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Nehemiah 3

KJV · Chapter 3/13

1Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the priests, and they builded the sheep gate; they sanctified it, and set up the doors of it; even unto the tower of Meah they sanctified it, unto the tower of Hananeel.

2And next unto him builded the men of Jericho. And next to them builded Zaccur the son of Imri.

3But the fish gate did the sons of Hassenaah build, who also laid the beams thereof, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof.

4And next unto them repaired Meremoth the son of Urijah, the son of Koz. And next unto them repaired Meshullam the son of Berechiah, the son of Meshezabeel. And next unto them repaired Zadok the son of Baana.

5And next unto them the Tekoites repaired; but their nobles put not their necks to the work of their Lord.

6Moreover the old gate repaired Jehoiada the son of Paseah, and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah; they laid the beams thereof, and set up the doors thereof, and the locks thereof, and the bars thereof.

7And next unto them repaired Melatiah the Gibeonite, and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon, and of Mizpah, unto the throne of the governor on this side the river.

8Next unto him repaired Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, of the goldsmiths. Next unto him also repaired Hananiah the son of one of the apothecaries, and they fortified Jerusalem unto the broad wall.

9And next unto them repaired Rephaiah the son of Hur, the ruler of the half part of Jerusalem.

10And next unto them repaired Jedaiah the son of Harumaph, even over against his house. And next unto him repaired Hattush the son of Hashabniah.

11Malchijah the son of Harim, and Hashub the son of Pahath–moab, repaired the other piece, and the tower of the furnaces.

12And next unto him repaired Shallum the son of Halohesh, the ruler of the half part of Jerusalem, he and his daughters.

13The valley gate repaired Hanun, and the inhabitants of Zanoah; they built it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof, and a thousand cubits on the wall unto the dung gate.

14But the dung gate repaired Malchiah the son of Rechab, the ruler of part of Beth–haccerem; he built it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof.

15But the gate of the fountain repaired Shallun the son of Col–hozeh, the ruler of part of Mizpah; he built it, and covered it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof, and the wall of the pool of Siloah by the king’s garden, and unto the stairs that go down from the city of David.

16After him repaired Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, the ruler of the half part of Beth–zur, unto the place over against the sepulchres of David, and to the pool that was made, and unto the house of the mighty.

17After him repaired the Levites, Rehum the son of Bani. Next unto him repaired Hashabiah, the ruler of the half part of Keilah, in his part.

18After him repaired their brethren, Bavai the son of Henadad, the ruler of the half part of Keilah.

19And next to him repaired Ezer the son of Jeshua, the ruler of Mizpah, another piece over against the going up to the armoury at the turning of the wall.

20After him Baruch the son of Zabbai earnestly repaired the other piece, from the turning of the wall unto the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest.

21After him repaired Meremoth the son of Urijah the son of Koz another piece, from the door of the house of Eliashib even to the end of the house of Eliashib.

22And after him repaired the priests, the men of the plain.

23After him repaired Benjamin and Hashub over against their house. After him repaired Azariah the son of Maaseiah the son of Ananiah by his house.

24After him repaired Binnui the son of Henadad another piece, from the house of Azariah unto the turning of the wall, even unto the corner.

25Palal the son of Uzai, over against the turning of the wall, and the tower which lieth out from the king’s high house, that was by the court of the prison. After him Pedaiah the son of Parosh.

26Moreover the Nethinims dwelt in Ophel, unto the place over against the water gate toward the east, and the tower that lieth out.

27After them the Tekoites repaired another piece, over against the great tower that lieth out, even unto the wall of Ophel.

28From above the horse gate repaired the priests, every one over against his house.

29After them repaired Zadok the son of Immer over against his house. After him repaired also Shemaiah the son of Shechaniah, the keeper of the east gate.

30After him repaired Hananiah the son of Shelemiah, and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph, another piece. After him repaired Meshullam the son of Berechiah over against his chamber.

31After him repaired Malchiah the goldsmith’s son unto the place of the Nethinims, and of the merchants, over against the gate Miphkad, and to the going up of the corner.

32And between the going up of the corner unto the sheep gate repaired the goldsmiths and the merchants.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

A detailed list is recorded of the families and groups who worked rebuilding different sections of Jerusalem's wall, each responsible for the part nearest their own home or region.

Explanation

This list, which might seem merely administrative, reveals a powerful principle of community mobilization: each group cared for the section of the wall closest to them, which created personal responsibility and kept the task from feeling impossible or too distant. Priests, merchants, women, and even residents of neighboring towns took part, showing that the rebuilding was truly a collective effort, not just the work of specialists. One notable detail is the mention that the nobles of Tekoa did not help with the work, a small reminder that not everyone is willing to serve, even when they could. The practical application is clear: great works get finished when each person takes up their specific part.

Fun facts

  • The mention that the daughters of Shallum helped in the rebuilding is one of the rare explicit biblical records of women taking part in a public building project.
  • The ten gates of Jerusalem mentioned in this list (the Sheep Gate, the Fish Gate, the Valley Gate, the Dung Gate, the Fountain Gate, among others) help archaeologists reconstruct the layout of ancient Jerusalem.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Nehemiah 3:1The chapter lists family by family who rebuilt which stretch of the wall, beginning with the high priest Eliashib and the other priests at the sheep gate. It is a record of collective labor, almost a community work party organized by neighborhoods and families.
  2. Nehemiah 3:2Alongside the priests, the men of Jericho also take on a stretch of the wall, showing that families from outside Jerusalem itself also came to help with the work.
  3. Nehemiah 3:3The sons of Hassenaah, a large family already mentioned among those who returned from exile decades earlier, are responsible for the fish gate, including setting its doors and bars in place.
  4. Nehemiah 3:4Three different men repair neighboring stretches of the wall, among them Meremoth, probably the same priest who decades earlier had helped weigh the treasures brought by Ezra.
  5. Nehemiah 3:5Among the many who take part, the text points out that the nobles of Tekoa would not put their necks to the work, while the common people of that same town took part normally. It is a rare note of social criticism within a list that otherwise only praises those who built.
  6. Nehemiah 3:6The old gate, one of the oldest in the city, is restored by Jehoiada and Meshullam, two more names in the long list of families who took on a piece of the wall.
  7. Nehemiah 3:7Here residents of Gibeon and Mizpah, towns neighboring Jerusalem, appear helping to rebuild up to the point where the seat of the governor of the province beyond the river stood.
  8. Nehemiah 3:8A goldsmith and a perfumer join the list of builders, common urban trades that show the rebuilding was not just a mason's job — it was a task for the whole city.
  9. Nehemiah 3:9Rephaiah was responsible for administering half the district of Jerusalem, and even so he also took on a stretch of the wall to rebuild.
  10. Nehemiah 3:10Jedaiah rebuilds right in front of his own house, a pattern that repeats many times in this list: each person taking care of the piece closest to where he lived.
  11. Nehemiah 3:11This stretch includes the tower of the furnaces, probably near where the city's public bread ovens operated.
  12. Nehemiah 3:12Shallum rebuilds a stretch of the wall helped by his own daughters, a detail that stands out because it shows women directly involved in the heavy work of rebuilding, not just behind the scenes.
  13. Nehemiah 3:13The residents of Zanoah rebuild an enormous stretch, about five hundred meters of wall, far longer than most of the other groups mentioned.
  14. Nehemiah 3:14The dung gate, probably where the city's refuse was carried out, falls under the responsibility of Malchiah, leader of another district in the region.
  15. Nehemiah 3:15This stretch includes a royal garden and an ancient stairway that had already existed since the days of King David himself, centuries before.
  16. Nehemiah 3:16Another Nehemiah, sharing the same name as the book's protagonist, rebuilds a stretch near the tombs of King David — a coincidence of names that the text does not comment on.
  17. Nehemiah 3:17The Levites also join the list of builders, including a leader from the town of Keilah, showing that people from outside Jerusalem took part even while administering other regions.
  18. Nehemiah 3:18The other leader from Keilah also appears, completing the pair who represented that town in the work on the wall.
  19. Nehemiah 3:19This stretch lies near an old armory of the city, rebuilt by the leader of Mizpah, another town neighboring Jerusalem.
  20. Nehemiah 3:20The text notes that Baruch worked with unusual zeal, one of the few specific compliments about effort in this highly detailed list.
  21. Nehemiah 3:21Meremoth appears a second time in the list, now rebuilding a stretch near the house of the high priest Eliashib himself.
  22. Nehemiah 3:22Priests who lived outside the city, in the surrounding countryside, also travel in to help with a stretch of the wall.
  23. Nehemiah 3:23More residents rebuild directly in front of their own houses, the same practical pattern that appears repeatedly throughout the chapter.
  24. Nehemiah 3:24Binnui continues the work where Azariah left off, showing how the list literally follows the physical line of the wall, stretch after stretch.
  25. Nehemiah 3:25This stretch passes near a tower connected to the royal palace itself and to the court of a prison, one of the points closest to the city's center of power.
  26. Nehemiah 3:26The Nethinims, servants of the temple, live in a region called Ophel and help rebuild the wall near the water gate, facing the eastern side of the city.
  27. Nehemiah 3:27The people of Tekoa appear again rebuilding another stretch, near the great tower of the city — the same group whose nobles had earlier refused to help, back in verse 5.
  28. Nehemiah 3:28Near the horse gate, more priests rebuild directly in front of their own houses, repeating the practical pattern found throughout the chapter.
  29. Nehemiah 3:29A guard responsible for the temple's east gate also takes on a stretch of the wall, showing that even those who already held a fixed post at the temple helped with the work.
  30. Nehemiah 3:30Hanun is described here as “the sixth” son of his family, a rare detail of birth order in a list so focused on names and locations.
  31. Nehemiah 3:31This stretch reaches an area where the Nethinims and merchants lived, near the gate of Miphkad, whose name means something like “the place of inspection.”
  32. Nehemiah 3:32The chapter closes exactly where it began, at the sheep gate, with goldsmiths and merchants completing the final stretch and forming a complete circle around the city.

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