The Pulpit Commentary — Nehemiah — Section 61

and abettors. A certain ShemaiRh, who ap• and by Geshern the Arabian." The pre- pears to have been at once a prophet (ver. position S is repeated with Geshern but not 12) and a priest (ver. 11), allowed himself to with Tobiah, probably because 'l.'obiah was be "hired" by Tobiah and Sanballat, and Sanballat's subordinate, but Geshem nn independent chief. Hence, too it WW! not hid a plot to bring Nehemiah into discredit. proposed that Tobia.h should b~ at the con- He sought an interview with the governor, ference. At that time I had not set up the and told him that his life was in danger-he ~~ors. This may appear to contradict eh. knew by bis prophetic gift that on the very m. 1, 3, 6, 13, &c. But the account of the next night an e.tt.(llJlpt would be made by some building in eh. iii. is carried on to the com- pletion of the whole work, the object thero one, and Nehemiah would be murdered- being to st.ate by whom the different pa1-ts that is to say, unless he took precautions. were done, and not at what time. Chrono- And he had a plan to propose. As a priest, logi~lly, chs_. iv., v., and vi. are parallel to he had free access to the temple building ; eh. m., relatmg events that happened while he would take Nehemiah with him, at some the wall WM being built. The hanging of the doors in the gateways WW!, naturally risk to himself, for a bodily impurity made the last thing done. Upon the gates. Rather' it illegal for him to enter the holy place, '' in the gateways." ' and they would pass the night together in Ver. 2. -In some ons of the villages. the sa.nctuary. So Nehemiah's life would The Hebrew has "in the villnges," which be preserved (ver. 10). The object was to seems too vague. Bertheau therefore sug- gests, " in Hakkiphirim," taking the word induce Kehemiah, though a layman, to enter as the name of a particular village, which is the sanctuary, and so break the law (ver. probably right. Ono was near Lydda, in 13). But the simple manliness and straight- the plain country bordering on Philistia. fon..-ard piety of the governor frustrated this They thought to do me mischief. A euphe- plot also. "Should a man in my position mism for " they thought to murder me." Ver. 5.-An open letter. Letters in the run away from danger and hide!" he said. East are usually placed in silken bags, "And if so, should n layman enter the which are then tied up and carefully sealed. temple 1 I will not enter" (ver. 11). It An '' open letter" invited perusal ; and the was not till afterwards that he found out object of sending this one "open " must that the prophecy was a fiction, and the have been to create alarm among the Jews, and to excite them against Nehemiah. prophet a bribed liar (ver. 12). Other simi- Compare the conduct of Sennacherib's am- lar attempts seem also to have been made, bassadors (2 Kings xviii. 27-33). about the same time, by other members of Ver. 6.-Gaahmu saith it. "Gashmu" the prophetical order, among whom one is probably the native Arabic form of the only is particularised-the prophetess Noa- name which in a Hebrew mouth commonly became "Geshem." Thou and the ;Jews diah (ver. 14). Nehemiah, however, stood think to rebel. Compare eh. ii. 19, and firm as a rock throughout ; and he is able to Ezra iv. 13, with the comment. According boast that "in fifty and two days, on the to these words. I. e. ".Agreeably to what 25th of Elul, THE WALL WAS FINISHED " is reported." (ver. 15). It was a proud moment for the Ver. 7.-Thou hast also appointed pro- phets to preach of thee at Jerusalem, 1aying, indefatigable and stout-hearted governor, There is a king ill ;Judah. Expressions of who saw his dearest wish accomplished, and the religious teachers of the time, parallel must have known that the accomplishment to that of Zechariah,-" Behold, thy king was mainly due to his own untiring efforts. cometh" (Zech. ix. 9),-may have been re- But be does not claim the glory for himseli ported to Sanballat, and misunderstood or purposely misinterpreted. "When the enemies (i. e. Sanballat, Tobiah, Ver. 9.-Theyall made us afraid. Rather, and Geshem) heard of it," he says, "and "sought to affright us." Their attempts the heathen round about us saw it, they did not succeed. Now therefore, 0 God, were mnch cast down." And why t "They 1trengthen my hands. "0 God" is not in perceived that thu work 'ID<U 'ID'l'oughe of the original ; whence some critics do not see in the words used a prayer, but only a state- our God." ment---" But I now strengthened my hands " (so the Septuagint, Vulgate, Syriac, and Ver. 1.-When Sanballat, and Tobiah, Arabic versions). This meaning, however, and Geahem the Arabian heard. Literally, cannot be obtained from the present text. "Whenitwnsheard bySanballat and Tobiah, Ver. 10.-A Shemaiah appear9 in the lillt en, v1. 1-19 .] THE BOOK OF NEHEMIAH.