The Old Testament Book of Nehemiah

The Book of Nehemiah continues the story of the Jewish return from exile and focuses on rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls.

Problems common to the combined books Ezra-Nehemiah have been pointed out in the Introduction to the Book of Ezra. The achievements of the two men were complementary; each helped to make it possible for Judaism to maintain its identity during the difficult days of the Restoration. Ezra was the great religious reformer who succeeded in establishing the Torah as the constitution of the returned community. Nehemiah, governor of the province of Judah, was the man of action who rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem and introduced necessary administrative reforms. The biblical sources for Nehemiah’s life a…