PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible — Nehemiah
Gill, John, 1697-1771 · 40,014 words · 201 reading sections
Nehemiah 1:1
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible. Nehemiah 1:1 INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF NEHEMIAH This book is, by the authors of the Vulgate Latin and Arabic versions, called the "Second" Book of Ezra, it being a continuation of the same history, and was by the Jews reckoned as one book with Ezra; Kimchi on Isa 9:7, ca…
865 wordsSECTION 2Nehemiah 1:2
Nehemiah 1:2 Ver. 2. That Hanani, one of my brethren,.... Either in natural relation, Ne 7:2, or being a Jew of the same nation and religion; so Jarchi interprets it, one of my companions or acquaintance: he and certain men of Judah; who came from thence to Shushan on some account or another: and I asked them concer…
122 wordsSECTION 3Nehemiah 1:3
Nehemiah 1:3 Ver. 3. And they said unto me, the remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province,.... In Judea, now reduced to a province of the Persian empire: are in great affliction and reproach; harassed and distressed, calumniated and vilified, by their enemies the Samaritans: the wall of Jerusalem …
116 wordsSECTION 4Nehemiah 1:4
Nehemiah 1:4 Ver. 4. And it came to pass, when I heard these words,.... This sad and melancholy account of things: that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days; sat down upon the ground in dust and ashes, after the manner of mourners, and wept bitterly, and mourned in a most sorrowful manner, see Job 2:8, and …
76 wordsSECTION 5Nehemiah 1:5
Nehemiah 1:5 Ver. 5. And said, I beseech thee, O Lord God of heaven,.... He prayed not to the host of heaven, the sun in it, as the Persians, but to the God of it, in an humble supplicant manner: the great and terrible God; who is to be feared, and had in reverence of all his creatures, because of his greatness and g…
135 wordsSECTION 6Nehemiah 1:6
Nehemiah 1:6 Ver. 6. Let thine ear be now attentive,.... To his prayer, as in Ne 1:11, and thine eyes open; to behold with pity and compassion the distressed case of Jerusalem, and the Jews in it: I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants; this he had continued to do ever since h…
126 wordsSECTION 7Nehemiah 1:7
Nehemiah 1:7 Ver. 7. We have dealt very corruptly against thee,.... Corrupted his covenant, laws, and precepts, as well as themselves, ways, and works; all which were against the Lord, contrary to his nature, mind, and will: and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commanded…
62 wordsSECTION 8Nehemiah 1:8
Nehemiah 1:8 Ver. 8. Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses,.... To publish and declare to the children of Israel, De 28:64, saying, if ye transgress; the law of God: I will scatter you abroad among the nations; as now they had been among the Assyrians, Chaldeans, Medes, and Persi…
57 wordsSECTION 9Nehemiah 1:9
Nehemiah 1:9 Ver. 9. But if ye return unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them,.... Return by repentance, and, as a proof of the genuineness of it, yield obedience to the commands of God, and continue therein: though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven; that is, the uttermost parts …
142 wordsSECTION 10Nehemiah 1:10
Nehemiah 1:10 Ver. 10. Now these are thy servants, and thy people,.... Meaning those that were in Jerusalem and Judah, gathered out of several countries, and returned to Jerusalem: whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand; touching and moving the heart of Cyrus to proclaim liberty to them.…
55 wordsSECTION 11Nehemiah 1:11
Nehemiah 1:11 Ver. 11. O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant,.... To the prayer of Nehemiah, put up at this time: and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name; the prayer of the Jews in Judea, whose desire was to worship the Lord in his temple, according…
283 wordsSECTION 12Nehemiah 2:1
Nehemiah 2:1 INTRODUCTION TO NEHEMIAH 2 Nehemiah being sorrowful in the king's presence, the reason of it was asked by the king, which he declared, and then took the opportunity to request of the king that he might be sent to Jerusalem to rebuild it, which was granted him, Ne 2:1, upon which he set out, and came to J…
447 wordsSECTION 13Nehemiah 2:2
Nehemiah 2:2 Ver. 2. Wherefore the king said unto me, why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick?.... He had no disorder upon him to change his countenance and make him sorrowful, and therefore asks what should be the reason of it: this is nothing else but sorrow of heart; this is not owing to any bodily di…
176 wordsSECTION 14Nehemiah 2:3
Nehemiah 2:3 Ver. 3. And I said unto the king, let the king live for ever,.... Which some think he said to take off the king's suspicion of his having a design upon his life, though it seems to be a common salutation of the kings in those times, see Da 6:6, why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the pla…
112 wordsSECTION 15Nehemiah 2:4
Nehemiah 2:4 Ver. 4. Then the king said unto me, for what dost thou make request?.... The king supposed that there was a meaning in those looks and words of his, that he had a favour to ask of him, and therefore encourages him to it; or the king of himself moved this, as being desirous of doing anything for him he wou…
112 wordsSECTION 16Nehemiah 2:5
Nehemiah 2:5 Ver. 5. And I said unto the king; if it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight,.... He submits what he had to say wholly to the pleasure of the king, and puts it upon his unmerited favour, and not on any desert of his own: that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city o…
107 wordsSECTION 17Nehemiah 2:6
Nehemiah 2:6 Ver. 6. And the king said unto me, the queen also sitting by him,.... Which it seems was not very common for the queens of Persia to dine with the kings their husbands; though this may be observed, not so much for the singularity of it, as for the providence of God in it, that so it should be, she having …
257 wordsSECTION 18Nehemiah 2:7
Nehemiah 2:7 Ver. 7. Moreover, I said unto the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river,.... The river of Euphrates, on that side of it towards the land of Judea: that they may convey me over till I come into Judah; furnish him with provisions, and a guard to protect him.…
57 wordsSECTION 19Nehemiah 2:8
Nehemiah 2:8 Ver. 8. And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's forest,.... The forest or mountain of Lebanon, which, because of its odoriferous and fruit bearing trees, was more like an orchard or paradise, as this word signifies, and so it is translated in Ec 2:5 and at the extreme part of it, it seems, there …
273 wordsSECTION 20Nehemiah 2:9
Nehemiah 2:9 Ver. 9. Then I came to the governors beyond the river,.... Who these governors were, whether the same who were in the second year of this king's reign eighteen years ago, Tatnai and Shetharboznai, is not certain: now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me; both to do him honour, and …
88 wordsSECTION 21Nehemiah 2:10
Nehemiah 2:10 Ver. 10. When Sanballat the Horonite,.... Who either presided at Horonaim, or sprung from thence, a city of Moab, Isa 15:5 and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite; who was formerly a slave, but now raised, from a low mean estate, to be governor in the land of Ammon, though still a vassal of the king of Per…
106 wordsSECTION 22Nehemiah 2:11
Nehemiah 2:11 Ver. 11. So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days. Before he entered on any business, resting himself from the fatigue of the journey, and receiving the visits of his friends, as Ezra before him did, Ezr 8:32.…
44 wordsSECTION 23Nehemiah 2:12
Nehemiah 2:12 Ver. 12. And I arose in the might, I and some few men with me,.... Both the season of the night, and the small number of men to accompany him, were chosen for greater secrecy, that the business he came upon might not as yet be known, and so no schemes formed to obstruct or discourage: neither told I any…
171 wordsSECTION 24Nehemiah 2:13
Nehemiah 2:13 Ver. 13. And I went out by night, by the gate of the valley,.... Where that formerly stood, for the gates had been burnt, and were not as yet rebuilt; this was the gate that led to the valley of Jehoshaphat, according to some; or rather to the valley of dead bodies, through which the brook Kidron ran, se…
242 wordsSECTION 25Nehemiah 2:14
Nehemiah 2:14 Ver. 14. Then I went on to the pool of the fountain, and to the king's pool..... That led to the fountain Siloah or Gihon, so called; it was the way to the potter's field, to Bethlehem, Hebron, Gaza, and Egypt. Rauwolff says {t} there is still standing on the outside of the valley Tyropaeum (which distin…
118 wordsSECTION 26Nehemiah 2:15
Nehemiah 2:15 Ver. 15. Then went I up in the night by the brook,.... The brook Kidron: and viewed the wall; that was on that side: and turned back; did not go quite round the wall, the way perhaps being obstructed with rubbish, and was unpassable or he had not time to do it: and entered by the gate of the valley, a…
80 wordsSECTION 27Nehemiah 2:16
Nehemiah 2:16 Ver. 16. And the rulers knew not whither I went, or what I did..... The rulers of the city of Jerusalem, who seem to be officers of the king of Persia, since they are distinguished from Jewish rulers in the next clause: neither had I as yet told it to the Jews; what he came about and designed to do: no…
109 wordsSECTION 28Nehemiah 2:17
Nehemiah 2:17 Ver. 17. Then said I unto them,.... The priests and princes of the Jews: you see the distress that we are in; lie open to our enemies, and exposed to their insults: how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burnt with fire, Ne 1:3, come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem that we be …
96 wordsSECTION 29Nehemiah 2:18
Nehemiah 2:18 Ver. 18. Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me..... Of the kind providence of God in exalting him in the court of the king of Persia, in giving him an opportunity of laying the sad case of Jerusalem before him, and in inclining his heart to show favour to him, and grant his reques…
158 wordsSECTION 30Nehemiah 2:19
Nehemiah 2:19 Ver. 19. But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian,.... This third man might be both an Arabian by birth, and governor of some part of Arabia near Judea: heard it; of their beginning to build: they laughed us to scorn, and despised us; as very silly p…
326 wordsSECTION 31Nehemiah 3:1
Nehemiah 3:1 INTRODUCTION TO NEHEMIAH 3 This chapter contains the names of the builders of the wall of Jerusalem, the order in which they worked, where they began, and where they ended, which was the sheep gate, Ne 3:1. Ver. 1. Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the priests,.... This was the gra…
468 wordsSECTION 32Nehemiah 3:2
Nehemiah 3:2 Ver. 2. 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…
63 wordsSECTION 33Nehemiah 3:3
Nehemiah 3:3 Ver. 3. 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…
183 wordsSECTION 34Nehemiah 3:4
Nehemiah 3:4 Ver. 4. 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 alon…
93 wordsSECTION 35Nehemiah 3:5
Nehemiah 3:5 Ver. 5. And next unto them the Tekoites repaired,.... The inhabitants of Tekoa, a city in the tribe of Judah; see Am 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 …
133 wordsSECTION 36Nehemiah 3:6
Nehemiah 3:6 Ver. 6. 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 o…
126 wordsSECTION 37Nehemiah 3:7
Nehemiah 3:7 Ver. 7. 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…
97 wordsSECTION 38Nehemiah 3:8
Nehemiah 3:8 Ver. 8. 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 …
141 wordsSECTION 39Nehemiah 3:9
Nehemiah 3:9 Ver. 9. 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 unde…
75 wordsSECTION 40Nehemiah 3:10
Nehemiah 3:10 Ver. 10. 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 hi…
81 wordsSECTION 41Nehemiah 3:11
Nehemiah 3:11 Ver. 11. 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 …
72 wordsSECTION 42Nehemiah 3:12
Nehemiah 3:12 Ver. 12. 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 Ne 3:9 he and his daughters; who were rich widows or heiresses, an…
75 wordsSECTION 43Nehemiah 3:13
Nehemiah 3:13 Ver. 13. The valley gate repaired Hanun,.... Of which see Ne 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 Ne 3:3, and a thousand cubits on the wall to the dung gate; that is, they repaired the wall to such a length f…
78 wordsSECTION 44Nehemiah 3:14
Nehemiah 3:14 Ver. 14. 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 securit…
107 wordsSECTION 45Nehemiah 3:15
Nehemiah 3:15 Ver. 15. But the gate of the fountain,.... Of which see Ne 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 Ne 3:7, he built it, and covered it; roofed it, which is not said of any of the o…
157 wordsSECTION 46Nehemiah 3:16
Nehemiah 3:16 Ver. 16. 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 untou…
113 wordsSECTION 47Nehemiah 3:17
Nehemiah 3:17 Ver. 17. 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 juris…
73 wordsSECTION 48Nehemiah 3:18
Nehemiah 3:18 Ver. 18. 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. Nehemiah 3:19Ver. 19. And next to him repaired Ezer…
1,219 wordsSECTION 49Nehemiah 4:1
Nehemiah 4:1 INTRODUCTION TO NEHEMIAH 4 This chapter relates, how the Jews, while building, were mocked by their enemies, to which no answer was returned but by prayer to God, and they went on notwithstanding in their work, Ne 4:1 and how that their enemies conspired against them, to hinder them by force of arms, Ne …
161 wordsSECTION 50Nehemiah 4:2
Nehemiah 4:2 Ver. 2. And he spake before his brethren,.... Tobiah the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, and perhaps some other governors of the king of Persia in those parts: and before the army of Samaria: which, and the inhabitants of it, were implacable enemies of the Jews: and said, what do these feeble Jews? wh…
248 wordsSECTION 51Nehemiah 4:3
Nehemiah 4:3 Ver. 3. Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him,.... Who was one of his brethren he spake before, Ne 4:2, and he said; in the like contemptuous and scoffing manner; even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall break down their stone wall; signifying not only that it was so low that a fox could easily…
109 wordsSECTION 52Nehemiah 4:4
Nehemiah 4:4 Ver. 4. Hear, O our God, for we are despised,.... Here begins the prayer of Nehemiah, who had been informed of what these men said in contempt of him, and his builders, and to whom he sent no answer, but applied to God: and turn their reproach upon their own head; as they have despised and reproached us,…
98 wordsSECTION 53Nehemiah 4:5
Nehemiah 4:5 Ver. 5. And cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee,.... Let it not go unpunished, and even let it not be pardoned; which is spoken, not from a private spirit of revenge, but from a public spirit for the glory of God, and his justice; and not as a mere imprecation, …
139 wordsSECTION 54Nehemiah 4:6
Nehemiah 4:6 Ver. 6. So built we the wall,.... Went on in building it, notwithstanding their scoffs and threats: and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof; it was carried all round the city to half the height of it: for the people had a mind to work; their heart was in it, they had a good will to it…
71 wordsSECTION 55Nehemiah 4:7
Nehemiah 4:7 Ver. 7. And it came to pass that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians,.... Who were under and influenced by Geshem the Arabian: and the Ammonites; over whom Tobiah was governor: and the Ashdodites; who were of Ashdod or Azotus, one of the principalities of the Philistines, who were always enemie…
175 wordsSECTION 56Nehemiah 4:8
Nehemiah 4:8 Ver. 8. And conspired all of them together,.... All the above men and people entered into a confederacy and combination: to come and to fight against Jerusalem; to bring an army with them, and by force cause the Jews to desist; the Jews {e} pretend they came to war, and brought with them an army of 180,0…
185 wordsSECTION 57Nehemiah 4:9
Nehemiah 4:9 Ver. 9. Nevertheless, we made our prayer unto our God,.... Spread their case before him in prayer, entreating direction and help from him: and set a watch against them day and night, because of them; to give notice of their approach, that they might prepare to defend themselves; though they prayed to God…
70 wordsSECTION 58Nehemiah 4:10
Nehemiah 4:10 Ver. 10. And Judah said,.... Several of the men of Judah: the strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed; through much labour, in carrying heavy loads of stone and timber to the builders, and yet more through fear of the enemy: and there is much rubbish; which ought to be removed, but that the labou…
88 wordsSECTION 59Nehemiah 4:11
Nehemiah 4:11 Ver. 11. And our adversaries said, they shall not know,.... Our designs upon them: neither see; or perceive what we are about to do: till we come in the midst of them; with an army suddenly, at an unawares, and unexpected: and slay them; they being unarmed, and not prepared to defend themselves: and …
71 wordsSECTION 60Nehemiah 4:12
Nehemiah 4:12 Ver. 12 And it came to pass, when the Jews that dwelt by them,.... Near Samaria, Arabia, and Ashdod, and had intelligence of their designs: came, they said to us ten times; that is, they came to them at Jerusalem, and often told them, as this phrase "ten times" signifies, See Gill on "Ge 31:7", from al…
172 wordsSource & rights
Public domain; John Gill (1697–1771). Source item is marked Public Domain on Internet Archive.
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Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.