Nehemiah 3

Organization of the Work

1-32 Starting the the Sheep Gate, they organized and divided the work along the wall. Some worked on the parts of the wall that were opposite their houses. According to John Gill, some may not have done the work themselves, but employed others to do it for them.

• Eliashib and his fellow priests
• Men of Jericho
• Zaccur son of Imri
• Sons of Hassenaah – the Fish Gate
• Meremoth son of Uriah son of Hakkoz
• *Meshullan son of Berechiah son of Meshezabel
• Zadok son of Baana
• The Tekoites, except the nobles, who refused to work
• Joiada son of Paseah and Meshullam son of Besodeiah
• Men of Gibeon and Mizpah
• Uzziel, a goldsmith
• Hananiah, a perfumer
• Rephaiah son of Hur, ruler of half the district of Jerusalem
• Jedaiah son of Harumaph and Hattush son of Hashabneiah
• *Malchijah and *Hasshub
• Shallum son of Hallohesh, ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, with his daughters
• Hanun and inhabitants of Zanoah
• *Malchijah son of Rechab, ruler of the Beth-haccherem district
• Shallum son of Col-hozeh, ruler of Mizpah district
• Nehemiah son of Azbuk, ruler of half the district of Beth-zur
• Levites [not individually named. Maybe there were too many of them?]
• Rehum son of Bani
• Hashabiah, ruler of half the Keilah district
• Hashabiah’s kin: *Binnui son of Henadad, ruler of half the Keilah district
• Ezer son of Jeshua, ruler of Mizpah
• Baruch son of Zabbai
• Meremoth son of Uriah
• Priests, men of surrounding area
• Benjamin and *Hasshub
• Azariah son of Maaseiah
• *Binnui son of Henadad
• Palal son of Uzai
• Pedaiah son of Parosh and temple servants living on Ophel
• *Tekoites
• Priests, opposite their houses
• Zadok son of Immer
• Shemaiah son of Shecaniah, keeper of the East Gate
• Hananiah son of Shelemiah and Hanun son of Zalaph
• *Meshullan son of Berechiah, opposite his house
• Malchijah, a goldsmith
• Goldsmiths and merchants

*Those listed twice.

It was helpful for me to copy the names of the workers. In taking time to do this, I noticed that many of the workers were leaders in their districts, some were women (daughters of Shallum, ruler of the Jerusalem district), some were too “noble” to work (Tekoite nobles), and some worked in two places along the wall.

It is also notable that so many were willing to work on this, once they had someone to organize them. They could have done it before. But they needed the leadership of Nehemiah, a confident man of faith and prayer.