Next to him Hananiah, one of the perfumers, made repairs; and they restored Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall. 2And the men of Jericho built next to him. After the wall was built, Nehemiah ensured that the people were read God's Law, and they understood it. He gathered his people together, he equipped them, and he led them in rebuilding the city walls of Jerusalem. That decree restores Jerusalem to a messiah (anointed one)/political leader (in this case, the high priest and ethnarch Hyrcanus II), and indicates that the seventy weeks will be fulfilled AFTER the broad place and moat has been rebuilt, an event that happened between 44 BCE and 43 BCE, when Antipater, appointed by Rome to assist Hyrcanus govern the city of Jerusalem, is known to have rebuilt the wall and tower gate (with the broad place for assembling troops behind the tower) and restored the moat in front of the wall by clearing out the rubbish that had been used by Pompey in 63 BCE to fill in the moat so his Roman troops could use siege engines against the wall. Read Did I Find King Davids Palace? by Eilat Mazar as it appeared in the September/October 2012 issue of BAR for free in Bible History Daily. 7After thinking it over, I brought charges against the nobles and the officials; I said to them, You are all taking interest from your own people. And I called a great assembly to deal with them, 8and said to them, As far as we were able, we have bought back our Jewish kindred who had been sold to other nations; but now you are selling your own kin, who must then be bought back by us! They were silent, and could not find a word to say. Nehemiah's efforts to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem exhibited this important component of faith. And you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days.. How difficult would that be to hold a weapon and build the wall? And the Old Testament book of Nehemiah records how Nehemiah completed that massive project in record time just 52 days. The 70 weeks are thus seventy Feasts of Weeks and are divided into three divisions: 7 weeks from 42-36 BCE, 62 weeks from 35 BCE-27 CE, and the final week ending in 28 CE at the beginning of Jesus ministry. The Second Reason: Water Neatly tucked away in the eastern slope of the City of David is the entrance to the ancient Jebusite passageway leading to the Gihon Spring. Next to them Zadok son of Baana made repairs. 21After him Meremoth son of Uriah son of Hakkoz repaired another section from the door of the house of Eliashib to the end of the house of Eliashib. Ezra 6 ends with completion of the temple in the 6th year of Darius even- Artaxerxes. And they builded, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel,.. 3. Defying the opposition of Judahs enemies on all sidesSamaritans, Ammonites, Arabs and Philistines, the original walls of the City of David were rebuilt by the people in 52 days, working with a trowel in one hand & a sword in the other. And rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem in 52 days. He then rallied the people and, in the face of constant opposition from opponents, rebuilt the wall in 52 days (Nehemiah 6:15)a feat that put fear into the hearts of his opponents (Nehemiah 6:16). Being a representative of the king to rebuild jerusalem was such a great feat that he would not have time for a family either. 16Indeed, I devoted myself to the work on this wall, and acquired no land; and all my servants were gathered there for the work. Building the Wall and Dealing With Resistance. Nehemiah 6:15 (Holman Christian Standard Bible) 15 The wall was completed (A) in 52 days, on the twenty-fifth day of the month Ellul. Ok Nissan is April and in the 20th year of the king. The first thing they did was use the weapon of mocking. Virtually any citizen of the ancient world could tick off three reasons why a wall was far more than just a pile of rocks. Though the temple has been rebuilt, the city walls were as they had been for the last 130 years, with the result that the inhabitants of Jerusalem had no way of defending themselves against their enemies (see Nehemiah 4:11). and packages. It took Nehemiah 52 days to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. God was using Nehemiah to lead His people to rebuild the walls around Jerusalem. If the Bible chronology is followed exactly as written, the reigns of the Hebrew kings synchronize perfectly with one another, without having to disregard Scripture and without having to accept long co-reigns not supported in the biblical text, and those reigns synchronize perfectly with the traditional chronology of Egypt as proposed by Ken Kitchen. Then I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned. If you sort through the rather scarce historical references of Messianic expectancy in the 1st century BCE you will find like Newton and Davidson that a huge portion of the Persian era was eclipsed. So we have: 1. Once there, Nehemiah defied the opposition of Judah's enemies on all sidesSamaritans, Ammonites, Arabs and Philistinesand rebuilt the walls within 52 days, from the Sheep Gate in the North, the Hananeel Tower at the North West corner, the Fish Gate in the West, the Furnaces Tower at the Temple Mount's South West. Really consider the words below. This is where I admittedly find it frustrating when discussing this subject. Each time a new Messianic zealot came along and needed a new basis for claiming a fulfillment of Daniel 9 they would conveniently associate the command given by YHWH in the 2nd year of Darius even Artaxerxes with the 2nd year of a new Artaxerxes thus eclipsing the Persian period by jumping from one to another. The wall is made from stone and mortar with gates. 5Then I said to the king, If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favour with you, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my ancestors graves, so that I may rebuild it. 6The king said to me (the queen also was sitting beside him), How long will you be gone, and when will you return? So it pleased the king to send me, and I set him a date. Accordingly, it can be seen that the time period covered by the prophecy of the seventy weeks is seventy years, not 490 years. Israel became a nation 69 years ago!! This theme actually comes from the book of Nehemiah (2:20), which describes how God led the people Israel in the task of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. Thus may they be shaken out and emptied. And all the assembly said, Amen, and praised the Lord. Cyruss decree which started contruction of the temple. 7Then I said to the king, If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may grant me passage until I arrive in Judah; 8and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the kings forest, directing him to give me timber to make beams for the gates of the temple fortress, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy. And the king granted me what I asked, for the gracious hand of my God was upon me. In the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, while I was in Susa the capital, 2one of my brothers, Hanani, came with certain men from Judah; and I asked them about the Jews that survived, those who had escaped the captivity, and about Jerusalem. The church is named after St Lazare (Lazarus of Bethany, whom Jesus raised from the dead Gospel of John, 11) and, historically, was a famous place of pilgrimage because of its claim to have a piece of Lazarusskull as a relic, reputed to have the power to cure leprosy. Brenton Septuagint Translation 2 He said in the presence of his associates and of the army of Samaria, 'What are these feeble Jews doing? Biblical Archaeology Review is the guide on that fascinating journey. The Temple, the city walls, and the gates had been destroyed as a result of the three invasions of Nebuchadnezzar and his forces in 606 BC, 597 BC, and 586 BC. How many days did it take Nehemiah and his leaders to rebuild Jerusalem's walls? []. The end of days never refers to Yom Kippur in the Tanach. He wanted them to know what standards he and they would live by. How did Nehemiah rebuild the walls? See http://www.prophecysociety.org for a fuller explanation than can be provided in this forum. . Contextually it was all about returning to the temple construction which had stopped. The CSB E3 Discipleship Bible is full of intentionally crafted discipleship tools and resources based on the E3 discipleship methodEngage. Respectfully, Nathaniel, you are incorrect in your interpretation. YHWH was telling the people to shuwb or return and build His house that they were neglecting. Nehemiah decides that the fortifications have to be rebuilt. Its is the literal and symbolic event which marked Jerusalems restoration. The traditional Bible chronology based on Thieles harmonization of the Hebrew kings and the Rohl chronology for Egypt are incorrect. Thanks a lot and I am taking a look ahead to contact you. I wonder if we know or have a way of knowing if he was married at the time of the story or if he had been married at all at any time? During this time according to Haggai 1 the people were busy working on their own houses. 13I went out by night by the Valley Gate past the Dragons Spring and to the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that had been broken down and its gates that had been destroyed by fire. 1Then the high priest Eliashib set to work with his fellow-priests and rebuilt the Sheep Gate. When a mother walks into our care, there is a sense of urgency: a baby is coming and I can only stay so long. Rebuild our health. After the wall was built, Nehemiah ensured that the people were read God's Law, and they understood it. He read the Book of Moses and wanted to make sure the people stayed faithful to God's ways. 11So I came to Jerusalem and was there for three days. So I embarked on a little detective work. Our God will fight for us.. [Nehemiah 5:14 - Governor for 12 years before returning to the palace.] The KING is coming soon and HE IS A JEW, YESHUA HAMASHIACH/JESUS THE CHRIST! (who came up with Zerubabbel) Talmon and Akkub were porters who kept the gates during the time Nehemiah was in Jerusalem. By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Of all of the English translations of Daniel 9:25, Youngs Literal Translation is perhaps the best (but still imperfect), saying And thou dost know, and dost consider wisely, from the going forth of the word to restore and to build Jerusalem till Messiah the Leader [is] seven weeks, and sixty and two weeks: the broad place hath been built again, and the rampart, even in the distress of the times. A good fulfillment paraphrase of verse 25, substituting real events and real names from history for the biblical language, would read something like this: Observe with your eyes and calculate with your mind, that after the issuance of the decree by Julius Caesar to Hyrcanus II, high priest and ethnarch (the anointed one-prince) of the Jews, restoring him to rule in Jerusalem (the first restoration) and granting him permission to rebuild its fortifications, until his repatriation from Parthia to Jerusalem by Herod (the second restoration), there will be seven Pentecosts, followed by sixty-two Pentecosts. We can learn about the society where the ancient Israelites, and later Jesus and the Apostles, lived through the modern discoveries that provide us clues. Looking at the verse in this context brings a little different picture. The command starts the process and the focus of the command is to return and build Jerusalem. Ok here is Nehemiah chapter 1 says, 1The words of Nehemiah son of Hakaliah: In the month of Kislevin the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa. Appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem, some at their watch-posts, and others before their own houses. 4The city was wide and large, but the people within it were few and no houses had been built. In the past 2000 years, no one else has. Along comes Bible History Daily, rents the picture, crops it to show just the face and upper portion of the body. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it" ( Nehemiah 2:20 ). Nehemiah Chapter 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. If building the temple (YHWH house) in Jerusalem does not qualify as the de facto event in building Jerusalem then nothing does. Nehemiah rebuilt Jerusalem's wall in only 52 days. My interpretation fits both Scripture and history. Few people are familiar with the Biblical figure Nehemiah, and yet he was instrumental in the rebuilding and reestablishment of Jerusalem in the fifth century B.C. Four highly acclaimed books, published in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution: Aspects of Monotheism, Feminist Approaches to the Bible, The Rise of Ancient Israel and The Search for Jesus. He expounded and enforced the Law of God. Building Jerusalem had been going on since the 1st year of Cyrus, that was never the issue. I am returned shuwb, the same word used in Daniel 9:25. Your email address will not be published. There is only ONE expert.the God of the Bible. They played trumpets, cymbals, and harps and sang to Jehovah. Then after the 62 7- sevens the Messiah is cut off. The only decree that does fit, and fit exactly using all of the biblical text, is the decree issued by Julius Caesar in 44 BCE that was recorded by Josephus as mentioned above. And it could not (as Josephus says) be Khshayarsha, who only reign 20 years. Rhema I have received from what Nehemiah did: he had a burden for his people; he went out and did want God wanted him to do; God did not give him a timeframe to do it in; and Nehemiah obeyed. 9So I said, The thing that you are doing is not good. Within three days of his arrival in Jerusalem he did a thorough inspection of the walls (Nehemiah 2:11-16). http://kofh2u.tripod.com/kofh/. Nehemiah 3 is even more specific. It is correct. Should you not walk in the fear of our God, to prevent the taunts of the nations our enemies? And next to them Zaccur son of Imri built. Although Newton believed the early messianic expectants based their counting from the 1st year of Cyrus, it is more likely as Davidson noted, the 2nd year of Darius Hystaspes which was the basis for the chronological errors that crept into the early rabbinic chronology. But thats not when he built the walls, its only when he inspected it for 3 days!! Then they said, Let us start building! So they committed themselves to the common good. After each failed attempt a new Artaxerxes was chosen in order to make the prophecy work. Each new messiah or their followers claim fulfillment of the prophecy based on a 2nd year of a Persian Artaxerxes. 8 years of Archaeology Odyssey online, exploring the ancient roots of the Western world in a scholarly and entertaining way, The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land. 2So the king said to me, Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? 6I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these complaints. Ok so Ill show you something that ppl dont see and its on the 490 weeks of years prophecy Jeremiah wrote but Daniel was given the chronology on it. Trying to apply that prophecy to the Persian period is simply incorrect. For the purpose of brevity, the word week in this chapter will hereafter represent the Day of Pentecost, although using the full fifty-day time period of the Feast of Weeks will work equally well in the interpretation offered in this chapter.. Not only did he trust God to bless his efforts, he physically did his part to complete the project. http://www.google.co.id/imgres?imgurl=http://www.jesusplusnothing.com/studies/images/nehem3.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.jesusplusnothing.com/studies/online/nehem3.htm&h=487&w=479&sz=5&tbnid=QnjiF52e5PjYCM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=89&zoom=1&usg=__BFMaBwzC558rhaR9TbUt9gfkj1o=&docid=UL4e0C1vyquoqM&sa=X&ei=MgB-UMy6N4HJrQfEj4HQBA&ved=0CD4Q9QEwBA&dur=4303. 14Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the Kings Pool; but there was no place for the animal I was riding to continue. However, week of years is not the meaning of the word weeks used to specify the seven weeks and sixty-two weeks in verse 25. This information is based on research from one of my favourite bible references- information which is taken from the Bible Encyclopaedia Insight on the Scriptures - No, Just the Outer Wall to The Temple & City: The house of Jehov. Nehemiah Inspects Jerusalem's Walls (Nehemiah 2:11-16) Landmarks in Building the Wall of Jerusalem ( Larger map) Notice carefully Nehemiah's strategy. Once the defenses had been rebuilt by Antipater, the seven weeks and sixty-two weeks and one week (totaling seventy weeks) could begin, and that is exactly what happened. 25Palal son of Uzai repaired opposite the Angle and the tower projecting from the upper house of the king at the court of the guard. Another of Nehemiahs accomplishments was to make a record and genealogy of all the nobles, officials and people who were then living in Judah. 32And between the upper room of the corner and the Sheep Gate the goldsmiths and the merchants made repairs. How many days did Nehemiah pray? Nehemiah served as the kings cupbearer (Nehemiah 1:11), which evidently put him in a position to speak to the king and request favors from him. Both I and my family have sinned. to quickly repair the breaches in the wall, Ancient Israel: From Abraham to the Destruction of the Temple, http://mw2.google.com/mw-panoramio/photos/medium/80353228.jpg, http://www.prophecysociety.org/books/LV2012/LV-091.html. Ezra 7:13-28. The prince to come is key to understanding these verses. Nehemiah settled the people in the city and its suburbs. If the Artaxerxes of Nehemiah references Darius son of Hystaspes their minimum age would have been 66 years. Since Ezra and Nehemyah were together in Yerushalayim at some point (Ezra 8:9) it is unlikely to have been a different Artakhashast in each story. One day they were reading in the book of Moses out loud to all the congregation of people. Notes And Next Steps Nehemiah 3 + Part 4 of the series "Nehemiah: Rise & Build" The Sheep Gate (3:1). The governors of surrounding territories viciously oppose Nehemiah's efforts, but the wall is finished in just 52 days ( Neh 7:15 ). interesting question, Wasen,t Nehemiah considered an eunich? Notice the importance YHWH, not man, places on the construction efforts: Zechariah 1:13-16 And YHWH answered the angel that talked with me with good words and comfortable words. Verse 6. (Neh. A survey of websites with information on the town of Avallon and its church with its unusual, single portal statue (the front entrance of most mediaeval churches with such statues are usually lined by several of them on either side), ALL refer to it as depicting a prophet. 6So we rebuilt the wall, and all the wall was joined together to half its height; for the people had a mind to work. It came to pass in the month of Chislev, in the () twentieth year, as I was in () Shushan [] the [] citadel, 2 that () Hanani one of my brethren came with men from Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped, who had survived the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. 5Do not cover their guilt, and do not let their sin be blotted out from your sight; for they have hurled insults in the face of the builders. 21So we laboured at the work, and half of them held the spears from break of dawn until the stars came out. The work was hard and the enemies made it more difficult by mocking and threatening the Jews and Nehemiah. 13He was hired for this purpose, to intimidate me and make me sin by acting in this way, and so they could give me a bad name, in order to taunt me. Zechariah 1:12 Then the angel of YHWH answered and said, O YHWH of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years? If you will read chapters six and seven in my book (link given above), you will see just how precisely the interpretation I have given fits recorded history and the Scriptures. After hearing about the sad state of affairs in Judah, Nehemiah acquired the kings permission to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the city and its fortifications. So it only took 52 days to build this wall, so from this time, its 492BCE. 15And Shallum son of Col-hozeh, ruler of the district of Mizpah, repaired the Fountain Gate; he rebuilt it and covered it and set up its doors, its bolts, and its bars; and he built the wall of the Pool of Shelah of the kings garden, as far as the stairs that go down from the City of David.