1Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the priests and built the Sheep Gate; they consecrated it and set up its doors. As far as the Tower of Meah, they consecrated it; even as far as the Tower of Hananel. 2Next to them the men of Jericho built. And next to them Zaccur the son of Imri built. 3Also the sons of Hassenaah built the Fish Gate; they laid its beams and set up its doors with its bolts and bars. 4And next to them Meremoth the son of Urijah, the son of Koz, made repairs. Next to them Meshullam the son of Berechiah, the son of Meshezabel, made repairs. Next to them Zadok the son of Baana made repairs. 5Next to them the Tekoites made repairs; but their nobles did not put their necks to the work of their Lord. 6Moreover Jehoiada the son of Paseah and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah repaired the Old Gate; they laid its beams and set up its doors, with its bolts and bars. 7And next to them Melatiah the Gibeonite, Jadon the Meronothite, and the men of Gibeon and Mizpah, repaired, to the throne of the governor of the region beyond the River. 8Next to him Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs. Also next to him Hananiah, the son of one of the perfumers, made repairs; and they left Jerusalem safe as far as the Broad Wall. 9And next to them Rephaiah the son of Hur, ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, made repairs. 10Next to them Jedaiah the son of Harumaph made repairs in front of his house. And next to him Hattush the son of Hashabniah made repairs. 11Malchijah the son of Harim and Hashub the son of Pahath-Moab repaired another section, as well as the Tower of the Ovens. 12And next to him was Shallum the son of Hallohesh, ruler of half the district of Jerusalem; he and his daughters made repairs. 13Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah repaired the Valley Gate. They built it, set up its doors with its bolts and bars, and repaired a thousand cubits of the wall as far as the Refuse Gate. 14Malchijah the son of Rechab, ruler of the district of Beth-haccerem, repaired the Refuse Gate; he built it and set up its doors with its bolts and bars. 15Shallun the son of Col-Hozeh, ruler of the district of Mizpah, repaired the Fountain Gate; he built it, covered it, set up its doors with its bolts and bars, and repaired the wall of the Pool of Shelah by the King's Garden, as far as the stairs that go down from the City of David. 16After him Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, ruler of half the district of Beth Zur, made repairs as far as the place in front of the Tombs of David, to the pool that was made, and as far as the House of the Mighty. 17After him the Levites, under Rehum the son of Bani, made repairs. Next to him Hashabiah, ruler of half the district of Keilah, made repairs in his district. 18After him their brethren, under Bavai the son of Henadad, ruler of the other half of the district of Keilah, made repairs. 19And next to him Ezer the son of Jeshua, the ruler of Mizpah, repaired another section in front of the ascent to the armory at the buttress. 20After him Baruch the son of Zabbai earnestly repaired the other section, from the buttress to the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest. 21After him Meremoth the son of Urijah, the son of Koz, repaired another section, from the door of the house of Eliashib to the end of the house of Eliashib. 22And after him the priests, the men of the plain, made repairs. 23After them Benjamin and Hasshub made repairs across from their house. After them Azariah the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ananiah, made repairs by his house. 24After him Binnui the son of Henadad repaired another section, from the house of Azariah to the buttress, even as far as the corner. 25Palal the son of Uzai made repairs across from the buttress, and on the tower which projects out from the king's upper house that was by the court of the prison. After him Pedaiah the son of Parosh made repairs. 26Moreover the temple slaves who dwelt in Ophel made repairs from in front of the Water Gate toward the east, and on the projecting tower. 27After them the Tekoites repaired another section, next to the great projecting tower, even as far as the wall of Ophel. 28Beyond the Horse Gate the priests made repairs, each in front of his own house. 29After them Zadok the son of Immer made repairs in front of his own house. After him Shemaiah the son of Shechaniah, the keeper of the East Gate, made repairs. 30After him Hananiah the son of Shelemiah, and Hanun, the sixth son of Zalaph, repaired another section. After him Meshullam the son of Berechiah made repairs in front of his room. 31After him Malchijah, a son of one of the goldsmiths, made repairs as far as the house of the temple slaves and of the merchants, in front of the Miphkad Gate, and as far as the upper room at the corner. 32And between the upper room at the corner, as far as the Sheep Gate, the goldsmiths and the merchants made repairs.
Matthew Henry - Complete Commentary 1 The best way to know how to divide this chapter is to observe how the work was divided among the undertakers, that every one might know what he had to do, and mind it accordingly with a holy emulation, and desire to excel, yet without any contention, animosity, or separate interest. No strife appears among them but which should do most for the public good. Several things are observable in the account here given of the building of the wall about Jerusalem: -
I. That Eliashib the high priest, with his brethren the priests, led the van in this troop of builders,
Neh 3:1. Ministers should be foremost in every good work; for their office obliges them to teach and quicken by their example, as well as by their doctrine. If there be labour in it, who so fit as they to work? if danger, who so fit as they to venture? The dignity of the high priest was very great, and obliged him to signalize himself in this service. The priests repaired the
sheep-gate, so called because through it were brought the sheep that were to be sacrificed in the temple; and therefore the priests undertook the repair of it because
the offerings of the Lord made by fire were their inheritance. And of this gate only it is said that
they sanctified it with the word and prayer, and perhaps with sacrifices perhaps, 1. Because it led to the temple; or, 2. Because with this the building of the wall began, and it is probable (though they were at work in all parts of the wall at the same time) that this was first finished, and therefore at this gate they solemnly committed their city and the walls of it to the divine protection; or, 3. Because the priests were the builders of it; and it becomes ministers above others, being themselves in a peculiar manner sanctified to God, to sanctify to him all their performances, and to do even their common actions
after a godly sort. II. That the undertakers were very many, who each took his share, some more and some less, in this work, according as their ability was. Note, What is to be done for the public good every one should assist in, and further, to the utmost of his place and power. United force will conquer that which no individual dares venture on. Many hands will make light work.
III. That many were active in this work who were not themselves inhabitants of Jerusalem, and therefore consulted purely the public welfare and not any private interest or advantage of their own. Here are the men of Jericho with the first (
Neh 3:2), the men of Gibeon and Mizpah (
Neh 3:7), and Zanoah,
Neh 3:13. Every Israelite should lend a hand towards the building up of Jerusalem.
IV. That several rulers, both of Jerusalem and of other cities, were active in this work, thinking themselves bound in honour to do the utmost that their wealth and power enabled them to do for the furtherance of this good work. But it is observable that they are called rulers of
part, or the
half part, of their respective cities. One was
ruler of the half part of Jerusalem (
Neh 3:12), another of part of Beth-haccerem (
Neh 3:14), another of part of Mizpah (
Neh 3:15), another of
the half part of Beth-zur (
Neh 3:16), one was ruler of
one half part, and another of
the other half part, of Keilah, Neh 3:17,
Neh 3:18. Perhaps the Persian government would not entrust any one with a strong city, but appointed two to be a watch upon each other. Rome had two consuls.
V. Here is a just reproach fastened upon the nobles of Tekoa, that they
put not their necks to the work of their Lord (
Neh 3:5), that is, they would not come under the yoke of an obligation to this service; as if the dignity and liberty of their peerage were their discharge from serving God and doing good, which are indeed the highest honour and the truest freedom. Let not nobles think any thing below them by which they may advance the interests of their country; for what else is their nobility good for but that it puts them in a higher and larger sphere of usefulness than that in which inferior persons move?
VI. Two persons joined in repairing
the old gate (
Neh 3:6), and so were co-founders, and shared the honour of it between them. The good work which we cannot compass ourselves we must be thankful to those that will go partners with us in. Some think that this is called the
old gate because it belonged to the ancient Salem, which was said to be first built by Melchizedek.
VII. Several good honest tradesmen, as well as priests and rulers, were active in this work -
goldsmiths, apothecaries, merchants, Neh 3:8,
Neh 3:32. They did not think their callings excused them, nor plead that they could not leave their shops to attend the public business, knowing that what they lost would certainly be made up to them by the blessing of God upon their callings.
VIII. Some ladies are spoken of as helping forward this work -
Shallum and his daughters (
Neh 3:12), who, though not capable of personal service, yet having their portions in their own hands, or being rich widows, contributed money for buying materials and paying workmen. St. Paul speaks of some good women that
laboured with him in the gospel, Phili 4:3.
IX. Of some it is said that they repaired
over against their houses (
Neh 3:10,
Neh 3:23,
Neh 3:28,
Neh 3:29), and of one (who, it is likely, was only a lodger) that he repaired
over against his chamber, Neh 3:30. When a general good work is to be done each should apply himself to that part of it that falls nearest to him and is within his reach. If every one will sweep before his own door, the street will be clean; if every one will mend one, we shall be all mended. If he that has but a chamber will repair before that, he does his part.
X. Of one it is said that he
earnestly repaired that which fell to his share (
Neh 3:20) - he did it with an inflamed zeal; not that others were cold or indifferent, but he was the most vigorous of any of them and consequently made himself remarkable. It is good to be thus
zealously affected in a good thin; and it is probable that this good man's zeal provoked very many to take the more pains and make the more haste.
XI. Of one of these builders it is observed that he was
the sixth son of his father,
Neh 3:30. His five elder brethren, it seems, laid not their hand to this work, but he did. In doing that which is good we need not stay to see our elders go before us; if they decline it, it does not therefore follow that we must. Thus the younger brother, if he be the better man, and does God and his generation better service, is indeed the better gentleman; those are most honourable that are most useful.
XII. Some of those that had
first done helped their fellows, and undertook another share where they saw there was most need. Meremoth repaired,
Neh 3:4. and again,
Neh 3:21. And the Tekoites, besides the piece they repaired (
Neh 3:5), undertook another piece (
Neh 3:27), which is the more remarkable because their nobles set them a bad example by withdrawing from the service, which, instead of serving them for an excuse to sit still, perhaps made them the more forward to do double work, that by their zeal they might either shame or atone for the covetousness and carelessness of their nobles.
Lastly, Here is no mention of any particular share that Nehemiah himself had in this work. A name-sake of his is mentioned,
Neh 3:16. But did he do nothing? Yes, though he undertook not any particular piece of the wall, yet he did more than any of them, for he had the oversight of them all; half of his servants worked where there was most need, and the other half stood sentinel, as we find afterwards (
Neh 4:16), while he himself in his own person walked the rounds, directed and encouraged the builders, set his hand to the work where he saw occasion, and kept a watchful eye upon the motions of the enemy, as we shall find in the next chapter. The pilot needs not haul at a rope: it is enough for him to steer.