Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, so that we will no longer be a disgrace . The Persian kings allowed exiles from many countries to return to their lands, and some made use of that, others did not; many Judeans continued to live in Babylonia. It would be this city layout that would exist during the time of Christ. And I asked them concerning the Jews who escaped, who had survived the exile, and concerning Jerusalem. Nehemiah, also spelled Nehemias, (flourished 5th century bc), Jewish leader who supervised the rebuilding of Jerusalem in the mid-5th century bc after his release from captivity by the Persian king Artaxerxes I.Cyrus II, founder of the Achaemenian dynasty of Persia and conqueror of Babylonia, in 538 bce issued an order allowing exiled Jews to Hezekiah also built a water tunnel in order to keep the water from the Gihon Spring inside the city walls so the Assyrians couldnt cut off the water supply (2 Chron. [1] [2] The walls are visible on most old maps of Jerusalem over the last 1,500 years. Courtesy Nathan Steinmeyer. The trip continues to the Fountain Gate and the King's Pool. This suggests that the rubble was swept down before the Late Persian period began, and that a city wall may have been built there at that time. Today, this water tunnel is known as Hezekiahs Tunnel. Diana Edelman, who made an in-depth study of Jerusalem in Persian times based on biblical texts, archaeological finds and information on the Persian empire, sees Jerusalem as a birah, a small fortress used by the Persians (Edelman 2005). Nehemiah receives His Commission 1. In the foreground the wall that she dated to the Persian period with behind it the small tower. Further north on the hill Kenyon found a smaller tower with part of a wall that according to her originated from the Persian era. Even though he had an important job in the palace of the king, he has given that up to take on a dangerous job in a city that has been ruined by war. There is the technical side & the human side. The identification of Jebus with Jerusalem has been disputed, principally by Niels Peter Lemche. The walls of the Canaanite city appear to have stood for around a thousand years, well into the time of the Israelite monarchy, with possible evidence of later repairs in the Iron Age. May the joy of the Lord be your strength. It was chiseled from both ends to the middle at the same time. But is it plausible that these were repaired too by the small group of people who lived in the city after the Exile? 1 The words of a Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah.. Now it happened in the month of b Chislev, c in the twentieth year, as I was in d Susa the citadel, 2 that e Hanani, one of my brothers, came with certain men from Judah. For the next three centuries, the city remained without protective walls, the Temple Mount/Haram ash-Sharif and the citadel then being the only well-fortified areas. Suffice to say there is hardly any archaeological evidence of a large population growth as a result of immigration. Nehemiah's brother came from Judah with bad news: 'The people who returned to Jerusalem are not safe. Or was it an unimportant, undefended settlement, in which only the local temple still had any meaning? J.E. King Hezekiah fortified the existing walls of the city and built a new wall in a rapid manner to protect those living outside the city walls. Nehemiah is a man of perseverance & he prays & plans for four months waiting for the right opportunity to ask the king to give him the authority, responsibility, & opportunity to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls. Even today, numerous sections of Hezekiahs wall remain visible. During its long history, Jerusalem has been destroyed twice, besieged 23 times, attacked 52 times, and captured and recaptured 44 times. Nehemiah 3:1 According to the following report, the rebuilding of the wall started at the middle of the north side and proceeded counterclockwise around the city. The Jewish Quarter (Hebrew: , HaRova HaYehudi; Arabic: , Harat al-Yehud) is one of the four traditional quarters of the Old City of Jerusalem (part of Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem).The 116,000 square meter area lies in the southwestern sector of the walled city, and stretches from the Zion Gate in the south, along the Armenian Quarter on the west . Israel Finkelstein (2008), for example, sees Jerusalem of Persian and Early Hellenistic times as a small village without walls, with at most a few hundred inhabitants. Explore this wonder for yourself with this short video tour atop the walls of Jerusalem, led by Biblical Archaeology Review assistant editor Nathan Steinmeyer. Many of us dont lack the information we need to make positive changes in our lives or to live more like Jesus, what we need is the proper motivation. Nehemiah taught us how to battle discouragement (Neh. Nehemiah 4. Virtually any citizen of the ancient world could tick off three reasons why a wall was far more than just a pile of rocks. He can see that rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem is a restoration job on several levels. In 70 CE, as a result of the Roman siege during the First JewishRoman War, the walls were almost completely destroyed. 8 And David said on that day, Whoever would strike the Jebusites, let him get up the water shaft to attack the lame and the blind, who are hated by David's soul. Therefore, it is said, The blind and the lame shall not come into the house. 9 And David lived in the stronghold and called it the city of David. This does not immediately make the story in Nehemiah 3 untrue, but it cannot be substantiated either. Happy Purim! The temple was restored, and the temple gave the town its raison d'tre. Independent Archaeologist In April of 445 B.C., after a prayer period of four months, Nehemiah speaks with the king. Although little has been found of the town itself, some finds suggest the presence of wealthy inhabitants, such as the rich elite graves that have been uncovered. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. INTRODUCTION: Nehemiah means "The Lord Comforts". Nehemiah is not a professional builder or contractor. M. L. Steiner, `The City of David as a Palimpsest, in L. Niesioowski-Span and E. Pfoh (eds. 4, 8, 'The first month, which according to the Macedonians is called Xanthicus, but according to us Nisan.' Its meaning is uncertain; according to some its root-idea is . I went out by night by the Valley Gate past the Dragons Spring & to the Dung Gate, & I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that had been broken down & its gates that had been destroyed by fire. Jerusalem was, certainly in the later Persian period, more than a sparsely inhabited settlement or just a temple city without any economic or administrative significance. When the Babylonians conquered and destroyed Jerusalem in 586 BC, they also destroyed the walls and burned the gates with fire. The church faces a similar challenge. The fortification wall was constructed in the late 8th century or early 7th BCE, Israel Antiquities Authority excavation co-director Dr. Joe Uziel, who is also the head of the IAA's Dead Sea. But hes motivated by Gods vision for Jerusalem & his love for his people. Then I went on to the Fountain Gate & to the Kings Pool; but there was no place for the animal I was riding to continue. Looking out over the walls of Jerusalem. This would indicate that rich families still lived in or around Jerusalem in the Persian period. New migrants were sent from the Persian Empire to Yehud to expand the agricultural production necessary for the army, and a governor was appointed with ancestral ties to the area (Nehemiah). He also made weapons and shields in abundance. NEHEMIAH AND THE RECONSTRUCTION OF THE WALL Jerusalem had been completely destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar army. He also made weapons and shields in abundance. Nisan] See note on Nehemiah 1:1.This name only occurs elsewhere in the O.T. At the top of that hill and on its eastern and western slopes the remains of biblical Jerusalem have been found. ), A. M. L. Steiner, `The City of David as a Palimpsest, in L. Niesioowski-Span and E. Pfoh (eds.). And so Nehemiah travels west to Jerusalem. They appointed a governor over Judah, who sat in Mizpa, not Jerusalem. However, the walls of the city remained in ruins until the end of the third century. Do you know the difference between Noahs Ark & the Titanic? The Old City is home to three major shrines of the world\\'s religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. He was available to God & answered the call to lead in a crisis & he did it effectively. Hes smart enough to know that one must have a true & accurate grasp of the facts in order to come up with a successful plan. In the Old Testament, Nehemiah and the Israelites were asked to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem! Get insights SPL Payroll Outsourcing Pvt. In 722 B.C., Assyria conquered the northern kingdom, then in 605 B.C. Why is a broken-down wall such a big deal? The walls were still in ruin 140 years later when Nehemiah came to Jerusalem. Jennie Ebeling --Department of Archaeology and Art History, University of Evansville, Copyright 2000-2023 The Bible and Interpretation| All Rights Reserved |The University of Arizona | Developed bySBS Tech Upon regaining the city from the Crusaders, Saladin began refortifying the walls in 1192. How desolate Jerusalem really was, is a matter of interpretation. M. L. Steiner, `The Persian Period City Wall of Jerusalem, in I. Finkelstein, I and N. Na`aman (eds. in length. A portion of this "broad wall" still stands in today's Jewish Quarter. He was able to rebuild . We will soon discover that Nehemiah has a position of authority in the empire, being the 'cupbearer . Nehemiah 3 is even more specific. In the Middle Bronze Age, a period also known in biblical terms as the era of the Patriarchs, a city named Jebus was built on the southeastern hill of Jerusalem, relatively small (50,000 square meters) but well fortified. Unlike Joseph in Genesis, he didnt make the mistake of revealing Gods vision too soon. In the Late Hellenistic period that construction then was rebuilt or restored and the older wall was not visible anymore. After the return from exile, the small Jewish populationunder Nehemiah's leadershiprebuilt the walls of Jerusalem with dimensions similar to Solomon's day. The walls contain 34 watchtowers and seven main gates . By Margreet L. Steiner A portion of the wall was discovered in the 1970s by Israeli archaeologist Nahman Avigad and dated to the reign of King Hezekiah (716687 BC). Nehemiah 6:1516: So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. Learn how and when to remove these template messages, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "WH Committee: 1st Extraordinary Session, Paris 1981", Selections from the Tell El-Amarna letters, "Building inscription commemorating the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Ottoman period, 1535-1538, Stone, Israel Antiquities Authority, IAA: 1942-265, Archaeology/Islamic Art & Archaeology", Tancred's Tower / Qasr Jalud (Goliath's Castle), Institute for International Urban Development, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Walls_of_Jerusalem&oldid=1142505729. Eventually he returns through the Valley Gate. Why take the risk and expense of hiring new people? . The people returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall about 70 years later. Whether the biblical stories faithfully represent this return is a problem we will pass over here. During the Second Temple period, especially during the Hasmonean period, the city walls were expanded and renovated, constituting what Josephus calls the First Wall. Excavations at the Summit of the City of David. The walls of Jerusalem had been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC. Recent ones include Finkelstein 2008, Lipschits 2009, Ristau 2016, and Ussishkin 2006. And David built the city all around from the Millo inward. Upon hearing that the wall of Jerusalem was down and destroyed, along with the gates being burned down, Nehemiah cried. Jerusalem would remain in ruins for some six decades and without protective walls for over two centuries. These walls were built by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent in the sixteenth century, roughly following the course of the walls built by the Romans to encircle Jerusalem in the second century. He sees not only the reality of what is, but what can be. There would have had to be some economic and some military activity and so a population more than negligible, so at least some attention to fortifications. `The Borders and de Facto Size of Jerusalem in the Persian Period, in O. Lipschits and M. Oeming (eds. Courtesy Nathan Steinmeyer. Arabic inscription inside Lions Gate. Sometimes its not seeing the difficulties that prevent our taking action; its a failure to see the resources & means to a creative solution. Rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem like so many challenges we face in life, including growing a church, is a two sided problem. Many Arabic inscriptions found throughout the Old City record the dates that various gates and sections of the wall were rebuilt. Who destroyed the walls of Jerusalem that Nehemiah rebuilt? Who destroyed the wall that Nehemiah rebuilt? After Jerusalem fell to the Umayyads in 638 C.E., the citys Byzantine walls saw major repairs, and large parts of the Tower of David and the walls around the Temple Mount were constructed. Why did Nebuchadnezzar destroy Jerusalem? The whole Babylonian army, under the commander of the imperial guard, broke down the walls around Jerusalem. Long before the Israelites entered the Promised Land, the Jebusites lived securely within the walls of Jerusalem. There was no animal with The General got off his horse and entered through the gate on foot, to show respect for the city. News and Interpretations on the Bible and Ancient Near East History. Being built in circa 15371541, they are the walls that exist today. While the ancient city was mostly limited to the City of David, the walls were greatly expanded under King Hezekiah during preparations for the Assyrian invasion (c. 701 B.C.E.). An inscription in Arabic from the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent states: Has decreed the construction of the wall he who has protected the home of Islam with his might and main and wiped out the tyranny of idols with his power and strength, he whom alone God has enabled to enslave the necks of kings in countries (far and wide) and deservedly acquire the throne of the Caliphate, the Sultan son of the Sultan son of the Sultan son of the Sultan, Suleyman. 4th March Saturday <br>Nehemiah. Nehemiah 1. Nehemiah Inspects the Walls 16 The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, for I had not yet told the Jews or priests or nobles or officials or any other workers. One of Sultan Suleimans greatest projects was the restoration of the walls of Jerusalem. added to the walls of Jerusalem again with the construction of the Third Wall, which was completed shortly before the First Jewish Revolt, during which the walls were almost completely destroyed by the Romans. It's an invitation to all who read it to be inspired by one person's faith and passion to rebuild a community of people. Both I and my family have sinned. Info@splgroup.co.in Info@splgroup.co.in He can see that rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem is a restoration job on several levels. With prayer, common sense, fervent speeches & brilliant planning, this godly leader motivated the Israelites to complete the reconstruction of the walls of Jerusalem despite severe opposition. They had to be rebuilt by the Fatimids, who left out the southernmost parts that had been previously included: Mount Zion with its churches, and the southeastern hill (the City of David) with the Jewish neighborhoods which stood south of the Temple Mount. You see, God is NOT against building walls! Nehemiah, a servant of King Artaxerxes, was an Israelite who lived in the Persian city of Shushan. When the moment comes, Nehemiah offers one last brief prayer & shares his desire with the king & its granted. A century after the Roman Empires conversion to Christianity, the city was renamed Jerusalem and its walls were greatly expanded by Empress Aelia Eudocia. He undertook the rebuilding of the temple and the Temple Mount on a massive scale. Herod the Great added what Josephus called the Second Wall somewhere in the area between today's Jaffa Gate and Temple Mount. BY THE WAY, THE l in my e-mail for linda is a small L, but, it looks like it is capital l. Just letting you know. What is the Dung . A series by Phil & Kath Henry. the area where today's Jewish and Armenian Quarter (Jerusalem) Quarters are located. between its two ends. One of the keys to rebuilding not only the wall but rebuilding community is a sense of the common good. When a church makes a positive influence in a community it is because the people who comprise it are committed to the common good & not just to their particular group or ministry. Blessing: Now may you go from this time of worship to serve the God who is ready to forgive, gracious & merciful, slow to anger & abounding in steadfast love. The walls were still in ruin 140 years later when Nehemiah came to Jerusalem. Give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man! At the time, I was cupbearer to the king.. During this time, observant Jews refrain from certain joyful activities and commemorate the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem, as well as other historical tragedies. Required fields are marked *, COPYRIGHT 2023 BIBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGY SOCIETY 5614 Connecticut Ave NW #343, Washington DC 20015-2604. 2011, 307-17. According to the Book of Nehemiah, the walls of Jerusalem lay in ruins until the fifth century B.C.E., when Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem as the provincial governor and completed the repairs of the walls that had begun under Ezra. Stepping out in faith means looking squarely at the problems, knowing the facts, & understanding what has taken place previously, then we look to God & use our God given gifts to come up with solutions & we work for success. Ready to walk around Jerusalems incredible walls yourself? All in all, archaeological research has not found any actual Persian fortifications but at most indirect evidence for their construction. 7We have offended you deeply, failing to keep the commandments, the statutes, and the ordinances that you commanded your servant Moses. Wright --University of Arizona, Center for Judaic Studies In 19 BC, the master-builder, King Herod the Great, began his life's most ambitious building project. The Titanic was built by professionals. (Courtesy Ancient Jerusalem Project). Nehemiahs life was marked by availability as a servant to an earthly ruler but in a deeper way as a servant of God. M. L. Steiner, `The Palace of David Reconsidered in the Light of Earlier Excavations, op http://www.bibleinterp.com/articles/palace_2468.shtml (2009). 1. Although eight gates can be seen along the walls, only seven are in use today. King Solomon might have added to the defensive fortifications, OnSite: Bethlehems Church of the Nativity. According to Jewish tradition, as expressed in the Tanakh, Jerusalem remained a Jebusite city until the rise of David, who conquered Jebus, renamed it City of David and started expanding it. It was called Hezekiahs Broad Wall by archaeologists because of its width. (between 1000 BC and 901 BC), possibly built by King Solomon, has been revealed in archaeological excavations. In the darkest days of World War Two when Great Britain stood alone against the Nazis, Winston Churchill came into leadership as Prime Minister at arguably the lowest & most difficult time in his nations history. The walls of Jerusalem had been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC. He points out that Persian material was found only on the southeastern hill, the City of David, and not in other parts of the site that were inhabited in the Late Iron Age. In this map the walls surround the southeastern hill and the Temple Mount only; it is assumed that other parts of the Late Iron Age city were not reconstructed. Its not enough to know what needs to be done; we also need the motivation to make it happen. In the second element of his speech, Nehemiah acknowledges the seriousness of the situation. The conquest brought some destruction followed by reconstruction, as did the reconquest by Saladin in 1187. Families and professional groups take on the responsibility for repairing stretches of the wall, while gates are provided with attics, doors, bolts and bars, and towers are rebuilt. O. Lipschits, Y. Gadot et al., `Palace and Village, Paradise and Oblivion: Unraveling the Riddles of Ramat Rael, Near Eastern Archaeology 74 (2011), 1-49. This paper investigates the facts `on the ground. He set to work resolutely and built up all the wall that was broken down and raised towers upon it, and outside it he built another wall, and he strengthened the Millo in the city of David. He is a leader with vision, the ability to tell people the truth, commitment to doing Gods work & getting the job done successfully. xi. A book about Judah in the Babylonian era is aptly subtitled The Archaeology of Desolation (Faust 2012). It contains three elements: identification with the people, an acknowledgement of the seriousness of the situation, & a call to action. This, however, is a methodological error. But perhaps there is more factuality in the picture the book of Nehemiah sketches than is sometimes suggested. The book of Nehemiah in the Old Testament of the Bible is more than an account of rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. We don't know that Jerusalem was a gubernatorial seat. Preliminary Report of Seasons 2005-2007, Jerusalem and New York 2009. Agrippa I (r. 4144 CE) later began the construction of the Third Wall, which was completed just at the beginning of the First JewishRoman War. Nehemiah, a servant of King Artaxerxes, was an Israelite who lived in the Persian city of Shushan. Did Jerusalem become a walled settlement in Persian times, or is that an unlikely notion? Nehemiah is the account of the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. This would be the largest area the city walls would encompass. Nehemiah has a very difficult task to accomplish: rebuilding a ruined city with opposition all around & a frightened, discouraged population, fortunately Nehemiah knows how to lead in a crisis.
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