There is much confusion over the times of Nehemiah, vis-à-vis who was the King of Persia,[1] and how long did Nehemiah spend in Jerusalem? The text states unequivocally that he spent twelve years as governor of the land of Judah in the service of the king, from the twentieth year of the king’s reign to his thirty-second year (Nehemiah 5:14). However, many scholars believe Nehemiah returned to the king (Nehemiah 2:6) after only about six months to a year, and the twelve years concern his second tenure as governor. This is theorized, because many scholars believe the entire work on the walls was finished in a mere fifty-two days (Nehemiah 6:15). Yet, the text claims Nehemiah’s first concern was to close up the breaches in the wall (Nehemiah 4:7), and the work this involved was great, which included removing a large amount of debris in the breaches that was left by Nebuchadnezzar, when he tore down the walls, when he destroyed Jerusalem (Nehemiah 4:10).
During his entire tenure of twelve years, Nehemiah and his servants required nothing that was due him from the citizens of the province of Judah for the labor they spent in their service (Nehemiah 5:14). On the other hand, former Jewish governors had taken everything that was due them for the service they provided, even when their own wealth could have supported their needs (Nehemiah 5:15). However, Nehemiah considered his service to be a debt to the Lord and not to men, similar to how Paul regarded his service (2Thessalonians 3:8; cp. Acts 20:34; 1Corinthians 4:12; 2Corinthians 11:9).
Neither did he buy any land, whereby he might have profited, while he served as the governor of Jerusalem. Instead, he continued his work upon the wall around Jerusalem without thought of compensation (Nehemiah 5:16). Moreover, he provided daily meals out of his own funds not only for himself and those who were with him, but also for the rulers and many others besides. He required nothing from those he served, because he realized how severe life was for those who labored in the land (Nehemiah 5:17-18; cp. 5:1-5). Therefore, Nehemiah prayed that the Lord would remember his service and his innocence of any wrongdoing (Nehemiah 5:19).
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[1] The events described in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah can take no longer than forty-nine years, one jubilee, which is described in Daniel 9:25. Daniel also mentions that there would be only four kings of Persia before the coming of Alexander the Great (Daniel 11:1-2). Once Alexander conquered Persia’s fourth king, it took another 434 years before the Messiah would come (Daniel 9:25-26). So, the kings are: Cyrus, Cambyses, Darius Hystaspes and Xerxes. All four are referred to in chapter four of the Book of Ezra: first is Cyrus, the king (Ezra 4:5); the second is Ahasuerus, who is Cambyses (Ezra 4:6); the third is Artaxerxes, who is Hystaspes (Ezra 4:7, 8) who also stopped the work on the wall (Ezra 4:17, 23); and finally, the fourth is Darius, king of Persia, who is Xerxes (Ezra 4:24). The work on the wall was stopped by Artaxerxes (Hystaspes) during the thirty-second year of his reign (Nehemiah 5:14), when he recalled Nehemiah to the palace. Hystaspes reigned only one more year before his son, Xerxes, reigned in his stead. In the second year of his reign, the work on the wall was begun again, after being stopped for only two to three years, and it was completed and dedicated after six years, during the eighth year of his reign (Nehemiah 12:27). Therefore, the king who originally sent Nehemiah to Jerusalem couldn’t have been Xerxes, because that king sent Nehemiah to Jerusalem during his twentieth year. This had to have been Hystaspes, and Xerxes sent him for a second time in order to finish and dedicate the wall.
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