Nehemiah 1 (Nehemiah in Susa) (1:1) The month of Chislev was between November and December. (The previous chapter on Ezra describes the earlier two returns.) Nehemiah was a Jewish cupbearer to a king named Artaxerxes, who reigned from the city of Susa in what is today's Iran. Scholars differ as to the chronological order of the books, some maintaining that the events of Nehemiah occur before those of Ezra. Why? Now it happened in the month of () Chislev, () in the twentieth year, as I was in () Susa the citadel, 2 that () Hanani, one of my brothers, came with certain men from Judah. (v. 1) Nehemiah was in the citadel of Susa. 457B.C. Akkad Susa Sumer. I asked them concerning the Jews - Josephus gives a probable account of this business: "Nehemiah, being somewhere out of Susa, seeing some strangers, and hearing them converse in the Hebrew tongue, he went near; and finding they were Jews from Jerusalem, he asked them how matters went with their brethren in that city, and what was their state?" Most of the book centers on events in Jerusalem. Susa was the capital of the Persian Empire, the superpower of the time. "But while all this was going on, I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I had returned to the king. Hanani reported that the city still lay in utter ruins and the … I gave my brother Hanani — Of whom see Nehemiah 1:1-2. Why Nehemiah? onsider what his life and circumstances may have been like? The bible is clear that, despite any decree, no Jews did return .. Nehemiah did just that! He also confronts the wealthy and influential citizens of Jerusalem and calls them to account for exacting interest from the common people. Nehemiah is already serving in arguably the highest position any Jew in that day could aspire to hold. This fortress or citadel seems to have been located adjacent to the temple (Nehemiah 2:8), perhaps the Tower of Hananel (Nehemiah 3:1). Nehemiah 1 - Determining Root Problems. As the pivotal year of 445 B.C. Then, in v.11, we discover why Nehemiah is praying so earnestly for the Lord to hear his plea and release him to serve in Jerusalem. Ninevah Assur. Our story began in the Persian fortress city of Susa with Nehemiah serving as cupbearer to King Artaxerxes. The first chapter of the Book of Nehemiah introduces the book bearing his name as a resident of Susa, the capital of the Persian Empire. v11-16 (See map on page 31) As governor of the province of Judah with. Nehemiah came to Jerusalem in 445 B.C. So he teaches the people the word. The book of Nehemiah opens in the Persian city of Susa in the year 444 BC. Nehemiah had come to Jerusalem from Susa with a single-minded objective: to rebuild the massive but ruined wall of Jerusalem. The books of Ezra and Nehemiah (one book-in the Hebrew Bible) trace the story of the return of the people of God to the land of Israel after the 70-year captivity in Babylon. And the Old Testament book of Nehemiah records how Nehemiah completed that massive project in record time — just 52 days. We do not know if Nehemiah followed the king everywhere he went as part of a security entourage or if He was simply designated to the city of Susa to protect the kings drinking goblets. 3. Susa is also mentioned in the Ketuvim of the Hebrew Bible by the name Shushan, mainly in Esther, but also once each in Nehemiah and Daniel. People. ), Nehemiah was among the exiled in Shushan, a.k.a. Notes. Susa was the winter capital of the Persian empire, located about 150 miles north of the Pursian Gulf on today's border between Iran and Iraq. 08/18/16 Overview of the 3 Books Ezra 1-6 Restorationunder Zerubbabel. Mayor of Jerusalem-- his brother Hanani, who had first brought word of Jerusalem's problems to Nehemiah while in Susa (Nehemiah 1:2-3). We would naturally assume that because he held a high position as the king's own cupbearer, he would be comfortable where he is. The book of Nehemiah gives us a good partner to Ezra. Nehemiah sent to Jerusalem, Nehemiah encourages the people to rebuild the walls Nehemiah Chapter 2 Nehemiah 2:1 "And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, [that] wine [was] before him: and I took up the wine, and gave [it] unto the king. And the Levites were appointed — When I had given orders that the Levites should be summoned from all places to celebrate the dedication of the wall, as was done, Nehemiah 12:27. Who was Nehemiah? Esther Ezra 7-10. (The previous chapter on Ezra describes the earlier two returns.) Nehemiah 1 New International Version Nehemiah’s Prayer 1 The words of Nehemiah son of Hakaliah: In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, 2 Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem. However history tells us that Susa … Susa was one of several Persian capitals, located 161 kilometres north of the Persian Gulf. Adam Clarke Commentary. Why was the Jewish Nehemiah in Susa, Persia instead of living in Jerusalem? Why? Considering this, how long did it take Nehemiah to travel from Susa to Jerusalem? Yes. He teaches his people how to be faithful to one another in their marriages in chapter 9; and in chapter 10 he helps them confess their sins. 3 Most probably, when Nehemiah heard about the arrival of his brothers from Jerusalem he immediately went to meet them and ask questions about the Jewish remnant who survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem (Nehemiah 1:2). And I asked them concerning the Jews who escaped, who had survived the exile, and concerning Jerusalem. At his own request Nehemiah is sent to Jerusalem as governor of Yehud, the official Persian name for Judah. approached Nehemiah and many of the exiles of Judah were still in the Persian city of Susa, out in the eastern reaches of present day Iraq. First, he had to gain permission from the Persian emperor Artaxerxes, which meant getting him to reverse an earlier state policy against rebuilding… Nehemiah 6:1-16. This means, when Nehemiah returns, he has to start from square one. 2. Read Nehemiah 1.1-11 Nehemiah was in Susa and cup bearer to the King. As everything in Jerusalem is saturated with spiritual meaning, what does this state of affairs say about the spiritual condition of Judah? 4. Commander of Jerusalem's Defense, Hananiah, a God-fearing man of integrity. Why is Nehemiah in Susa, and where is Susa anyway? ... he never would have left the king’s side in Susa. Nehemiah was assigned to the location of Susa in Nehemiah chapter one. Esther 4:11, 5:1-3 – This type of rule in the king’s court is likely why Nehemiah was afraid. In chapter 2, Nehemiah tells us he was a cupbearer for the king of Persia. 2. 1 The words of () Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. [4] Since Artaxerxes took over in 465 BC, this would place the beginning of Nehemiah in 445 BC. Luke 14:28-33 … Susa “was the major city of Elam, the area of southwestern Iran.” Third wave under Nehemiah (445 BC) is found in Nehemiah 1-3. How did the king respond to Nehemiah? Introduction: Where have you gone on a vacation? 1. Nehemiah is employed in a very unique role. Susa, and was cup-bearer to the king, working in the royal palace. While serving the king in his palace at Shushan (discovered, excavated and known today as Susa), Nehemiah received word from his brother Hanani, who had just returned from visiting Jerusalem. Nehemiah leaves the comfortable refuge of Susa, a winter retreat for Persian kings, out of concern for God’s people. Once the project was accomplished, the king expected Nehemiah to return to Susa. He establishes the Levites in the temple. What kind of temptations and challenges may have faced Nehemiah in the King's court? To top it all off, Israel’s enemies aren’t too keen about their return, and continually taunt and threaten Nehemiah, to prevent him from completing his project. In the 20th year of King Artaxerxes I of Persia (c. 445 B.C. And a letter unto Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest — The forest of Lebanon, famous for choice trees. Report from Jerusalem. Matthew 7:7-12 – Ask, seek, knock. 58 year gap. That they may convey me over till I come into Judah — May conduct me with safety through their several territories, and furnish me with necessaries on my journey. Verses on Planning. Jerusalem had been conquered and destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC and Nehemiah finds it still in ruins. That he may give me timber for the gates — The gates of the temple. Was there anything on your vacation that touched your heart or disturbed you? What principles can we learn from this? Allegations that Nehemiah was fortifying the city so that he might be made king would seriously violate the Persian king’s trust, if not create a war. Susa: In Shushan the palace.—Susa, the capital of Susiana; where, after the capture of the Babylonian empire, a great palace was built by Darius Hystaspis, the ruins of which are still seen. Most of the book centers on events in Jerusalem. Cross-references. The remains of a spectacular sculpture in Susa, Iran ( UNESCO) Shushan is located in the Lower Zagros Mountains, around 250 kilometres (160 miles) east of the Tigris river and between the Kharkeh and Dez rivers. Susa was southeast of Baghdad and nearly 1000 miles from Jerusalem. Why does Nehemiah … ... Read Nehemiah 2.11-20 Why do you think Nehemiah surveyed the scene in Jerusalem under the cover of darkness? The book of Nehemiah opens in the Persian city of Susa in the year 444 BC. As they heard the news of their homeland the exiles were in a melancholy mood. Temple Prophets: Haggai&Zechariah 1streturn (about 50,000 or 2%) Reformation underEzra. 2ndreturn (about 2,000) Nehemiah Reconstruction underNehemiah 444-425B.C. When Nehemiah heard that the walls of Jerusalem were still broken down more than a half-century after the completion of the rebuilding of the temple, he “sat down and wept,” fasting and praying before God (). Later that year, Nehemiah traveled to Israel, leading the third of three returns by the Jewish people following their seventy years of exile in Babylon. What is the situation back in Jerusalem and how did it get this way? Nehemiah had just completed a trip from Susa, the capital of Persia, to Jerusalem. Nehemiah had been the cupbearer to the king of Persia. The Reverend Bryn MacPhail / November 12, 2006 Some of you here today have been with me for, what is now, 8 sermons and 6 chapters from Nehemiah. Nehemiah 2:7-8. Nehemiah lived in Shushan, or Susa, one of the three royal cities of the Persian Empire. The capital of the empire is at Susa. The Persians had governed that part of the world for nearly a century. 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