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1–3. News about the state of Jerusalem and the people of Judah, received by Nehemiah from Hanani. 4–11. Nehemiah's Sorrow and His Prayers. Nehemiah 1:1. Words of Nehemiah son of Ahaliyah. In the month of Kislev, in the twentieth year, I was in Susa, the capital city. "The words of Nehemiah the son of Ahaliyah." The Hebrew word debarim in the inscription of historical works has a broad meaning, cf. ( 1 Chron. 29:29 ) dibrej David; (1 Kings 11:41; 2 Chronicles 9:29) means words and deeds, i.e. history in general. Nehemiah's words - Nehemiah's story. Nehemiah was a common name among the Jews. In the post-exilic period, persons bearing this name are still mentioned (1 Ezra 2:2; Neh. 7:7, 3:16). Nehemiah's origins are not known with certainty. Message from Eusebius and Blessed. Jerome that Nehemiah belonged to the tribe of Judah can be considered very probable, since most of the Jews who returned from captivity belonged to this tribe. But there is no reason to consider Nehemiah a descendant of David, only because he occupied a position in Judah similar to the position of Zerubbabel, who came from the family of David. It is also erroneous to call Nehemiah a priest in the Vulgate text (2Mac 1:2). Nehemiah's father Ahaliah is also mentioned (Nehemiah 10:1) (Gahaliah). "In the month of Kislev". According to the Hebrew numeral, Kislev is the ninth month, corresponding to our November-December. The name of the month was borrowed from the Babylonians and came into use after the return from captivity (cf. Schrader, Keilinschr. und A. T. 2 Auf I. S, 379). "In the year twenty". From (Neh. 2:1) of the same book it is clear that in this place we mean the 20th year of the reign of Artaxerxes and specifically Artaxerxes Longiman (462–427), i.e. 445 BC “I was in Susa, the capital city.” Susa (Heb. Schuschan and in cuneiform texts Susaan) is a city that served as the autumn residence of the Persian kings (Esth. 1:2; Dan. 8:2). Here Nehemiah was, of course, in the position of the king's cupbearer. Nehemiah 1:2. And Hanani one of my brothers came, he and several men from Judah. And I asked them about the surviving Jews who remained from captivity, and about Jerusalem. “And Hanani one of my brothers came.” Although Hanani could be called the brother of Nehemiah in the broad sense, as his fellow tribesman, however, in view (Neh. 7:2), he should be considered a brother in the proper sense. Hence, Hanani’s journey to Jerusalem and then return to Susa is evidence that the entire family of Nehemiah was imbued with love for the holy city and participation in the destinies of the Jewish people. Nehemiah began to ask his returning brother about the surviving Jews who remained from captivity, i.e. about members of the restored community, about the descendants of those who survived captivity. Nehemiah 1:3. And they said to me: those who are left behind from the captivity are there in their own country in great distress and humiliation; and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are burned with fire. Hananiah and those who arrived with him told Nehemiah that the Jewish community was in great distress and humiliation, “and the wall of Jerusalem was destroyed and the gates were burned with fire.” Obviously, in Art. 3 we are not talking about the destruction of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans, as Rosenzweig, for example, thinks, because in that case it would be unclear why Nehemiah was informed about an event that he knew; then, such old news could not have shocked Nehemiah as much as it is reported below. It is also impossible to relate the above words together with Ewald to the supposed destruction of the walls under Zerubbabel, both because we have no news about their construction, and because 70 years would have passed since this event, and Nehemiah would not have needed to ask about it. Apparently, the verse in question is talking about a recent event, the destruction of the wall of Jerusalem, which was probably done by the governor of Samaria, Rehum, on the basis of the royal command he received to stop the construction of the walls (1 Ezra 4:23). Nehemiah 1:4. Hearing these words, I sat down and cried, and was sad for several days, and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. The news of the disasters in Jerusalem greatly saddened Nehemiah. He cried, was sad for several days, fasted and prayed “before the God of heaven” (4 v.) Nehemiah 1:5. and said: Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and mercy with those who love You and keep Your commandments! Nehemiah 1:6. May Your ears be attentive and Your eyes open to hear the prayer of Your servant, with which I now pray before You day and night for the children of Israel, Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned before You, both I and my father’s house have sinned. Nehemiah 1:7. We have become transgressors before You and have not kept the commandments and statutes and decrees that You commanded Your servant Moses. Nehemiah 1:8. But remember the word which You commanded Your servant Moses, saying: If you become transgressors, I will scatter you among the nations; Nehemiah 1:9. When you turn to Me and keep My commandments and fulfill them, even though you were banished to the ends of heaven, I will gather you from there and bring you to the place that I have chosen to establish My name there. Nehemiah 1:10. They are Your servants and Your people, whom You have redeemed by Your great power and by Your mighty hand. Nehemiah 1:11. I pray to You, Lord! Let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and to the prayer of Your servants who love to revere Your name. And prosper Thy servant now, and bring him into favor with this man. I was the king's cupbearer. The content of the prayer is also stated. The peculiarity of this prayer is that its content and individual expressions are borrowed from Deuteronomy (cf. Deut. 7:9, 30:4, 9:26). The prayer addresses the God of heaven. The designation of God as heavenly came into use from the time of the captivity, when in the minds of the people, who had finally broken the connection with idolatry, the idea of ​​the superiority of God, His superiority over everything earthly, began to emerge especially clearly. At the conclusion of the prayer for the people, Nehemiah (v. 11) asks that the Lord bring him into favor with the king (“this man”), since the fate of the Jewish people was immediately in the hands of the Persian king. You might be interested in: