Guide to Nehemiah
Summary
The Book of Nehemiah was originally part of a single work that included the Book of Ezra. Nehemiah concludes the story of Jerusalem’s reconstruction following the Babylonian captivity, and some scholars date Nehemiah’s work in Jerusalem to approximately a decade following Ezra’s reforms. Nehemiah was appointed by King Artaxerxes to return to Jerusalem as a governor and oversee the construction of the walls surrounding Jerusalem (see Nehemiah 2; 5:14). Despite the challenges that enemies posed, the work continues and the construction of the walls surrounding Jerusalem is completed. After returning to Artaxerxes for a time, Nehemiah is permitted to return and lead the people in religious reforms (Nehemiah 13).
Book Outline
Videos
Watch selected videos on this book of the Bible to enhance your study. Note: Not all videos included come from a Latter-day Saint perspective. Inclusion on this list should not imply endorsement for all content.
Historical Settings
Time
*All Dates Are Approximate, according to the narrative of the Bible. These dates may reflect literary significance as opposed to the precise dates of history.
See Biblical Chronology- 445–432 B.C.*
Further Reading
Richard Neitzel Holzapfel, Dana M. Pike, and David Rolph Seely, Jehovah and the World of the Old Testament: An Illustrated Reference for Latter-day Saints (Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 2009), 360–373.
Adam D. Lamoreaux, “The Work of Ezra and Nehemiah,” in Studies in Scripture, vol. 4: 1 Kings to Malachi, ed. Kent P. Jackson (Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 1993), 373–385.