The King’s Cupbearer · Building the Wall

In context

Nehemiah is cupbearer to King Artaxerxes at Susa, the one who serves the king his wine (Nehemiah 1:11; 2:1). In the king’s twentieth year, about 445 BC, he hears that Jerusalem’s wall is broken down and its gates burned, and he weeps, fasts and prays, recalling the Lord’s word to Moses: “if you return to me… I will gather them” (1:1–9; Deuteronomy 30:1–4).

When the king sees his sad face, Nehemiah is afraid, prays “to the God of heaven,” and asks to be sent to rebuild the city (Nehemiah 2:1–5). He looks over the broken walls by night, then calls the people, and they answer, “Let’s rise up and build” (2:12–18). Priests, goldsmiths and merchants rebuild the wall gate by gate, many “across from his own house” (3:1–32).

Sanballat and Tobiah mock them, “if a fox climbed up it, he would break down their stone wall,” and plot to attack, so Nehemiah sets the people “by family groups” with their weapons and tells them, “Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome” (4:3, 8–14). From then on each builder works with one hand “and with the other held his weapon” (4:17).