The Feast of Booths
The Feast of Booths (8:2) marked the end of the agricultural year. It was a time to celebrate God’s provision and to ask his blessing… Read More »The Feast of Booths
The Feast of Booths (8:2) marked the end of the agricultural year. It was a time to celebrate God’s provision and to ask his blessing… Read More »The Feast of Booths
Can Nehemiah’s wall be seen today? In the 2,500 years since Nehemiah’s day, Jerusalem has been rebuilt, destroyed, and rebuilt again. This has made evidence… Read More »Can Nehemiah’s wall be seen today?
An open letter (6:5) was one that was read to the entire public, not just the individual to whom it was addressed. By publicly claiming… Read More »Open letter
The returned exiles would sometimes mortgage their property (5:3) to raise money for the heavy taxes imposed on them. This mortgaging would have involved temporarily… Read More »Mortgage their property
Why did so many local people oppose Nehemiah? After the exile, people who had been living in Judah for over a hundred years saw it… Read More »Why did so many local people oppose Nehemiah?
What was the Ophel? The Ophel (3:26) was a hill in Jerusalem between the Kidron and Central Valleys. It was northeast of the older City… Read More »What was the Ophel?
The fortress of the temple (2:8) provided extra defense for the temple area, since this section of Jerusalem was very vulnerable to attack. Many other… Read More »The fortress of the temple
Cupbearer to the king may sound like a lowly position, but it was actually considered a high office. The cupbearer’s job was to taste any… Read More »Cupbearer to the king
An unscheduled assembly in Jerusalem. Three times each year, all the people of Israel were to gather in Jerusalem: Passover, Pentecost, and the Feast of… Read More »An unscheduled assembly in Jerusalem
How long was the journey from Babylon to Jerusalem? It took Ezra and the caravan he was traveling with four months to traverse the nearly… Read More »How long was the journey from Babylon to Jerusalem?
How long did it take to rebuild the temple? The Jews returning from exile faced many obstacles in rebuilding the temple. The non-Jewish people now… Read More »How long did it take to rebuild the temple?
The Behistun Inscription. This 50-by-80-foot (15-by-24 m) inscription was carved into the face of a cliff in western Iran. Using various languages, it provides an… Read More »The Behistun Inscription