Thi~ we.s e. gat.e in the cRStern wall (Jer. been mentioned (ver. 13) 1tmong the leaders xx:.u. 40) through which horses could enter of the working p1trties, e.nd also e. Ha.nania.h the city.. It probably adjoined the old (ver. 8) ; but they were not coupled together ; palace, being at or nee.r the "turning of the a.nd it may well be questioned whether either w~ll" mentioned in vers. 24, 25. Nehe- is identical 'l<ith his na.mesake of this vers~. miah seems here to return to the point Probably we have here another instanco of quitted in ver. 26, e.nd to proceed thence the incompleteness of our present text oC n_ort~we.rds in order to complete the entire this cha.pter (see the comment 011 ver. 11). CirClllt. Ver. 31.-lllalohiah the ,roldsmith'a son. Yer. 29.-Shemaiah the son of Shechan- Or "the son of Ha.zzorephi.' But tho men- iah is ,cry possibly the desccnda.nt of Da.vid tion of goldsmiths (eorepliim) in ver. 32 mentioned in 1 Chron. iii. 22. He must lends support to the rendering of the A. V., have been an old man, as his son, Hattush, which is accepted by most critics. Unto the had returned to ,Jeruse.lem 'l<ith Ezra (Ezra place of the Nethinims. Rather, "the viii. 2, 3) ; but still he may have taken part house." The exact position cannot be fixed, in the work. That he was keeper of the but the gate llliphkad must have been situ- east gate does not militate against this ated in the east wall, a. little to the south of hypothesis, for that post was an honourable the sheep gate. The going up of the corner one, and it is not to be supposed that all the ma.y have been an "a.scent," like Solomon's descendants of David were in flourishing cir- (2 Chron. ix. 4), which was probably a flight cumstances. By "the east gate" we are of steps ; or the woru translated "going up" perhaps to understand "the water gate may mean" an upper chamber" (inrtp,;ov)- towards the east" of ver. 26. a. chamber situa.ted over the gate. Yer. 30. -After him. The traditional text Ver. 32.-Unto the sheep gate. Compare gives "after nM;" and it bas been supposed ver. 1. The circuit is completed, and the that Nehemiah assigned himself a certain point reached from which the commence- portion of the we.ll and repaired it, but sup- ment was made. The goldsmiths and the pressed his OW".J. name through modesty. merchants were required to repair the piece llut, as general superintendent of the whole of wall immediately to the south of the sheep (eh. iv. 13-23), he could sca.rcely take any gate, for which no individual had volunteered. s11ccial work ; and the argument that might Probably thoy had houses in the neighbour- have been founded upon a single occurrence hood. They consented ; and thus the entire of the expression "after me" is deprived of wall was taken in hand, and the great work, all force by its double occurrence, here and which Nehemia.h ha.d conceived in his hea.rt in ver. 31. Another piece. A He.nun has while still in Su.~a, was inaugumted.
HOMILETICS. Ch. iii.-.An honourable record. In the preceding chapter the good resolutions of the people are recorded ; here, what is more satisfactory, their performances. It is a record of those who united to restore the wall of Jerus:i.lem, and the part which each principal person, or group of persons, took in the work. The account may appear of little interest for us ; but it would be of much to the Jews, especially the descendants of those whose names are so honourably recorded, as long as they preserved their genealogies. To us also it need not be barren of interest or profit. L THE WORKERS AND THEIR WORK. A very great undertaking carried through rapidly (eh. vi. 15) and successfully; because-1. A voluntary work. All animated with zeal, and labouring heartily, not of compulsion. What is especially reported of one (ver. 20) was doubtless true, in good measure, of all: they "earnestly repaired." 2. By a united people. With a few exceptions (ver. 5), all appear to have done their part. Priests, nobles, merchants, tradesmen, working-men; dwellers in the city and dwellers in the country (for the welfare of the metropolis, with its temple, &c., was felt to be of common concern), all combined their energies. 3. By a people a.ctincr in orderly co-operation. Without this, their number and zeal would have avail:d little. The work was distributed into many parts, and each individual and group took the part assigned them by_ those at ~he head of affairs. Each ban~ of men repaired that part of the wall which fell to its I~t; and of each band tl_1e var~ous classes did what they were best fitted for; some findmg means, some supermtendmg, some clearing away rubbish and picking out serviceable stones, others doing the urnsonry. Hence confusion was avoided, and the time and labour of none wasted. Many a good widertaking is rendered abortive, or much hindered, for the want of on. 111. 1-32.] THE BOOK OF NEHEMIAH. 31