Nehemiah 3

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. Eliashib the high priest leads the rebuilding, beginning at the Sheep Gate (sha'ar ha-tson) in the northeast corner of the city. The 'Tower of the Hundred' (migdal ha-me'ah) may refer to its height (one hundred cubits) or to a military unit of one hundred soldiers stationed there. The Tower of Hananel is mentioned in Jeremiah 31:38 and Zechariah 14:10 as a northern boundary marker of Jerusalem. That the high priest begins the work signals that this is not merely a civic project but a restoration with sacred significance.

Translator Notes

1. The phrase al yado ('next to him/at his hand') will recur throughout the chapter as the standard formula for indicating adjacent work sections. The men of Jericho — a city some fifteen miles northeast of Jerusalem — traveled to help rebuild, showing that the project drew workers from beyond Jerusalem itself. Zakkur son of Imri is otherwise unknown.

Translator Notes

1. The Fish Gate (sha'ar ha-dagim) was on the north side of the city, probably where fish merchants from Tyre sold their goods (see 13:16). The verb qeruhu ('they beamed it') refers to laying the structural timbers. Three security features are listed: doors (daletot), bolts (man'ulim), and bars (berichim) — indicating that each gate was being restored to full defensive capability. The sons of Hassenaah appear as a large clan in Ezra 2:35 (3,630 members).

Translator Notes

1. The verb hecheziq ('made strong, repaired') will be the dominant construction verb throughout this chapter — it implies strengthening what was damaged rather than building from scratch. Meremoth son of Uriah son of Haqqots appears again in verse 21, taking on a second section. Meshullam son of Berekiah will reappear in 6:18 as a figure with family ties to Tobiah the opponent — a complication the text does not resolve here.

Translator Notes

1. This is the only negative notice in the entire chapter. The nobles (addirim) of Tekoa 'did not bring their necks' (lo hevi'u tsavaram) to the work — a vivid physical metaphor for refusing to bend to labor. The word adoneihem ('their lords') likely refers to Nehemiah and the other project leaders, though some read it as 'their Lord' (God). Either way, the refusal is recorded for posterity. Despite their nobles' refusal, the ordinary Tekoites will take on a second section (v. 27), doubling their contribution.

Translator Notes

1. The sha'ar ha-yeshanah is traditionally rendered 'Old Gate' but the name may mean 'Jeshanah Gate' — named for the town of Jeshanah (2 Chronicles 13:19) toward which it faced. The same construction formula appears as for the Fish Gate: beaming, doors, bolts, and bars. Two men share responsibility for this gate.

Translator Notes

1. Gibeon and Mitspah (Mizpah) are towns northwest and north of Jerusalem. The phrase lekisse pachat ever ha-nahar ('to the seat of the governor Beyond the River') is puzzling. It may refer to the governor's administrative building or jurisdiction marker. 'Beyond the River' (ever ha-nahar) is the Persian designation for the satrapy west of the Euphrates, which included Judah.

Translator Notes

1. The goldsmiths (tsorfim) and perfume-makers (raqqachim) appear as professional guilds contributing to the construction. These were artisans, not laborers, yet they joined the physical rebuilding. The verb ya'azvu here means 'they restored' or 'they left intact' rather than 'abandoned' — indicating they confirmed Jerusalem's boundary up to the Broad Wall. The 'Broad Wall' (ha-chomah ha-rechavah) may be the massive wall segment from Hezekiah's era, remains of which (approximately twenty-three feet thick) have been excavated in Jerusalem's Jewish Quarter.

Translator Notes

1. The term pelekh ('district') refers to an administrative division. Jerusalem was apparently divided into two half-districts, each with its own ruler (sar). Rephaiah governs one half. This administrative structure reflects Persian provincial organization applied to Judah's internal governance.

Translator Notes

1. The phrase neged beito ('opposite his house') appears here for the first time and will recur throughout the chapter. Assigning builders to the wall section nearest their home served dual purposes: they knew the local terrain, and they had maximum personal motivation to build well — their own family's safety depended on it.

Translator Notes

1. The phrase midah shenit ('a second section') indicates these builders took on a second assignment beyond their first. The Tower of the Ovens (migdal ha-tannurim) was likely near the bakers' quarter, where communal ovens were located. Pahath-Moab ('governor of Moab') is a clan name, not a title — this family appears in the returnee lists of Ezra 2:6.

Translator Notes

1. This verse is remarkable: Shallum's daughters (benotav) participated in the construction work. In a text dominated by male names, this explicit mention of women builders is striking and deliberate. The text does not explain or qualify their participation — it simply records it alongside every other builder. Shallum governs the second half-district of Jerusalem (the first is Rephaiah's in v. 9).

Translator Notes

1. The Valley Gate (sha'ar ha-gay) opened westward toward the Hinnom Valley — this is the gate Nehemiah used for his nighttime inspection (2:13). Zanoah was a town in the Shephelah, about twelve miles southwest of Jerusalem. The note that they repaired 'a thousand cubits' (elef ammah) — approximately 1,500 feet — indicates this was the longest single section. The western wall ran along relatively flat terrain, which may have made the work easier but the section longer.

Translator Notes

1. The Dung Gate (sha'ar ha-ashpot) was at the southern tip of the city, opening toward the refuse dumps in the Hinnom Valley. Beth-Hakkerem ('House of the Vineyard') is identified with Ramat Rachel, about halfway between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. The Rekab clan may be connected to the Rechabites of Jeremiah 35, though this is uncertain.

Translator Notes

1. The Fountain Gate (sha'ar ha-ayin) was on the southeast side of the city, near the Gihon Spring. The Pool of Shelah (berekat ha-shelach) is the Siloam Pool, fed by Hezekiah's water tunnel. The 'king's garden' (gan ha-melekh) was in the Kidron Valley at the southern tip of the City of David. The 'stairway descending from the City of David' likely refers to stepped-stone structures archaeologists have found on the eastern slope of the original city.

Translator Notes

1. This is a different Nehemiah from the author — the name was common. Beth-Tsur was a fortified town about fifteen miles south of Jerusalem. 'David's tombs' (qivrei David) refers to the royal burial complex within the City of David, which remained a landmark for centuries. The 'artificial pool' (ha-berekhah ha-asuyah) was an engineered reservoir, distinct from natural springs. The 'House of the Warriors' (beit ha-gibborim) may have been a military barracks or armory.

Translator Notes

1. The Levites now join the work. Keilah was a town in the Shephelah, famous from David's rescue of it from Philistine attack (1 Samuel 23:1-13). The phrase lefilko ('for his district') indicates Hashabiah worked on behalf of his administrative area's obligation.

Translator Notes

1. Keilah, like Jerusalem, was divided into two half-districts. Bavvai governs the second half. Henadad is a Levitical family name appearing in Ezra 3:9, where members of this clan supervised Temple construction under Zerubbabel.

Translator Notes

1. Ezer takes a 'second section' (midah shenit), volunteering for extra work. The 'ascent to the armory' (alot ha-nesheq) indicates a weapons storehouse accessible by a ramp or stairway. The miqtsoa ('corner, angle') marks a turn in the wall line, a structurally critical point requiring stronger construction.

Translator Notes

1. The verb hecharah ('burned, was zealous') modifying hecheziq creates an unusual double verb — Barukh repaired with intense energy or passion. This is the only builder whose emotional investment the text comments on. His section ends at the high priest's residence, indicating Eliashib lived along the eastern wall near the Temple precinct.

Translator Notes

1. Meremoth appears for the second time (see v. 4), taking on a second section. His assignment here stretches the full length of the high priest's residence — from its entrance (petach) to its end (takhlit). This suggests the high priest's house was substantial enough to serve as a measurement landmark.

Translator Notes

1. The phrase anshei ha-kikkar ('men of the plain/circle') refers to priests living in the Jordan Valley region or the area surrounding Jerusalem. These priests traveled to Jerusalem to help rebuild, just as the men of Jericho (v. 2) and Zanoah (v. 13) did.

Translator Notes

1. The pattern of building near one's own home continues: neged beitam ('opposite their house') and etsel beito ('beside his house'). This policy ensured personal investment in the quality of construction — a wall segment protecting your own family would be built with care.

Translator Notes

1. Another 'second section' volunteer. Binnui son of Henadad is from the same Levitical family as Bavvai (v. 18). His section runs from Azariah's house to the miqtsoa (corner turn) and the pinnah (corner point) — two terms that may describe the same angular feature of the wall from different perspectives.

Translator Notes

1. The 'upper royal palace' (beit ha-melekh ha-elyon) refers to the old Davidic palace complex on the eastern ridge. The 'courtyard of the guard' (chatsar ha-mattarah) is the same prison courtyard where Jeremiah was confined (Jeremiah 32:2, 33:1). These landmarks anchor the description to the eastern wall of the City of David.

Translator Notes

1. The Netinim (temple servants) were a class of workers assigned to assist the Levites in Temple service — their origin may trace back to the Gibeonites (Joshua 9:27). The Ophel is the ridge between the City of David and the Temple Mount. The Water Gate (sha'ar ha-mayim) faced east toward the Kidron Valley and the Gihon Spring. This verse is parenthetical, describing where the temple servants lived rather than what they built.

Translator Notes

1. The Tekoites return for a second section, making this their double contribution. The contrast with verse 5 is pointed: while their nobles refused to work at all, the ordinary people of Tekoa did twice the expected labor. The text records both the shame of the nobles and the honor of the commoners.

Translator Notes

1. The Horse Gate (sha'ar ha-susim) was on the east side of the city, near the Temple Mount. This is the gate where Queen Athaliah was executed (2 Kings 11:16). The priests living in this area each took responsibility for the wall directly in front of their own residences — ish leneged beito ('each man opposite his house').

Translator Notes

1. Tsadoq son of Immer belongs to a priestly family — Immer is one of the priestly divisions (1 Chronicles 24:14). Shemaiah is identified by his function: shomer sha'ar ha-mizrach ('keeper of the East Gate'). This gate may be distinct from the Water Gate and the Horse Gate, or it may be an alternative name for one of them.

Translator Notes

1. Hanun is identified as 'the sixth' (ha-shishi) son of Tsalaph — the birth order notation is unusual in this list and may serve to distinguish him from others with the same name. Meshullam son of Berekiah appears for the second time (see v. 4), now repairing opposite his nishkah ('chamber, storeroom') — a storage room likely connected to the Temple complex.

Translator Notes

1. Malkiah is identified as a goldsmith (ben ha-tsorfi, literally 'son of the refiner'). The Inspection Gate (sha'ar ha-mifqad) is named from the root paqad ('to inspect, muster, appoint') — it may have been where troops were mustered or goods inspected. The 'upper room of the corner' (aliyyat ha-pinnah) marks the northeast corner of the wall circuit, approaching the starting point.

Translator Notes

1. The circuit ends where it began — at the Sheep Gate. The final section is repaired by the goldsmiths (tsorfim) and merchants (rokhelim), professional guilds closing the ring. The entire wall has been accounted for, section by section, with no gaps. The literary effect is a complete circle: the community has surrounded itself with restored defenses, and every segment has a name attached to it.