The Pulpit Commentary — Nehemiah — Section 32

hitherto been discovered. Hure too was the . Ver.. 21.-Meremoth's first piece is men- pool that we.a made by Hezekiah when he tioned m ver. 4. The second piece cannot was about to be besiogod by Sennacherib have been very long, since it only extended (2 Chron. xxxii. 30 ; Isa. xxii. 9-11). The along a portion of the high priest's house. house of the mighty- the Gibborim, or Virr. 22.-The priests who had lands in "mighty men" of David (2 Sam. xxiii. 8 ; the Jordan valley seem to be intended by 1 Chron. xi.10)-is not elsewhere mentioned. the men of the plain, hak-kikkar, "the It wns no doubt the barrack where, according plain," without further addition, having to tradition, David had quartered his best always that meaning in Scripture. We have troops. already heard that the men of Jericho were Ver. 17.-The ruler of the he.lf po.rt of engaged in the work (ver. 2). Xeile.h. Rather, "ruler of one-ho.If of the Ver. 24.-After him repaired Binnui the region of K." The district within which son of Rena.dad another piece. The name Keilah stood was divided in to two parts, one Binnui, has not occurred previously, but of which was under Hashabiah and the other probably ought to be substituted for Bavai under Bavai (ver. 18). Both took part in ('1)J for '1J) in ver. 18. He was a Levite the work of restoration, and the two work- (eh. x. 9), of the important Levitical family ing-parties were assigned adjacent :portions of Henadatl, mentioned in Ezra iii. 9. Unto of the wall. In his po.rt. Rather, "for his the turning of the wall, even unto the part "-pro tractu suo, as Ram bach renders. corner. As far as the north-east angle of Ver. 18.-Xeilah is /robably the modern the special wall of the city of David, which Kua, which is situate about twelve miles here adjoined the main wall of J erusa.lem. S.S. W. of Jerusalem, in the Shephelah, or A tower here stood out (ver. 25), and the low plain of the Philistines (1 Sam. xxiii. wall turned at a right angle, both north- 1-3). It was assigned to Judah by Joshua ward and southward. (Josh. xv. 44), threatened with capture, but Ver. 25.-The tower which lieth out from "saved" by David (1 Sam. xxiii. 5), and the king's high house. In the original it apparently reoccupied on the return from is uncertain whether the word translated the captivity. " high " belongs to " tower " or " house." Ver. 19.-Another piece. Ezer has not Most co=entators attach it to "tower." been previously mentioned as repairing any The "king's house" of this place can be portion of the wall ; but " the men of Miz- nothing but the old palace of David, which pah" have been mentioned as so doing was in this quarter, while Solomon's was on (ver. 7). Ezer had ap]i>arently succeeded to the opposite, or western, hill. This palace, "Jadon the Meronoth1te," as the superin- like Solomon's (Jer. xxxii 2), would natur- tendant of the Mizpah working-party. The ally have its prison, which would stand going up to the armoury at the turning of in its own court. From this prison, the the we.U. !Literally, "the ascent to the "prison gate" of eh. xii 39 took its name. armoury of the corner." There were pro- Ver. 26.-The Nethinims dwelt in Ophel. bably several armouries in Jerusalem (see Ophel was "the long, narrowish, rounded Isa. xxii. 8). This one was called "the spur or promontory which intervenes be- armoury of the corner," being situated at the tween the central valley of Jerusalem (the north-western angle of the special wall of the Tyropreon) and the Kidron, or Valley of city of David. There was an "ascent" to Jehoshaphat" (Grove). The Nethinims, it, either by steps, or by a steep pathway, who had their dwellings on this spur, were from the Tyropreon valley. set to fortify a portion of the eastern circuit, Ver. 20.-Ee.rneatly repaired. So Gese- but apparently restored not so much their nius, Pool, and Bertheau. The construction own wall as that which lay north oi it, at is not free from difficulty, and the reading is the edge of the present Haram area. Here somewhat doubtful (the Vulgate "in monte" must have been the water gate, which carried showing a different one) ; but on the whole off the superfluous water from the temple the translation of the A. V. may stand. reservoirs ; and here was the great tower Baruch has the high honour of being singled that lieth out, whose foundations have been out for special praise, as having shown a recently discovered. It stood at the south- burning zeal which deserved this recompense. eastern angle of the great platform on which He rapidly accomplished the task first set the temple was built. him, the mention of which must hnve acci- Ver. 27.-The Tekoites repaired another dentally fallen out (see the comment on ver. piece. Compare ver. 5. Their "second 11), and now undertook a "second piece," r,iece" appears to have extended from the which extended from the north-western angle 'great tower" to the wall built by Shallum of the inner wall to the door of the high on the western side of the spur which reached priest's house. It would seem that this door as far as the pool of Siloam (ver. 15). This was in the wall, upon which the house must is here called " the wall of Ophel." have a.butted (see the next verse). Ver. 28.-From above the horse ire.t1,  30 THE BOOK OF NEHEMIAH. [en. m. 1--32.