Nehemiah
He prayed before he spoke, and rebuilt Jerusalem’s walls in fifty-two days.
Old Testament · 5th century BC · Nehemiah · Also known as The king’s cupbearer, Governor of Judah
About Nehemiah
Nehemiah was cupbearer to Artaxerxes, king of Persia, when he heard that Jerusalem’s walls were broken down. He wept, fasted and prayed for days. When the king asked why he looked sad, he prayed silently and then asked to be sent to rebuild. In Jerusalem he organised the people family by family, faced mockery and threats, and kept half the workers armed. The wall was finished in fifty-two days. As governor he refused the usual allowance so as not to burden the poor, and with Ezra he led the people in hearing God’s law.
Nehemiah’s story comes after the Babylonian exile, when Persia allowed Jewish exiles to return. City walls meant safety and dignity. A royal cupbearer tasted the king’s wine and was a trusted official with direct access to the king.
The story
He sat down and wept
Nehemiah heard that the survivors in Jerusalem were "in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down." "I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven."
Nehemiah 1:1-11
A prayer between words
Nehemiah had never looked sad before the king. "Why is thy countenance sad?" the king asked, and Nehemiah was "very sore afraid." Asked what he wanted, "I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said unto the king… send me unto Judah… that I may build it."
Nehemiah 2:1-8
Let us rise up and build
Nehemiah inspected the ruined walls by night, then told the leaders, "Come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem." They said, "Let us rise up and build." Families, priests, goldsmiths and merchants each repaired a section.
Nehemiah 2:11-18; 3:1-32
A tool in one hand
Enemies mocked, then plotted to attack. Nehemiah set guards day and night. "They which builded on the wall… every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon." He told them, "Remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren."
Nehemiah 4:1-23
Fifty-two days
His enemies tried to lure him away. "I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down," he answered. "So the wall was finished… in fifty and two days." Even the nations around "perceived that this work was wrought of our God."
Nehemiah 6:1-16
Key moments
- Weeps for Jerusalem: Fasting and prayer. (Nehemiah 1:4)
- Prays before the king: A silent prayer, then a bold request. (Nehemiah 2:4-5)
- Builds with a guard: A tool in one hand, a weapon in the other. (Nehemiah 4:17)
- The wall is finished: In fifty-two days. (Nehemiah 6:15)
- The law is read: "The joy of the LORD is your strength." (Nehemiah 8:10)
Questions about Nehemiah
In meetBible these answers are given in Nehemiah’s voice. They are written by hand and checked against Scripture.
What did you pray before answering the king?
Scripture records only that "I prayed to the God of heaven" between the king’s question and my answer. The words of that prayer aren’t given. But it came after months of praying: when I first heard the news, I "mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed," and the book records that longer prayer in chapter 1.
How did you deal with people who opposed you?
Sanballat and Tobiah mocked us, then plotted to attack. "Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night." Half the men worked while half held spears, and the builders kept a weapon at hand. When they tried to lure me away, I sent word, "I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down."
Who said "the joy of the LORD is your strength"?
When Ezra read the law, the people wept. "Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites" told them not to mourn. Then comes the line: "Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet… for the joy of the LORD is your strength." The text says only "he said," so it isn’t certain whether these were my words, Ezra’s, or spoken by us together.
Connected people
- Esther: Also served a Persian king
- Daniel: Fellow exile at a foreign court
- Ezra: Partner in reform
- Artaxerxes: King he served
Read it yourself
Start with Nehemiah 1–2; 4; 6.