem; he built it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks
thereof, and the bars thereof.
Ver. 14. But the dung gate repaired Malchiah the son of Rechab] That is, of the
noble family of the Rechabites. A ruler he was, and yet disdaineth not to repair the
dung gate. All God’s work is honourable. Angels are God’s executioners, as at

56. Sodom. Magistrates and ministers must do their utmost, by discipline and
otherwise, to cause the false prophets (that filth) and the unclean spirit to pass out of
the land, as by a dung gate, Zechariah 13:2. Every man must sweep his own door,
that we may have a clean street.
PETT, "Verse 14
‘And Malchijah, the son of Rechab, the ruler of the district of Beth-haccherem,
repaired the Dung Gate. He built it, and set up its doors its bolts and its bars.’
The Dung Gate itself was repaired by a second Malchijah, who was the son of
Rechab, and was ruler of the district of Beth-haccherem. He and his helpers rebuilt
the whole gatehouse, making it ready to receive the doors, bars and bolts which
were later put in place. It must be seen as possible that the short length of wall
between the Dung Gate and the Fountain Gate, going round the southernmost point,
had been left standing, thus not requiring repair.
BE SO , " ehemiah 3:14-16. Beth-haccerem — A town or territory, the
government whereof was divided between two persons. The wall of the pool of
Siloah — That part of the wall which was directly against that pool. After him
repaired ehemiah — One of the same name, but not of the same family, with the
writer of this book. Over against the sepulchres of David — The place which David
appointed for his own sepulchre, and the sepulchres of his successors, the kings of
Israel and Judah. To the pool that was made — To wit, by Hezekiah, (2 Kings
20:20,) whereby it was distinguished from that pool, which was natural. And unto
the house of the mighty — Or, valiant. The place where the king’s guards were
lodged, who were all mighty men, and from this circumstance probably it had its
name.
15 The Fountain Gate was repaired by Shallun
son of Kol-Hozeh, ruler of the district of Mizpah.
He rebuilt it, roofing it over and putting its doors
and bolts and bars in place. He also repaired the
wall of the Pool of Siloam,[d] by the King’s
Garden, as far as the steps going down from the
City of David.

57. BAR ES, "The “pool of Siloah” lies at the southwestern foot of the temple hill, near
the lower end of the Tyropoeon. It appears to have been at all times beyond the line of
the city wall, but was perhaps joined to the city by a fortification of its own.
The king’s gardens - See 2Ki_25:4 note.
The stairs - A flight of steps, still to be seen, led from the low valley of the Tyropoeon
up the steep sides of Ophel to the “city of David,” which it reached probably at a point
not far south of the temple.
CLARKE, "The pool of Siloah - This is probably the same as that mentioned by
the evangelists.
The stairs that go down from the city of David - Jerusalem being built on very
uneven ground, and some hills being taken within the walls; there was a necessity that
there should be in different places steps by which they could ascend and descend:
probably similar to what we see in the city of Bristol.
GILL, "But the gate of the fountain,.... Of which see Neh_2:14
repaired Shallum, the son of Colhozeh, the ruler of part of Mizpah; of a tract,
district, town, or city so called; perhaps that in the tribe of Benjamin; see Neh_3:7,
he built it, and covered it; roofed it, which is not said of any of the other gates,
whether because of the fountain at it:
and set up the doors thereof, &c. finished it completely:
and the wall of the pool of Siloah, by the king's garden; which was formerly
without the wall, on the west, but afterwards taken in by Manasseh, who built it; see
2Ch_33:14, and from hence the king's garden was watered:
and unto the stairs that go down from the city of David: Zion, which was built
on an eminence, from which they went down by steps into the lower city Acra.
K&D, "The fountain-gate and a portion of wall adjoining it was repaired by Shallum
the son of Col-hozeh, the ruler of the district of Mizpah. ‫ה‬ֶ‫ּז‬‫ח‬‫ל־‬ ָⅴ occurs again, Neh_11:5,
apparently as the name of another individual. To ‫וּ‬ ֶ‫נ‬ ְ‫ב‬ִ‫י‬ is added ‫וּ‬ ֶ‫ל‬ ְ‫ל‬ ַ‫ט‬ְ‫,י‬ he covered it, from
‫ל‬ ַ‫ל‬ ָ‫,ט‬ to shade, to cover, answering to the ‫רוּהוּ‬ ֵ‫ק‬ of Neh_3:3 and Neh_3:6, probably to
cover with a layer of beams. The position of the fountain-gate is apparent from the
description of the adjoining length of wall which Shallum also repaired. This was “the
wall of the pool of Shelach (Siloah) by the king's garden, and unto the stairs that go
down from the city of David.” The word ‫ח‬ ַ‫ל‬ ֶ‫שׁ‬ recalls ַ‫ּוח‬ ִ‫;שׁ‬ the pool of Shelach can be none
other than the pool which received its water through the ‫ח‬ ַ‫ל‬ ֶ‫,שׁ‬ i.e., mission (aquae). By

58. the researches of Robinson (Pal. ii. p. 148f.) and Tobler (Die Siloahquelle u. der Oelberg,
p. 6f.), it has been shown that the pool of Siloah receives its water from a subterranean
conduit 1750 feet long, cut through the rock from the Fountain of the Virgin, Ain Sitti
Miriam, on the eastern slope of Ophel. Near to the pool of Siloah, on the eastern
declivity of Zion, just where the Tyropoean valley opens into the vale of Kidron, is found
an old and larger pool (Birket el Hamra), now covered with grass and trees, and choked
with earth, called by Tobler the lower pool of Siloah, to distinguish it from the one still
existing, which, because it lies north-west of the former, he calls the upper pool of
Siloah. One of these pools of Siloah, probably the lower and larger, is certainly the king's
pool mentioned Neh_2:14, in the neighbourhood of which lay, towards the east and
south-east, the king's garden. The wall of the pool of Shelach need not have reached
quite up to the pool, but may have gone along the edge of the south-eastern slope of
Zion, at some distance therefrom. In considering the next particular following, ”unto the
stairs that go down from the city of David,” we must turn our thoughts towards a locality
somewhat to the north of this pool, the description now proceeding from the south-
eastern corner of the wall northward. These stairs are not yet pointed out with certainty,
unless perhaps some remains of them are preserved in the “length of rocky escarpment,”
which Robinson (Pal. ii. p. 102, and Biblical Researches, p. 247) remarked on the
narrow ridge of the eastern slope of the hill of Zion, north of Siloam, at a distance of 960
feet from the present wall of the city, ”apparently the foundations of a wall or of some
similar piece of building.”
(Note: Bertheau's view, that these stairs were situated where Mount Zion, upon
which stood the city of David, descends abruptly towards the east, and therefore on
the precipice running from south to north, which still rises ninety-one feet above the
ground northwards of the now so-called Bab el Mogharibeh or dung-gate, opposite
the southern part of the west wall of the temple area, is decidedly incorrect. For this
place is two thousand feet, i.e., more than one thousand cubits, distant from the pool
of Siloah, while our text places them immediately after the length of wall by this pool.
The transposition of these “steps” to a position within the present wall of the city is,
in Bertheau's case, connected with the erroneous notion that the fountain-gate
(Neh_3:15 and Neh_2:14) stood on the site of the present dung-gate (Bab el
Mogharibeh), for which no other reason appears than the assumption that the
southern wall of the city of David, before the captivity, went over Zion, in the same
direction as the southern wall of modern Jerusalem, only perhaps in a rather more
southerly direction, - an assumption shown to be erroneous, even by the
circumstance that in this case the sepulchres of David, Solomon, and the kings of
Judah would have stood outside the city wall, on the southern part of Zion; while,
according to the Scripture narrative, David, Solomon, and the kings of Judah were
buried in the city of David (1Ki_2:10; 1Ki_11:42; 1Ki_14:31; 1Ki_15:8, and
elsewhere). But apart from this consideration, this hypothesis is shattered by the
statements of this fifteenth verse, which Bertheau cannot explain so inconsistently
with the other statements concerning the building of the wall, as to make them say
that any one coming from the west and going round by the south of the city towards
the east, would first arrive at the fountain-gate, and then at the portion of wall in
question; but is obliged to explain, so that the chief work, the building of the
fountain-gate, is mentioned first; then the slighter work, the reparation of a length of
wall as supplementary; and this makes the localities enumerated in Neh_3:13
succeed each other in the following order, in a direction from the west by south and
east towards the north: “Valley-gate - one thousand cubits of wall as far as the dung-
gate; dung-gate - the wall of the conduit towards the king's garden, as far as the
stairs which lead from the city of David - fountain-gate.” No adequate reason for this

59. transposition of the text is afforded by the circumstance that no portion of wall is
mentioned (Neh_3:14 and Neh_3:15) as being repaired between the dung-gate and
the valley-gate. For how do we know that this portion on the southern side of Zion
was broken down and needing repair? Might not the length between these two gates
have been left standing when the city was burnt by the Chaldeans?)
COFFMA , "REGARDI G THE WALL I CLUDI G THE FOU TAI GATE
"And the fountain gate repaired Shellun the son of Colhozeh, the ruler of the
district of Mizpah; he built it, and covered it, and set up the doors thereof, the bolts
thereof, and the bars thereof, and the wall by the pool of Shelab by the king's
garden even unto the stairs that go down from the city of David. After him repaired
ehemiah the son of Azbuk, the ruler of half the district of Beth-zur, unto the place
over against the sepulchres of David, and unto the pool that was made, and unto the
house of the mighty men. After him repaired the Levites, Rehum the son of Bani.
ext unto him repaired Hashabiah, the ruler of the district of Keilah, for his
district. After him repaired their brethren, Bavvai the son of Henadad, the ruler of
half the district of Keilah. And next to him repaired Ezer the son of Jeshua, the
ruler of Mizpah, another portion, over against the ascent to the armory at the
turning of the wall. After him Baruch the son of Zabbai earnestly repaired another
portion, from the turning of the wall to the door of the house of Eliashib the High
Priest. After him repaired Meremoth the son of Uriah the son of Hakkoz another
portion, from the door of house of Eliashib even to the end of the house of Eliashib.
And after him repaired the priests, the men of the Plain. And after them repaired
Benjamin and Hasshub over against their house. After them repaired Azariah the
son of Maaseiah the son of Ananiah beside his own house. After him repaired
Binnui the son of Henadad another portion, from the house of Azariah unto the
turning of the wall, and unto the corner. Palal the son of Uzai repaired over against
the turning of the wall, and the tower that standeth out from the upper house of the
king, which is by the court of the guard. After him Pedaiah the son of Parosh
repaired. ( ow the ethinim dwelt in Ophel, unto the place over against the water
gate toward the east, and the tower that standeth out.) After him, the Tekoites
repaired another portion, over against the great tower that standeth out, and unto
the wall of Ophel."
It is significant that many of the prominent citizens of Jerusaelm, whose houses were
near the wall, elected to repair that section of the wall that was beside their: houses.
This is easily understood, because their own personal safety and security were thus
procured and protected.
The exact locations and extent of each one of these various "repairs," although
unknown to us, and vigorously disputed as to details by special scholars in the
topography of ancient Jerusalem, are nevertheless of little interest to present day
Christians. The big point in all of this is simply that the total population of Judah
and Jerusalem enthusiastically joined hands and hearts and re-fortified the ancient
city. o doubt, those walls were finished, during the period when Sanballat and

60. Tobiah were either sending someone, or going themselves to see Artaxerxes I in the
hope of stopping it. Such a journey, round trip, would have taken at least six or
eight months; and long prior to that, the walls were completed, the great gates
rebuilt, the bolts and the bars put in place, and the city secured by the military.
What a magnificent achievement!
ELLICOTT, "(15) He covered it.—Similar to laid the beams in ehemiah 3:3;
ehemiah 3:6.
The pool of Siloah.—Called before “the king’s pool,” which received its water as
“sent” through a long subterranean conduit, and supplied the king’s gardens.
The stairs.—Down the steep sides of Ophel, of which traces are thought still to
remain. From this point it is very hard to trace the exact course.
TRAPP, " ehemiah 3:15 But the gate of the fountain repaired Shallun the son of
Colhozeh, the ruler of part of Mizpah; he built it, and covered it, and set up the
doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof, and the wall of the pool of
Siloah by the king’s garden, and unto the stairs that go down from the city of David.
Ver. 15. He built it, and covered it] A Chaldee word. This people, in their captivity,
though they had not lost the use of their native tongue, yet they had got a tincture of
the Chaldee; and of the Hebrew and Chaldee came the Syriac, the mother tongue in
Christ’s time, as appears by Talitha cumi, and other like passages.
And unto the stairs] By these David descended into the lower city, and suitors
ascended to his palace. This is allegorically applied by some to Christ (the true
Jacob’s ladder, John 1:51), who came down and humbled himself to the utmost;
that we by him might have access, with success, in all our suits.
PETT, "Verse 15
‘And Shallun the son of Col-hozeh, the ruler of the district of Mizpah, repaired the
fountain gate. He built it, and covered it, and set up its doors, its bolts and its bar,
and the wall of the pool of Shelah by the king’s garden, even to the stairs that go
down from the city of David.’
The section after the Dung Gate was repaired by Shallun, ruler of the district of
Mizpah, along with his helpers. This included the Fountain or Spring Gate which
was fairly close to the Dung Gate, and was fully repaired. Also within his
responsibility was the wall of the Pool of Shelah by the King’s Garden, as far as the
stairs that go down from the city of David. Two gates close together (the Dung Gate
and the Fountain Gate) were necessary because one was for the disposal of rubbish,
whilst the other was by the King’s Garden, and led down to a water supply, possibly
the King’s Pool ( ehemiah 2:14).
The Pool of Shelah may well be the same as the Pool of Shiloah (Isaiah 8:6; the
consonants are the same), possibly also the Pool of Siloam, and ‘the upper pool’ (2

61. Kings 18:17; Isaiah 7:3; Isaiah 36:2). It was within the walls, and supplied by
Hezekiah’s tunnel (2 Kings 20:20), but watered the King’s Garden, possibly situated
on the hillside leading down from the gate, by means of a conduit as the water also
supplied the King’s Pool. It was by this conduit that the Assyrian generals stood as
they addressed the inhabitants of the city (2 Kings 18:17), possibly on the stairs that
go down from the city of David, which may have led to this pool. The geography is
not, however, certain.
‘Ruler of Mizpah.’ Compare ehemiah 3:19 where Ezer is also ruler of Mizpah. But
this is not difficult to understand for there were a number of Mizpahs, which simply
means ‘watchtower’. The main Mizpah was a Benjamite city north of Jerusalem,
near Gibeon and Ramah and it was where Gedaliah, the governor appointed by
ebuchadnezzar after the destruction of Jerusalem, ruled and was assassinated (2
Kings 25:22-26; Jeremiah 40:6; Jeremiah 41:1-2). There was another Mizpah in the
Shephelah not far from Lachish (see Joshua 15:38-39). Alternately one may have
ruled the city of Mizpah, while the other ruled the surrounding district, also called
Mizpah.
LA GE, " ehemiah 3:15. Gate of the Fountain.—See ehemiah 2:14. Shallum the
son of Colossians -hozeh, a Judahite ( ehemiah 11:5). The ruler of part of Mizpah,
or the ruler of the circuit of Mizpah. The circuit of Mizpah, and Mizpah itself, had
different rulers. (See ehemiah 3:19.) Covered it. Probably equivalent to “laid the
beams thereof” of ehemiah 3:3; ehemiah 3:6. The pool of Siloah, by the king’s
garden,Beréchath hash Shelah, legan ham-melek. It is Shiloah in Isaiah, and Shelah
here. The pool is the present Birket Silwan, and probably includes the Birket el-
Hamra. It was outside the city, near the Tyropœon valley, where it enters the valley
of the Son of Hinnom. Just at this junction was the king’s garden (see 2 Kings 25:4,
and Joseph, A. J. 7, 11), watered by this pool. It receives its water through a
subterranean canal under the lower end of Ophel (the ridge running south from the
temple-area) from the Fountain of the Virgin, on the west side of the Kidron valley.
The old wall probably embraced all Zion, running along its southern brow, and
stretched over to Ophel, in the neighborhood of the pool of Siloam, the fountain-gate
being near by.
The stairs that go down from the city of David would then be an access to the
Tyropœon from Zion, ending in this neighborhood of the pool. (See Excursus.)
16 Beyond him, ehemiah son of Azbuk, ruler of
a half-district of Beth Zur, made repairs up to a
point opposite the tombs[e] of David, as far as the

62. artificial pool and the House of the Heroes.
BAR ES, "Beth-zur - Now Beit-sur, on the road from Jerusalem to Hebron Jos_
15:58.
By “the sepulchres of David” must be understood the burial place in which David and
the kings his descendants to the time of Hezekiah were interred. This was an excavation
in the rock, in the near vicinity of the temple Eze_43:7-9, and on its western side. The
position of the burial-place was well known until the destruction of the city by Titus; but
modern research has not yet discovered it.
The pool - Probably that made by Hezekiah in the Tyropoeon valley, west of the
temple area (marginal reference).
CLARKE, "The pool that was made - Calmet supposes that this was the reservoir
made by Hezekiah, when besieged by Sennacherib, 2Ch_32:4.
The house of the mighty - Probably a place where a band of soldiers was kept, or
the city guard.
GILL, "After him repaired Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, the ruler of the half
part of Bethzur. A strong fortified place in the tribe of Judah, Jos_15:58,
unto the place over against the sepulchres of David; where he and his family,
and the kings of his race, were buried, which remained to this time untouched by the
Babylonians, and to many ages after; see Act_2:29
and to the pool that was made; not a natural, but an artificial one, which was made
by Hezekiah, 2Ki_20:20,
and unto the house of the mighty; where was a garrison of soldiers in former time
for defence.
HE RY, "Lastly, Here is no mention of any particular share that Nehemiah himself
had in this work. A name-sake of his is mentioned, Neh_3:16. But did he do nothing?
Yes, though he undertook not any particular piece of the wall, yet he did more than any
of them, for he had the oversight of them all; half of his servants worked where there was
most need, and the other half stood sentinel, as we find afterwards (Neh_4:16), while he
himself in his own person walked the rounds, directed and encouraged the builders, set
his hand to the work where he saw occasion, and kept a watchful eye upon the motions
of the enemy, as we shall find in the next chapter. The pilot needs not haul at a rope: it is
enough for him to steer.

63. JAMISO , "the sepulchres of David, and to the pool that was made, and
unto the house of the mighty — that is, along the precipitous cliffs of Zion [Barclay].
K&D 16-17, "The wall from the steps leading from the city of David to the angle
opposite the armoury. From Neh_3:16 onwards we find for the most part ‫יו‬ ָ‫ר‬ ֲ‫ח‬ፍ, after
him, instead of ‫ּו‬‫ד‬ָ‫י‬ ‫ל‬ ַ‫,ע‬ which only occurs again in Neh_3:17 and Neh_3:19. Nehemiah the
son of Azbuk, the ruler of half the district of Beth-zur (see rem. on 2Ch_11:7), repaired
the wall as far as “opposite the sepulchres of David, and unto the pool that was made,
and to the house of the heroes.” The sepulchres of David are the sepulchres of the house
of David in the city of David (comp. 2Ch_32:33). “Opposite the sepulchres of David” is
the length of wall on the eastern side of Zion, where was probably, as Thenius
endeavours to show in the Zeitschr. of the deutsch morgenl. Gesellsch. xxi. p. 495f., an
entrance to the burying-place of the house of David, which was within the city. The “pool
that was made” must be sought at no great distance, in the Tyropoean valley, but has not
yet been discovered. The view of Krafft (Topographie von Jerusalem, p. 152), that it was
the reservoir artificially constructed by Hezekiah, between the two walls for the water of
the old pool (Isa_22:11), rests upon incorrect combinations. “The house of the heroes” is
also unknown. In Neh_3:17 and Neh_3:18, the lengths of wall repaired by the three
building parties there mentioned are not stated. “The Levites, Rehum the son of Bani,”
stands for: the Levites under Rehum the son of Bani. There was a Rehum among those
who returned with Zerubbabel, Neh_12:3; Ezr_2:2; and a Bani occurs among the Levites
in Neh_9:5. After him repaired Hashabiah, the ruler of half the district of Keilah, for his
district. Keilah, situate, according to Jos_15:44 and 1Sa_23:1, in the hill region, is
probably the village of Kila, discovered by Tobler (vol. iii. p. 151), eastward of Beit
Dshibrin. By the addition ‫ּו‬ⅴ ְ‫ל‬ ִ‫פ‬ ְ‫,ל‬ for his district, i.e., that half of the whole district which
was under his rule, “it is expressly stated that the two halves of the district of Keilah
worked apart one from the other” (Bertheau). The other half is mentioned in the verse
next following.
ELLICOTT, "(16) The sepulchres of David.—Excavated on the western side of the
Temple, and never yet traced.
The pool that was made.—This may have been the reservoir of Hezekiah (Isaiah
22:11); and “the house of the mighty” may have been the barracks of David’s elect
troops (1 Chronicles 11:10).
TRAPP, " ehemiah 3:16 After him repaired ehemiah the son of Azbuk, the ruler
of the half part of Bethzur, unto [the place] over against the sepulchres of David,
and to the pool that was made, and unto the house of the mighty.
Ver. 16. Over against the sepulchres of David] His burying place. The Jews had
their sepulchres ready made, as the old prophet, 1 Kings 13:30, Joseph of
Arimathaea, &c. So had the emperors of Constantinople their tombstone presented
them on their coronation day. Charles V, emperor of Germany, five years before his
death caused his sepulchre to be made, with all things appertaining to it necessary

64. for his burial. Another great prince began his tomb, and left it imperfect;
commanding a servant once every day to remind him of finishing it. The Thebans
had a law, that no man should set up a house for himself to dwell in, but he should
first make his grave. David, it seems, had his choice of sepulchres, not far from the
wall of the city of David.
And to the pool that was made] With great art and cost, by King Hezekiah, 2 Kings
20:20.
And unto the house of the mighty] Where David’s mighties, or the watchmen of his
city, lodged; or where youth were trained up and taught to handle their arms.
PETT, "Verse 16
‘After him repaired ehemiah the son of Azbuk, the ruler of half the district of
Beth-zur, up to the place over against the sepulchres of David, and up to the pool
that was made (or the artificial pool, i.e. man-made), and up to the house of the
mighty men (warriors).’
From now on we have ‘after him’ ( ehemiah 3:16-31) in contrast with ‘next to him’
( ehemiah 3:2-12). But see ehemiah 3:17; ehemiah 3:19. ‘ ext to him’ is used
mainly on the northern and western wall, ‘after him’ on the eastern wall, with
neither being used going round the southernmost point from the Valley Gate to the
Fountain Gate. This may simply be for literary reasons.
This is a general description of the section repaired by ehemiah, the son of Azbuk,
who was ruler of the half district of Beth-zur. Here we have one of two other
ehemiahs (compare ehemiah 7:7; Ezra 2:2). He was clearly a man of importance.
Beth-zur was six kilometres (four miles) north of Hebron, identified as the mound of
Khirbet et-Tubeiqah. Occupied and fortified by the Hyksos, it was destroyed by the
Egyptians and left deserted and it was thus not mentioned by Joshua. But shortly
thereafter it was rebuilt and became a flourishing Israelite city. It was occupied
throughout the monarchy but suffered at the hands of the Babylonians and was
mainly abandoned until being occupied by the returnees. This ehemiah was ruler
of half of the district around Beth-zur.
The section of the wall repaired by this ehemiah and his helpers is identified by
three apparently well known landmarks (although sadly not known to us), the
sepulchres of David, the Man-made Pool, and the House of the Mighty
Men/warriors. Many see it as a wholly new section of the wall, built higher up the
slope because the wall at this point had been so thoroughly demolished that its
rubble made building on the old line impossible. Compare how ehemiah had been
hindered in his examination of the wall at this point, being unable to pass along
because of the rubble ( ehemiah 2:14-15). This claim gains some support from
archaeology.
The sepulchres of David (compare 2 Chronicles 32:33) are unidentified. David was

65. ‘buried in (by) the city of David’ (1 Kings 2:10) a description which places the
sepulchres in this part of Jerusalem, the ‘city of David’ being the ancient Jebusite
fortress (which was inside the walls at this time but was outside the walls existing in
the time of Jesus and the present walls). But whether the sepulchres were within the
walls, or on the slopes outside we cannot be sure. Long, horizontal tunnels have
been discovered in the area, but they may have had other uses, and some would
argue that Semitic practise, and especially Israelite practise, is against the
sepulchres being within the actual city. Such would render it ‘unclean’. Josephus
tells us that they were plundered by the Hasmoneans and by Herod. Then they were
desecrated and destroyed in the time of Bar Kochba, being thereafter lost to sight.
Other identifications can be rejected. They are in the wrong area.
Unless ‘the Man-made Pool’ was the King’s Pool we have no way of identifying it,
whilst the situation of ‘the house of the Mighty Men’ (the Barracks) is unknown. It
may have originally been utilised by David’s mighty men (2 Samuel 23:8 ff.).
LA GE, " ehemiah 3:16. The ruler of the half part of Beth-zur, or the ruler of half
the circuit of Beth-zur. Beth-zur is about four miles north of Hebron. Unto the place
over against the sepulchres of David, and to the pool that was made, and unto the
house of the mighty.—The sepulchres of David were probably the same as the
sepulchres of the kings ( 2 Chronicles 28:27, et al.), and we may place them
somewhere on Zion ( 1 Kings 2:10). The part of the wall here designated would be
that on Ophel, opposite that portion of Zion where the sepulchres were, the valley of
the Tyropœon being between. The “pool that was made” may be the present
fountain of the Virgin, which perhaps Hezekiah formed with its remarkable
galleries (see Capt. Warren’s account in “the Recovery of Jerusalem”) for the
supply of Ophel (see 2 Kings 20:20). The “house of the mighty” (beth- Haggai -
geborim) we have no clue to.
17 ext to him, the repairs were made by the
Levites under Rehum son of Bani. Beside him,
Hashabiah, ruler of half the district of Keilah,
carried out repairs for his district.

66. BAR ES, "The constant mention of “priests,” “Levites,” and Nethinims,” sufficiently
indicates that the writer is here concerned with the sacerdotal quarter, that immediately
about the temple.
GILL, "After him repaired the Levites, Rehum the son of Bani,.... Who was one
of them, as he that follows was another:
next unto him repaired Hashabiah, the ruler of the half part of Keilah: a city
of the tribe of Judah, Jos_15:4
in his part; either with the men of that part of Keilah under his jurisdiction, or at the
expense of that part of it.
ELLICOTT, "(17) The Levites.—The circuit is coming round to the Temple.
Rehum the son of Bani.—The Levites were under him as a body.
In his part.—The other part of the Keilah district (now Kila) is in the next verse.
TRAPP, " ehemiah 3:17 After him repaired the Levites, Rehum the son of Bani.
ext unto him repaired Hashabiah, the ruler of the half part of Keilah, in his part.
Ver. 17. After him repaired the Levites] Who therefore were not beggarly (as many
would make ministers in our days, if they might have their will), but had somewhat
to spare for pious uses. For when they are said to repair, the meaning is, they bore
the charge of the work, and took care that it was done.
PETT, "Verse 17
‘After him repaired the Levites:
It would appear that this next section of the wall, up to ehemiah 3:19 (or 20) was
repaired by Levites who had become involved in administration. This may have
been because they were looked to for leadership after the devastation of the land by
the Babylonians. ote the recurrence of ‘next to him’ twice, probably indicating
their close relationship, and the reference to ‘their brothers’.
ehemiah 3:17
‘Rehum the son of Bani.’
Rehum, son of Bani, was clearly a man of importance needing no further
introduction. He and his household repaired a part of the wall beyond the Barracks,
a section of the wall which led up to the High Priest’s palace ( ehemiah 3:20). He
may well have been a descendant of the Rehum mentioned in Ezra 2:2 as one of the
ten important men who returned with Sheshbazzar and Zerubbabel. (Although that
Rehum may have been one of the chief priests who arrived with Zerubbabel -
ehemiah 12:2). A Rehum was a signatory to ehemiah’s covenant ( ehemiah
10:25).

67. Bani was also the name of a Levite who signed ehemiah’s covenant ( ehemiah
10:13), and it was in fact the name of two Levites who are mentioned in connection
with Temple worship in Ezra’s time ( ehemiah 9:4-5). Uzzi, son of Bani, would later
be an overseer of the Levites in Jerusalem ( ehemiah 11:22).
The name Bani was also given to a Gadite, who was one of David's mighty men (2
Samuel 23:36); to a Levite whose son was appointed for service in the tabernacle in
David's time (1 Chronicles 6:46); to a Judahite whose son lived in Jerusalem after
the exile (1 Chronicles 9:4); to a family head whose descendants came back with
Zerubbabel (Ezra 2:10) and had taken idolatrous foreign wives (Ezra 10:29); to a
man who had taken an idolatrous foreign wife (Ezra 10:38), whose brothers ‘the
sons of Bani’ had also taken idolatrous foreign wives; to a leader of the people who
signed ehemiah’s covenant ( ehemiah 10:14). It was thus a very common name
making identifications difficult.
ehemiah 3:17
‘ ext to him repaired Hashabiah, the ruler of half the district of Keilah, for his
district.’
ext to Rehum operated Hashabiah along with men from Keilah, the district over
half of which Hashabiah was ruler. This may be the Hashabiah who signed
ehemiah’s covenant ( ehemiah 10:11), and was one of the chiefs of the Levites
mentioned in ehemiah 12:24. The other half of Keilah was ruled over by his fellow-
Levite, Bavvai, who was repairing the next section ( ehemiah 3:18).
The name Hashabiah also applied to a Levite who dwelt in Jerusalem at the time of
ehemiah ( ehemiah 11:15); to a Levite whom Ezra induced to return from exile
with him (Ezra 8:19); to one of the twelve priests set apart by Ezra to take care of
the gold, the silver, and the vessels of the temple on their return from exile (Ezra
8:24); to a Levite who was the grandfather of Uzzi, an overseer of Levites in
Jerusalem ( ehemiah 11:22); and to a priest who was head of a father’s house in the
days of Joiakim, son of Joshua the High Priest ( ehemiah 12:21). Any connection of
any of these with Hashabiah the ruler is tentative in the extreme.
More generally the name applied to two Levites of the family of Merari (1
Chronicles 6:45; 1 Chronicles 9:14); to a son of Jeduthun (1 Chronicles 25:3); to a
Hebronite chief of a clan of warriors who had charge of West Jordan in the interests
of YHWH and the king of Israel in the time of David (1 Chronicles 26:30); to a
Levite who was a "ruler" (1 Chronicles 27:17); and to one of the Levite chiefs in the
time of Josiah, who gave liberally toward the sacrifices (2 Chronicles 35:9).
Keilah was a town in the Shephelah (Joshua 15:43), possibly the Kelti of the
Amarna letters. David relieved it from the pressure of the Philistines in Saul’s time,
but having done so had to leave because he could not trust the inhabitants not to
hand him over to Saul (1 Samuel 23:1-13). It is probably now Khirbet Qila which is
on a hill commanding the ascent to Hebron south from Socoh.

68. 18 ext to him, the repairs were made by their
fellow Levites under Binnui[f] son of Henadad,
ruler of the other half-district of Keilah.
BAR ES, "Neh_3:18
Bavai - Or, “Binnui” Neh_3:24; Neh_10:9.
The armoury at the turning of the wall - literally, “the armoury of the corner.”
The northwestern corner of the special wall of the “city of David” seems to be intended.
See Neh_3:1 note.
GILL, "After him repaired their brethren,.... Either the brethren of the two before
named particularly, or the Levites their brethren in general, as Jarchi:
Bavai, the son of Henadad, the ruler of the half part of Keilah; the other half of
that place.
K&D, "“Their brethren” are the inhabitants of the second half, who were under the
rule of Bavai the son of Henadad.
TRAPP, " ehemiah 3:18 After him repaired their brethren, Bavai the son of
Henadad, the ruler of the half part of Keilah.
18. The ruler of the half part of Keilah] This was that city rescued by David from
the Philistines, and yet false to him, 1 Samuel 23:12.
PETT, "Verse 18
‘After him repaired their brothers, Bavvai the son of Henadad, the ruler of half the
district of Keilah.’
The next section of the wall was repaired by ‘their brothers’, that is the remainder
of the men of Keilah, under Bavvai the son of Henadad, ruler of the half district of
Keilah. It may well have been his brother Binnui and his household who repaired
the wall further on ( ehemiah 3:24).

69. Henadad was a Levite family name (Ezra 3:9). Binnui of the sons of Henadad signed
ehemiah’s covenant ( ehemiah 10:9).
19 ext to him, Ezer son of Jeshua, ruler of
Mizpah, repaired another section, from a point
facing the ascent to the armory as far as the angle
of the wall.
CLARKE, "The going up to the armoury - This was either a tower that defended
the angle where the two walls met; or the city arsenal, where shields, spears, etc., were
kept to arm the people in time of danger.
GILL, "And next to him repaired Ezer, the son of Jeshua, the ruler of
Mizpah,.... Either of another Mizpah, or of the other half of Mizpah, Neh_3:15
another piece; or a second piece; one of the two pieces; for another is mentioned in
the next verse:
over against the going up to the armoury, at the turning of the wall; the
western wall towards the south, near to which was a place where armour was laid up;
perhaps the same with the tower of David, to which there is an allusion in Son_4:4.
JAMISO , "at the turning of the wall — that is, the wall across the Tyropoeon,
being a continuation of the first wall, connecting Mount Zion with the temple wall
[Barclay].
K&D, "Next to these repaired Ezer the son of Jeshua, the ruler of Mizpah, another
piece (on ‫ית‬ִ‫נ‬ ֵ‫שׁ‬ ‫ה‬ ָ ִ‫,מ‬ see rem. on Neh_3:11) opposite the ascent to the armoury of the
angle. ‫ק‬ ֶ‫שׁ‬ֵ ַ‫ה‬ or ‫ק‬ ֶ‫שׁ‬ֶ ַ‫ה‬ (in most editions) is probably an abbreviation of ‫ק‬ ֶ‫שׁ‬ֶ ַ‫ית־ה‬ ֵ , arsenal,
armoury; and ַ‫ּוע‬‫צ‬ ְ‫ק‬ ִ ַ‫ה‬ is, notwithstanding the article in ‫ק‬ ֶ‫שׁ‬ֶ ַ‫,ה‬ genitive; for to combine it as
an accusative with ‫ּו‬‫ל‬ ֲ‫,ע‬ and read, “the going up of the armoury upon the angle,” gives no
suitable meaning. The locality itself cannot indeed be more precisely stated. The

70. armoury was probably situate on the east side of Zion, at a place where the wall of the
city formed an angle; or it occupied an angle within the city itself, no other buildings
adjoining it on the south. The opinion of Bertheau, that the armoury stood where the
tower described by Tobler (Dritte Wand. p. 228) stands, viz., about midway between the
modern Zion gate and the dung-gate, and of which he says that “its lower strata of stones
are undoubtedly of a remoter date than the rebuilding of the wall in the sixteenth
century,” coincides with the assumption already refuted, that the old wall of the city of
David passed, like the southern wall of modern Jerusalem, over Mount Zion.
ELLICOTT, "(19) At the turning of the wall.—Literally, the armoury of the corner:
the north-west corner of the “city of David,” with its special wall.
TRAPP, " ehemiah 3:19 And next to him repaired Ezer the son of Jeshua, the ruler
of Mizpah, another piece over against the going up to the armoury at the turning [of
the wall].
Ver. 19. Another piece] Or, a second measure; that is, he repaired two parts, saith
Pellican. Lyra and others think it to be meant of the second ward and wall, which
was called Secunda, where the Levites, prophets, and students dwelt; their college or
school is called Mishne, or a second part, 2 Kings 22:14, which the Targum
interpreteth a house of learning, Domus doctrinae.
PETT, "Verse 19
‘And next to him repaired Ezer the son of Jeshua, the ruler of Mizpah, another
portion, opposite the ascent to the armoury at the turning (of the wall).’
‘ ext to him’, as in ehemiah 3:17, may be intended to indicate the close
relationship between the Levites as they worked in association.
Thus next to Bavvai and the men of Keilah repaired Ezer and the men of Mizpeh.
They repaired the portion opposite the ascent to the armoury ‘at the turning’ or ‘at
the angle’ or ‘by the buttress’ or ‘by the escarpment’. The meaning of the word is
uncertain and probably means ‘a place where something is cut off or ends
abruptly’. It was no doubt easily identifiable at the time. The same word occurs in
ehemiah 3:20; ehemiah 3:24-25. The armoury would be within the walls at the
point where there was an angle. A further ‘angle’ to the wall is mentioned in
ehemiah 3:24. Perhaps the wall angled outwards, and then back in again.
Ezer was ruler of Mizpah. See on ehemiah 3:15. An Ezer (meaning ‘help’) was also
a musician in one of the large companies appointed by ehemiah to give thanks at
the dedication of the wall ( ehemiah 12:42). Elsewhere it is the name of a Horite
chief (Genesis 36:21; 1 Chronicles 1:38); a Judahite (1 Chronicles 4:4); an
Ephraimite, slain by men from Gath (1 Chronicles 7:21); and a Gadite who followed
David while in exile as a result of the wrath of Saul (1 Chronicles 12:9). It was a
regular Jewish name.
BE SO , " ehemiah 3:19. The going up to the armory — Either to the house, or

71. the forest of Lebanon, which was their armory from Solomon’s days, (Isaiah 22:8,)
or to some other place, which, either before or since that time, had been used as
another and less armory for common occasions. At the turning of the wall — Or, at
the corners.
LA GE, " ehemiah 3:19. The ruler of Mizpah another piece.—The first piece is
given in ehemiah 3:7. Over against the going up to the armory at the turning of the
wall.—Rather, from opposite the ascent of the armory of the corner. The armory of
the corner was perhaps at an angle in the eastern Ophel wall.
20 ext to him, Baruch son of Zabbai zealously
repaired another section, from the angle to the
entrance of the house of Eliashib the high priest.
BAR ES, "Neh_3:20
The other piece - Rather, “another piece.” The notice of Baruch’s first piece, like
that of Malchijah’s and Hashub’s Neh_3:11, seems to have slipped out of the text.
CLARKE, "Earnestly repaired - He distinguished himself by his zeal and activity.
GILL, "After him Baruch the son of Zabbai earnestly repaired the other
piece,.... Towards and next to that Ezer the last builder mentioned had repaired; and
this he did "earnestly", or in anger as the word signifies, being angry with himself or
others that there was any backwardness shown to the work; and therefore, with all haste
and eagerness imaginable, attended to it:
from the turning of the wall; see the preceding verse:
unto the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest; of whom see Neh_3:1,
now either his house was upon the wall, or that part of the wall that was right against the
door of his house is here meant.
HE RY, ". Of one it is said that he earnestly repaired that which fell to his share
(Neh_3:20) - he did it with an inflamed zeal; not that others were cold or indifferent, but
he was the most vigorous of any of them and consequently made himself remarkable. It

72. is good to be thus zealously affected in a good thin; and it is probable that this good
man's zeal provoked very many to take the more pains and make the more haste.
K&D 20-21, "The wall from the angle to the place of the court of the prison by the
king's upper house. - Neh_3:20 After him Baruch the son of Zabbai emulously repaired
a second length of wall, from the angle to the door of the house of Eliashib the high
priest. Bertheau objects to the reading ‫ה‬ ָ‫ר‬ ֱ‫ח‬ ֶ‫,ה‬ and conjectures that it should be ‫ה‬ ָ‫ר‬ ָ‫ה‬ ֶ‫,ה‬ “up
the hill.” But the reason he adduces, viz., that often as the word ‫יק‬ִ‫ז‬ ֱ‫ח‬ ֶ‫ה‬ occurs in this
description, a further definition is nowhere else added to it, speaks as much against, as
for his proposed alteration; definitions of locality never, throughout the entire narrative,
preceding ‫יק‬ִ‫ז‬ ֱ‫ח‬ ֶ‫,ה‬ but uniformly standing after it, as also in the present verse. Certainly
‫ה‬ ָ‫ר‬ ֱ‫ח‬ ֶ‫ה‬ cannot here mean either to be angry, or to be incensed, but may without difficulty
be taken, in the sense of the Tiphal ‫ה‬ ָ‫ר‬ ֱ‫ח‬ ֶ , to emulate, to contend (Jer_22:15; Jer_12:5),
and the perfect adverbially subordinated to the following verb (comp. Gesen. Gramm. §
142, 3, a). The Keri offers ‫י‬ ַⅴַ‫ז‬ instead of ‫י‬ ַ ַ‫,ז‬ probably from Ezr_2:9, but on insufficient
grounds, the name ‫י‬ ַ ַ‫ז‬ occurring also Ezr_10:28. Of the position of the house of Eliashib
the high priest, we know nothing further than what appears from these Ezr_10:20 and
Ezr_10:21, viz., that it stood at the northern part of the eastern side of Zion (not at the
south-western angle of the temple area, as Bertheau supposes), and extended some
considerable distance from south to north, the second length of wall built by Meremoth
reaching from the door at its southern end to the ‫ית‬ ִ‫ל‬ ְ‫כ‬ ַ , termination, at its northern end.
On Meremoth, see rem. on Neh_3:4.
ELLICOTT, "(20) Earnestly repaired the other piece.—The reason of this man’s
emulation in building near the high priest’s house does not appear.
TRAPP, " ehemiah 3:20 After him Baruch the son of Zabbai earnestly repaired the
other piece, from the turning [of the wall] unto the door of the house of Eliashib the
high priest.
Ver. 20. Earnestly repaired the other piece] Or a second piece, as ehemiah 3:19. He
did two pieces whiles others were about one. A ready heart makes riddance of God’s
work. He burst out in a heat (so the Heb.), being angry both at himself and others
that had done no more; and, in a holy fume, finished quickly, kindling himself from
other men’s coldness, and quickening himself from their slothfulness, Se accendit.
- Sic Caesar in omnia praeceps
il actum credens, dum quid superesset agendum,
Fertur atrox - (Lucan).
PETT, "Verse 20

73. ‘After him Baruch the son of Zabbai earnestly (strivingly) repaired another portion,
from the turning (of the wall) to the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest.’
It is an open question as to whether Baruch is the last of the list of ‘the Levites’
( ehemiah 3:17) or is in fact introducing groups of priests responsible for the wall
which was by the house of Eliashib the High Priest. Eliashib himself had take
responsibility for the part of the northern wall near the Temple area ( ehemiah 3:1)
and was not therefore available to work here. Compare how in ehemiah 3:21
Meremoth is a priest, and how in ehemiah 3:22 ‘the priests, the men of the Plain
(countryside)’ operated. ote also that a priest named Baruch signed ehemiah’s
covenant ( ehemiah 10:6). In view of the close connection with the house/palace of
the High Priest all this may suggest that it is most likely that Baruch was a priest.
From this point on the line of the wall is defined mainly in terms of people’s houses.
So Baruch and his helpers repaired the portion from the ‘turning’ or buttress, to the
High Priest’s palace.
The word translated ‘earnestly’ usually indicates ‘burning with anger’. It may
indicate ‘passionately, burning with zeal’, or it may suggest a particularly difficult
part of the wall which required huge effort and resulted in some exasperation,
something well remembered.
Baruch’s namesake was scribe to Jeremiah and greatly assisted him in his work
(Jeremiah 32:12; Jeremiah 36:4 ff.; Jeremiah 36:10 ff.). Another Baruch is also
mentioned in ehemiah 11:5 as father of Maaseiah, and son of Colhozeh, a
descendant of Perez, the son of Judah. Maaseiah willingly took up residence in a
sparsely populated Jerusalem at ehemiah’s request.
BE SO , " ehemiah 3:20. Baruch earnestly repaired the other piece — Did his
work with eminent diligence and fervency; which is here noted to his
commendation. And, it is probable, this good man’s zeal provoked many to take the
more pains, and make the more haste.
LA GE, " ehemiah 3:20. Baruch the son of Zabbai is honorably mentioned for his
distinguished zeal. He worked at a second piece from the corner mentioned above to
the high-priest’s house, which seems to have been on Ophel. Perhaps this Baruch’s
first piece of work has slipped from the text. Zabbai may be the same mentioned in
Ezra 10:28. Baruch may be the priest of ehemiah 10:6.
21 ext to him, Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of
Hakkoz, repaired another section, from the
entrance of Eliashib’s house to the end of it.

74. BAR ES, "After him repaired Meremoth the son of Uriah, the son of Koz,
another piece,.... He had wrought before in another part, Neh_3:4, but having
finished that, he sets his hand a second time to the work:
from the door of the house of Eliashib, even to the end of the house of
Eliashib; the door of his house seems to have been at one end of it, and from that end
to the other was a considerable length; he being a great man, the high priest, had a large
house.
HENRY, ". Some of those that had first done helped their fellows, and undertook
another share where they saw there was most need. Meremoth repaired, Neh_3:4. and
again, Neh_3:21. And the Tekoites, besides the piece they repaired (Neh_3:5),
undertook another piece (Neh_3:27), which is the more remarkable because their nobles
set them a bad example by withdrawing from the service, which, instead of serving them
for an excuse to sit still, perhaps made them the more forward to do double work, that
by their zeal they might either shame or atone for the covetousness and carelessness of
their nobles.
TRAPP, " ehemiah 3:21 After him repaired Meremoth the son of Urijah the son of
Koz another piece, from the door of the house of Eliashib even to the end of the
house of Eliashib.
Ver. 21. Even to the end of the house of Eliashib] A small praise, saith one, if the
house were not of some greatness. Eliashib was high priest, and dwelt, like himself,
in a fair large house.
PETT, "Verse 21
‘After him repaired Meremoth the son of Uriah the son of Hakkoz another portion,
from the door of the house of Eliashib even to the end of the house of Eliashib.’
This Meremoth was also responsible for another section of the wall in ehemiah 3:4,
which see for details about him. But the section mentioned here does not appear to
have been very large (it was the length of the High Priest’s house/palace). Meremoth
was clearly seen by the High Priest as very reliable.
BE SO , " ehemiah 3:21. From the door of the house of Eliashib, &c. — He
carried on the work from the place where the other left off, from the door of the
house to the end of it, which, being the house of a great man, we may suppose was
very large.
22 The repairs next to him were made by the

75. priests from the surrounding region.
BAR ES, "Neh_3:22
The word here translated “plain” is applied in the rest of Scripture almost exclusively
to the Ghor or Jordan valley. Compare, however, Neh_12:28.
CLARKE, "The priests, the men of the plain - Some of the officers of the
temple, particularly the singers, dwelt in the plain country round about Jerusalem, Neh_
12:28; and it is likely that several of the priests dwelt in the same place.
GILL, "And after him repaired the priests, the men of the plain. Either of the
plain of Jericho, where, in later times at least, there was a station of the priests, or of the
plain about Jerusalem; those also assisted in the repairs of the wall.
K&D, "Farther northwards repaired the priests, the men of the district of Jordan. ‫ר‬ ָⅴ ִⅴ
does not, as Bertheau infers from Neh_12:28, signify the country round Jerusalem, but
here, as there, the valley of the Jordan. See rem. on Neh_12:28 and on Gen_13:10.
Hence this verse informs us that priests were then dwelling in the valley of the Jordan,
probably in the neighbourhood of Jericho. The length of wall built by these priests is not
further particularized.
TRAPP, " ehemiah 3:22 And after him repaired the priests, the men of the plain.
Ver. 22. The men of the plain] Of the plain of Jordan, saith the Vulgar; but better
understand it of the plain country round about Jerusalem, as ehemiah 12:28.
PETT, "Verse 22
‘And after him repaired the priests, the men of the countryside.’
Finishing off the section of the wall near the High Priest’s house were ‘the priests,
the men of the countryside’ (literally ‘of the circle’. This could refer to ‘the circle of
the Jordan’ compare Genesis 13:10; but see ehemiah 12:28). We do not know how
these were distinguished from the priests involved on the northern wall, but there
would appear to have been a difference.
BE SO , " ehemiah 3:22. The priests, the men of the plain — Either of the plains
of Jordan, or of the plain country round about Jerusalem, as it is called ehemiah
12:28. Probably they were thus called, because they or their parents now or
formerly dwelt in those parts, whence they came to Jerusalem when the service of
the temple required it.

76. 23 Beyond them, Benjamin and Hasshub made
repairs in front of their house; and next to them,
Azariah son of Maaseiah, the son of Ananiah,
made repairs beside his house.
GILL, "After him,.... The last of the priests before mentioned:
repaired Benjamin, and Hashub, over against their house; as much of the wall
as the length of their house, or houses, were:
after him repaired Azariah the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ananiah, by his
house: as far as that reached.
K&D, "Further on repaired Benjamin and Hashub over against their house, and
Azariah the son of Maaseiah, by his house. Nothing further is known of these
individuals.
TRAPP, " ehemiah 3:23 After him repaired Benjamin and Hashub over against
their house. After him repaired Azariah the son of Maaseiah the son of Ananiah by
his house.
Ver. 23. Over against their house] {See Trapp on " ehemiah 3:10"}
PETT, "Verse 23
‘After them repaired Benjamin and Hasshub over against their house.’
The next part of the wall was repaired by Benjamin and Hasshub. Benjamin and
Hasshub may have had two houses one close to the other (i.e. each over against their
house), or they may have been related and have thus shared the one large house.
This is a different Hasshub from the one mentioned in ehemiah 3:11. This would
appear to be been a wealthy part of Jerusalem which had large houses.
The suffix is in fact singular (literally after ‘him’ or ‘it’), referring to the priests as
one group.

77. ehemiah 3:23
‘After them repaired Azariah the son of Maaseiah the son of Ananiah beside his
own house.’
The next part of the wall, which was by his house, was repaired by Azariah, the son
of Maaseiah and his household. The naming of two elements among his forebears
suggest his importance, and probably the importance of Ananiah. Azariah was a
popular Jewish name. His house must have been a large one for it is mentioned in
ehemiah 3:24 as a landmark. Three other Azariahs are mentioned in the Book of
ehemiah. A Levite who assisted Ezra to expound the Law ( ehemiah 8:7); a priest
who sealed ehemiah’s covenant ( ehemiah 10:2), and a prince of Judah mentioned
in connection with the dedication of the walls of Jerusalem ( ehemiah 12:32 ff).
Ananiah (Yah has dealt graciously) was the name of a town of Benjamin mentioned
in connection with ob and Hazor ( ehemiah 11:32), which may have been named
after Ananiah. It is commonly identified with Beit Hanina, between three and four
miles (six kilometres) orth- orthwest from Jerusalem.
LA GE, " ehemiah 3:23. Benjamin (see on ehemiah 3:11) one of the descendants
of Harim. (See Ezra 10:32.) Hashub was son (or descendant) of Pahathmoab. (See
on ehemiah 3:11.) Their house may refer only to Benjamin, who was a priest (one
of the Bene-Harim), Hashub, perhaps, being in some way allied to him.
Azariah may be the Levite mentioned in ehemiah 8:7.
24 ext to him, Binnui son of Henadad repaired
another section, from Azariah’s house to the angle
and the corner,
BAR ES, "Neh_3:24
The turning of the wall - The northeastern angle of the “city of David” seems here to
be reached. At this point a tower “lay out” Neh_3:25, or projected extraordinarily, from
the wall, being probably a watch-tower commanding the Kidron valley and all the
approaches to the city from the southeast, the east, and the northeast.
GILL, "After him repaired Binnui the son of Henadad, another piece.....
Beginning where Azariah ended:

78. unto the turning of the wall, even unto the corner; the corner where the wall
turned from the south to the east.
K&D 24-25, "Next repaired Binnui the son of Henadad, a second portion from the
house of Azariah, to the angle and to the corner; and further on (Neh_3:25) Palal the son
of Uzzai, from opposite the angle and the high tower which stands out from the king's
house by the court of the prison. We join ‫ּון‬‫י‬ ְ‫ל‬ ֶ‫ע‬ ָ‫ה‬ to ‫ל‬ ָ ְ‫ג‬ ִ ַ‫,ה‬ though it is also verbally
admissible to combine it with ְ‫ך‬ ֶ‫ל‬ ֶ ַ‫ה‬ ‫ית‬ ֵ , “the tower which stands out from the king's
upper house,” because nothing is known of an upper and lower king's house. It would be
more natural to assume (with Bertheau) that there was an upper and a lower tower at
the court of the prison, but this is not implied by ‫ּון‬‫י‬ ְ‫ל‬ ֶ‫ע‬ ָ‫.ה‬ The word means first, high,
elevated, and its use does not assume the existence of a lower tower; while the
circumstance that the same tower is in Neh_3:27 called the great (‫ּול‬‫ד‬ָ ַ‫)ה‬ tells in favour of
the meaning high in the present case. The court of the prison was, according to Jer_
32:2, in or near the king's house; it is also mentioned Jer_32:8, Jer_32:12; Jer_33:1;
Jer_37:21; Jer_38:6, Jer_38:13, Jer_38:28, and Jer_39:14. But from none of these
passages can it be inferred, as by Bertheau, that it was situate in the neighbourhood of
the temple. His further remark, too, that the king's house is not the royal palace in the
city of David, but an official edifice standing upon or near the temple area, and including
the court of the prison with its towers, is entirely without foundation.
(Note: Equally devoid of proof is the view of Ewald, Diestel (in Herzog's
Realencycl. xiii. p. 325), Arnold, and others, that the royal palace stood upon Moriah
or Ophel on the south side of the temple, in support of which Diestel adduces Neh_
3:25. See the refutation of this view in the commentary on 1Ki_7:12 (Note).)
The royal palace lay, according to Josephus, Ant. viii. 5. 2, opposite the temple (ᅊντικρᆷς
ᅞχων ναόν), i.e., on the north-eastern side of Zion, and this is quite in accordance with
the statements of this verse; for as it is not till Neh_3:27 that the description of the wall-
building reaches the walls of Ophel, all the localities and buildings spoken of in Neh_
3:24-27 must be sought for on the east side of Zion. The court of the prison formed,
according to Eastern custom, part of the royal fortress upon Zion. The citadel had,
moreover, a high tower. This is obvious from Son_4:4, though the tower of David there
mentioned, on which hung a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men, may not be
identical with the tower of the king's house in this passage; from Mic_4:8, where the
tower of the flock, the stronghold of the daughter of Zion, is the tower of the royal
citadel; and from Isa_32:14, where citadel and tower (‫ן‬ ַ‫ח‬ ַ , properly watch-tower) answer
to the ‫ּון‬‫מ‬ ְ‫ר‬ፍ of the royal citadel, which lay with its forts upon the hill of Zion. This high
tower of the king's house, i.e., of the royal citadel, stood, according to our verses, in the
immediate neighbourhood of the angle and the corner (‫ה‬ָ ִ ַ‫;)ה‬ for the section of wall
which reached to the ‫ה‬ָ ִ lay opposite the angle and the high tower of the king's house.
The wall here evidently formed a corner, running no longer from south to north, but
turning eastwards, and passing over Ophel, the southern spur of Moriah. A length from
this corner onwards was built by Pedaiah the son of Parosh; comp. Ezr_2:3.

79. TRAPP, " ehemiah 3:24 After him repaired Binnui the son of Henadad another
piece, from the house of Azariah unto the turning [of the wall], even unto the corner.
Ver. 24. Unto the turning of the wall] amely, from the south side to the east; which
turning came with the corner inwards into the city, according to the natural
situation of the rock and the valley.
PETT, "Verse 24
After him repaired Binnui the son of Henadad another portion, from the house of
Azariah to the turning (of the wall), and to the corner.’
Binnui the son of Henadad (and brother of Bavvai - ehemiah 3:18) repaired the
part of the wall between the end of the house of Azariah to the next angle in the wall
and then on to the corner. All this would be familiar to the early readers. Bavvai in
ehemiah 3:18 would appear to have been his brother.
This Binnui was also a signatory to ehemiah’s covenant ( ehemiah 10:9) where he
is revealed as a Levite. It may be his son, who as one of the two Levites selected,
aided in the reception of the gold and silver for the Temple when Ezra arrived (Ezra
8:33). By now Henadad may have been dead, or too old to work on the wall. Sons of
a Henadad who were Levites (Ezra 3:9), and who was presumably a forebear of this
Henadad, had arrived with Zerubbabel and helped with the building of the Temple
(Ezra 3:9). It was common for names to pass down in a family.
The sons of a former Binnui had arrived with Zerubbabel ( ehemiah 7:15; compare
Ezra 2:10 where he is called Bani) but they were ‘men of Israel’ not ‘Levites’. A
Binnui who was of the sons of Pachath-moab had married an idolatrous foreign wife
(Ezra 10:30) as had another Binnui (Ezra 10:38). Thus it was a common name
among the Jews.
LA GE, " ehemiah 3:24-25. Binnui is the Levite mentioned in chs. ehemiah 10:9
and ehemiah 12:8. Unto the turning of the wall, even unto the corner.—Or, unto
the corner of the wall and unto the turret. By this seems to be intended the corner,
where the “tower which lieth out” ( ehemiah 3:25) formed a projection. Capt.
Warren found about four hundred feet south-west of the south-east corner of the
temple area the remains of an outlying tower to the wall, which he conjectures may
be the “tower which lieth out.” This tower is described in the next verse as the tower
which lieth out from the king’s high house.—Solomon’s palace, doubtless, occupied
the south-east corner of the present Haram. It probably had a high fortified position
extending south to the Ophel wall (see Capt. Warren’s map). This part was perhaps
built by Jotham ( 2 Chronicles 27:3), or Hezekiah ( 2 Chronicles 32:5), or Manasseh
( 2 Chronicles 33:14). The height of Manasseh’s building is especially mentioned.
The court of the prison is spoken of in Jeremiah 32:2 as appertaining to the king’s
house.

80. 25 and Palal son of Uzai worked opposite the
angle and the tower projecting from the upper
palace near the court of the guard. ext to him,
Pedaiah son of Parosh
BAR ES, "Neh_3:25
The “king’s high house” is almost certainly the old palace of David, which was on the
temple hill, and probably occupied a position directly north of the temple.
That was by the court of the prison - Prisons were in old times adjuncts of
palaces. The palace of David must have had its prison; and the “prison gate” Neh_12:39
was clearly in this quarter.
GILL, "Palal the son of Uzai, over against the turning of the wall,.... Who
dwelt there, and so repaired what was right against him:
and the tower which lieth out from the king's high house: which might be built
for prospect, or his upper house:
that was by the court of the prison; and we often read in Jeremiah of the court of
the prison being in or near the king's house, see Jer_32:2,
after him Pedaiah the son of Parosh; went on from hence with the repair.
JAMISO , "the tower which lieth out from the king’s high house — that is,
watchtower by the royal palace [Barclay].
ELLICOTT, "(25) The tower which lieth out from the king’s high house.—Better,
the high tower outlying from the king’s palace.
That was by the court of the prison.—The palace generally had its prison, and near
this was the “prison-gate” of ehemiah 12:39.
TRAPP, " ehemiah 3:25 Palal the son of Uzai, over against the turning [of the

81. wall], and the tower which lieth out from the king’s high house, that [was] by the
court of the prison. After him Pedaiah the son of Parosh.
Ver. 25. Over against the turning] Of these turnings there were many, as appeareth
above.
The king’s high house] In Spain, not only doth the king dwell in a stately high
palace, but also the highest room in every great house is his, and he must be paid for
it.
That was by the court of the prison] Here Jeremiah was prisoner more than once,
Jeremiah 32:2; Jeremiah 38:7; Jeremiah 38:13. And therefore other good people
that came after him thither might be as well apaid as Dr Taylor, martyr, who
blessed God that ever he was fellow-prisoner to that earthly angel (as be called him),
John Bradford; or, as that other good woman, who rejoiced that she might have her
foot in the hole of the stocks in which Mr Philpot had been before her.
PETT, "Verse 25
Palal the son of Uzai (repaired) over against the turning (of the wall), and the tower
that stands out from the upper house of the king, which is by the court of the
guard.’
The next section, which was repaired (the verb is read in) by Palal the son of Uzai,
was either near, or contained, a tower which was a part of the Davidic palace
complex. The palace probably had a number of towers and this one is identified by
its position ‘by the court of the guard’ (compare Jeremiah 32:2). This tower ‘stood
out from the upper house of the king’, possibly at the southernmost end of the
palace. (The palace was situated near the Temple. The complex must have been very
widespread).
ehemiah 3:25
‘After him Pedaiah the son of Parosh (repaired), and the ethinim dwelt in Ophel,
unto the place over against the water gate toward the east, and the tower that stands
out (the projecting tower).’
The writer probably assumes that the reader will realise that where Pedaiah was
repairing was the southern point of Ophel (the rising ground leading up to the
Temple), and was thus where the ephinim dwelt. His initial readers would know
where the former Water Gate, and the Projecting Tower, were. ote the continuing
reference to Ophel in the following verse.
The idea here may be that Pedaiah, with the ethinim (Temple servants) who dwelt
in Ophel (see Isaiah 32:14; Micah 4:8), were the ones who repaired this section.
Alternatively it may simply be indicating that Pedaiah repaired the section which
was adjacent to the houses of the ethinim in Ophel. Either way he repaired as far
as the place which was adjacent to the Water Gate towards the east, and as far as
the projecting tower. The Water Gate gave access to the Gihon spring. It may not

82. have been rebuilt at this stage as a consequence of the fact that access to the spring
at this point was prevented by the build up of rubble from the previous destruction
of the walls. This would have been mid-way up the eastern wall.
Pedaiah was the name of a man who stood by Ezra at the reading of the Torah
( ehemiah 8:4), and he may well be identical with this man. It was also the name of
a Levite appointed over the treasuries of YHWH’s house ( ehemiah 13:13). A
further Pedaiah ben Koliah was a Benjamite, who was forefather of one of the
rulers ruling in Jerusalem as a result of its repopulation by ehemiah ( ehemiah
11:7).
Others who were named Pedaiah were, 1) the father of Joel, who was a ruler of
Western Manasseh in David’s day (1 Chronicles 27:20); 2) Pedaiah of Rumah (2
Kings 23:36), who was the father of Zebudah, Jehoiakim's mother; 3) a son of
Jechoniah (Jehoiachin) while in captivity, whose sons were Zerubbabel and Shimei
(1 Chronicles 3:18-19). Zerubbabel is elsewhere called the son of Shealtiel
(Jechoniah’s first son) but the relationship may have been by Levirate marriage, or
by adoption as heir to the throne.
The Ophel (‘swelling, rising’) was the rising ground rising up eventually to the
Temple, and was a convenient place for the humbler ‘Temple Servants’ ( ethinim -
see Ezra 2:43-54) to live so as to be near the Temple. The ethinim were descended
from foreigners (often prisoners of war) who had been enslaved and given by kings
to serve in the Temple in a humble capacity. But their returning to Jerusalem with
the returnees confirms their present pride in their position and the fact that they
saw themselves as genuine Yahwists.
BE SO , " ehemiah 3:25. Over against the turning of the wall — In a part of the
wall which jutted out. And the tower — Or, even the tower. Which lieth out from
the king’s high house — Either from the royal palace, or from some other house
which the king formerly built there, either for prospect or for defence. By the court
of the prison — A place often mentioned: see Jeremiah 32:2; Jeremiah 38:7;
Jeremiah 38:13.
26 and the temple servants living on the hill of
Ophel made repairs up to a point opposite the
Water Gate toward the east and the projecting
tower.

83. BAR ES, "Neh_3:26
The marginal reading is better. On the Nethinims see 1Ch_9:2 note.
Ophel was the slope south of the temple (see the marginal reference “y” note); and the
water-gate, a gate in the eastern wall, either for the escape of the superfluous water from
the temple reservoirs, or for the introduction of water from the Kidron valley when the
reservoirs were low.
GILL, "Moreover, the Nethinims dwelt in Ophel,.... An high tower upon the wait,
in this part of it, see 2Ch_27:3, these were servants to the Levites, and repaired here,
where their dwellings were:
unto the place over against the water gate toward the east: and as one part of
their work was to fetch water for the temple, they were here very properly situated; it led
to the king's garden, the valley of Jehoshaphat, and from thence a plain way to Bethany:
and the tower that lieth out; from the wall.
JAMISO , "the Nethinims — Not only the priests and the Levites, but the
common persons that belonged to the house of God, contributed to the work. The names
of those who repaired the walls of Jerusalem are commemorated because it was a work
of piety and patriotism to repair the holy city. It was an instance of religion and courage
to defend the true worshippers of God, that they might serve Him in quietness and
safety, and, in the midst of so many enemies, go on with this work, piously confiding in
the power of God to support them [Bishop Patrick].
K&D, "Having now reached the place where the wall encloses Ophel, a remark is
inserted, Neh_3:26, on the dwellings of Nethinim, i.e., of the temple servants. The
Nethinim dwelt in Ophel as far as (the place) before the water-gate toward the east, and
the tower that standeth out. ‫הי‬ ‫ל‬ ָ ְ‫ג‬ ִ ַ‫ה‬ still depends upon ‫ד‬ֶ‫ג‬ֶ‫נ‬ ‫ד‬ ַ‫.ע‬ The water-gate towards
the east, judging from Neh_12:37, lay beyond the south-eastern corner of the temple
area. Bertheau, reasoning upon the view that the open space of the house of God, where
Ezra spoke to the assembled people (Ezr_10:9), is identical with the open place before
the water-gate mentioned Neh_8:1, Neh_8:3, Neh_8:16, places it on the east side of the
temple area, near where the golden gate (Rab er Rahme) now stands. This identity,
however, cannot be proved; and even if it could, it would by no means follow that this
open space lay on the east side of the temple area. And as little does it follow from Neh_
12:37, as we shall show when we reach this passage. ‫א‬ ֵ‫ּוצ‬ ַ‫ה‬ ‫ל‬ ָ ְ‫ג‬ ִ ַ‫ה‬ is said by Bertheau to
have belonged perhaps to the water-gate towards the east, since, by reason of the
statements contained in Neh_3:31 and Neh_3:32, we must not seek it so far northwards
on the east side of the temple area, as to combine it with the remains of a tower
projecting seven and a half feet from the line of wall at the north-east corner, and
described by Robinson (Biblical Researches, p. 226). But even if the tower in question
must not be identified with these remains, it by no means follows that it stood in the

84. neighbourhood of the golden gate. Even Arnold, in his work already cited, p. 636,
remarks, in opposition to Bertheau's view, that “it is evident from the whole statement
that the tower standing out from the king's house, in Neh_3:25, Neh_3:26, and Neh_
3:27, is one and the same, and that Bertheau's view of our having here three separate
towers can hardly be maintained,” although he, as well as Bertheau, transposes both the
king's house and the court of the prison to the south of the Temple area. The similar
appellation of this tower as ‫א‬ ֵ‫ּוצ‬ ַ‫ה‬ in the three verses speaks so decidedly for its identity,
that very forcible reasons must be adduced before the opposite view can be adopted. In
Neh_3:26 it is not a locality near the water-gate in the east which is indicted by ‫א‬ ֵ‫ּוצ‬ ַ‫ה‬
‫ל‬ ָ ְ‫ג‬ ִ ַ‫,ה‬ but the western boundary of the dwellings of the Nethinim lying opposite. They
dwelt, that is, upon Ophel, southwards of the temple area, on a tract of land reaching
from the water-gate in the east to opposite the outstanding tower of the royal citadel in
the west, i.e., from the eastern slope of the ridge of Ophel down to the Tyropoean valley.
ELLICOTT, "(26) The ethinims dwelt in Ophel.—It has been proposed to insert
“who” before dwelt (following the Syriac); but this is not necessary. Ophel was the
long rounded spur running out south of the Temple, on the sides of which the
ancient “temple servants” still dwelt, separated from others, on a tract of land
reaching from the “water-gate toward the east” to the outlying tower of the king’s
citadel in the west. othing is said of their part in the general labour.
TRAPP, " ehemiah 3:26 Moreover the ethinims dwelt in Ophel, unto [the place]
over against the water gate toward the east, and the tower that lieth out.
Ver. 26. Moreover the ethinims dwelt in Ophel] Of ethinims see Ezra 2:43. Their
work was to carry wood and water to the Temple; therefore they dwelt near the
water gate, for their own convenience.
BE SO , " ehemiah 3:26. The ethinims dwelt in Ophel — Or, who dwelt in
Ophel. For this seems to be only a description of the persons whose work follows.
ot only the priests and Levites, but the meanest persons that belonged to the house
of God, inferior officers, contributed to this work. Over against the water-gate — So
called, because by that gate water was brought in, either by the people, for the use of
that part of the city, or rather, by these ethinims, who were Gibeonites, for the
uses of the temple, for which they were drawers of water, Joshua 9:21.
LA GE, " ehemiah 3:26. Moreover the ethinim dwelt in Ophel. Some with the
Syriac, insert the relative and read, “the ethinim who dwelt in Ophel,” and then
supply the verb “repaired.” This is not needed. We may count this an interjected
statement, showing what an important site had been given to the ethinim. See,
moreover, the ‫יו‬ ָ‫ֲר‬‫ח‬‫אַ‬ of ehemiah 3:27, referring to Pedaiah. The water-gate was,
perhaps, a gate opening into the subterranean water galleries, lately discovered by
Capt. Warren. If Song of Solomon, then the ethinim dwelt in all Ophel from a
point a little north of the Fountain of the Virgin to this “tower which lieth without,”
that Isaiah, along a distance of about eight hundred feet. This position of the water-
gate answers to the narrative in ehemiah 12:37. (See Excursus.)

85. The ethinim (i.e., dedicated ones) were servants of the temple, who performed the
menial duties of the precinct. In Josephus they are ἱερόδουλοι (temple-servants).
They were appointed by David ( Ezra 8:20), as another guild of service (Solomon’s
servants, or Andhé Shelomoh) was appointed by Solomon ( Ezra 2:58). The Levites,
as compared with the priests, were called ethunim ( umbers 8:19), a word of the
same signification as ethinim. (Comp. the K’tib of Ezra 8:17.) Perhaps David’s
ethinim were the Gibeonites (hewers of wood and drawers of water) restored to
their service in a regular manner, after a dispersion of their number in Saul’s time.
(See 2 Samuel 21:2.)
27 ext to them, the men of Tekoa repaired
another section, from the great projecting tower
to the wall of Ophel.
BAR ES, "Neh_3:27
The foundations of an outlying tower near the southeast angle of the temple area in
this position have been recently discovered.
GILL, "After them the Tekoites repaired another piece,.... Having finished what
they undertook in another part of the wall, Neh_3:5, they engage in this part of it; which
shows their great zeal and diligence, when their nobles were so backward to it, and
withdrew from it:
over against the great tower that lieth out; the same as in the preceding verse:
even unto the wall of Ophel; from right against the great tower unto the wall the
Tekoites repaired.
K&D, "Neh_3:27
After them the Tekoites repaired a second piece from opposite the great tower that
standeth out to the wall of Ophel. The great (high) tower of the king's house within the
city wall being some distance removed therefrom, the portion of wall on the eastern
ridge of Zion from south to north, reaching as far as the turning and the corner, and the
commencement of the wall running from this corner eastwards, might both be
designated as lying opposite to this tower. The portion mentioned in our verse passed

86. along the Tyropoean valley as far as the wall of Ophel. King Jotham had built much on
the wall of Ophel (2Ch_27:3); and Manasseh had surrounded Ophel with a very high
wall (2Ch_33:14), i.e., carried the wall round its western, southern, and eastern sides.
On the north no wall was needed, Ophel being protected on this side by the southern
wall of the temple area.
TRAPP, " ehemiah 3:27 After them the Tekoites repaired another piece, over
against the great tower that lieth out, even unto the wall of Ophel.
Ver. 27. After them the Tekoites] The people whereof had repaired before,
ehemiah 3:5, now also the priests, but not the nobles: they continued still stout and
stiffnecked, as ehemiah 3:5.
PETT, "Verse 27
‘After him the Tekoites repaired another (a second) portion, over against the great
tower that stands out (projecting tower), and unto the wall of Ophel.’
The Tekoites were also involved in ehemiah 3:5, which see. This is thus the second
portion for which they were responsible. It was adjacent to the Projecting Tower.
They repaired ‘unto the wall of Ophel’ (compare 2 Chronicles 27:3 where Jotham
‘built much on the wall of Ophel). The wall of Ophel would appear to have been an
inner wall running east-west (but see 2 Chronicles 33:14).
BE SO , " ehemiah 3:27. After them the Tekoites repaired — The same spoken
of before, who, having despatched their first share sooner than their brethren, freely
offered to supply the defects of others, who, as it seems, neglected that part of the
work which had been committed to them. And this their double diligence is noted,
both for the greater shame of their nobles, who would not do any part of it, and for
their own honour, who were so far from being corrupted by that bad example, that
they were quickened to greater zeal and industry in this pious work.
28 Above the Horse Gate, the priests made
repairs, each in front of his own house.
BAR ES, "Neh_3:28
“The horse gate” was on the east side of the city, overlooking the Kidron valley. It
seems to have been a gate by which horses approached and left the old palace, that of

87. David, which lay north of the temple Neh_3:25.
CLARKE, "The horse gate - The place through which the horses passed in order to
be watered; It was near the temple. Some rabbins suppose that in order to go to the
temple, a person might go on horseback to the place here referred to, but then was
obliged to alight, as a horse could pass no farther. Horses were never very plentiful in
Jerusalem.
GILL, "From above the horse gate repaired the priests,.... So called, either
because near it were stables for horses; or through it horses were led to be watered at the
brook of Kidron, to which it was near; or to be exercised in the valley; Josephus (c)
speaks of the "hippie", or horse tower, which might be near it:
everyone over against his house; for it seems there was a row of houses in which
the priests dwelt, and each of them repaired as much of the wall as was right against his
house.
K&D, "The wall of Ophel and the eastern side of the temple area. - Neh_3:28 Above
the horse-gate repaired the priests, each opposite his own house. The site of the horse-
gate appears, from 2Ch_23:15 compared with 2Ki_11:6, to have been not far distant
from the temple and the royal palace; while according to the present verse, compared
with Neh_3:27, it stood in the neighbourhood of the wall of Ophel, and might well be
regarded as even belonging to it. Hence we have, with Thenius, to seek it in the wall
running over the Tyropoean valley, and uniting the eastern edge of Zion with the western
edge of Ophel in the position of the present dung-gate (Bab el Mogharibeh). This
accords with Jer_31:40, where it is also mentioned; and from which passage Bertheau
infers that it stood at the western side of the valley of Kidron, below the east corner of
the temple area. The particular ‫ל‬ ַ‫ע‬ ֵ‫,מ‬ “from over,” that is, above, is not to be understood
of a point northwards of the horse-gate, but denotes the place where the wall, passing
up from Zion to Ophel, ascended the side of Ophel east of the horse-gate. If, then, the
priests here repaired each opposite his house, it is evident that a row of priests' dwellings
were built on the western side of Ophel, south of the south-western extremity of the
temple area.
COFFMA , "THE WALL OF JERUSALEM COMPLETELY REBUILT
"Above the horse gate repaired the priests, every one over against his house. After
them repaired Zadok the son of Immer over against his own house. And after him
repaired Shemaiah the son of Shecanaiah, the keeper of the east gate. After him
repaired Hananiah the son of Shelemiah, and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph,
another portion. After him Meshullam the son of Berechiah over against his
chamber. After him repaired Malchijah one of the goldsmiths unto the house of the
ethinim, and of the merchants, over against the gate of Hammiphkad, and to the
ascent of the corner. And between the ascent of the corner and the sheep gate
repaired the goldsmiths and the merchants."
See the helpful map of Jerusalem (in 444 B.C.) on page 138 of the printed book.

88. TRAPP, " ehemiah 3:28 From above the horse gate repaired the priests, every one
over against his house.
Ver. 28. From above the horse gate] So called, say some, because there they were
wont to dismount, leaving their horses. When the king himself came, he must alight,
and go afoot into the Temple. The Great Turk at this day, when he entereth into his
mosque for devotion sake, alights and lays aside all his state, and goes in alone.
PETT, "Verse 28
‘Above the horse gate repaired the priests, every one over against his own house.’
As we have seen the ethinim (Temple Servants) dwelt at the low point of the Ophel
(the ground rising towards the Temple). ow we have reached the point where the
priests dwelt in Jerusalem. The portion of the wall by their houses was ‘above the
Horse Gate’ (mentioned in Jeremiah 31:40), and each took responsibility for the
portion adjacent to his own house.
As the Horse Gate is not said to be repaired it may well have been a part of the old
devastated wall which was not being rebuilt, with the new wall being built on the
higher ridge. This would explain why the new wall was ‘above the Horse Gate’, no
gate now being included.
BE SO , "Verse 28-29
ehemiah 3:28-29. From above the horse-gate — ot that belonging to the king’s
palace, (2 Chronicles 23:15,) but one of the gates of the city, so called, probably,
because the horses commonly went out that way to their watering-place. Shechaniah
the keeper of the east gate — To wit, of the city or of the temple, which, being the
chief gate, was committed to his particular care and custody.
LA GE, " ehemiah 3:28. The horse-gate was where Athaliah was slain. It was
between the temple and the palace. This would put it about200 feet north of the
present S. E. corner of the Haram. (See 2 Chronicles 23:15, and Jeremiah 31:40).
The part from the “wall of Ophel” to the horse-gate (Sha’ar Has-susim) was
probably in good order, as it was the wall of the old royal palace, and had been
occupied by the governors of the city. Hence it is not mentioned as rebuilt at this
time, but the next builders to the Tekoites begin from above (i.e., up the Kidron) the
horse-gate. (See Excursus).
29 ext to them, Zadok son of Immer made
repairs opposite his house. ext to him, Shemaiah

89. son of Shekaniah, the guard at the East Gate,
made repairs.
GILL, "After them repaired Zadok the son of Immer, over against his
house,.... After the last of the priests, this begun where they ended, and repaired as far
as his house reached; and being, perhaps, a person of some note, his house might be a
large one:
after him repaired also Shemaiah, the son of Shechaniah, the keeper of the
east gate; that is, of the temple; for the gates of the city having been burnt so long, it
cannot be thought there should be a keeper of any of them.
K&D, "Neh_3:29
Zadok ben Immer (Ezr_2:37) was probably the head of the priestly order of Immer.
Shemaiah the son of Shecaniah, the keeper of the east gate, can hardly be the same as
the Shemaiah of the sons of Shecaniah entered among the descendants of David in 1Ch_
3:22. He might rather be regarded as a descendant of the Shemaiah of 1Ch_26:6., if the
latter had not been enumerated among the sons of Obed-Edom, whose duty was to
guard the south side of the temple. The east gate is undoubtedly the east gate of the
temple, and not to be identified, as by Bertheau, with the water-gate towards the east
(Neh_3:26). The place where Shemaiah repaired is not more precisely defined; nor can
we infer, with Bertheau, from the circumstance of his being the keeper of the east gate,
that he, together with his subordinate keepers, laboured at the fortification of this gate
and its adjoining section of wall. Such a view is opposed to the order of the description,
which passes on to a portion of the wall of Ophel; see rem. on Neh_3:31.
TRAPP, " ehemiah 3:29 After them repaired Zadok the son of Immer over against
his house. After him repaired also Shemaiah the son of Shechaniah, the keeper of
the east gate.
Ver. 29. Shemaiah the son of Shechaniah] Egregie cordatus homo, Ezra 8:16.
PETT, "Verse 29
‘After them repaired Zadok the son of Immer over against his own house.’
The next section was repaired by Zadok the son of Immer and his household,
adjacent to his own house. Contrast ehemiah 3:4 c where Zadok the son of Baana
had been involved. Being a ‘son of Immer’ may indicate his priestly descent.
Immer was the name of one of priestly courses in the time of David (1 Chronicles
24:14 compare ehemiah 7:40; Ezra 2:37). ‘Sons of Immer’ had married idolatrous

90. foreign wives (Ezra 10:20). See also ehemiah 11:13. In all these cases priestly
descent was involved.
ehemiah 3:29
‘And after him repaired Shemaiah the son of Shecaniah, the keeper of the east gate.’
The next section was repaired by ‘Shemaiah the son of Shecaniah, the keeper of the
east gate.’ This was probably the east gate in the Temple, indicating that Shemaiah
was a prominent Levite and a temple gate-keeper. This distinguishes him from the
Shemaiah, son of Shechaniah, who was a post-exilic Davidide (1 Chronicles 3:22).
LA GE, " ehemiah 3:29. The keeper of the east gate.—This Sha’ar ham-mizrah is
the sha’ar hak-kadmoni of Ezekiel 11:1, one of the inner temple-gates, not a city
gate. If this Shemaiah, the son of Shechaniah, is the same as the one mentioned in 1
Chronicles 3:22, then he was a descendant of the kings, and his title may have been
one of honor only. He may, however, have been another and a Levite.
30 ext to him, Hananiah son of Shelemiah, and
Hanun, the sixth son of Zalaph, repaired another
section. ext to them, Meshullam son of Berekiah
made repairs opposite his living quarters.
GILL, "After him repaired Hananiah the son of Shelemiah, and Hanun the
sixth son of Zalaph, another piece,.... This last man had six sons; but only his
youngest son wrought at this work, which is observed to his great commendation:
after him repaired Shelemiah the son of Berechiah, over against his
chamber; the same as in Neh_3:4 who having finished what he engaged in there, took
his part where his chamber was, and repaired over against that.
HE RY, " Of one of these builders it is observed that he was the sixth son of his
father, Neh_3:30. His five elder brethren, it seems, laid not their hand to this work, but
he did. In doing that which is good we need not stay to see our elders go before us; if
they decline it, it does not therefore follow that we must. Thus the younger brother, if he
be the better man, and does God and his generation better service, is indeed the better

91. gentleman; those are most honourable that are most useful.
K&D, "Neh_3:30
‫י‬ ָ‫ר‬ ֲ‫ח‬ፍ here and in Neh_3:31 gives no appropriate sense, and is certainly only an error of
transcription arising from the scriptio defect. ‫ו‬ ָ‫ר‬ ֲ‫ח‬ፍ. Hananiah the son of Shelemiah, and
Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph, are not further known. The name of Meshullam the son
of Berechiah occurs previously in Neh_3:4; but the same individual can hardly be
intended in the two verses, the one mentioned in Neh_3:4 being distinguished from
others of the same name by the addition ben Meshezabeel. ‫י‬ִ‫נ‬ ֵ‫שׁ‬ for ‫ית‬ִ‫נ‬ ֵ‫שׁ‬ (Neh_3:27, Neh_
3:24, and elsewhere) is grammatically incorrect, if not a mere error of transcription.
‫ּו‬‫ת‬ ָⅴ ְ‫שׁ‬ִ‫נ‬ ‫ד‬ֶ‫ג‬ֶ‫,נ‬ before his dwelling. ‫ה‬ ָⅴ ְ‫שׁ‬ִ‫נ‬ occurs only here and Neh_13:7, and in the plural
‫ּות‬‫כ‬ ָ‫שׁ‬ְ ַ‫,ה‬ Neh_12:44; it seems, judging from the latter passage, only another form for ‫ה‬ ָⅴ ְ‫שׁ‬ ִ‫,ל‬
chamber; while in Neh_13:7, on the contrary, ‫ה‬ ָⅴ ְ‫שׁ‬ִ‫נ‬ is distinguished from ‫ה‬ ָⅴ ְ‫שׁ‬ ִ‫,ל‬ Neh_
13:4-5. Its etymology is obscure. In Neh_13:7 it seems to signify dwelling.
TRAPP, " ehemiah 3:30 After him repaired Hananiah the son of Shelemiah, and
Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph, another piece. After him repaired Meshullam the
son of Berechiah over against his chamber.
Ver. 30. After him repaired Hananiah] Or, After me. ehemiah, doubtless, did his
part, and a large one too, see ehemiah 4:16, but he omitteth, out of his modesty, to
set down how much. In the Hebrew text it is, After me; but in the margin, After him.
The reason is given by some to be this, that ehemiah might most covertly set forth
his own work, to avoid all show of vain glory.
And Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph] ot the eldest, but the best of all the brethren.
There must be no straining courtesy who shall begin; nor must men fear for their
forwardness to be styled seraphical and singular. If Hanun were alone, it was a
shame for his brethren to suffer him to be so.
PETT, "Verse 30
‘After him repaired Hananiah the son of Shelemiah, and Hanun the sixth son of
Zalaph, a second portion.’
The next section was the responsibility of Hananiah and Hanun. This may well have
been the Hananiah, the governor of the fortress, who was placed in charge of the
whole of Jerusalem by ehemiah because he was ‘a faithful man who feared God
above many’ ( ehemiah 7:2). Alternately if ‘a second portion’ also applies to him
this may be the Hananiah who was prominent among the perfumers in ehemiah
3:8.
A prominent Levite named Hananiah sealed ehemiah’s covenant ( ehemiah
10:23), whilst it is also the name of a priest who was present at the dedication of the
walls ( ehemiah 12:41), and one who was head of his father’s house in the days of

92. Joiakim, the father of Eliashib the High Priest ( ehemiah 12:12).
Hanun is described as ‘the sixth son of Zalaph’. He may be identifiable with the
Hanun who repaired along with the inhabitants of Zanoah in ehemiah 3:13, which
would explain why this is ‘a second portion’. We do not know why he is unusually
distinguished as ‘a sixth son’, although it may emphasise his personal worth in that
he is prominent in spite of being only a sixth son..
ehemiah 3:30
‘After him repaired Meshullam the son of Berechiah over against his chamber.’
Meshullam the son of Berechiah has already been mentioned as active in the
rebuilding in ehemiah 3:4. Here he now also has responsibility for the wall ‘over
against his chamber’, probably in the Temple complex (compare ehemiah 12:44;
ehemiah 13:4-9; Ezra 10:6). This brings out his religious importance. His daughter
in fact married the son of Tobiah the Servant ( ehemiah 6:18), and he may well
have been influential in Tobiah also later having a chamber in the Temple
( ehemiah 13:4-9).
BE SO , " ehemiah 3:30. And Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph, another piece — It
seems his five elder brethren laid not their hands to the work. But in doing that
which is good, we need not stay to see our betters go before us.
31 ext to him, Malkijah, one of the goldsmiths,
made repairs as far as the house of the temple
servants and the merchants, opposite the
Inspection Gate, and as far as the room above the
corner;
BAR ES, "The gate Miphkad - Not elsewhere mentioned. It must have been in the
east, or northeast, wall, a little to the south of the “sheep-gate”
GILL, "After him repaired Malchiah, the goldsmith's son,.... Or the son of
Tzoreph, as some, so called from his business:
unto the place of the Nethinims, and of the merchants; he repaired up to the

93. place where these dwelt:
over against the gate Miphkad; where some think was an house of visitation or
correction; and others, where the sanhedrim sat, tried causes, and exercised justice:
and to the going up of the corner; from the east to the north.
K&D, "Neh_3:31
‫י‬ ִ‫פ‬ ְ‫ּר‬ ַ‫ה‬ is not a proper name, but an appellative, son of the goldsmith, or perhaps better,
member of the goldsmiths' guild, according to which ‫י‬ ִ‫פ‬ ְ‫ּר‬ ַ‫ה‬ does not stand for hatsoreep,
but designates those belonging to the goldsmiths. The statements, (he repaired) unto the
house of the Nethinim, and of the merchants opposite the gate ‫ד‬ ָ‫ק‬ ְ‫פ‬ ִ ַ‫,ה‬ and to the upper
chamber of the corner, are obscure. This rendering is according to the Masoretic
punctuation; while the lxx, on the contrary, translate according to a different division of
the words: Malchiah repaired as far as the house of the Nethinim, and the spice-
merchants (repaired) opposite the gate Miphkad, and as far as the ascent of the corner.
This translation is preferred by Bertheau, but upon questionable grounds. For the
objection made by him, that if the other be adopted, either the same termination would
be stated twice in different forms, or that two different terminations are intended, in
which case it does not appear why one only should first be mentioned, and then the
other also, is not of much importance. In Neh_3:24 also two terminations are
mentioned, while in Neh_3:16 we have even three together. And why should not this
occur here also? Of more weight is the consideration, that to follow the Masoretic
punctuation is to make the house of the Nethinim and of the merchants but one
building. Since, however, we know nothing further concerning the edifice in question,
the subject is not one for discussion. The rendering of the lxx, on the other hand, is
opposed by the weighty objection that there is a total absence of analogy for supplying
‫יקוּ‬ִ‫ז‬ ֱ‫ח‬ ֶ‫ה‬ ‫יו‬ ָ‫ר‬ ֲ‫ח‬ፍְ‫;ו‬ for throughout this long enumeration of forty-two sections of wall, the verb
‫יק‬ִ‫ז‬ ֱ‫ח‬ ֶ‫ה‬ or ‫יקוּ‬ִ‫ז‬ ֱ‫ח‬ ֶ‫,ה‬ or some corresponding verb, always stands either before or after every
name of the builders, and even the ‫יו‬ ָ‫ר‬ ֲ‫ח‬ፍ is omitted only once (Neh_3:25). To the
statement, “as far as the house of the Nethinim and the merchants,” is appended the
further definition: before (opposite) the gate ‫ד‬ ָ‫ק‬ ְ‫פ‬ ִ ַ‫.ה‬ This word is reproduced in the lxx as
a proper name (τοሞ Μαφεκάδ), as is also ‫ים‬ִ‫ינ‬ ִ‫ת‬ְ ַ‫ה‬ ‫ית‬ ֵ , ᅟως Βετηᆭν Νατηινίµ); in the Vulgate it
is rendered appellatively: contra portam judicialem; and hence by Luther, Rathsthor.
Thenius translates (Stadt, p. 9): the muster or punishment gate. ‫ד‬ ָ‫ק‬ ְ‫פ‬ ִ‫מ‬ does not, however,
signify punishment, although the view may be correct that the gate took the name ‫ד‬ ָ‫ק‬ ְ‫פ‬ ִ ַ‫ה‬
from the ‫ת‬ִ‫י‬ ַ ַ‫ה‬ ‫ד‬ ַ‫ק‬ ְ‫פ‬ ִ‫מ‬ mentioned Eze_43:21, where the bullock of the sin-offering was to be
burnt without the sanctuary; and it may be inferred from this passage that near the
temple of Solomon also there was an appointed place for burning the flesh of the sin-
offering without the sanctuary. In Ezekiel's temple vision, this ‫ת‬ִ‫י‬ ַ ַ‫ה‬ ‫ד‬ ַ‫ק‬ ְ‫פ‬ ִ‫מ‬ is probably to be
sought in the space behind the sanctuary, i.e., at the western end of the great square of
five hundred cubits, set apart for the temple, and designated the Gizra, or separate
place. In the temples of Solomon and Zerubbabel, however, the place in question could
not have been situate at the west side of the temple, between the temple and the city,

94. which lay opposite, but only on the south side of the temple area, outside the court, upon
Ophel, where Thenius has delineated it in his plan of Jerusalem before the captivity.
Whether it lay, however, at the south-western corner of the temple space (Thenius), or in
the middle, or near the east end of the southern side of the external wall of the temple or
temple court, can be determined neither from the present passage nor from Ezekiel's
vision. Not from Eze_43:21, because the temple vision of this prophet is of an ideal
character, differing in many points from the actual temple; not from the present passage,
because the position of the house of the Nethinim and the merchants is unknown, and
the definition ‫ד‬ֶ‫ג‬ֶ‫,נ‬ (before) opposite the gate Miphkad, admits of several explanations.
Thus much only is certain concerning this Miphkad gate, - on the one hand, from the
circumstance that the wall was built before (‫ד‬ֶ‫ג‬ֶ‫)נ‬ or opposite this gate, on the other, from
its omission in Neh_12:39, where the prison-gate is mentioned as being in this
neighbourhood in its stead, - that it was not a gate of the city, but a gate through which
the ‫ד‬ ָ‫ק‬ ְ‫פ‬ ִ‫מ‬ was reached. Again, it is evident that the ‫ה‬ָ ִ‫ל‬ ֲ‫ע‬ of the corner which is mentioned
as the length of wall next following, must be sought for at the south-eastern corner of the
temple area. Hence the house of the temple servants and the merchants must have been
situate south of this, on the eastern side of Ophel, where it descends into the valley of
Kidron. ‫ה‬ָ ִ ַ‫ה‬ ‫ת‬ַ ִ‫ל‬ ֲ‫,ע‬ the upper chamber of the corner, was perhaps a ᆓπερሬον of a corner
tower, not at the north-eastern corner of the external circumvallation of the temple area
(Bertheau), but at the south-eastern corner, which was formed by the junction at this
point of the wall of Ophel with the eastern wall of the temple area. If these views are
correct, all the sections mentioned from Neh_3:28 to Neh_3:31 belong to the wall
surrounding Ophel. This must have been of considerable length, for Ophel extended
almost to the pool of Siloam, and was walled round on its western, southern, and eastern
sides.
ELLICOTT, "(31) The place of the ethinims.—Rather, the house.
And of the merchants.—Possibly there is some connection between the traders, who
brought their doves and so forth for the worshippers, and the ethinim to whoso
house or depôt they brought them. ear the sheep gate was the “going up of the
corner,” or an ascent to the gate Miphkad, about which nothing is known.
TRAPP, " ehemiah 3:31 After him repaired Malchiah the goldsmith’s son unto the
place of the ethinims, and of the merchants, over against the gate Miphkad, and to
the going up of the corner.
Ver. 31. After him] Or, After me. See ehemiah 3:30.
Over against the gate Miphkad] The judicial gate, saith the Vulgate; the gate of
commandment, saith Junius; probably where the Sanhedrim sat.
PETT, "Verse 31
‘After him repaired Malchijah, one of the goldsmiths, unto the house of the
ethinim, and of the merchants, over against the gate of Hammiphkad, and to the
ascent of the corner.’

95. The next section was that which led up to the north east corner. It was repaired by
Malchijah who was a goldsmith. It was adjacent to ‘the house of the ethinim’,
probably the large house they lived in when actually on duty in the Temple, in
contrast with their normal dwellingplaces at the commencement of the Ophel
( ehemiah 3:26). It was seemingly large enough to also be used by merchants,
presumably those who were involved in trade connected with the Temple It was
probably this connection which resulted in a goldsmith being involved in the
oversight of the building. The Gate of Hammiphkad (the miphkad) is of unknown
meaning (‘muster, inspection, appointed place’ have been suggested). It may have
been where animals for sacrifice were gathered and inspected.
LA GE, " ehemiah 3:31. The place of the ethinim and of the Merchants over
against the gate Miphkad and to the going up of the corner. Lit. The house of the
ethinim and the traders opposite the gate of the visitation even to the ascent of the
projecting turret. The “house” of the ethinim and traders was not their dwelling-
place, but, we suppose, the place where under the direction of the ethinim the
traders (see Matthew 21:12) brought their doves, etc, for sale to worshippers. We
may place it near the northeast angle of the Haram. For the gate Miphkad, see
Excursus. The ascent of the turret would be the stairs at the north-east angle leading
up to a corner-tower, not far from the sheep gate.
32 and between the room above the corner and
the Sheep Gate the goldsmiths and merchants
made repairs.
CLARKE, "The goldsmiths and the merchants - The word ‫הצרפים‬ hatstsorephim
may signify smiths, or persons who worked in metals of any kind; but it is generally
understood to mean those who worked in gold. I have already observed, that the
mention of merchants and goldsmiths shows that these persons were formed into bodies
corporate in those ancient times. But these terms are differently rendered in the
versions. The Vulgate is the same as ours, which probably our translators copied:
aurifices et negociatores. The Syriac is, goldsmiths and druggists. The Arabic, smelters
of metal and porters. The Septuagint, in some copies, particularly in the Roman edition,
and in the Complutensian, Antwerp, and Paris Polyglots, have οᅷ χαλκεις και οᅷ µεταβολι,
smiths and merchants; but in other copies, particularly the London Polyglot, for

96. µεταβολοι we find ምωποπωλαι, seller of shields. And here the learned reader will find a
double mistake in the London Polyglot, ምοποπωλαι for ምωποπωλαι, and in the Latin
version scruta for scuta, neither of which conveys any sense.
GILL, "And between the going up of the corner unto the sheep gate,.... Where
the building first began and where it now ended:
repaired the goldsmiths and the merchants; or druggists; which was done at their
expense; and so the wall all round, with the gates of it, were rebuilt and repaired, which
was all done in fifty two days, Neh_6:15.
K&D, "Neh_3:32
The last section, between the upper chamber of the corner and the sheep-gate, was
repaired by the goldsmiths and the merchants. This is the whole length of the east wall
of the temple as far as the sheep-gate, at which this description began (Neh_3:1). The
eastern wall of the temple area might have suffered less than the rest of the wall at the
demolition of the city by the Chaldeans, or perhaps have been partly repaired at the time
the temple was rebuilt, so that less restoration was now needed.
A survey of the whole enumeration of the gates and lengths of wall now restored and
fortified, commencing and terminating as it does at the sheep-gate, and connecting
almost always the several portions either built or repaired by the words (‫ם‬ ָ‫ד‬ָ‫)י‬ ‫ּו‬‫ד‬ָ‫י‬ ‫ל‬ ַ‫ע‬ or
‫יו‬ ָ‫ר‬ ֲ‫ח‬ፍ, gives good grounds for inferring that in the forty-two sections, including the gates,
particularized vv. 1-32, we have a description of the entire fortified wall surrounding the
city, without a single gap. In Neh_3:7, indeed, as we learn by comparing it with Neh_
12:29, the mention of the gate of Ephraim is omitted, and in Neh_3:30 or Neh_3:31, to
judge by Neh_12:39, the prison-gate; while the wall lying between the dung-gate and the
fountain-gate is not mentioned between Neh_3:14 and Neh_3:15. The non-mention,
however, of these gates and this portion of wall may be explained by the circumstance,
that these parts of the fortification, having remained unharmed, were in need of no
restoration. We read, it is true, in 2Ki_25:10 and 2Ki_25:11, that Nebuzaradan, captain
of the guard of Nebuchadnezzar, burnt the king's house and all the great houses of the
city, and that the army of the Chaldees broke down or destroyed (‫)נתץ‬ the walls of
Jerusalem round about; but these words must not be so pressed as to make them
express a total levelling of the surrounding wall. The wall was only so far demolished as
to be incapable of any longer serving as a defence to the city. And this end was fully
accomplished when it was partially demolished in several places, because the portions of
wall, and even the towers and gates, still perhaps left standing, could then no longer
afford any protection to the city. The danger that the Jews might easily refortify the city
unless the fortifications were entirely demolished, was sufficiently obviated by the
carrying away into captivity of the great part of the population. This explains the fact
that nothing is said in this description of the restoration of the towers of Hananeel and
Hammeah (Neh_3:11), and that certain building parties repaired very long lengths of
wall, as e.g., the 1000 cubits between the fountain-gate and the dung-gate, while others
had very short portions appointed them. The latter was especially the case with those
who built on the east side of Zion, because this being the part at which King Zedekiah
fled from the city, the wall may here have been levelled to the ground.

97. From the consideration of the course of the wall, so far as the description in the
present chapter enables us to determine it with tolerable certainty, and a comparison
with the procession of the two bands of singers round the restored wall in Neh_12:31-
40, which agrees in the chief points with this description, it appears that the wall on the
northern side of the city, before the captivity, coincided in the main with the northern
wall of modern Jerusalem, being only somewhat shorter at the north-eastern and north-
western corners; and that it ran from the valley (or Jaffa) gate by the tower of furnaces,
the gate of Ephraim, the old gate, and the fish-gate to the sheep-gate, maintaining, on
the whole, the same direction as the second wall described by Josephus (bell. Jud. v. 4.
2). In many places remains of this wall, which bear testimony to their existence at a
period long prior to Josephus, have recently been discovered. In an angle of the present
wall near the Latin monastery are found ”remains of a wall built of mortice-edged
stones, near which lie blocks so large that we are first took them for portions of the
natural rock, but found them on closer inspection to be morticed stones removed from
their place. A comparatively large number of stones, both in the present wall between
the north-west corner of the tower and the Damascus gate, and in the adjoining
buildings, are morticed and hewn out of ancient material, and we can scarcely resist the
impression that this must have been about the direction of an older wall.” So Wolcott
and Tipping in Robinson's New Biblical Researches. Still nearer to the gate, about three
hundred feet west of it, Dr. Wilson remarks (Lands of the Bible, i. p. 421), “that the wall,
to some considerable height above its foundation, bears evidence, by the size and
peculiarity of its stones, to its high antiquity,” and attributes this portion to the old
second wall (see Robinson). “Eastward, too, near the Damascus gate, and even near the
eastern tower, are found very remarkable remains of Jewish antiquity. The similarity of
these remains of wall to those surrounding the site of the temple is most surprising”
(Tobler, Dritte Wand. p. 339). From these remains, and the intimations of Josephus
concerning the second wall, Robinson justly infers that the ancient wall must have run
from the Damascus gate to a place in the neighbourhood of the Latin monastery, and
that its course thence must have been nearly along the road leading northwards from the
citadel to the Latin monastery, while between the monastery and the Damascus gate it
nearly coincided with the present wall. Of the length from the Damascus gate to the
sheep-gate no certain indications have as yet been found. According to Robinson's ideas,
it probably went from the Damascus gate, at first eastwards in the direction of the
present wall, and onwards to the highest point of Bezetha; but then bent, as Bertheau
supposes, in a south-easterly direction, and ran to a point in the present wall lying
north-east of the Church of St. Anne, and thence directly south towards the north-east
corner of the temple area. On the south side, on the contrary, the whole of the hill of
Zion belonged to the ancient city; and the wall did not, like the modern, pass across the
middle of Zion, thus excluding the southern half of this hill from the city, but went on
the west, south, and south-east, round the edge of Zion, so that the city of Zion was as
large again as that portion of modern Jerusalem lying on the hill of Zion, and included
the sepulchres of David and of the kings of Judah, which are now outside the city wall.
Tobler (Dritte Wand. p. 336) believes that a trace of the course of the ancient wall has
been discovered in the cutting in the rock recently uncovered outside the city, where, at
the building of the Anglican Episcopal school, which lies two hundred paces westward
under En-Nebi-Daûd, and the levelling of the garden and cemetery, were found edged
stones lying scattered about, and “remarkable artificial walls of rock,” whose direction
shows that they must have supported the oldest or first wall of the city; for they are just
so far distant from the level of the valley, that the wall could, or rather must, have stood
there. “And,” continues Tobler, “not only so, but the course of the wall of rock is also to a
certain extent parallel with that of the valley, as must be supposed to be the case with a

98. rocky foundation to a city wall.” Finally, the city was bounded on its western and eastern
sides by the valleys of Gihon and Jehoshaphat respectively.
ELLICOTT, "(32) Unto the sheep gate.—It appears that the “goldsmiths and the
merchants” undertook the small space necessary to complete the circuit.
TRAPP, " ehemiah 3:32 And between the going up of the corner unto the sheep
gate repaired the goldsmiths and the merchants.
Ver. 32. Unto the sheep gate] Here they began and here they end, having repaired
round, and thereby obtained a good report, being here registered and renowned.
Those that have a hand in building the spiritual Jerusalem shall be surely crowned
and chronicled. Their names shall be written in the book of life, where no devil can
scrape them out. Up, therefore, and be doing worthily in Ephratah, that ye may be
famous in Bethlehem, Ruth 4:11. "To them who by patient continuance in well
doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, shall be eternal life," Romans 2:7.
PETT, "Verse 32
‘And between the ascent of the corner and the sheep gate repaired the goldsmiths
and the merchants.’
In ehemiah 3:1 the description of the building works had commenced with the
building of the Sheep Gate in the northern wall by the priests. ow the final section
of the building work, that between the north east corner and the Sheep Gate, is
described. This involved the activity of the goldsmiths and the merchants, probably
because they had a thriving religious market in that area connected with the
Temple. Thus the goldsmiths and merchants worked on the wall side by side with
the priests ( ehemiah 3:1). It was an indication of the unity of purpose of all God’s
people, both spiritual and secular, as they worked together on the wall.
But it is also a vivid reminder of how Temple worship and purity was always in
danger of becoming mixed up with, and polluted by, secular greed, something which
had clearly been in Zechariah’s mind in Zechariah 14:21, where some decades
previously he had declared that in the coming age ‘there shall no more be a
trafficker in the house of YHWH of Hosts’. It was a theme which Jesus took up
when He ‘cleansed’ the Temple and declared, ‘do not make My Father’s house a
house of merchandise’ (John 2:16). This was what they were in grave danger doing.
It can also become a great danger for us.
BE SO , " ehemiah 3:32. The going up unto the sheep-gate — There they began,
and there they ended, which shows that they left not off till they had compassed the
whole city with a wall. o man can think, (as Pellicanus observes,) that the names of
them who repaired the walls of Jerusalem were set down so diligently as here they
are, without some rational cause for it. And the reason was, because it was a work of
great virtue, to love and to do honour to their country; a work of piety, to restore
the holy city; a religious conduct, to defend the true worshippers of God, that they
might serve him in quietness and safety; and a courageous behaviour, in the midst

99. of so many enemies, to go on with this work in a pious confidence of the power of
God to support them. The names, therefore, of such persons deserved to be
preserved and transmitted to future generations, as a most noble example to them.
LA GE, " ehemiah 3:32. The goldsmiths may have been also connected with these
matters of the ethinim and traders.
For a plan of the walls of the city, see Excursus.
From this outline it will be seen that only those gates whose bars and locks and
doors are mentioned do we consider as belonging to the city wall, to wit:
1. Sheep-gate, ehemiah 3:1.
2. Fish-gate, ehemiah 3:3.
3. Old-gate, ehemiah 3:6.
4. Valley-gate, ehemiah 3:13.
5. Dung-gate, ehemiah 3:14.
6. Fountain-gate, ehemiah 3:15.
The other gates are not spoken of as now constructed, and we take them to be inner
gates belonging to the inner temple and palace divisions, to wit:
1. Water-gate, ehemiah 3:26.
2. Horse-gate, ehemiah 3:28.
3. East-gate, ehemiah 3:29.
4. Gate Miphkad, eh 3:31.
We also consider the wall along the southern brow of Zion to have continued across
the Tyropœon to Ophel near the pool of Siloam.
HISTORICAL A D ETHICAL
1. Eliashib’s connection with Sanballat and Tobiah ( ehemiah 13:7; ehemiah
13:28) must have taken place at a later date, when ehemiah had returned to Susa,
and was not expected to revisit Jerusalem. If the high-priest had already made those
scandalous alliances, ehemiah certainly would have taken him to task, and the
record of such reprimand would have been here given. With a heart disaffected,
Eliashib nevertheless takes his place in the rebuilding of the wall. His prominence in

100. the work was doubtless a great help to ehemiah.
2. It is an interesting feature of this wall-building that those whose local interests
were far off, as at Jericho, Tekoah, and Beth-zur, took such deep interest and such
conspicuous part in the work. The old love for Zion and for the temple was still
warm in the breasts of the returned Jews. They felt that the true life of the nation
flowed from Jerusalem as the central heart. Their union in this work was a powerful
means of renewing their patriotic affection and strengthening the interests of the
commonwealth. Co-working for defence always brings souls together; and when the
co-working is in defence of the citadel of religion and country, the strongest bond of
union is formed. The wall-buildings formed a strong basis, on which ehemiah
could introduce his reforms.
3. However, there must have been many who refused the service, and were
apathetic, if not hostile to the work. Otherwise we should not see some of them
engaged doing a second piece of the wall, and perhaps a longer list of leaders in the
service would be recorded. It is not to be believed that, if the high-priest himself was
inclined to ally himself to Sanballat, there were not many others who had no hearty
interest in the restoration of Jerusalem’s glory. The nobles of Tekoah ( ehemiah
3:5) were but samples of a large number.
4. And yet, again, the thirty-four leaders whose names are given us cannot be
considered as the only chief men engaged in the wall-building. Other prominent
men whose names occur later in the book may have held office under them, and
hence are here unmentioned.
HOMILETICAL A D PRACTICAL
ehemiah 3:1. The importance of Zion’s walls1) For uniting the congregation, the
congregation must be able to shut itself off and secure itself to protect its peculiar
goods2) For exclusion of the world,—the world must be kept at a distance, so long as
it only strives to rob the goods of the congregation.
ehemiah 3:1-2. The precedence of the high-priest in making the city of God
secure1) He himself is the first to build2) By this he consecrates the work of the
others3) He is a pledge for the success of the work.—The duty of building the walls
of Zion1) For those in authority (as ehemiah), who have to incite and uphold the
priests and people in their work2) For the priests who are not exalted above the
common obligation.—3) For the people whose members must not forget in their
household and inferior cares, those which are higher and more universal.—Bede:
Qui portas et turres ædificant, per quas vel cives ingrediantur vel arceantur inimici,
ipsi sunt prophetæ, apoastoli, evangelistæ, per quos nobis forma et ordo fidei ac
rectæ operations, per quam unitatem ecclesiæ sanctæ intrare debeamus, ministrata
Esther, quorumque verbis, qualiter adversarios veritatis redarguamus ac
repellamus, discimus. Qui vero reliquis verbis extruunt, ipsi sunt pastores et
doctores.—Starke: The clergy should set to work first in building the city of God,
and precede others by a good example. The memory of those who have rendered

101. services to the church and to the commonwealth remains, justly, blessed. Proverbs
10:7. The most powerful and richest people do, generally, the least in the temporal
and spiritual edifice of the city of God. Happy he who willingly puts on the light and
easy yoke of Christ at the building of the spiritual Jerusalem.
ehemiah 3:31. The honor of the mechanics and artists1) They may be, and shall be
at the same time priests of God2) Their products can and shall serve for God’s
honor3) Their doing has in itself worth and reward.
ehemiah 3:33–35. Why the world so easily pretends that our work will have no
result1) Because in truth of ourselves we are not capable of great efforts: only the
sacrifice and the power of Christ can make us willing and endow us with
perseverance2) Because in truth the work is indeed altogether too lofty and
glorious,—only the Spirit of Christ can consecrate us to it3) Because the world only
sees that which is before its eyes; there Isaiah, however, something higher.—Starke:
Fleshly-minded spirits consider the undertaking and the work of God’s children as
contemptible and small, and measure it according to their standard. Wisdom of
Solomon 5:3; 2 Kings 19:10. There are different degrees among the godless, in
regard to their wickedness. The worst are those who not only do wickedly
themselves, but also cannot bear to see others doing good, and express their rage in
poisonous jeers. John 10:32; Psalm 109:4.
ehemiah 3:36–38. Prayer is the most powerful weapon against the enemy1) It
secures to us the best allies2) It makes us sure of the weakness of the enemy. If they
are God’s enemies at the same time, they have God’s holiness opposed to them,
before which nothing which is evil can endure3) It pledges the final victory to us.
They can only escape by change of heart.—Starke: When we are in the greatest
straits, there God is our safety, our rock, our strength and refuge, and we must fly
to Him in prayer. 2 Chronicles 20:12; Proverbs 18:10; ahum 1:3.
ehemiah 3:38. The blessing of the oppression which the scorn of the world
exercises upon us1) We work the more steadily under it, we do not indeed know how
long the evening will permit us to work2) The joy in the work increases as surely as
it is elevating to bear the disgrace of Christ3) The work advances so much the
better. Starke: In the work of the Lord we must confidently proceed, heedless of all
opposition. 2 Timothy 4:3-5. At pleasure’s call all work seems small, therefore be
not slothful in what you should do. Romans 12:11; Proverbs 6:6. If God has given us
successful progress in our work, this should be an admonition to us that we should
the more boldly persist in pursuing our calling.
Footnotes:
F #1 - This gate and the water-gate and horse-gate and gate Miphkad ( ehemiah
3:26; ehemiah 3:28; ehemiah 3:31) all appear to have been within the temple-
precinct or its neighborhood, and all appear to have been destitute of locks and
bars; for these are spoken of with regard to all the other gates ( ehemiah 3:3;
ehemiah 3:6; ehemiah 3:13-14), but not with regard to these. These gates may

102. have been kept constantly open, but guarded by an armed force.