Preparations for Consolidating the City: Was Nehemiah’s mission complete with the rebuilding of the wall? Did that satisfy his ambition to rebuild Jerusalem (2:5)? At the very least, security measures were required. In this section we read of such measures and also initial steps taken to increase the number of residents in Jerusalem. Since the Hebrew verb “to build” can connote community building, the definition of Nehemiah’s mission in 2:5 implied the repopulation of the city.

7:1–3  The memoirs of Nehemiah from the end of chapter 6 continue here. This discussion of Jerusalem’s security marks a transition in the narrative and might be regarded as rounding off the account of wall building. However, there seems to be a new beginning after the completion of the wall, the story of which was in…