Nehemiah.

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NEH EHEMIAH, or NEEMIAS, fon of Hachaliah, was born at Babylon during the captivity, (Neh. i. 1, 2, &c.) He was, according to fome, of the race of the pries, but, according to others, of the tribe of Judah and the royal family. Those who maintain the firft opinion, fupport it by a paffage in Ezra, (x. 10.) where he is called a prieft; but thofe who believe that he was of the race of the kings of Judah, fay, 1ft, That Nehemiah having governed the republic of the Jews for a confiderable time, there is great probabili. ty he was of that tribe of which the kings always were. 2dly, Nehemiah mentions his brethren Hanani, and fome other Jews, who coming to Babylon during the captivity, acquainted him with the fad condition of their country. 3ly, The office of cup-bearer to the king of Perfia, to which Nehemiah was promoted, is a further proof that he was of an illuftrious family. 4thly, He excufes himself from entering into the inner part of the temple, probably becaufe he was only a laic, (Neb. vi. 11.) "Should fuch a man as I flee? And who is there that, being as I am, would go into the temple to fave his life?"

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The feripture (Ezra. ii. 62. Nehem. vii. 95.) calls him so tir batha, that is to fay, "cup-bearer;" for he had this employment at the court of Artaxerxes Longimanus. He had an exceeding great tenderness for the country of his fathers, though he had nefeen it; and one day as fome Jews newly come from Jerufalem acquainted him with the miferable eftate of that city, that its walls were beat down, its gates burnt, and the Jews were become a reproach among all nations; he was fenfibly affeceted with this relation; he fafted, prayed, and humbled himself before the Lord, that he would be favourable to the defign he had then conceived of afking the king's permiffion to rebuild Jerufalem. The courfe of his attendance at court being come, he prefented the cup to the king according to cuftom; but with a countenance fad and dejected; which the king obferving, entertained fome fufpicion, as if he might have had fome bad defign; but Nehemiah (ii.) discovering the occafion of his difquiet, Artaxerxes gave him leave to go to Jerufalem, and repair its walls and gates: but, however, upon this condition, that he should return to court at a time appointed. Letters were made out, directed to the governors beyond the Euphrates, with orders to furnish Nehemiah with timbers neceffary for covering the towers and gates of the city, and the houfe defigned for Nehemiah himself, who was now appointed governor of Judea, in the year of the world

3350.

VOL. XIII. Part I.

NEH

Nehemiah being arrived at Jerufalem with the king's Nehemiah, commiffion, went round the city; and having viewed the condition of the walls, affembled the chief of the people, produced his commiffion, and exhorted them to undertake the reparation of the gates and walls of the city. He found every person ready to obey him ; whereupon he immediately began the work. The enemies of the Jews, obferving these works in fuch forwardness, made ufe of all the means in their power to deter Nehemiah from this undertaking, and made feveral attempts to furprise him; but finding that their defigns were difcovered, and that the Jews kept upon their guard, they had recourfe to craft and ftratagem, endeavouring to draw him into an ambuscade in the fields, where they pretended they would finish the difpute at an amicable conference: but Nehemiah gave them to understand, that the work he had begun required his perfonal attendance; and therefore he could not come to them. He fent the fame anfwer to four feveral meflages that they fent one after another on the fame fubject, (id. iv. and vi.)

Sanballat, the chief of the enemies of the Jews, together with his affociates, wrote word, that a report was spread that the Jews were building the walls of Jeru falem only with a defign to make it a place of firength, to fupport them in an intended revolt; that it was faid alfo that Nehemiah had fuborned falfe prophets to favour his defigns, and to encourage the people to choose him king; and to flop the course of these rumours, he advised him to come to him, that they might confer together, and take fuch resolutions as fhould be found convenient. Nehemiah gave himself no trouble on this account, but returned for answer, that all thofe accufations were false and made at random. About the fame time he difcovered, that a false prophet, called Shemaiah, had been corrupted by his enemies, and that fome of the chief of the city were fecretly in confederacy with them. Yet all this did not difcourage him he went on with his work, and happily completed it in two and fifty days after it had been begun.

Then he made a dedication of the walls, of the towers, and of the gates of Jerufalem, with the folem nity and magnificence that fuch a work required. He feparated the priests, the Levites, and the princes of the people, into two companies, one of which walked to the fouth and the other to the north, on the top of the walls. Thefe two companies were to meet at the temple. The proceffion was accompanied with mufic both vocal and inftrumental: and when they were all come to the temple, they there read the law, A

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