stages of their labour; whose shadows had been their daily and nightly com- panions for such weary weeks of watching and working. The Levites came up from their country districts, with their full array of the musical instruments which still bore the name of their royal inventor; the minstrels, too, were summoned from their retreats on the hills of J uda.h and in the deep valley of the Jordan ('I). They all met in the temple court. The blast of the priestly trumpets sounded on one side ; the songs of the minstrels were loud in propor- tion on the other. It is specially mentioned (eh. xii. 43) that even the women and children joined in the genera.I acclamation, and 'the joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar of[' Perhaps the circumstance that leaves even a yet deeper impression than this tumnltuous triumph is the meeting, which on this day, and this day alone, Nehemiah records in his own person, of the two men who in spirit were so closely united-himself as heading one procession, and 'Ezra the scribe' as heading the other."• It is impossible to determine the time at which Nehemiah ceased to be governor of J udrea., or to say whether he was recalled, or died at his post. We may gather from his last chapter that, at the time when he wrote it, he still retained his office; but, as we have seen that he probably completed his "Book" about B.c. 431, or 430, we cannot positively assign a longer dumtion to his governorship than fourteen or :fifteen years. Jewish tradition does not help us in the matter, for Josephus adds nothing to what we know from Scrip- ture, beyond the statement that Nehemiah lived to a good old age. The character of N ehemia.h is sufficiently clear from his writings. " He resembled Ezra in his fiery zeal, in his active spirit of enterprise, and in the piety of his life ; "t but he was of a bluffer and a :fiercer mood ; he had less patience with transgressors; he was a man of action rather than a man of thought, e.nd more inclined to use force than persuasion. His practical sagacity and high courage were very markedly shown in the arrangements by which he carried through the rebuilding of the wall, and baulked the cunning plans of the "adversaries." The piety of his heart, his deeply religious spirit, and con- stant sense of communion with and absolute dependence upon God, are strik- ingly exhibited, first, in the long prayer recorded in eh. i. 5-11 ; and secondly, and most remarkably, in what have been called his "interjectional prayers"- those short but moving addresses to Almighty God which occur so frequently in his writings-the instinctive outpouring of a heart deeply moved, but ever resting itself upon God, and looking to God alone for aid in trouble, for the frustration of evil designs, and for final reward and acceptance. At the same time, there is no fanaticism in his religion; while trusting in God for the issue, he omits no necessary precaution. "Nevertheless," he says, " we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch agairist them day and night" (eh. iv. 9). Nor does he trust to faith alone, without works. He is self-denying, hospitable • Stanley, 'Lectures on the Jewish Church,' Third Series, pp. 128, 129. t Ewe.ld, 'History of Israel,' vol. v. p. 147, E. Tr. TIIE BOOK <W NlUIE1IIAfl. vii ---------------------------------- active in deeds of mercy (eh. v. 8, 14, 17), unresting, indefatigable. Many are the "good deeds " which he docs for the house of his God, "and for the offices thereof" (eh. xiii. 14). And, besides his heavenly, he had an earthly reward. His memory remained fresh for a long term of years in the minds of his countrymen, who "glorified him in their traditions," and for a time set him even above Ezra. He finds a place, where Ezra has none, in the heroic cata- logue of the son of Sirach (Ecclus. xlix. 13). He was believed in the next age to have rebuilt the temple and the altar (2 Mace. i. 18). It was even reported of him that he founded a library in Jerusalem, collected the acts of the kings, and gathered the holy books into a volume (ibid. ii. 13). The place of his death and burial seems to have been unknown. No tomb is spoken of as raised in his honour. Such a memorial was perhaps felt to be unnecessary ; for, as Josephus observes, "the wall of Jerusalem constituted his best and most end nr- ing monument."•
LITERATURE OF NEBEMIA.H.
Be1theau's work on the Books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther contains the fullest commentary on Nehemiah as yet published. Valuable contributions to the history of the period will be found in Ewa.Id's 'Geschichte Volkes Israel' (vol. v. of the English translation, by Estlin Carpenter), and in Dean Stanley's ' Lectures on the Jewish Church,' Third Series. The articles on' Nehemiah' in Kitto's 'Cyclopredia,' Dr. W. Smith's' Dictionary of the Bible,' and Winer's 'Realwiirterbuch' may also be studied with advantage.
ARRANGEMEN'r OF TBE BooK IN SECTIONS. The following will be found the most convenient arrangement of Nehemiah:- Part I. (chs. i.-vii.). Nehemiah's account of the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem, and of the register which he found of tho~e who had returned with Zerubbabel. Subdivisions. Section 1 (chs. i., ii.). Introductory. Circumstances under which Nehemiah obtained his commission, and steps which he took preliminary to the building of the wall. Section 2 (eh. iii.). Commencement of the work. Arrangement of the working parties. Section 3 (eh. iv.). Open opposition offered to the work by Sanballat and Tobiah, with Nehemiah's counter-arrangements. Section 4 (eh. v. 1-13). Internal difficulties, and the manner in which Nehemiah overcame them. Section 5 (eh. v. 14-19). General account of Nehemiah's government. Section 6 (eh. vi.). Secret proceedings of Sanballat and his friends, with their failure. Silction 7 (eh. vii. 1-5). Completion of the work, and arrangements for guarding the gates. Section 8 (eh. vii. 5-73). Register of those who returned with Zerubbabel. • ' Ant. J ud. ,' xi. 5, § 8, ad fin. ll.. NEHEM.IAII, viii INTHODUCTIO~ TO THE BOOK OF XEHEMIAH.
Part 11. (clis. ,·iii.-x.). Account of the stnte of religion among· the Jews under the administration of Nehemiah. Subdivisio'M. Section 1 (eh. viii.). Religious instruction of the people by Ezra, and celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles. Section 2 (eh. ix.). Solemn fast kept, with confession of sin; and voluntary covenant entered into with God by the people, and sealed to by the princes, priests, and Levites. Section 3 (eh. x.). Names of those that sealed, and terms of the covenant.