BIBLE STUDY --- TANAKH --- HISTORICAL BOOKS

THE BOOK OF NEHEMIAH

One of the last of the Jewish historical books.

BACKGROUND

In 597 BC Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon took away the first exiles from Jerusalem. In 586 BC the Babylonians returned, pillaged and burned the city and its temple, and took an estimated 60,000 to 80,000 Judeans into exile. The expatriates settled in various districts where they enjoyed a measure of freedom. They engaged in agriculture and commerce and in some instances acquired considerable wealth. The elders continued to function, prophets like Ezekiel ministered among the exiles, and resistance to religious apostasy was kept alive in the popular mind. With the appearance of the Persian king Cyrus the Great {559–530 BC}, the Jewish exiles’ prospects altered dramatically. Cyrus was a civilized and enlightened statesman, and within a short time after his conquest of Babylon, he issued an edict {Ezra 1:2-4} that granted the expatriates permission to return to their homeland. Two separate groups of exiles returned to Judah and built a new sanctuary in Jerusalem on the site of Solomon’s temple in 516 BC. Then, under King Artaxerxes I {464–424 BC}, two separate groups returned from Babylon under Ezra {458 BC} and Nehemiah {445 BC}, respectively. From this seedbed there sprang the theocratic people of Judah, the Jews, dedicated to the Law of YHVH, isolated from foreign influence, and centred in Jerusalem.

AUTHOR

Nehemiah’s personal memoirs form a considerable portion of the book that bears his name. These memoirs reveal a man of nobility and piety, who was compassionate, prudent, and patriotic. He was a man of generosity and fidelity, political acumen, and religious zeal, of total dedication to YHVH, outstanding organizational ability, and dynamic leadership. At the same time Nehemiah possessed a capacity for ruthlessness when confronting the sin and waywardness of his compatriots {Nehemiah 5:1-13} and the intrigues of powerful non-Jewish enemies {13:8, 28}. Not surprisingly, then, a dispirited and dejected people awoke from their lethargic and apathetic state and responded to Nehemiah’s stringent approach to their situation {2:4; 13:14, 22, 31}.

HISTORICAL AUTHENTICITY

According to Josephus and other early writers, the books of Ezra and Nehemiah formed one book in the early Hebrew Bible entitled the book of Ezra. The earliest Hebrew manuscript in which the two books are divided is dated 1448, and modern Hebrew Bibles refer to them as the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. In manuscripts of the Greek Old Testament {LXX} they also formed one book. Origen, in the beginning of the third century, is the first to attest to a division. There is general acknowledgment of the genuineness of the personal memoirs of Nehemiah, which constitute a major part of the book. The historical framework of the book is confirmed by papyri that were discovered between 1898 and 1908 in Elephantine, an island in the upper Nile. Here Psammetichus II {593–588 BC} established a Jewish colony. The Elephantine papyri are well preserved, written in Aramaic, and are the fifth-century BC literary remains of this Jewish colony of the Persian period. The most important item among the papyri is a copy of a letter sent to the Persian governor of Judah in 407 BC. Three years earlier the Jewish temple in Elephantine had been destroyed. This disaster was the occasion of a letter to Jehohanan, the high priest in Jerusalem {see Nehemiah 12:12-13}. Now, in their letter to the governor in Judah, they asked permission to rebuild their temple and said that they had sent a similar request to Delaiah and Shelamiah, the sons of Sanballat {Nehemiah’s enemy, 2:10, 19; 4:1}. The Elephantine papyri reveal that Sanballat was governor of the province of Samaria and that Tobiah was governor of the province of Ammon in Transjordan {2:10, 19}. Here, then, is evidence that there was in Judah a twofold authority, civil and religious, and that the high priest of 408–407 BC was Jehohanan {12:13}.

CHRONOLOGY

The question about whether Ezra or Nehemiah came to Jerusalem first has been hotly debated. There is no doubt that Nehemiah arrived in the city in 445 BC. The objections to the view that Ezra came to Jerusalem 13 years earlier, in 458 BC, raise questions concerning historical and textual data that are of such complexity as to preclude discussion of them here. However, achieving an understanding of the spiritual values of the book does not depend on a correct interpretation of the details of chronology. Arguments against the traditional chronology are neither altogether decisive, nor do they dispel the inherent complexities.

SIGNIFICANCE

When the exiles returned to Jerusalem, Judah had neither nationhood nor political status. Only one thing remained to them: their religion. They were the “remnant” of YHVH’s chosen people, from whom would rise the new and glorious Israel. It was this vision that explains Nehemiah’s insistence that the Jewish people maintain the purity and exclusiveness of their religious faith and practice in order to rejuvenate their national life and rebuild the city walls {6:15}, because this symbolized the racial and the religious purity of the people. He also insisted on separation from paganism, prohibition of marriage with non-Jews {13:23-28}, and careful observance of the Laws of the Shabbat {verses 15-22}. It is therefore, difficult to exaggerate the significance of the book of Nehemiah. Along with the book of Ezra, it furnishes the only consecutive Hebrew account of that period in Jewish history when the foundations of Judaism -- with its inflexible segregation of the Jews and its passionate veneration of the Mosaic Law -- were laid. Of course, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi also contribute to knowledge of the period, but Nehemiah {with Ezra} provides a progressive narrative of this epoch. The return of the expatriates from Babylon to Jerusalem constitutes a resumption of the saving purposes of YHVH for his ancient people, leading to the advent of Yeshua Moshiach. The account of the return from Babylon under Nehemiah emphasizes the religious aspect of the community of repatriates in Jerusalem. But other, secondary factors should be noted: Nehemiah’s preoccupation with Judah’s political security and constitutional status to ensure its independence of Samaria; the rebuilding of the city walls; Nehemiah’s resettlements of population {7:4; 11:1-2}; and his appointment to the governorship of the new province. However, there is no reference in the book of Nehemiah {or for that matter in Ezra} to a restoration to nationhood under a scion of the house of David -- no mention of a Moshiach, no allusion to the universal Kingdom of YHVH. Nehemiah manifests absolute loyalty to the Persian over Adonai who, while showing remarkable openness to Nehemiah’s request {2:4-9}, still continues to levy taxes {5:4, 15}. The repatriates retreated behind their city’s new walls and congregated around the second temple, completed in 516 BC. “The book of the Law of Moses” {8:1}, recognized by the Persian over Adonai as the Law of the land of Judah, became central to Jewish devotion and worship. Judaism was the product of the restoration, which became both a protective barrier against, and a wall of separation from, the Gentiles. Religious institutions initiated during the Babylonian exile and transplanted to Jerusalem took deep and firm root: the synagogue where the Law and the Prophets were read and the prayers were offered; the scribes who worked with single-minded devotion; and the Sanhedrin that continued to serve the new theocracy. The Jewish remnant of the fifth century BC parallels the modern Christian church in that both share the challenge of spiritual reconstruction and renewal essential to YHVH’s purposes.

CONTENT

In the winter of 445 BC, the Persian court was in Susa, the ancient capital of Elam {1:1}. There Nehemiah occupied a position of honour and influence {2:1}. From Jerusalem, a company of Judeans arrived, among them Nehemiah’s brother, whose description of conditions in Jerusalem horrified and grieved Nehemiah {1:2-4}. Four months later, and after much prayer, he reached Jerusalem with an armed escort {1:5–2:11}. After a three-day inspection of the situation, Nehemiah realized that rebuilding the walls would be his primary task {2:12–3:32}. An outburst of new national spirit caused latent opposition to surface. Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem were powerful, resourceful, astute antagonists. Through ridicule and rumours, they insinuated that work on the walls was a form of rebellion against the king {2:19; 4:1-3, 7-14; 6:1-9}. But Nehemiah countered every subterfuge and stratagem with prayer and with an adamant refusal to deviate from his goal. There was also hostility from traitors within the camp {6:10-19}. Despite all opposition, Jerusalem’s walls were reconstructed {verse 15} and rededicated amid enthusiastic celebration {12:27-43}. The community’s response to the reading by Ezra, priest and scribe, of the Law of Moses and to its interpretation by the Levites {8:1-8}, was a complex response of sorrow for sin and rejoicing in YHVH {verses 9-18}; of fasting and prayer {9:1-37}; of renewing the Covenant {9:38–10:29}; and of self-commitment to obey YHVH’s Commandments, ordinances, and statutes {10:30-39}. Chapters 11 and 12 refer to various offices and duties, civil and religious, and the names of the people appointed to them. Then follows the decision to exclude all people of foreign descent from Judaism {13:1-3}. At this juncture Nehemiah travelled to Susa to give an account of his stewardship; a further leave of absence being granted, he returned to Jerusalem to find that serious irregularities were again present. His enemy Tobiah and the priest Eliashib were embroiled {13:4-9}; the people failed to provide the Levites with adequate maintenance {verses 10-14}; the Laws of the Shabbat were being violated {verses 15-22}; and Jews were marrying non-Jews {verses 23-32}. Due to the increase of intermarriage with foreigners, the offspring could not speak Hebrew {verses 23-25}. The danger of assimilation was halted by enforcing a policy of exclusivism. The book of Nehemiah ends rather abruptly with a description of his vigorous and ruthless handling of these deviations from the newly established principles and precepts of Judaism.

BIBLE STUDY --- TANAKH --- HISTORICAL BOOKS

THE BOOK OF EZRA

One of the historical books of the Old Testament, associated with 2 Chronicles and Nehemiah.

NAME

In the Talmud tractate Baba Bathra 15a, the rabbis and scribes regarded Ezra and Nehemiah as one book. Josephus {Apion 1.8} also considered the two books to be one when the number of Old Testament books was given as 22. Some church fathers, such as Melito of Sardis and Jerome, thought of them as one book. The Septuagint {Greek translation of the Old Testament} also grouped the two books as one, referring to them as 2 Ezra to distinguish them from an apocryphal book known as 1 Ezra. The Latin Vulgate however, called Ezra “1 Ezra” and Nehemiah “2 Ezra.”

BACKGROUND

The Jewish people came under the rule of the Persian Empire when Cyrus conquered Babylon in 539 BC. From then until Ezra’s time, the Persian kings were Cyrus {539–530 BC}, who allowed the Jewish people and other captives to return to their homeland {Ezra 1}; Cambyses {529–522 BC}; Gaumata, a usurper of the throne {522 BC}; Darius I {521 - 486 BC; Ezra 5:6}; Xerxes I {Old Testament Ahasuerus, 486 - 465 BC; Ezra 4:6}; and Artaxerxes I {465 - 424 BC; Ezra 4:7-23; 7:1 - 10:44}. Both Ezra’s and Nehemiah’s work fall within the period between Cyrus and Artaxerxes I. Some scholars however, place Ezra during the reign of Artaxerxes II {404–359 BC}.

SOURCES

By tradition, the Jewish leader Ezra researched and put together the material that forms his book. Chapters 7–10 are written in the first-person singular, and Ezra may have used the autobiographical passages as the core of this book, adding information from other sources. That the book contains portions written in Aramaic has been used as justification for assigning a date later than Ezra’s time. But the Aramaic of Ezra bears a remarkable similarity to fifth-century BC Aramaic papyri from the Jewish community at Elephantine in Egypt. The book is largely a compilation, using autobiography, official documents, edicts, and other material. The present book of Ezra contains four identifiable strata of source material.

MEMOIRS OF EZRA

Certain sections appear in the first-person singular {7:27 - 9:15}, located between third-person narratives {7:1-26; 10}. The memoirs were probably part of Ezra’s own official reports.

ARAMAIC DOCUMENTS

Aramaic was the diplomatic language of the Persian Empire, and a number of documents appear in the book of Ezra. A letter of complaint was written to Artaxerxes I about the rebuilding of the city walls, for example, and Ezra also included the official reply {Ezra 4:8-23}. There is also a letter of Darius I and the king’s reply {5:1 - 6:18}. An official authorization by the Persian court of Artaxerxes permitted Ezra to return, and this included a description of material entrusted into his keeping {7:12-26}. Since all of those sections were official correspondence, the record naturally is written in Aramaic.

HEBREW LISTS

Ezra included Hebrew documents listing people’s names for a number of purposes. One such document indicated the Persian government’s permission for Jewish immigrants to return to the land of Israel {Ezra 1:2-4}. It was a Jewish version of Cyrus’s general edict expressing concern for all his subjects. The edict in Aramaic is repeated by Ezra in 6:3-5, and that version is probably taken from an original memorandum of a royal decision. Ezra included lists of the immigrants who returned to begin the second commonwealth of Israel {chapter 2, repeated in Nehemiah 7}. The book also contains a list of immigrants who returned with Ezra by permission of Artaxerxes I {Ezra 8:1-14}. Lists of those who had married pagan wives are provided as well {10:18-43}.

NARRATIVE

The rest of the book comprises narrative by Ezra himself. For the period of the first return prior to his own time, he probably drew upon existing sources, either oral or documentary. Material in the book that was contemporary with the scribe would be his personal account about his own work.

DATE

Traditionally, the Artaxerxes in Ezra 7:1 has been identified with Artaxerxes I Longimanus. Ezra’s arrival in Jerusalem would thus have been in 458 BC {see NLT mg for 7:8}. Therefore, Ezra’s work at Jerusalem started before that of Nehemiah, who came in 445 BC. But the traditional dates are questioned from a number of sources. One alternative is to place Nehemiah during the reign of Artaxerxes I {464–424 BC} and Ezra at a later date, in the reign of Artaxerxes II Mnemon {404–359 BC}. Such a suggestion creates a difficulty with Nehemiah 8:2, because there Ezra is named as Nehemiah’s contemporary and coworker. In addition, the Elephantine papyri {407–400 BC} mention the high priest Johanan in Jerusalem, and Sanballat as governor of Samaria. Johanan is considered a grandson of Eliashib, but Nehemiah was a contemporary of Eliashib {Nehemiah 3:1, 20}. The biblical material that speaks of Nehemiah going to Jerusalem in the 20th year of Artaxerxes {Nehemiah 2:1, 445 BC} and again during the 32nd year {Nehemiah 13:6, 433 BC} refers to Eliashib’s contemporary high priesthood with Ezra. The traditional position thus furnishes a reasonable date for the book of Ezra. If the scribe were placed during the reign of Artaxerxes II {c. 397 BC}, his ministry would be too late for the high priesthood of Johanan.

LANGUAGES, TEXTS, AND VERSIONS

The primary language of the book of Ezra is Hebrew; the exceptions are 4:7, 6:18, and 7:12-26, which are written in Aramaic. The Hebrew portion appears to resemble the language of Daniel, Haggai, and 2 Chronicles much more than later Hebrew, such as that of Ecclesiasticus. As indicated, the Aramaic portions resemble the Elephantine papyri, dated about 407–400 BC. In addition, Persian personal and family names and Persian words and expressions occur in the book, such as Bigvai, Mithredath, and Elam. All of these evidences serve to place the book in about the fifth century BC. The Hebrew Masoretic Text of Ezra seems well preserved. The Septuagint version is a bit shorter than the Masoretic Text. Only parts of Ezra 4 and 5 have been found among the Dead Sea Scrolls.

PURPOSE AND CONTENT

The book of Ezra is a straightforward account of one of the most important events in Jewish history. From a priestly point of view, it is an account of the restoration of Jewish people to their homeland following the Babylonian dispersion. The record tells of two distinct returns, one under the leadership of Zerubbabel {chapters 1–6; 538 BC}, and 80 years later, the second return led by Ezra {chapters 7–10; 458 BC}. The book emphasizes Ezra’s leadership and the reestablishment of the people on their land, both of which were to have important future consequences. Little is known about the political activity of Ezra in the Persian court. He appears to have been a man of considerable influence however, and could well be described as an official who held a position corresponding to that of “Secretary of State for Jewish Affairs.” To what extent that function applied to the Persian Empire as a whole is uncertain, since Ezra’s recorded activities took place only in the area known to the Persians as the province “Beyond the River,” that is, the territory lying to the west of the Euphrates. The importance of Ezra’s position in the Persian Empire is indicated by the fact that King Artaxerxes gave him full authority to do whatever he thought necessary for the welfare of his people and the empire {7:21-26}. Ezra’s genealogy is given in 7:1-5, and he is consistently spoken of as a scribe learned in the Mosaic Law. As a descendant of Zadok the priest, he would have the authority to instruct others in the Torah. Chapter 4 speaks of the opposition to rebuilding the temple and the walls. We should recognize that Ezra’s approach in this chapter is topical rather than chronological where, in the middle of describing the earlier opposition to building the temple {5:1-5}, he complained that the same kind of opposition was being repeated in his day concerning the attempt to rebuild the city walls and repair the fortifications of Jerusalem {5:7-23}. Internal evidence suggests that a long historical interval ensued during the reign of Ahasuerus, or Xerxes, and the early part of Artaxerxes’ regime. During this period, complaints were made to the Persian authorities that the returned Judeans were rebuilding the city wall of Jerusalem, and as a result the work was halted for some time. It readily can be seen that Ezra was dealing with the evil intentions of Judah’s enemies and that the opposition of Rehum and Shimshai did not appear in the 520s {when the temple was being built} because they lived in the 460s, early in the reign of Artaxerxes I. But the initial passage is actually a history of opposition to rebuilding the ruined temple. It narrates the frustrations experienced by the Judean community from the time of return to their homeland during Cyrus’s rule {4:1-5} up to the time of King Darius {verse 24}. The prophet Haggai {520 BC} aroused the people with his message and persuaded them to lay the foundations of the new temple. Ezra resumes the theme of the book in chapter 5. He points out the problems, frustrations, and hindrances the Jewish people had with the construction of the temple. It was not until a diligent search had been made in the archives by the Persian authorities that the original edict granting permission to build the temple was found {5:7–6:5}.

"When the righteous turneth from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, he shall even die thereby.

But if the wicked return from his wickedness, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall live thereby."

Eze 33

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Gold nuggets in this edition: profane hands, profane -> common REASON: so readers will understand what common food is: that which is unacceptable according to Jewish tradition (not according to God's law).…

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The LLV translation expands the marking found in some English Bibles (such as KJV, ASV) which italicise some of their words which are not literally translated from words in the source text but are added for the needs of English grammar, or to offer a clear interpretation where the text seems otherwise difficult to understand: (round brackets means it’s a Hebrew/Greek thing, that the sense of the enclosed words is understood to be implied by the grammar or syntax in the original language text), whereas [square brackets means it’s an English thing, that the enclose words that seem required by English, or that the words otherwise go beyond the original language text to offer a possible interpretation]. Also, underscores_joining_words_together indicate that these words are translated from a single word in the original language text. All these markings are presently inconsistent, so that there absence should not be taken to mean that they should not be there; the marking should become more complete in future editions, and words remaining in italics will instead be converted into (round bracket) or [square bracket] style.

e.g. Genesis 1:10: “And God called the dry land Earth; and (the) gathering_(together)_of the_waters he_had_called Seas. And God saw that [it was] good.”
1. (the) is implied in Hebrew by the ‘the’ in “the_waters” at the end of the Hebrew construct chain. Hebrew thus implies all nouns of the chain to be ‘definite’ (as though having ‘the’).
2. [it was] is not needed in the Hebrew syntax here, but English seems to require it.
3. he_had_called is translated from a single Hebrew word.

As far as the translator is aware, every name is now spelled with the aim of accurately reflecting the correct, historical pronunciations of these historical names according to modern phonetic English-alphabet transcription, e.g. ‘y’ not ‘j’ for the sound at the start of ‘yellow’, ‘w’ not ‘v’ for the sound at the start of ‘water’. The transcriptions in the LLV are aimed to be better than those of any English translation of Scripture made so far, because they consider not only the pointings of the medieval Hebrew texts but also the older transcriptions in Greek and Latin letters.

The LLV translation restores the Name YHWH (as ‘YAH__’) where it has been replaced by 'adonai, removes added occurrences of 'adonai, and where 'adonai is original, interprets it according to its original meaning, 'my_Lord'.

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Thought for Today: Sunday November 09

Have you ever stopped to think about all the things you accept by faith every day? By faith we assumed the pharmacist filled the prescription correctly. By faith you assumed that when you put your feet on the floor this morning it would not collapse. Faith is much a greater part of life than most of us realise. A sceptic may protest that these are things we can see and touch, whereas YHVH is not. But look at the world around you, with all its beauty and complexity. Is it not more logical to believe that behind it all is an all-powerful and all-wise Creator, than to think it happened by chance?

Have a lovely week!

Here is First Fruits Ministries' sermon for the Sabbath on 11/8, called: "Who is Yeshua the Messiah?, Part 9: The Great I AM (Part A)":

https://open.substack.com/pub/....silvertrumpetradio/p