NEHEMIAH

(Answers)

 

Updated 12/2023

 

CHAPTER 1

  1. Nehemiah grieved because Jerusalem was in ruins.
  2. Nehemiah was the cup bearer to the king.

 

CHAPTER 2

  1. King Artaxerxes was king at that time.
  2. Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem, officials of the Samaritan government, despised the rebuilding of Jerusalem..

 

CHAPTER 3

  1. Eliashib was high priest.
  2. Many of the men made repairs that were in front of his own house or dwelling.

 

CHAPTER 4

  1. The adversaries conspired to attack Jerusalem, cause confusion, and kill the builders.
  2. The builders had half of them to keep watch while the other half worked. Some who worked also carried a weapon in one hand to protect them and worked with the other hand.

 

CHAPTER 5

  1. a. Some were charging their brethren interest and taking their possessions when payment was not made. b. Nehemiah pointed out to the people the unlawfulness of their actions and had them restore everything to their brethren.
  2. Nehemiah shared his provisions with up to one hundred and fifty people instead of keeping it for himself.

 

CHAPTER 6

  1. The adversaries threatened to (falsely) tell the king that the Jews are rebelling against him and Nehemiah would be their king.
  2. Nehemiah knew that Shemaiah was hired by the adversaries to do him harm. Leaving the work to protect himself while others worked would discredit Nehemiah among the men, Going into the temple would violate the sanctity of the law and cause him to sin. This would discredit Nehemiah among the pious.
  3. The repair of the wall was completed in fifty-two days.

 

CHAPTER 7

  1. Forty-two thousand three hundred sixty people, seven thousand three hundred thirty-seven servants, and two hundred forty-five singers came with the assembly in the first return from Babylon.

 

CHAPTER 8

  1. a. Ezra the scribe read from the book of the law of Moses. b. Ezra read from morning until midday from a platform, which was built for this purpose, above the people. c. Ezra read to give sense and meaning to the people of the statutes of God.
  2. The people knew they were in sin and had not been doing any of the provisions of the law.
  3. The people made the booths to live in for the Feast of Tabernacles.

 

CHAPTER 9

  1. a. The people read from the book of the law for a fourth of the day. b. They prayed, confessed and worshiped for another fourth of the day.
  2. The  people vowed to be servants of God again.

 

CHAPTER 10

  1. The rest of the people entered into the curse and the oath, which was given by Moses, to walk in God’s law, His commandments, and statutes.
  2. The people were able to commit to a third of a shekel yearly to the house of the Lord. This was down from the original half shekel of the law (Ex. 30:13).
  3. They cast lots yearly among the priests and the people for the service of the wood providers.
  4. A firstfruits of the produce was brought yearly to the house of the Lord.
  5. The Levites received a tithe of all that was produced from the land.
  6. They we priests gave a tithe (1/10) of what they received to the house of the Lord. The rest was for their consumption.

 

CHAPTER 11

  1. The leaders dwelt at Jerusalem already. The rest of the people cast lots to choose one person out of ten to dwell in the city of Jerusalem.

 

CHAPTER 12

  1. Two large groups of singers and music makers (thanksgiving choirs) were stationed along two walls to give praise and thanks to God for their current blessings.

 

CHAPTER 13

  1. All the foreign people living among the Israelites were separated from them.
  2. There would be no buying or selling with any people on the Sabbath.
  3. Nehemiah threatened to lay hands on the merchants (do them harm) who came to do business on the Sabbath
  4. Nehemiah pronounced a curse on those who had married foreign wives, struck some of them, and even pulled out the hair of some and made them swear by God not to ever take again foreign wives.