Nehemiah
Israelite / Jew Jew; cupbearer in Persia, governor of Judah · Exile & Return · Old Testament
- Name means
- The LORD comforts
- Role
- Cupbearer to the king; rebuilder of Jerusalem's walls
- When
- c. 445 BC
What they did
Mourned and prayed over Jerusalem's broken walls, then asked the king to send him. Despite opposition, the wall was finished in fifty-two days, and he led the people in reform.
Why it matters: the purpose of their role
His prayer and work restored Jerusalem's security and worship; he reminded the people that 'the joy of the LORD is your strength.'
Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength. Nehemiah 8:10 (KJV)
Bible references
The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace, Nehemiah 1:1 (KJV)
O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king’s cupbearer. Nehemiah 1:11 (KJV)
And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers’ sepulchres, that I may build it. Nehemiah 2:5 (KJV)
So the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty and two days. Nehemiah 6:15 (KJV)
Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength. Nehemiah 8:10 (KJV)
Family
- Father
- Hachaliah
- Brothers / sisters
- Hanani
Hanani is called his brother in Nehemiah 7:2.