It seems to me that the seventh chapter of the Book of Nehemiah represents Nehemiah’s second tenure of service to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem. His first tenure lasted for twelve years under the reign of Darius Hystaspes, called Artaxerxes in the Book of Nehemiah (Nehemiah 5:14). Although the wall was rebuilt to the point, where the debris was removed between the gaps in the wall (Nehemiah 4:2, 10), and the gaps in the wall, which was torn down by Nebuchadnezzar, were completely filled in except for the gates not being hung (Nehemiah 4:7; 6:1, 15). Still, there remained a lot to do to restore the wall to its former height. We know this wasn’t done, because Nehemiah didn’t spend merely a few months in Jerusalem, rebuilding the wall (Nehemiah 6:15), but twelve years (Nehemiah 5:14), and during that entire time he was working on the wall (Nehemiah 5:16).
Thus, chapter six of the book seems to concern the culmination of Nehemiah’s first tenure, which, as indicated above, lasted twelve years. The wall was finished during that time, to the extent that it continued around the city without a gap in its foundation, but work continued to bring it to its original height, and the gates themselves weren’t hung (Nehemiah 6:1, 15)! This is where Nehemiah was recalled by the king, and the building project had come to a sudden halt, as a result of letters sent to Artaxerxes by his satrap Rehum (Ezra 4:8-24).
During the twelve years in which Nehemiah had organized the building project at Jerusalem (Nehemiah 5:14), he continued the work of this wall (Nehemiah 5:16), vis-à-vis he was continually engaged in the work on the wall. This means we must interpret Nehemiah 6:15… “the wall was finished… in fifty and two days” to mean the wall’s gaps were completely closed except for hanging the gates (cp. Nehemiah 6:1). Moreover, it would be of little use to hang the gates, when an enemy could simply climb over many portions of the wall due to their not being finished in their height.[1]
The implication of the text at Nehemiah 7:1 is that the gates weren’t hung in their places, until the entire wall was finished. Yet, Nehemiah was recalled by Artaxerxes (Darius Hystaspes in secular history) before the wall was completed, even before the Temple was completed (Nehemiah 5:14; 13:6; cp. Ezra 4:17-24). Therefore, if the gates weren’t hung until the wall around Jerusalem was completely restored, and Nehemiah’s labor on the wall wasn’t finished during his first tenure in Jerusalem (cp. Nehemiah 5:14), Nehemiah 7:1 must be interpreted to be Nehemiah’s second tenure at Jerusalem, when “after certain days (he) obtained leave of the king” (Nehemiah 13:7). This king, however, is Darius Hystaspes’ son, Xerxes, who the text identifies as Darius king of Persia in Ezra 4:24 and Artaxerxes in Ezra 7:1, 12. The work on the House of God and the wall was renewed during the second year of his reign (Ezra 4:24; Haggai 1:15).
A few years later, Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem but probably after the wall was finished, but it was he who appointed the porters or gate keepers (Nehemiah 7:1-2). Everything from chapter seven of the Book of Nehemiah points to the completion of the building process, while the first six chapters refer to the actual work being done, and then stopped before the work was finished. Orders were given and new laws were put in place, only because the work was completely done. With the gates hung and the walls built, now policing work could be enforced (Nehemiah 7:3). This would have been impossible to enforce with any degree of consistency prior to the work on the walls and the gates being finished.
Once work on the walls done and the doors hung, then the houses could be built in the city. It was highly desirable to have Jewish families adopt Jerusalem as their place of residence, because even a strong citadel, if it wasn’t manned or defended properly couldn’t hold the enemy back for long. At present there were a few folks living in Jerusalem, and, although watches were set and men appointed to locations near their homes (Nehemiah 7:4), there was a great need for more Jews to come and build houses in the city. Yet, even this needed to be planned, because, if one permitted groups of unfaithful Jews to build in Jerusalem, this would be like having the watches unmanned, while the enemy approached. Who would sound the alarm? Therefore, the corruption of the Jews’ intermarriage with the heathen had to be addressed next!
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[1] See Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament.
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