We come to the end of our historical narrative from Scripture. The final passages of Nehemiah is loaded with the sort of minutiae and facts typical of Ezra. For this reason, scholars tend to support the notion Nehemiah's memoirs were incorporated into a final text edited by Ezra.
Nehemiah 7:5-73 -- Nehemiah made plans to repopulate the City of Jerusalem. After the last Persian destruction, folks were skittish about living in the city for both its lack of a protective wall and for the negative attention it had received. Before everyone was dismissed, Nehemiah dug out the scroll of returnees who came back with Zerubbabel almost a century before. The idea was to insure only pure Jews would be invited. The text includes a fresh copy of the census Ezra recorded early in his book. The final verse is a comment about the problem as Nehemiah saw it: everyone lived outside the Holy City. There were only a few princes of Judah and some of the Temple staff.
8 -- The first day of the seventh month was 27 September 444 by modern reckoning, a week after the wall was finished. This was the Feast of Trumpets, and while the celebrants crowded into the city for the celebration, the leaders built a wooden platform, asking Ezra to stand on it and read the Law. He read from the old Hebrew version, no longer spoken by the common folk. Thus, a dozen or so priests and Levites stood by to render the readings into the Aramaic now spoken by everyone. The common language of Babylon was the Semitic tongue similar to Hebrew spoken by Aramaens (also called Chaldeans), and it had quickly displaced the more archaic Hebrew. While they would have understood some of the words and phrases, it would be approximately as hard to follow as the King's English today would be for a high school student. The practice of paraphrasing became common from that time, and the product was called targum. A written body of such paraphrasing bears that name today.
The reading took at least six hours, and the congregation was probably quite shaken by the warnings in Deuteronomy regarding their sins. However, there was one day set aside for sorrow, the Day of Atonement, which was not for another week or so. While such sensitivity itself was a good thing, this particular holy day was for celebrating the joy of the Lord. This powerful fresh rendering of the Law had a lingering effect, prompting the leaders to gather the next day to study how they should celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles, which came somewhat later. While this had been celebrated in the past, the point that all Jews should spend some time in a make-shift shelter had been neglected. Thus, it had not been faithfully observed since the time of Joshua just after the Conquest.
9 -- Most of the seventh month (latter September through early October) was a series of celebrations. On the first day was Trumpets (Leviticus 23:23f), sort of a start of the agricultural cycle. The last harvest (olives) was past, there was a break for holy days, then plowing would start. Trumpets was treated as a Sabbath regardless where it fell in the week. On the tenth day of that month was the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 23:26ff). On the 15th through 21st of that same month was Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:33ff). During this time the reading of the Law was repeated over the whole week in shorter sessions.
On the 24th day of that month, while it was not a regular holy day, the nation assembled again in mourning. The repeated exposure to the Law was having its affect. After about a three-hour reading of the Law again, the Levites stood up and led the nation through a prolonged confession of their sins, as well as the the mercy and patience of Jehovah. At the end, they all agreed to compose a binding ordinance to renew the Covenant.
10 -- The chapter begins with a list of those who affix their personal seal to this document renewing the Covenant. The points of emphasis are three: (1) no mixed marriages with pagans, (2) no trade on the Sabbath, and (3) reinforcement of the Sabbath Year of Release. There was also set in place an extensive organization of the offering system, to include reinstating the Temple Tax.
11-12 -- Finally, this extended stay around Jerusalem was topped of with a sort of tithe on the people to move into the Holy City. Lots were drawn and one family in ten was chosen to boost the population of pure Jewish inhabitants. The names of families are listed. The next chapter is a census of priests and Levites. It is noted under Darius II (423-404 BC) another census was done. Then the dedication ceremony for the city wall is described. Many Levites, particularly the singers, were brought into town. They and a large company of priests and nobles were divided into two large groups that paraded around opposite sides of the wall until they met at the Temple. Beginning with that period, Nehemiah began organizing the offices within the Temple to manage offerings and storage. It was established the Levites would receive tithes from the people, then present a tithe of that to the priests. Ritual purity performance became highly regulated.
13 -- In places the figures of speech for noting the timing of events is hard to follow. Near as we can figure, on the day the wall was dedicated, there was a rereading of the section of Law which demands a high degree of separation between the Jews and pagans. Those of the Moabite and Ammonite races who lived among the Jews must wait ten generations (Leviticus 23:3f) before they are treated as equals, and allowed to worship among Jews. Their efforts to block the Conquest were especially heinous. Meanwhile, Edomites and Egyptians must wait only three generations (Leviticus 23:7f). This is background material for what follows.
In 432 BC, Nehemiah returned to his duties at the Imperial Court. During his absence, the High Priest, Eliashib, had forged an alliance with Tobiah. This Ammonite was given a suite in the Temple complex for those times he visited the Jerusalem. This, not so long after having been warned: If ordinary Jewish laymen couldn't enter the Temple building, how much more wrong for a pagan, particularly an Ammonite! Upon his return sometime later, Nehemiah wasted no time tossing all Tobiah's stuff out on the street and having the rooms ritually cleansed. This was just a sample of how quickly things had gone downhill in Nehemiah's absence. The nation had so dropped off bringing offerings the Levites had to return to their private farms just to survive. None but the most wealthy were able to stay and serve in the Temple. This was forcefully rectified, too. Further, during a tour across Judah, Nehemiah noticed large numbers of people doing business on the Sabbath. He dealt severely with the nobles over this. It seemed worst in Jerusalem itself, and Nehemiah himself shouted at the people crowding around the gates, after he personally saw to it the gates remained locked on the Sabbath.
Finally, adding insult to injury, he noticed on his tour how many Jewish men were still marrying pagan wives. Worse, they were letting their children grow up speaking the mother's native tongue. We note this was actually a violation of Imperial decrees (Xerxes in the story of Esther), as well as a violation of Mosaic Law. Nehemiah dealt with this sternly and harshly, and mentions how it destroyed King Solomon. Even priests were violating the Law regarding mixed marriages, and Nehemiah makes special mention of a son of the very High Priest who had accommodated Tobiah in the Temple. This priest was defrocked and banished from Judah.
The final Old Testament historical passage ends with Nehemiah's refrain that Jehovah take note and not forget the zeal and work of Nehemiah in the cause of promoting His holiness. Thus, the final date is sometime during the reign of Darius II, which ended 404 BC.
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Ed Hurst
20 August 2005
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