Read Nehemiah 3
Builders of the Wall
Eliashib the high priest and his fellow priests went to work and rebuilt the Sheep Gate. They dedicated it and set its doors in place, building as far as the Tower of the Hundred, which they dedicated, and as far as the Tower of Hananel. 2 The men of Jericho built the adjoining section, and Zakkur son of Imri built next to them.
3 The Fish Gate was rebuilt by the sons of Hassenaah. They laid its beams and put its doors and bolts and bars in place. 4 Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, repaired the next section. Next to him Meshullam son of Berekiah, the son of Meshezabel, made repairs, and next to him Zadok son of Baana also made repairs. 5 The next section was repaired by the men of Tekoa, but their nobles would not put their shoulders to the work under their supervisors.
6 The Jeshanah Gate was repaired by Joiada son of Paseah and Meshullam son of Besodeiah. They laid its beams and put its doors with their bolts and bars in place. 7 Next to them, repairs were made by men from Gibeon and Mizpah—Melatiah of Gibeon and Jadon of Meronoth—places under the authority of the governor of Trans-Euphrates. 8 Uzziel son of Harhaiah, one of the goldsmiths, repaired the next section; and Hananiah, one of the perfume-makers, made repairs next to that. They restored Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall. 9 Rephaiah son of Hur, ruler of a half-district of Jerusalem, repaired the next section. 10 Adjoining this, Jedaiah son of Harumaph made repairs opposite his house, and Hattush son of Hashabneiah made repairs next to him. 11 Malkijah son of Harim and Hasshub son of Pahath-Moab repaired another section and the Tower of the Ovens. 12 Shallum son of Hallohesh, ruler of a half-district of Jerusalem, repaired the next section with the help of his daughters.
13 The Valley Gate was repaired by Hanun and the residents of Zanoah. They rebuilt it and put its doors with their bolts and bars in place. They also repaired a thousand cubits of the wall as far as the Dung Gate.
14 The Dung Gate was repaired by Malkijah son of Rekab, ruler of the district of Beth Hakkerem. He rebuilt it and put its doors with their bolts and bars in place.
15 The Fountain Gate was repaired by Shallun son of Kol-Hozeh, ruler of the district of Mizpah. He rebuilt it, roofing it over and putting its doors and bolts and bars in place. He also repaired the wall of the Pool of Siloam, by the King’s Garden, as far as the steps going down from the City of David. 16 Beyond him, Nehemiah son of Azbuk, ruler of a half-district of Beth Zur, made repairs up to a point opposite the tombs of David, as far as the artificial pool and the House of the Heroes.
17 Next to him, the repairs were made by the Levites under Rehum son of Bani. Beside him, Hashabiah, ruler of half the district of Keilah, carried out repairs for his district. 18 Next to him, the repairs were made by their fellow Levites under Binnuif]”>[f] son of Henadad, ruler of the other half-district of Keilah. 19 Next to him, Ezer son of Jeshua, ruler of Mizpah, repaired another section, from a point facing the ascent to the armory as far as the angle of the wall. 20 Next to him, Baruch son of Zabbai zealously repaired another section, from the angle to the entrance of the house of Eliashib the high priest. 21 Next to him, Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, repaired another section, from the entrance of Eliashib’s house to the end of it.
22 The repairs next to him were made by the priests from the surrounding region. 23 Beyond them, Benjamin and Hasshub made repairs in front of their house; and next to them, Azariah son of Maaseiah, the son of Ananiah, made repairs beside his house. 24 Next to him, Binnui son of Henadad repaired another section, from Azariah’s house to the angle and the corner, 25 and Palal son of Uzai worked opposite the angle and the tower projecting from the upper palace near the court of the guard. Next to him, Pedaiah son of Parosh 26 and the temple servants living on the hill of Ophel made repairs up to a point opposite the Water Gate toward the east and the projecting tower. 27 Next to them, the men of Tekoa repaired another section, from the great projecting tower to the wall of Ophel.
28 Above the Horse Gate, the priests made repairs, each in front of his own house. 29 Next to them, Zadok son of Immer made repairs opposite his house. Next to him, Shemaiah son of Shekaniah, the guard at the East Gate, made repairs. 30 Next to him, Hananiah son of Shelemiah, and Hanun, the sixth son of Zalaph, repaired another section. Next to them, Meshullam son of Berekiah made repairs opposite his living quarters. 31 Next to him, Malkijah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs as far as the house of the temple servants and the merchants, opposite the Inspection Gate, and as far as the room above the corner; 32 and between the room above the corner and the Sheep Gate the goldsmiths and merchants made repairs.
Go Deeper
As you read this chapter, you might have thought that a map would have been helpful. There are many names and instructions that are included. The Bible Knowledge Series by John Wavoord and Roy Zuck emphasize Nehemiah’s skill of delegation. This pushes us to ask the question: What is the relationship between the people and the section of wall they are delegated to build?
People were assigned to build near their houses. Nehemiah knew that people would care more about the wall in front of their house rather than the wall on the other side of the city. Wavoord and Zuck offer other reasons for this purposeful delegation which include: “the people would waste less time traveling, the people would be less likely to flee in the event of an attack, and the whole family would have the opportunity to contribute.” All in all, people were designated to segments of the wall that they would care more about.
What does this mean to us? As the church, we should be mindful of where we build. It would have been inefficient, poorly executed, and negligent if the people would have built a part of the wall they did not care about. As we build relationships, form connections, and outreach, we should be mindful of where we focus our energy. God purposely put you where you are. With that in mind, we should not neglect our surroundings. We should be intentional and purposeful in the places and with the people we see everyday.. Lastly, we should keep in mind that even though each group was working on their own section of the wall, they were working on one final project.
This seems to mirror our ministry as the church. We are uniquely connected to co-workers, friend groups, and family. We should remind ourselves that Jesus sends us into the world to build but we (the church) are all working on one project: Building the Kingdom of God.
Questions
- Think about where God has you today. Why do you think He placed you there?
- How do you see what you are doing in your community and how that relates to the Kingdom of God?
- What does this chapter teach you about Nehemiah? What does it teach you about God?
Dig Deeper
Are you trying to visualize exactly what the wall looked like? Check out this helpful map! 
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4 thoughts on “Nehemiah 3”
I’m noticing several noteworthy facts regarding the rebuilding project recorded in this chapter. V12 tells us that Shallum & his DAUGHTERS made repairs. V20 says that Baruch ZEALOUSLY repaired a section. V16 says Nehemiah also worked right alongside his fellow Israelites in rebuilding a section of the wall. There seemed to be no competing/comparing but all were unified in completing the task. My take-aways from this chapter are great leaders are made by serving in the trenches, zeal/not grumbling through tasks gives glory to God, & no one is excluded in building God’s kingdom on earth. Like the walls in Jerusalem, we are surrounded by brokenness. Yet, as believers in Christ we are to run to to the rubble and give the only true hope of a new, restored life that comes with surrender to the One who gave His life for us.
Ella, I like your words here
Like the walls in Jerusalem, we are surrounded by brokenness. Yet, as believers in Christ we are to run to to the rubble and give the only true hope of a new, restored life that comes with surrender to the One who gave His life for us.
Sometimes, we are the walls of Jerusalem and we must be repaired in Christ alone.
It has come to my attention that as I rebuild my own walls, and I strengthen my connection, it is important that I share the gospel and the love of Christ, with those around me, in order that they may desire to repair their own broken walls.
It is abundantly evident that we are all broken and in some need of repair. Some, much more than others. However, if we maintain our focus on the sections of wall that are closest to us, those same sections can extend the focus to the walls they come close to.
It’s a process that when fully engaged leads to the complete reconstruction of the Kingdom.
Whoa!
Did I write that?
At first, my thoughts on this chapter were simply that it was a long list of names, mostly unfamiliar to me. I did notice that women helped, and that some were pointed out for working zealously. After reading the commentary and comments, I realized we got an example of how a good leader will delegate duties to a particular person, all towards the same goal. As I go through today, I will be more mindful of helping build the kingdom of God right where I am because that is the task I have been given.
This chapter definitely epitomizes the saying, “There’s no “I” in team”!