Lexical Definition

‎נְחֶמְיָה‎ Nᵉchemyâh (nekh-em-yaw') Nehemiah ^N:N-M-P
from ‎נָחַם‎ and ‎יָהּ‎; consolation of Jah

Nehemiah.

• § Nehemiah = "Jehovah comforts"
• Nechemjah, the name of three Israelites

1) the son of Hachaliah, cupbearer to king Artaxerxes, who became governor of Judah after the return from exile
2) one of the 12 heads of the people who returned from exile with Zerubbabel
3) son of Azbuk and ruler of the half part of Beth-zur, who helped to repair the wall of Jerusalem

Extended Information

• A man living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at Ezr.2.2

Brown-Driver-Briggs

‎נְחֶמְיָה‎ proper name, masculine (Yah comforts, ᵐ5 Νεεμιας(‐ου), etc.; — proper name ‎נחמיה(וׅ‎ on Israel scarab in BM, ClGann^{Jas 1883, Fév.-Mars. 156 No. 42}); —

1. the son of Hachaliah, governor of Judah under Artaxerxes Longimanus Neh 1:1; Neh 8:9; Neh 10:2*; Neh 12:26; Neh 12:47.

2. ruler of half the district of Bethzur Neh 3:16.

3. one of twelve heads of people who returned with Zerubbabel Ezra 2:2 = Neh 7:7.

Brown-Driver-Briggs References

Profile

Male • Returned leader • A leader who returned from Babylon to Jerusalem.

Man living at the time of Exile and Return

Nehemiah was among the leaders who returned with Zerubbabel from Babylonian exile to Jerusalem.

• A man living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at Ezr.2.2;
• only referred to as Nehemiah נְחֶמְיָה.

Nehemiah is mentioned in Ezra 2:2 and Nehemiah 7:7 as one of the leaders who returned to Jerusalem from Babylonian captivity along with Zerubbabel. This event took place around 538 BC, when the Persian king Cyrus issued a decree allowing the Jews to return to their homeland and rebuild the temple in Jerusalem (Ezra 1:1-4).

The list of returnees in both Ezra and Nehemiah highlights the importance of these leaders in the resettlement of Jerusalem and the restoration of Jewish religious and social life. As a prominent figure among the returnees, Nehemiah would have played a significant role in the challenges and efforts of reestablishing the Jewish community in their ancestral land.

However, it is important to note that this Nehemiah is not the same person as the Nehemiah who later served as the governor of Judah and rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem, whose story is recounted in the book bearing his name. The Nehemiah mentioned in Ezra 2:2 and Nehemiah 7:7 was a contemporary of Zerubbabel, while the Nehemiah of the book of Nehemiah lived several decades later, during the reign of King Artaxerxes of Persia.

All entries for Nehemiah: נְחֶמְיָה