Because Haggai and Zechariah prophesied due to the command of YHWH. Notice the verse again. The burden-bearers carried their loads in such a way that each laboured on the work with one hand and with the other held a weapon. 4Next to them Meremoth son of Uriah son of Hakkoz made repairs. Your theory is very interesting, but based on these statements alone, I cannot justify the 70 weeks referring to 70 years (or 70 Shavuot). If building the temple (YHWH house) in Jerusalem does not qualify as the de facto event in building Jerusalem then nothing does. 16From that day on, half of my servants worked on construction, and half held the spears, shields, bows, and body-armour; and the leaders posted themselves behind the whole house of Judah, 17who were building the wall. I cannot say whether or not I agree or disagree with comments posted by previous contributors, but I thank you all of increasing my knowledge of the many ways in which we can view the bible. [Nehemiah 5:14 - Governor for 12 years before returning to the palace.] He immediately surveyed the damage to the entire city on his well-known night journey around the walls (Nehemiah 2:1215). Let us stop this taking of interest. In 1535, when Jerusalem was part of the Ottoman Empire, Sultan Suleiman I ordered the ruined city walls to be rebuilt . 21So we laboured at the work, and half of them held the spears from break of dawn until the stars came out. 18Now that which was prepared for one day was one ox and six choice sheep; also fowls were prepared for me, and every ten days skins of wine in abundance; yet with all this I did not demand the food allowance of the governor, because of the heavy burden of labour on the people. They instead have claimed an unknown and contextually inaccurate addition to those original commands which started and completed the contruction of the 2nd temple as specified in Ezra 6. The Temple, the city walls, and the gates had been destroyed as a result of the three invasions of Nebuchadnezzar and his forces in 606 BC, 597 BC, and 586 BC. Symbolically, it mightve made more sense for the building of the wall to take place over the course of 312 days [i.e. Video lectures from world-renowned experts. The Finklestein chronology, which dismisses the biblical record, is also incorrect.Dan Bruce, The Prophecy Society, David Rohls chronology works only if one disregards major portions of the Hebrew Scriptures. 12Next to him Shallum son of Hallohesh, ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, made repairs, he and his daughters. How difficult is it to build a wall? Daniel 9:25 is tied to the 490 weeks of years when Nehemiah restored the walls in Jerusalem. He is even given letters from the king to ensure safe passage and to obtain timber from the kings forest for the gates and walls of Jerusalem. I have included Daniel 9:25 below just to be perfectly clear just what the biblical text states. One day they were reading in the book of Moses out loud to all the congregation of people. Empower. The wall was at last completed52 days (a week shy of two months) after the reconstruction under Nehemiah commenced (verse 15). He also urged them to set up guards to defend against the constant threat of those who opposed their efforts, including the armies of Samaria, the Ammonites and the Ashdodites. At the end all glory to God was given. Upon arrival into the city, he assessed the damage and got to work. 11O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Ironic, that the work of rebuilding the wall was done in a kind of sabbath [i.e. So about 444 bc Nehemiah journeyed to Jerusalem and aroused the people there to the necessity of repopulating the city and rebuilding its walls. 19But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they mocked and ridiculed us, saying, What is this that you are doing? 3I said to the king, May the king live for ever! 19And I said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, The work is great and widely spread out, and we are separated far from one another on the wall. It will represent the belief that He is alive, listening and able to respond. Why should the work stop while I leave it to come down to you? 4They sent to me four times in this way, and I answered them in the same manner. God bless those truly seeking Him. . 7You have also set up prophets to proclaim in Jerusalem concerning you, There is a king in Judah! And now it will be reported to the king according to these words. 14After I looked these things over, I stood up and said to the nobles and the officials and the rest of the people, Do not be afraid of them. This is where I admittedly find it frustrating when discussing this subject. When a mother walks into our care, there is a sense of urgency: a baby is coming and I can only stay so long. Nehemiah 12 states Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam(Shallum), Talmon and Akkub all lived in the days of Joiakim, Nehemiah and Ezra. Nehemiah is the account of the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. Dig into more than 9,000 articles in the Biblical Archaeology Societys vast library plus much morewith an All-Access pass. What does the wall represent in Nehemiah? 16And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem; for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God. 16 Therefore thus saith YHWH; I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: my house shall be built in it, saith YHWH of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem. Nehemiah and his followers do what seems to be the impossible because they are doing what God has called them to do. And Jerusalem is a symbol of the city of God, God's dwelling place and the center of life for the world. Written by the worlds foremost biblical scholars and archaeologists, each chapter has been updated and expanded to incorporate more than a decades worth of outstanding new discoveries and fresh scholarly perspectives. He asked the king for permission to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem & was sent from Susa the Persian capital as Governor in 445 BC. 3They replied, The survivors there in the province who escaped captivity are in great trouble and shame; the wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been destroyed by fire.. A link to the Universal (as it is now called) can demonstrate ALL the genealogy on the book of Genesis, using that demo as part of the theory verification: Despite the free time, which is a rarity in my life, beautiful breezy weather and a book I cant stop reading, my mood was, lets put it nicely, stormy. How difficult would that be to hold a weapon and build the wall? Nehemiah was cup-bearer to Artaxerxes. Tonyagonna have to chew on this for awhile! 19Remember for my good, O my God, all that I have done for this people. As a mentor to others you aspire to be leaders in their community, I have referred to Nehemiahs strategic approach to reforming the hopes and aspirations of a people and nation many times. http://kofh2u.tripod.com/kofh/. Nehemiah and the people rebuilt 10 city gates. Nehemiahs leadership style is not the most common. This printer even prints a color photo in black and white or Really consider the words below. How did Nehemiah rebuild the walls? YHWHs decree in the 2nd year of Darius Hystaspes (through Haggai & Zechariah) to restart contruction of the temple which had stopped sometime earlier. And Tobiah sent letters to intimidate me. Put in your recipe box or binder and keep the card template you used on 4. Notice then what YHWH says in verse 16: I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: my house shall built in it, saith YHWH of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem.. For the people had a mind to work. He enlisted the help of the people to quickly repair the breaches in the wall. Will you please drop me a mail? Most significant were its cracks, which [], [] I was having one of those days. 20Rally to us wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet. The first thing they did was use the weapon of mocking. (Site from http://www.biblicalarchaelogy.org) []. After the wall was built, Nehemiah ensured that the people were read God's Law, and they understood it. Nehemiah's willingness to sacrifice for the benefit of others Ezras genealogy would make him impossibly old in the 7th year of Artaxerxes I, as his father was killed when the Mikdash was destroyed. He expounded and enforced the Law of God. 1Now when the wall had been built and I had set up the doors, and the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been appointed, 2I gave my brother Hanani charge over Jerusalem, along with Hananiah the commander of the citadelfor he was a faithful man and feared God more than many. 19Also they spoke of his good deeds in my presence, and reported my words to him. 5In the same way Sanballat for the fifth time sent his servant to me with an open letter in his hand. Are you rebelling against the king? 20Then I replied to them, The God of heaven is the one who will give us success, and we his servants are going to start building; but you have no share or claim or historic right in Jerusalem.. Ill stick with what the biblical text states, that the key time-location events are the decree of Caesar in 44 BCE and the building of the broad place and moat in 43 BCE. 6I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these complaints. Nehemiah told their enemies, "The God of heaven will give us success. God bless. There is only ONE expert.the God of the Bible. 2So the king said to me, Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? The Bible doesn't say Nehemiah had wall-building experience or even leadership experience. Thus may they be shaken out and emptied. And all the assembly said, Amen, and praised the Lord. The walls were built between 1535 and 1538, when Jerusalem was part of the Ottoman Empire, by the order of Suleiman I. Should you not walk in the fear of our God, to prevent the taunts of the nations our enemies? 5Next to them the Tekoites made repairs; but their nobles would not put their shoulders to the work of their Lord. The ruins on the Western Hill were not occupied again until the Hellenistic period of Alexander the Great. Here in the ninth chapter, the word weeks means Feast of Weeks, or, focusing on the main festival day as shorthand, it means the Day of Pentecost. Seek Gods knowledge now!! 12 Blessed is he who waits and arrives at the 1,335 days. If the Bible chronology is followed exactly as written, the reigns of the Hebrew kings synchronize perfectly with one another, without having to disregard Scripture and without having to accept long co-reigns not supported in the biblical text, and those reigns synchronize perfectly with the traditional chronology of Egypt as proposed by Ken Kitchen. Sift through the storied history of ancient Israel. At the top of the eastern ridge of the City of David, Nehemiah and the returned exiles built a new city wall. Nothing symbolically or literally even comes close to this command by YHWH, a command which was witness by both Haggai and Zechariah. Kind of like a pervert pedophile looking for a job with the boys choir or the boy scouts, I guess. Based on Ezra 6:14 this was none other than Darius son of Hystaspes. @ William You say that building the Temple is the de facto event in building Jerusalem, but I remind you that that is not what God said through the prophet Daniel in verse 25. I found the picture on their website under the caption A prophet or Nehemiah west facade, south portal, right side, mid-12th c. Location: St. Lazare, Avallon, France. Photo: Foto Marburg/Art Resource, NY. Ezra 7 begins with Ezra going up to Jerusalem in the 7th year of Artaxerxes the king. "'Jerusalem's wall has been broken down, and its gates have been burned down. 7After thinking it over, I brought charges against the nobles and the officials; I said to them, You are all taking interest from your own people. And I called a great assembly to deal with them, 8and said to them, As far as we were able, we have bought back our Jewish kindred who had been sold to other nations; but now you are selling your own kin, who must then be bought back by us! They were silent, and could not find a word to say. The wall completed: 6:15-19. Nehemiah 6:15 (Holman Christian Standard Bible) 15 The wall was completed (A) in 52 days, on the twenty-fifth day of the month Ellul. After the wall was built, Nehemiah ensured that the people were read God's Law, and they understood it. The prince to come is key to understanding these verses. I really like all of the points youve made. 9Then I came to the governors of the province Beyond the River, and gave them the kings letters. He is even given letters from the king to ensure safe passage and to obtain timber from the kings forest for the gates and walls of Jerusalem. Jesus is "the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world" ( John 1:29 ). 17Moreover, in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiahs letters came to them. Only four years later the Temple was completed in the 6th year of Darius. This decree or command by YHWH (in the 12th month, 2nd year of Darius) followed a similar decree given to Haggai just a few months earlier(Hag.1). They knew that the command given by YHWH was in the same year as the command given by Darius, Artaxerxes, son of Hystaspes in his 2nd year. Rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem was an important sign to the enemies of Israel. 15 And I am very sore displeased with the heathen that are at ease: for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction. Thus, the time periods being designated in verse 25 are seven Pentecosts and sixty-two Pentecosts. . Within three days of his arrival in Jerusalem he did a thorough inspection of the walls (Nehemiah 2:11-16). The Jewish community in Jerusalem had been there for 80 years. I do not see a reference to Yom Kippur in these verses. Combining Nehemiah's times with his character, we get the message of this book: Nehemiah proves that seemingly impossible things . 5Then I said to the king, If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favour with you, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my ancestors graves, so that I may rebuild it. 6The king said to me (the queen also was sitting beside him), How long will you be gone, and when will you return? So it pleased the king to send me, and I set him a date. Despite of them we steadily kept on our building, and the result was that soon all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof - the whole continuous line of wall was completed to half the contemplated height. Daniel 9 did two things. 52 days Once there, Nehemiah defied the opposition of Judah's enemies on all sidesSamaritans, Ammonites, Arabs and Philistinesand rebuilt the walls within 52 days, from the Sheep Gate in the North, the Hananeel Tower at the North West corner, the Fish Gate in the West, the Furnaces Tower at the Temple . Virtually any citizen of the ancient world could tick off three reasons why a wall was far more than just a pile of rocks. Nehemiah's Wall. Answer (1 of 3): Re your query: Did Nehemiah rebuild the temple? How long was Nehemiah in Jerusalem? 2. You don't have to rebuild a wall to do the will of God. After the wall was built, Nehemiah ensured that the people were read God's Law, and they understood it. Bring in the new Chronology. The caption reads Nehemiah/Photo: Foto Marburg/Art Resource, NY. No self respecting Jewish zealot would have based it upon a command given by men. Yodie. Its notable (and probably an important lesson) how the High Priest, Eliashib (Neh 3:1) was actually in cahoots with the enemies of Judah (Neh 2:10; Neh 13:4, 7, 28). I am not a scholar or a biblical archaeologist, just someone who has viewed Nehemiahs role and strategies as a model of best practise in leadership and how to empower a community/ people. In Part 1 prayer was discussed and in this article we have discussed preparation and . The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.' When [Nehemiah] heard these things, [he] sat down and wept" (Nehemiah 1:3). Rebuilding the walls showed that God was with His people. 7But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and the gaps were beginning to be closed, they were very angry, 8and all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it. He also provided a place where the people could wait for God's salvation. Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem in 445 B.C. 13I also shook out the fold of my garment and said, So may God shake out everyone from house and from property who does not perform this promise. Contextually it was all about returning to the temple construction which had stopped. Ezra and Nehemiah, and the wall built during their time, have nothing to do with Daniel 9. We will soon discover that Nehemiah has a position of authority in the empire, being the 'cupbearer . Joiakim was the son of Jeshua the high priest. 9So we prayed to our God, and set a guard as a protection against them day and night. A race of slaves emerge from slavery to become a nation. Interestingly, after the completion of the wall, the people gathered in the 7th month, dwelt in booths and read the law according to the Torah. Since 1954, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes has been challenging coaches and athletes to use the powerful medium of athletics to impact the world for Jesus Christ, reaching millions worldwide. Nehemiah served as the kings cupbearer (Nehemiah 1:11), which evidently put him in a position to speak to the king. Write "Nehemiah and the people build the wall in 52 days!" in the middle of the yellow paper. Back to Nehemiah At the time, I was cupbearer to the king. Equip. A survey of websites with information on the town of Avallon and its church with its unusual, single portal statue (the front entrance of most mediaeval churches with such statues are usually lined by several of them on either side), ALL refer to it as depicting a prophet. Notice the importance YHWH, not man, places on the construction efforts: Zechariah 1:13-16 And YHWH answered the angel that talked with me with good words and comfortable words. It identified the time of the introduction of the new covenant prophesied by Jeremiah that would be offered to Israel by John the Baptist, and it identified the anointed one, Jesus, who would confirm that new covenant during the Passion Week. The liberal wants to revise history by dithering about dates .