The wall rises gate by gate, hand by hand: Eliashib the high priest and his brethren at the sheep gate, the men of Jericho beside them, goldsmiths and perfumers and rulers of half-districts, Shallum's daughters among the builders, Baruch son of Zabbai repairing 'earnestly.' The nobles of Tekoa put not their necks to the work of their lord — while every other name in this roster of ordinary greatness repairs 'over against his own house.' From the tower of Hananel to the dung gate, the chapter is the honor roll of the wall — until Sanballat mocks ('What do these feeble Jews?'), Tobiah jeers that 'if a fox go up, he shall break down their stone wall,' and the builders answer with prayer: the wall is joined to half its height, 'for the people had a mind to work.'
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the priests, and they built the sheep gate; they sanctified it, and set up the doors of it; even to the tower of Hammeah they sanctified it, to the tower of Hananel.
verse value 4375
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 94 letters. The shortest word is "unto" (עַ֖ד, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·they·set·up" (וַֽיַּעֲמִ֖ידוּ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 421: sanctified·it, they·sanctified·it. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "and·they·built" (וַיִּבְנוּ֙), "gate·of" (אֶת־שַׁ֣עַר), "and·unto·tower" (וְעַד־מִגְדַּ֤ל). The root כהן appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "they" (root הם, 67x in Nehemiah); "the·hundred" (root מאה, 49x in Nehemiah); "the·priest" (root כהן, 44x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root אלישיב ("Eliashib") in Nehemiah. First appearance of the root צאן ("the·sheep") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'its·doors', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 6 words.
Rashi
the Sheep Gate Such was the name of the gate. they hallowed it that gate with the sanctity of the city. its doors i.e., of the gate. and until the Tower of the Hundred Such was the name of the tower.
Ibn Ezra
they sanctified it (heimah kidshuhu) – 'holiness' in our language denotes a great and exalted status; therefore it is called kedushah, as in 'and he shall sanctify his house as holy.'
Ralbag
'Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the priests, and they built the sheep gate' — here it is recorded that Eliashib the high priest and his fellow priests built the sheep gate; it appears that it was through that gate that the sheep would be brought in for the sacrifices and for the other purposes for which they were needed. And it says 'they sanctified it' — meaning, they prepared it, for they built the wall on its right and on its left, and set up the doors of that gate. And it says that on one side they carried the wall as far as the tower of Hammeah — and that tower, as I understand it, was built in the days of the kings of Judah for a hundred designated men, who dwelled there. And on the other side they built the wall as far as the tower of Hananel.
Metzudat David
'They sanctified it' — they declared it holy by word of mouth, [establishing] it as holy with the holiness of the city. 'Even to the tower of Hammeah' — they built the wall up to the tower of Hammeah and sanctified it, and from there onward to the tower of Hananel.
Metzudat Zion
The sheep gate — so it was named for a reason known to them, and so with all [the gates named in this chapter].
Malbim
'And they built the sheep gate' — the sheep gate was in the middle of the east side; from there they built toward the north, and from the north to the west, and from the west they turned back toward the east on the south side, until they came again to the sheep gate. The tower of Hananel was to the north of the sheep gate, and after it, further north, the tower of Hammeah, and after that the fish gate. The reason he began with the sheep gate — which was in the middle of the east side — is that it stood directly opposite the House of God, as is explained below (12): that the two thanksgiving choirs, which went out from the valley gate in the middle of the west, met one another there and went from there to the House of God. That is why it says 'they sanctified it' — because it stood facing the House of God.
And next to him built the men of Jericho. And next to them built Zaccur the son of Imri.
verse value 1488
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 36 letters. The shortest word is "built" (בָנ֖וּ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·upon·his·hand" (וְעַל־יָד֥וֹ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 126: and·upon·his·hand, and·upon·his·hand. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "built" (בָנָ֔ה), "son·of·Imri" (בֶּן־אִמְרִֽי). The root יד appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·Imri" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah); "men·of" (root איש, 44x in Nehemiah); "and·upon·his·hand" (root יד, 39x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Jericho', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְעַל־יָד֥וֹ [and·upon·his·hand] (126) + בָנ֖וּ [built] (58) + אַנְשֵׁ֣י [men·of] (361) + יְרֵח֑וֹ [Jericho] (224) + וְעַל־יָד֣וֹ [and·upon·his·hand] (126) + בָנָ֔ה [built] (57) + זַכּ֖וּר [Zaccur] (233) + בֶּן־אִמְרִֽי [son·of·Imri] (303) = 1488.
Rashi
And next to it Next to it, near the Sheep’s Gate, each builder built. the men of Jericho built Such was their custom, these would build here [their section] of the wall of the city until [the part] they were responsible for was completed, and then others would build next to the first construction. Such was their custom, one after another, until the entire wall was built. And next As in (Num. 2:20) “Next to him, the tribe of Manasseh”, near him, and such is its explanation, next to the construction, and Scripture was not particular in its choice of words. Sometimes it says ודי לע, and sometimes it says וילו. “And next to them he repaired.”
Metzudat David
'And next to him' — beside the site of Eliashib's construction, and adjoining it.
Malbim
'And next to him built' — they built between the tower of Hananel and the fish gate.
And the fish gate did the sons of Hassenaah build; they laid its beams, and set up its doors, its bolts, and its bars.
verse value 3097
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 57 letters. The shortest word is "and" (וְאֵת֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·they·set·up" (וַֽיַּעֲמִ֙ידוּ֙, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 62: the·fish, sons·of. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "Hassenaah" (הַסְּנָאָ֑ה), "its·bolts" (מַנְעוּלָ֖יו). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah); "they" (root הם, 67x in Nehemiah); "gate" (root שער, 41x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root דג ("the·fish") in Nehemiah. First appearance of the root מנעול ("its·bolts") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hassenaah', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: וְאֵת֙ [and] (407) + שַׁ֣עַר [gate] (570) + הַדָּגִ֔ים [the·fish] (62) + בָּנ֖וּ [built] (58) + בְּנֵ֣י [sons·of] (62) + הַסְּנָאָ֑ה [Hassenaah] (121) + הֵ֣מָּה [they] (50) + קֵר֔וּהוּ [beamed·it] (317) + וַֽיַּעֲמִ֙ידוּ֙ [and·they·set·up] (146) + דַּלְתֹתָ֔יו [its·doors] (850) + מַנְעוּלָ֖יו [its·bolts] (212) + וּבְרִיחָֽיו [and·its·bars] (242) = 3097.
Rashi
the Fish Gate Such was the name of the gate. they laid its beams They placed the beams and ceilings on the gate. they laid its beams Heb. קֵֵֵֵרוּהוּ the intensive conjugation, like “...behold he laid the beams (קֵרָה),” [which appears nowhere in Scripture;] similar to (Ps. 104:3): “Who roofs (הַמְקָרֶה) His upper chambers with water.” The “kuf” of קֵרוּהוּ is not customarily vowelized with a “hirik” in this context because of the “resh” following it, like (ibid. 10:3): “blessed (בֵּרֵךְ)”; (Prov. 17: 5): “blasphemed (חֵרֵף)”; (Gen. 17:16): “I shall bless her (וּבֵרַכְתִּיהָ)”;(Ezek. 29:12): “and I shall scatter them (וּזְרֵתִים) in the lands.” its locks מַנְעוּלָיו, ses verrous in French, its bolts (locks).
Ibn Ezra
they laid its beams (heimah keruhu) – they set its beams in place. next to them (ve'al yado) – in the sense of 'each man by his own standard,' meaning 'alongside' or 'by means of,' as in 'and by the hand of the builders': so-and-so and so-and-so strengthened their hands to build.
Ralbag
'They laid its beams' — meaning, they made something like a hall in front of the gate, to serve as shelter from storm and rain for those who sat there. 'Its bolts' — these are the devices with which the door is locked. 'And its bars' — these serve to strengthen the closing of the gates; they are inserted into the gatepost on one side, and into the gatepost on the other side, from post to post.
Metzudat David
'They laid its beams' — they put the roof-beam in place. 'Its bolts' — the name of a device made for locking the doors of the gate. 'And its bars' — like a bar that bolts across, behind the doors, spanning the width of the doorway, so that it cannot be opened.
Malbim
'And the fish gate' — it appears that wherever it says 'built,' the wall had already fallen and they had to build the whole thing anew; and wherever it says 'repaired,' it was only necessary to reinforce the old wall and close up the breaches.
And next to them repaired Meremoth the son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz. And next to them repaired Meshullam the son of Berechiah, the son of Meshezabel. And next to them repaired Zadok the son of Baana.
verse value 3599
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 81 letters. The shortest word is "Meshullam" (מְשֻׁלָּ֥ם, 4 letters) and the longest is "son·of·Meshezabel" (בֶּן־מְשֵׁיזַבְאֵ֑ל, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 160: and·upon·their·hand, and·upon·their·hand, and·upon·their·hand. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "son·of·Baana" (בֶּֽן־בַּעֲנָֽא). The root בן appears 4 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·Uriah" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah); "repaired" (root חזק, 43x in Nehemiah); "and·upon·their·hand" (root יד, 39x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root מרמות ("Meremoth") in Nehemiah. First appearance of the root משלם ("Meshullam") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'son·of·Meshezabel', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְעַל־יָדָ֣ם [and·upon·their·hand] (160) + הֶחֱזִ֗יק [repaired] (130) + מְרֵמ֤וֹת [Meremoth] (686) + בֶּן־אוּרִיָּה֙ [son·of·Uriah] (274) + בֶּן־הַקּ֔וֹץ [son·of·Hakkoz] (253) + וְעַל־יָדָ֣ם [and·upon·their·hand] (160) + הֶחֱזִ֔יק [repaired] (130) + מְשֻׁלָּ֥ם [Meshullam] (410) + בֶּן־בֶּרֶכְיָ֖ה [son·of·Berechiah] (289) + בֶּן־מְשֵׁיזַבְאֵ֑ל [son·of·Meshezabel] (442) + וְעַל־יָדָ֣ם [and·upon·their·hand] (160) + הֶֽחֱזִ֔יק [repaired] (130) + צָד֖וֹק [Zadok] (200) + בֶּֽן־בַּעֲנָֽא [son·of·Baana] (175) = 3599.
Rashi
repaired Heb. הֶחְֱזִיק, [lit. strengthened,] to build the building.
Ralbag
'And next to them repaired' — meaning, he took hold of the work of building and held firmly to it.
Metzudat David
'And next to them' — adjoining the site built by the sons of Hassenaah. 'Repaired' — strengthened the work of construction. 'And next to them' — adjoining the site built by the previous ones.
And next to them the Tekoites repaired; and their nobles did not put their necks to the work of their lord.
verse value 2182
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 49 letters. The shortest word is "their·neck" (צַוָּרָ֔ם, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·their·nobles" (וְאַדִּֽירֵיהֶם֙, 8 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "the·Tekoites" (הַתְּקוֹעִ֑ים), "and·their·nobles" (וְאַדִּֽירֵיהֶם֙), "not·brought" (לֹא־הֵבִ֣יאוּ). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not·brought" (root בוא, 47x in Nehemiah); "repaired" (root חזק, 43x in Nehemiah); "and·upon·their·hand" (root יד, 39x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root עבדה ("in·work·of") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·Tekoites', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְעַל־יָדָ֖ם [and·upon·their·hand] (160) + הֶחֱזִ֣יקוּ [repaired] (136) + הַתְּקוֹעִ֑ים [the·Tekoites] (631) + וְאַדִּֽירֵיהֶם֙ [and·their·nobles] (276) + לֹא־הֵבִ֣יאוּ [not·brought] (55) + צַוָּרָ֔ם [their·neck] (336) + בַּעֲבֹדַ֖ת [in·work·of] (478) + אֲדֹנֵיהֶֽם [their·lord] (110) = 2182.
Rashi
the Tekoites They were called this because of their place, which was Tekoa. but their mighty men the wealthy men of Tekoa. did not bring their neck They did not assist in the service of the Holy One, blessed be He, to build the wall of the city.
Ibn Ezra
and their nobles did not put their necks to the work of their lord – referring to the lord and officer appointed over them from their own family.
Ralbag
'And their nobles did not put their necks to the work of their lord' — to help him in this building. Or he may mean by this that the powerful men among them, whose lord was unable to compel them to put their necks to his service, nevertheless volunteered [on their own] for the building of the wall.
Metzudat David
'The Tekoites' — the men of Tekoa, which is the name of a town. 'And their nobles' — the wealthy of the town. 'Did not put their necks [to the work]' — to draw the yoke of the burden of the construction work, which is the work of the Master, Hashem, for this building is counted as a mitzvah.
Metzudat Zion
Their nobles — an expression of 'mighty' and 'strong,' meaning the wealthy. Their necks — [i.e.,] like 'tzavaram,' with an aleph [added].
Malbim
'And their nobles' — this can be explained two ways. Since it says in verse 7 that the men of Gibeon and Mizpah were under the authority of the governor beyond the River, because they had settled in Judah beforehand, as stated there — if so, the Tekoites too, who likewise had not gone up in the days of Cyrus but had already been settled there beforehand, were also under that same governor's authority; only they did not submit their necks to their lord's service, because they were nobles and considered themselves free agents. Or, it can also be explained that the Tekoites had a chief officer over them, and he and his men built in this place; but among them was a faction of nobles who did not want to obey the command of their officer, their lord, and they split off and built by themselves — as it says afterward, in verse 27, 'after him the Tekoites repaired another portion.'
And the gate of the old city repaired Joiada the son of Paseah and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah; they laid its beams, and set up its doors, and its bolts, and its bars.
verse value 4155
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 75 letters. The shortest word is "and" (וְאֵת֩, 3 letters) and the longest is "son·of·Besodeiah" (בֶּן־בְּסֽוֹדְיָ֑ה, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "son·of·Paseah" (בֶּן־פָּסֵ֔חַ), "son·of·Besodeiah" (בֶּן־בְּסֽוֹדְיָ֑ה), "and·its·bolts" (וּמַנְעֻלָ֖יו). The root בן appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·Paseah" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah); "they" (root הם, 67x in Nehemiah); "repaired" (root חזק, 43x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root יוידע ("Joiada") in Nehemiah. First appearance of the root שלם ("and·Meshullam") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'son·of·Besodeiah', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 6 words. Full calculation: וְאֵת֩ [and] (407) + שַׁ֨עַר [gate] (570) + הַיְשָׁנָ֜ה [the·old] (370) + הֶחֱזִ֗יקוּ [repaired] (136) + יֽוֹיָדָע֙ [Joiada] (100) + בֶּן־פָּסֵ֔חַ [son·of·Paseah] (200) + וּמְשֻׁלָּ֖ם [and·Meshullam] (416) + בֶּן־בְּסֽוֹדְיָ֑ה [son·of·Besodeiah] (139) + הֵ֣מָּה [they] (50) + קֵר֔וּהוּ [beamed·it] (317) + וַֽיַּעֲמִ֙ידוּ֙ [and·they·set·up] (146) + דַּלְתֹתָ֔יו [its·doors] (850) + וּמַנְעֻלָ֖יו [and·its·bolts] (212) + וּבְרִיחָֽיו [and·its·bars] (242) = 4155.
Rashi
And...the gate of the old [city] Heb. הַיְשָּׁנָה, the Gate Yeshana, such was its name.
Ibn Ezra
the old [city] (hayeshanah) – this is the adjective; the noun it describes is omitted.
Ralbag
'And the gate of the old city' — it appears that he called it 'the gate of the old city' because it was the ancient gate that had existed in the city of Jerusalem since earlier times.
Malbim
'And the gate of the old city' — this was at the northeastern [corner]. And in my opinion, this gate is also called the corner gate, at which Uzziah built towers [II Chronicles 26], as we will explain at verse 8.
And next to them repaired Melatiah the Gibeonite, and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon, and of Mizpah, for those who appertained to the throne of the governor beyond the River.
verse value 3154
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 62 letters. The shortest word is "governor" (פַּחַ֖ת, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·upon·their·hand" (וְעַל־יָדָ֨ם, 6 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "Melatiah" (מְלַטְיָ֣ה), "the·Gibeonite" (הַגִּבְעֹנִ֗י), "and·Jadon" (וְיָדוֹן֙). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "men·of" (root איש, 44x in Nehemiah); "repaired" (root חזק, 43x in Nehemiah); "and·upon·their·hand" (root יד, 39x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root מצפה ("and·the·Mizpah") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·the·Mizpah', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְעַל־יָדָ֨ם [and·upon·their·hand] (160) + הֶחֱזִ֜יק [repaired] (130) + מְלַטְיָ֣ה [Melatiah] (94) + הַגִּבְעֹנִ֗י [the·Gibeonite] (140) + וְיָדוֹן֙ [and·Jadon] (76) + הַמֵּרֹ֣נֹתִ֔י [the·Meronothite] (705) + אַנְשֵׁ֥י [men·of] (361) + גִבְע֖וֹן [Gibeon] (131) + וְהַמִּצְפָּ֑ה [and·the·Mizpah] (226) + לְכִסֵּ֕א [to·seat·of] (111) + פַּחַ֖ת [governor] (488) + עֵ֥בֶר [beyond] (272) + הַנָּהָֽר [the·River] (260) = 3154.
Rashi
a throne for the governor of the land beyond the river The [people of] the land beyond the river built a throne for the governor of the land beyond the river to sit upon.
Ibn Ezra
the men of Gibeon (anshei Giv'on) – the conjunctive vav is missing; it should properly read 'and the men of Gibeon.' Or it should be understood: Melatiah and Jadon were the men of Gibeon and Mizpah. for those who appertained to the throne of the governor beyond the River (le-chise pachat ever hanahar) – it is possible that 'Kise' is a man's name, with the prefixed lamed indicating the person himself; the meaning: they undertook to build for the man named Kise, who was called 'governor of the region beyond the River,' similar to the phrase 'governor of Moab.' Or, 'le-Chise' is the name of a nearby place, and 'pachat ever' (governor of the region) is a man's name, meaning: those mentioned strengthened their hands to build up to the place called Kise, where the governor of the region beyond the River resided – and this is the correct interpretation.
Ralbag
'The men of Gibeon, and of Mizpah, for those who appertained to the throne of the governor beyond the River' — meaning, the men of Gibeon and Mizpah were towns that belonged to the seat [of government] under the governor of the region beyond the River, and to his residence, and were not under the governor of Judah; yet nevertheless they submitted themselves to help with the building of the wall. Or perhaps there was a house in Jerusalem in which the governor beyond the River had his seat when he came there, and they built the wall for the sake of that house.
Metzudat David
'The men of' — [to be read] as though written 'and the men of.' 'To the throne' — up to the seat of the throne of the governor of the region beyond the River.
Metzudat Zion
Governor — an expression of authority and rule.
Malbim
'The throne of the governor beyond the River' — this is as he wrote at verse 5: that for those who had gone up with Zerubbabel or Ezra, Zerubbabel, and afterward Nehemiah, served as their governor; but those who had already been in Judah beforehand remained under the previous governor of Beyond the River, who already held authority over them. The men of Jericho (verse 2) and the sons of Hassenaah (verse 3) had gone up in the days of Ezra; but the men of Gibeon and Mizpah were not counted [Ezra 2] among those who went up, and therefore they belonged to the throne and rule of the governor of Beyond the River, and went by his authority — and so too the Tekoites, as stated at verse 5.
Next to him repaired Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, goldsmiths. And next to him repaired Hananiah one of the perfumers, and they restored Jerusalem even to the broad wall.
verse value 2913
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 76 letters. The shortest word is "unto" (עַ֖ד, 2 letters) and the longest is "son·of·the·perfumers" (בֶּן־הָרַקָּחִ֑ים, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 130: repaired, repaired. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "Uzziel" (עֻזִּיאֵ֤ל), "son·of·Harhaiah" (בֶּֽן־חַרְהֲיָה֙), "goldsmiths" (צֽוֹרְפִ֔ים). The root יד appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·Harhaiah" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah); "repaired" (root חזק, 43x in Nehemiah); "upon·his·hand" (root יד, 39x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root חנניה ("Hananiah") in Nehemiah. First appearance of the root עזב ("and·they·restored") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'son·of·the·perfumers', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 5 words. Full calculation: עַל־יָד֣וֹ [upon·his·hand] (120) + הֶחֱזִ֗יק [repaired] (130) + עֻזִּיאֵ֤ל [Uzziel] (118) + בֶּֽן־חַרְהֲיָה֙ [son·of·Harhaiah] (280) + צֽוֹרְפִ֔ים [goldsmiths] (426) + וְעַל־יָד֣וֹ [and·upon·his·hand] (126) + הֶחֱזִ֔יק [repaired] (130) + חֲנַנְיָ֖ה [Hananiah] (123) + בֶּן־הָרַקָּחִ֑ים [son·of·the·perfumers] (415) + וַיַּֽעַזְבוּ֙ [and·they·restored] (101) + יְר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם [Jerusalem] (586) + עַ֖ד [unto] (74) + הַחוֹמָ֥ה [the·wall] (64) + הָרְחָבָֽה [the·broad] (220) = 2913.
Rashi
goldsmiths That family was called by their craft. and they filled Jerusalem Heb. וַיַעַזְבוּ יְרוּשָּׁלַיִם They filled it with earth up to the wide wall in order to strengthen it.
Ibn Ezra
and they restored Jerusalem (vaya'azvu Yerushalayim) – from the rabbinic term ma'azivah (plastering, finishing a ceiling). And some say it is used as in 'you shall surely help him.'
Ralbag
'The son of Harhaiah, goldsmiths' — meaning, both he and his father were goldsmiths; or he was a member of a family of goldsmiths, as is mentioned afterward concerning Hananiah, that he was 'one of the perfumers.' 'And they restored Jerusalem' — meaning, they built and reinforced it.
Metzudat David
'Goldsmiths' — [meaning he was] one of the goldsmiths. 'And they restored [Jerusalem]' — Uzziel and Hananiah filled in earth up to the broad wall, and did so in order to strengthen the wall.
Metzudat Zion
Goldsmiths — smiths of gold and silver. Restored — its meaning is the filling in of earth for reinforcement; and in the language of our sages, '[roof and] plaster-fill' (Bava Metzia 116).
Malbim
'And they restored Jerusalem even to the broad wall' — according to what is explained below (12:38-39), between the broad wall and the old gate there was also the gate of Ephraim, which is not mentioned here. This is the gate from which Joash breached the wall four hundred cubits, as far as the corner gate [II Chronicles 25]; and the corner gate is the old gate, which stood at the northeastern corner. It must be said that the gate of Ephraim had not been destroyed as badly, and therefore its rebuilding is not mentioned on its own, but is simply included within the general repair of the wall. And as for the word 'restored' — it means that they strengthened and fortified it; for on the north side there were no mountains surrounding Jerusalem, only open plain, so they needed to fortify that stretch especially, up to the broad wall, where the wall served as a defense against the enemy.
And next to them repaired Rephaiah the son of Hur, the ruler of half the district of Jerusalem.
verse value 2175
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 34 letters. The shortest word is "ruler·of" (שַׂ֕ר, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·upon·their·hand" (וְעַל־יָדָ֤ם, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 130: repaired, district·of. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "Rephaiah" (רְפָיָ֣ה), "son·of·Hur" (בֶן־ח֔וּר). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·Hur" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah); "repaired" (root חזק, 43x in Nehemiah); "and·upon·their·hand" (root יד, 39x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root חצי ("half") in Nehemiah. First appearance of the root פלך ("district·of") in Nehemiah. Full calculation: וְעַל־יָדָ֤ם [and·upon·their·hand] (160) + הֶחֱזִיק֙ [repaired] (130) + רְפָיָ֣ה [Rephaiah] (295) + בֶן־ח֔וּר [son·of·Hur] (266) + שַׂ֕ר [ruler·of] (500) + חֲצִ֖י [half] (108) + פֶּ֥לֶךְ [district·of] (130) + יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם [Jerusalem] (586) = 2175.
Rashi
the ruler of half the district of Jerusalem He was the prince over half the people in Jerusalem. פֶּלֶךְ is an expression of a duchy or a kingdom.
Ibn Ezra
half the district (chatzi felech) – in the sense of a province (machoz); and the Targum renders 'the three regions' as 'telata pilchin' (three districts), and 'the region of Dor' as 'one district of Dor.'
Ralbag
'The ruler of half the district of Jerusalem' — meaning, the ruler over half the province of Jerusalem.
Metzudat David
'The ruler of half the district' — he was ruler over half the district of Jerusalem.
Metzudat Zion
District — a region; for [regarding] 'the region of Argov' (Deuteronomy 3:4), the Targum renders it 'beit pelech.'
And next to them repaired Jedaiah the son of Harumaph, even over against his house. And next to him repaired Hattush the son of Hashabneiah.
verse value 2192
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 53 letters. The shortest word is "Jedaiah" (יְדָיָ֥ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "son·of·Hashabneiah" (בֶּן־חֲשַׁבְנְיָֽה, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 130: repaired, repaired. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "Jedaiah" (יְדָיָ֥ה), "son·of·Harumaph" (בֶן־חֲרוּמַ֖ף), "and·opposite" (וְנֶ֣גֶד). The root יד appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·Harumaph" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah); "his·house" (root בית, 60x in Nehemiah); "repaired" (root חזק, 43x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root חטוש ("Hattush") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·house', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְעַל־יָדָ֧ם [and·upon·their·hand] (160) + הֶחֱזִ֛יק [repaired] (130) + יְדָיָ֥ה [Jedaiah] (29) + בֶן־חֲרוּמַ֖ף [son·of·Harumaph] (386) + וְנֶ֣גֶד [and·opposite] (63) + בֵּית֑וֹ [his·house] (418) + וְעַל־יָד֣וֹ [and·upon·his·hand] (126) + הֶחֱזִ֔יק [repaired] (130) + חַטּ֖וּשׁ [Hattush] (323) + בֶּן־חֲשַׁבְנְיָֽה [son·of·Hashabneiah] (427) = 2192.
Rashi
and opposite his house his lot fell to build, for his house was near that place of the wall of the city.
Ibn Ezra
even over against his house (ve-neged beito) – the word 'repaired' is omitted and understood.
Metzudat David
'Even over against his house' — besides what he built adjoining those [sections] mentioned, he further built the [portion of] wall opposite his own house.
Malbim
'Even over against his house' — meaning, also the entire stretch of wall opposite his house, except for the portion already included in what Rephaiah had repaired [verse 9], which lay outside his house, to the east.
Malchijah the son of Harim, and Hasshub the son of Pahath-moab, repaired another portion, and the tower of the furnaces.
verse value 3450
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 50 letters. Verse gematria: 3450 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "measure" (מִדָּ֣ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·furnaces" (הַתַּנּוּרִֽים, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 49: measure, Moab. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "son·of·Harim" (בֶן־חָרִ֔ם), "son·of·Pahath" (בֶּן־פַּחַ֣ת). The root בן appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·Harim" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah); "repaired" (root חזק, 43x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root מדה ("measure") in Nehemiah. First appearance of the root שני ("second") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Moab', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 3 words. Full calculation: מִדָּ֣ה [measure] (49) + שֵׁנִ֗ית [second] (760) + הֶחֱזִיק֙ [repaired] (130) + מַלְכִּיָּ֣ה [Malchijah] (105) + בֶן־חָרִ֔ם [son·of·Harim] (300) + וְחַשּׁ֖וּב [and·Hasshub] (322) + בֶּן־פַּחַ֣ת [son·of·Pahath] (540) + מוֹאָ֑ב [Moab] (49) + וְאֵ֖ת [and] (407) + מִגְדַּ֥ל [tower] (77) + הַתַּנּוּרִֽים [the·furnaces] (711) = 3450.
Rashi
a second measure Just like the measurement which his friend built before [him], so he also built like [his friend.] a second measure in the building of the wall. The expression of measure is inappropriate for the building of the gates because they have [a measure] only in the building of a part of the wall, for we do not find in the entire chapter of the building of the gates the expression of a measure. the Tower of the Furnaces He also built a tower by that name. All these towers in the chapter were built in the wall around the city.
Metzudat David
'Another portion' — meaning, they too built the same measure that the aforementioned Hattush had built. 'And the tower' — and besides that portion, they further built the tower of the furnaces.
Malbim
'Another portion' — because on that side there were no gates or towers, they divided the length of the wall into two portions. And these men repaired the second portion, up to the tower of the furnaces, which was at the western corner.
And next to him repaired Shallum the son of Hallohesh, the ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, he and his daughters.
verse value 2849
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 46 letters. The shortest word is "ruler·of" (שַׂ֕ר, 2 letters) and the longest is "son·of·Hallohesh" (בֶּן־הַלּוֹחֵ֔שׁ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 130: repaired, district·of. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "Shallum" (שַׁלּוּם֙), "son·of·Hallohesh" (בֶּן־הַלּוֹחֵ֔שׁ), "and·his·daughters" (וּבְנוֹתָֽיו). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "repaired" (root חזק, 43x in Nehemiah); "and·upon·his·hand" (root יד, 39x in Nehemiah); "Jerusalem" (root ירושלם, 38x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root בת ("and·his·daughters") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Jerusalem', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 2 words. Full calculation: וְעַל־יָד֣וֹ [and·upon·his·hand] (126) + הֶחֱזִ֗יק [repaired] (130) + שַׁלּוּם֙ [Shallum] (376) + בֶּן־הַלּוֹחֵ֔שׁ [son·of·Hallohesh] (401) + שַׂ֕ר [ruler·of] (500) + חֲצִ֖י [half] (108) + פֶּ֣לֶךְ [district·of] (130) + יְרוּשָׁלִָ֑ם [Jerusalem] (586) + ה֖וּא [he] (12) + וּבְנוֹתָֽיו [and·his·daughters] (480) = 2849.
Rashi
he and his daughters Shallum and his daughters repaired the building of the structure.
Ibn Ezra
the son of Hallohesh (ben ha-lochesh) – this could be a descriptive title rather than a personal name, on account of the definite article heh, which would not attach to a proper name.
Ralbag
'He and his daughters' — it appears that Shallum's daughters helped him with the building; or the word 'his' in 'his daughters' refers back to 'the district,' for Jerusalem had 'daughter' towns, as is the custom with great cities.
Metzudat David
'He and his daughters' — they repaired [the wall] together.
Malbim
'And next to him' — from here it begins reckoning the west side, from north to south: Shallum repaired from the tower of the furnaces to the valley gate. 'Hallohesh' — the heh is part of the root of the name itself [not the definite article], as I have stated several times [elsewhere].
The valley gate repaired Hanun, and the inhabitants of Zanoah; they built it, and set up its doors, its bolts, and its bars, and a thousand cubits of the wall to the dung gate.
verse value 4855
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 83 letters. The shortest word is "unto" (עַ֖ד, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·they·set·up" (וַֽיַּעֲמִ֙ידוּ֙, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 570: gate, gate. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "and·inhabitants·of" (וְיֹשְׁבֵ֣י), "Zanoah" (זָנ֒וֹחַ֒), "built·it" (בָנ֔וּהוּ). The root שער appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "they" (root הם, 67x in Nehemiah); "repaired" (root חזק, 43x in Nehemiah); "gate" (root שער, 41x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root חנון ("Hanun") in Nehemiah. First appearance of the root אלף ("and·thousand") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·its·bars', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 6 words.
Rashi
until the Dung Gate but the Dung Gate was not included.
Ibn Ezra
dung [gate] (hashafot) – like 'ha'ashpot'; the aleph is elided on account of the kametz vowel of the heh.
Metzudat David
'And a thousand cubits' — besides building the gate, they further built a thousand cubits of the wall.
Metzudat Zion
The dung gate — [i.e.,] like 'ha-ashpot' [the refuse heaps].
Malbim
'The valley gate... they built it' — because reinforcement alone was not sufficient there, as mentioned above; and from there they repaired a thousand cubits, up to the dung gate.
And the dung gate repaired Malchijah the son of Rechab, the ruler of the district of Beth-cherem; he built it, and set up its doors, its bolts, and its bars.
verse value 5153
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 72 letters. The shortest word is "ruler·of" (שַׂ֖ר, 2 letters) and the longest is "Beth-cherem" (בֵּית־הַכָּ֑רֶם, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 130: repaired, district·of. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "the·dung·heaps" (הָאַשְׁפּ֗וֹת), "son·of·Rechab" (בֶן־רֵכָ֔ב), "Beth-cherem" (בֵּית־הַכָּ֑רֶם). 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·Rechab" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah); "Beth-cherem" (root בית, 60x in Nehemiah); "repaired" (root חזק, 43x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Beth-cherem', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 6 words.
Ralbag
'Beth-cherem' — this is the name of a town.
Metzudat David
'He built it [yivnenu]' — equivalent to 'banahu,' he built it.
Malbim
'And the dung gate, and the fountain gate' — the wall from the valley gate ran to the dung gate, and from there to the fountain gate. Near it, to its east, within the wall, was the water of Shiloah, which is also called the king's pool [above, 2:14], where the king's gardens were found. And it is known that the stronghold of Zion — the City of David and the house of Solomon — the Millo and the House of the Millo, were on the slope of Mount Zion, to its east; and from there they went up by stairs, by way of the valley of Ben-hinnom and the wall of the city, to the king's gardens and the pool. For the City of David was to the west of the valley of Ben-hinnom, within the wall of Mount Zion, while the garden and the pool were within the wall of the city, and there was a bridge built over both walls, to pass from one to the other. This is the meaning of what is stated below: 'and the wall of the pool of Shelah by the king's garden, even to the stairs that go down from the City of David.'
And the fountain gate repaired Shallun the son of Colhozeh, the ruler of the district of Mizpah; he built it, and covered it, and set up its doors, its bolts, and its bars, and the wall of the pool of Shelah by the king’s garden, even to the stairs that go down from the city of David.
verse value 8065
Insights
Verse structure: 26 words, 129 letters. The shortest word is "ruler·of" (שַׂ֣ר, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·unto·the·stairs" (וְעַד־הַֽמַּעֲל֔וֹת, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 631: and·unto·the·stairs, that·go·down. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "Shallun" (שַׁלּ֣וּן), "and·covered·it" (וִיטַֽלְלֶ֔נּוּ), "pool·of" (בְּרֵכַ֤ת). The root עמד appears 2 times in this verse. 24 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·Colhozeh" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah); "repaired" (root חזק, 43x in Nehemiah); "gate" (root שער, 41x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root מעלה ("and·unto·the·stairs") in Nehemiah. First appearance of the root ירד ("that·go·down") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·its·bars', dividing the verse into phrases of 17 and 9 words.
Rashi
the ruler of the district of Mizpah the prince and duke of Mizpah. he built it he was building the same gate. and roofed it And he laid the roof on it, an expression of a ceiling (מְטַלַלְתָּא). and the wall of the pool of Shelah which inclines towards the king’s garden. and until the steps They recognized these places.
Ibn Ezra
Colhozeh (Kol-Chozeh) – a man's name. he built it (hu yivnenu) – future tense used in place of past; or, the meaning is: so-and-so repaired it, understood as that he would build it. and covered it (vayatlelenu) – from the Targum's rendering of 'under the shadow of my roof' as 'be-talel sheruti.'
Ralbag
'He built it, and covered it' — meaning, he built it and put a roof over it. 'The pool of Shelah by the king's garden' — meaning, it was a pool from which they watered the orchard, and it also supplied the king's vegetable garden in the days of the kings of Judah. 'Even to the stairs that go down from the city of David' — from Zion, which is the City of David, stairs went down to the wall of Jerusalem, and Shallun built the wall as far as that point.
Metzudat David
'And the wall of' — also the walls of the pool of Shelah, adjoining the king's garden, and from there onward to the stairs, and so on.
Metzudat Zion
Covered it — this is an expression of shade, as in 'under the shadow of my roof' (Genesis 19:8); the Targum [renders it] 'be-talel'; meaning he made a roof for shade and shelter. The pool of Shelah — the gathering of water that watered the trees of the garden, called 'Shelach' after the spreading of branches [shluchim]; similarly, 'your branches [shelachayich] are an orchard of pomegranates' (Song of Songs 4).
After him repaired Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, the ruler of half the district of Beth-zur, to the place over against the sepulchres of David, and to the pool that was made, and to the house of the mighty men.
verse value 4078
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 75 letters. The shortest word is "ruler·of" (שַׂ֕ר, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·unto·the·pool" (וְעַד־הַבְּרֵכָה֙, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 312: sepulchres·of, and·unto·the·pool. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "son·of·Azbuk" (בֶן־עַזְבּ֔וּק), "Beth-zur" (בֵּֽית־צ֑וּר), "unto·opposite" (עַד־נֶ֙גֶד֙). The root בית appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·Azbuk" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah); "Beth-zur" (root בית, 60x in Nehemiah); "that·was·made" (root עשה, 55x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root אחר ("after·him") in Nehemiah. First appearance of the root גבור ("the·mighty·men") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Beth-zur', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 8 words.
Rashi
Beth Zur the name of a place.
Ralbag
'To the place over against the sepulchres of David, and to the pool that was made, and to the house of the mighty men' — meaning, on one side he built the wall up to the place opposite the sepulchres of David, and this stretch ran from the wall to the pool that was made near it; and on the other side he built the wall up to a certain house in which David's mighty men used to dwell, which was called 'the house of the mighty men.'
Metzudat David
'And to the pool that was made' — meaning, from opposite the sepulchres of David onward to the pool made by human hands, into which they brought the water, and from there onward to the house of the mighty men.
Malbim
'After him' — this wall, which was doubled [and is called 'the two walls'], continued further south, opposite the tombs of the house of David, which were on the height of Mount Zion. There too, in the valley of Ben-hinnom, was the pool of water that was made afterward, so that the water would collect there, as it says, 'and you made a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool.' That is why it says, 'to the place over against the sepulchres of David, and to the pool that was made' — meaning, that was made afterward — 'and to the house of the mighty men,' where the warriors of the army would gather. To its south was the place of the armory, at the southwestern corner, as it says [verse 19], 'over against the going up to the armory, at the corner' — meaning, that is where they brought up the weapons. As for the phrase 'another portion,' I have already written about it above. And it can further be said that wherever it says 'another portion,' it means that this one took upon himself two portions: that they measured and reckoned how much each should take upon himself as a single portion, and this one took upon himself two of them; and interpret the phrase this way throughout.
After him repaired the Levites, Rehum the son of Bani. Next to him repaired Hashabiah, the ruler of half the district of Keilah, for his district.
verse value 2514
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 58 letters. The shortest word is "Rehum" (רְח֣וּם, 4 letters) and the longest is "ruler·of·half·district·of" (שַׂר־חֲצִי־פֶ֥לֶךְ, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "ruler·of·half·district·of" (שַׂר־חֲצִי־פֶ֥לֶךְ), "for·his·district" (לְפִלְכּֽוֹ). The root חזק appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·Bani" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah); "the·Levites" (root לוי, 45x in Nehemiah); "repaired" (root חזק, 43x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root לוי ("the·Levites") in Nehemiah. First appearance of the root רחום ("Rehum") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'son·of·Bani', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words. Full calculation: אַחֲרָ֛יו [after·him] (225) + הֶחֱזִ֥יקוּ [repaired] (136) + הַלְוִיִּ֖ם [the·Levites] (91) + רְח֣וּם [Rehum] (254) + בֶּן־בָּנִ֑י [son·of·Bani] (114) + עַל־יָד֣וֹ [upon·his·hand] (120) + הֶחֱזִ֗יק [repaired] (130) + חֲשַׁבְיָ֛ה [Hashabiah] (325) + שַׂר־חֲצִי־פֶ֥לֶךְ [ruler·of·half·district·of] (738) + קְעִילָ֖ה [Keilah] (215) + לְפִלְכּֽוֹ [for·his·district] (166) = 2514.
Rashi
half the district From that bailiwick, the half district, he built this structure. In the word לְפִּלְכּוֹ, the “kaff” has a “dagesh,” as one says from מֶלֶךְ, מַלְכּוֹ, from עֶבֶד, עַבְדוֹ, so does one say from פֶּלֶךְ, פִּלְכּוֹ, for [if] the last letter of the noun is one of the letters “beth,” “gimmel,” “daleth,” “kaff,” “pey,” or “tav,” it is punctuated with a “dagesh.”
Metzudat David
'For his district' — [meaning] his own district, that is, together with the men of his district.
After him repaired their brethren, Bavvai the son of Henadad, the ruler of half the district of Keilah.
verse value 1514
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 38 letters. Notable word values: "Bavvai" (בַּוַּ֖י) = 18, chai, 'life'. The shortest word is "ruler·of" (שַׂ֕ר, 2 letters) and the longest is "repaired" (הֶחֱזִ֣יקוּ, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "Bavvai" (בַּוַּ֖י). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "repaired" (root חזק, 43x in Nehemiah); "after·him" (root אחר, 29x in Nehemiah); "their·brethren" (root אח, 27x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root חנדד ("son·of·Henadad") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'son·of·Henadad', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: אַחֲרָיו֙ [after·him] (225) + הֶחֱזִ֣יקוּ [repaired] (136) + אֲחֵיהֶ֔ם [their·brethren] (64) + בַּוַּ֖י [Bavvai] (18) + בֶּן־חֵנָדָ֑ד [son·of·Henadad] (118) + שַׂ֕ר [ruler·of] (500) + חֲצִ֖י [half] (108) + פֶּ֥לֶךְ [district·of] (130) + קְעִילָֽה [Keilah] (215) = 1514.
Rashi
their brothers the Levites.
Metzudat David
'Their brethren' — the colleagues of the aforementioned Levites.
And next to him repaired Ezer the son of Jeshua, the ruler of Mizpah, another portion, over against the ascent to the armory at the Turning.
verse value 3852
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 49 letters. Verse gematria: 3852 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "ruler·of" (שַׂ֥ר, 2 letters) and the longest is "son·of·Jeshua" (בֶּן־יֵשׁ֛וּעַ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 500: ruler·of, ascent·of. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "and·he·repaired" (וַיְחַזֵּ֨ק), "Ezer" (עֵ֧זֶר), "ascent·of" (עֲלֹ֥ת). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·he·repaired" (root חזק, 43x in Nehemiah); "upon·his·hand" (root יד, 39x in Nehemiah); "from·opposite" (root נגד, 24x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root עזר ("Ezer") in Nehemiah. First appearance of the root ישוע ("son·of·Jeshua") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'second', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיְחַזֵּ֨ק [and·he·repaired] (131) + עַל־יָד֜וֹ [upon·his·hand] (120) + עֵ֧זֶר [Ezer] (277) + בֶּן־יֵשׁ֛וּעַ [son·of·Jeshua] (438) + שַׂ֥ר [ruler·of] (500) + הַמִּצְפָּ֖ה [Mizpah] (220) + מִדָּ֣ה [measure] (49) + שֵׁנִ֑ית [second] (760) + מִנֶּ֕גֶד [from·opposite] (97) + עֲלֹ֥ת [ascent·of] (500) + הַנֶּ֖שֶׁק [the·armory] (455) + הַמִּקְצֹֽעַ [the·Turning] (305) = 3852.
Rashi
opposite the ascent to the armory opposite the place where the mighty men would ascend to the weapons. According to the simple interpretation of the verse, it appears that there was a place near the wall where the mighty men kept their weapons, as it is stated: (II Kings 10:2) “...and cities (sic) of fortification and arms.” at the corner at the corner of the wall.
Ibn Ezra
the ascent to the armory (alot ha-neshek) – a place name, in the sense of 'edge,' a corner of the city.
Ralbag
'Another portion, over against the ascent to the armory at the Turning' — meaning, opposite the place where they made weapons of war; that whole stretch is called 'the Turning' because there was an angle and a bend there at its two ends. And it says this was 'another portion' — meaning, that what he built matched in extent what the one before him had built.
Metzudat David
'Another portion' — the same measure that the aforementioned Bavvai had built. 'Over against' — the construction began opposite the place from which one ascends to the armory, which stood at the corner.
Metzudat Zion
The armory — weapons, as in 'a fortified city, and the armory' (2 Kings 10). The Turning — the corner, as in 'at the corner of the court' (Ezekiel 46).
After him Baruch the son of Zaccai earnestly repaired another portion, from the Turning to the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest.
verse value 3574
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 64 letters. The shortest word is "measure" (מִדָּ֣ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "from·the·Turning" (מִ֨ן־הַמִּקְצ֔וֹעַ, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "he·was·ardent" (הֶחֱרָ֧ה), "son·of·Zaccai" (בֶּן־זַכַּ֖י), "from·the·Turning" (מִ֨ן־הַמִּקְצ֔וֹעַ). 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·Zaccai" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah); "house·of" (root בית, 60x in Nehemiah); "the·priest" (root כהן, 44x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root חרה ("he·was·ardent") in Nehemiah. First appearance of the root ברוך ("Baruch") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'second', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 6 words.
Rashi
repaired Heb. הֶחֱרָה. Its interpretation is according to the context, and it is a double expression for repairing.
Ibn Ezra
earnestly repaired (hecherah hechezik) – from the language of charon (burning anger); the meaning: he was inwardly incensed over the delay of the work, and so he applied himself to a second section. and hecherah – a transitive verb, from the intensive-causative form (hif'il), as in 'and his anger burned against him.'
Metzudat David
'Earnestly [hecherah]' — he grew heated with great alacrity, and again repaired the same measure that the aforementioned Ezer had built; the construction began at the corner and he built up to the doorway, and so on.
Metzudat Zion
Earnestly — an expression of heat/fervor, as in 'the bellows is scorched' (Jeremiah 6).
Malbim
'Earnestly' [ha-charah] — this is actually the name of a man. The word 'repaired' from the previous verse, and the word 'after him,' each do double duty: 'after him [repaired] Hecherah; [after him] repaired Baruch.' From the corner [mentioned in the previous verse], the south side now begins, going from west to east.
After him repaired Meremoth the son of Uriah the son of Hakkoz another portion, from the door of the house of Eliashib even to the end of the house of Eliashib.
verse value 5375
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 65 letters. The shortest word is "measure" (מִדָּ֣ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·to·end·of" (וְעַד־תַּכְלִ֖ית, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 412: house·of, house·of. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "from·opening·of" (מִפֶּ֙תַח֙), "and·to·end·of" (וְעַד־תַּכְלִ֖ית). The root בן appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·Uriah" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah); "house·of" (root בית, 60x in Nehemiah); "he·repaired" (root חזק, 43x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'second', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 6 words. Full calculation: אַחֲרָ֣יו [after·him] (225) + הֶחֱזִ֗יק [he·repaired] (130) + מְרֵמ֧וֹת [Meremoth] (686) + בֶּן־אוּרִיָּ֛ה [son·of·Uriah] (274) + בֶּן־הַקּ֖וֹץ [son·of·Hakkoz] (253) + מִדָּ֣ה [measure] (49) + שֵׁנִ֑ית [second] (760) + מִפֶּ֙תַח֙ [from·opening·of] (528) + בֵּ֣ית [house·of] (412) + אֶלְיָשִׁ֔יב [Eliashib] (353) + וְעַד־תַּכְלִ֖ית [and·to·end·of] (940) + בֵּ֥ית [house·of] (412) + אֶלְיָשִֽׁיב [Eliashib] (353) = 5375.
Rashi
from the entrance of the house of Eliashib until the end of, etc. Opposite that house he built his structure.
Metzudat David
'Meremoth, etc.' — although he had already repaired [a section] once, as stated above, he now again repaired the same measure that the aforementioned Baruch had built; the construction began at the doorway, and so on.
Metzudat Zion
The end — edge and terminus.
Malbim
'Meremoth' — already mentioned at verse 4; and that is why it says 'another portion,' since he built two portions.
And after him repaired the priests, the men of the Plain.
verse value 1103
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "men·of" (אַנְשֵׁ֥י, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·after·him" (וְאַחֲרָ֛יו, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "the·Plain" (הַכִּכָּֽר). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·priests" (root כהן, 44x in Nehemiah); "men·of" (root איש, 44x in Nehemiah); "they·repaired" (root חזק, 43x in Nehemiah). Full calculation: וְאַחֲרָ֛יו [and·after·him] (231) + הֶחֱזִ֥יקוּ [they·repaired] (136) + הַכֹּהֲנִ֖ים [the·priests] (130) + אַנְשֵׁ֥י [men·of] (361) + הַכִּכָּֽר [the·Plain] (245) = 1103.
After them repaired Benjamin and Hasshub over against their house. After them repaired Azariah the son of Maaseiah the son of Ananiah beside his own house.
verse value 3238
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 63 letters. The shortest word is "opposite" (נֶ֣גֶד, 3 letters) and the longest is "son·of·Maaseiah" (בֶן־מַעֲשֵׂיָ֛ה, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 225: after·him, after·him. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "their·house" (בֵּיתָ֑ם), "son·of·Ananiah" (בֶּן־עֲנָֽנְיָ֖ה), "beside" (אֵ֥צֶל). The root אחר appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·Maaseiah" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah); "their·house" (root בית, 60x in Nehemiah); "he·repaired" (root חזק, 43x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root בנימן ("Benjamin") in Nehemiah. First appearance of the root עזריה ("Azariah") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'their·house', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 7 words. Full calculation: אַחֲרָ֨יו [after·him] (225) + הֶחֱזִ֧יק [he·repaired] (130) + בִּנְיָמִ֛ן [Benjamin] (152) + וְחַשּׁ֖וּב [and·Hasshub] (322) + נֶ֣גֶד [opposite] (57) + בֵּיתָ֑ם [their·house] (452) + אַחֲרָ֣יו [after·him] (225) + הֶחֱזִ֗יק [he·repaired] (130) + עֲזַרְיָ֧ה [Azariah] (292) + בֶן־מַעֲשֵׂיָ֛ה [son·of·Maaseiah] (477) + בֶּן־עֲנָֽנְיָ֖ה [son·of·Ananiah] (237) + אֵ֥צֶל [beside] (121) + בֵּיתֽוֹ [his·house] (418) = 3238.
Rashi
opposite their house which was there near the wall.
Metzudat David
'After them' — meaning, after the place [previously] built.
After him repaired Binnui the son of Henadad another portion, from the house of Azariah to the Turning and to the corner.
verse value 2699
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 51 letters. The shortest word is "measure" (מִדָּ֣ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·the·Turning" (עַד־הַמִּקְצ֖וֹעַ, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "to·the·Turning" (עַד־הַמִּקְצ֖וֹעַ), "and·to·the·corner" (וְעַד־הַפִּנָּֽה). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "from·house·of" (root בית, 60x in Nehemiah); "he·repaired" (root חזק, 43x in Nehemiah); "after·him" (root אחר, 29x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root פנה ("and·to·the·corner") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'second', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: אַחֲרָ֣יו [after·him] (225) + הֶחֱזִ֗יק [he·repaired] (130) + בִּנּ֛וּי [Binnui] (68) + בֶּן־חֵנָדָ֖ד [son·of·Henadad] (118) + מִדָּ֣ה [measure] (49) + שֵׁנִ֑ית [second] (760) + מִבֵּ֣ית [from·house·of] (452) + עֲזַרְיָ֔ה [Azariah] (292) + עַד־הַמִּקְצ֖וֹעַ [to·the·Turning] (385) + וְעַד־הַפִּנָּֽה [and·to·the·corner] (220) = 2699.
Ralbag
'To the Turning and to the corner' — meaning, they built up to the Turning and to the corner next to it.
Metzudat David
'To the Turning and to the corner' — these were [two points] next to one another.
Metzudat Zion
The corner — thus is the tower called, because it typically stands at the corner; similarly, 'and upon the high corners' (Zephaniah 1).
Malbim
'Binnui the son of Henadad, another portion' — for he had [already built] the first portion together with his brother, as stated [verses 17-18]: 'Rehum the son of Bani'; 'Hashabiah'; 'their brethren, Bavvai the son of Henadad.' 'To the Turning and to the corner' — this is the southeastern corner, where there also stood a corner-tower, which is a kind of tower, as it says, 'against the fortified cities, and against the high corners' [Zephaniah 1], 'to be upon the towers and upon the corners' [II Chronicles 26:16].
Palal the son of Uzai repaired over against the Turning, and the tower that stands out from the upper house of the king, which is by the court of the guard. After him Pedaiah the son of Parosh repaired.—
verse value 3656
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 71 letters. The shortest word is "Palal" (פָּלָ֣ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "son·of·Uzai" (בֶּן־אוּזַי֮, 6 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "Palal" (פָּלָ֣ל), "son·of·Uzai" (בֶּן־אוּזַי֮), "the·Turning" (הַמִּקְצ֒וֹעַ֒). 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 66x in Nehemiah); "from·house·of" (root בית, 60x in Nehemiah); "the·king" (root מלך, 43x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root חצר ("to·court·of") in Nehemiah. First appearance of the root פדיה ("Pedaiah") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·guard', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 3 words.
Rashi
and the tower that juts out There was one tower in the wall that jutted out and protruded from within.
Ralbag
'After him Pedaiah the son of Parosh repaired' — I think this connects with the verse that follows, 'and the Nethinim dwelled in Ophel,' and the sense of it is that Pedaiah the son of Parosh, together with the Nethinim who dwelled in the upper part of the city, built up to a point opposite the water gate on the east, and up to a point opposite the projecting tower.
Metzudat David
'Over against' — the construction began opposite the corner, and he also built the tower that projected out from the king's upper house, which stood at the top of the hill and was adjoining the court of the guard. 'After him Pedaiah' — after him, Pedaiah repaired [the next portion].
Metzudat Zion
The guard — this is the watch of the prison house, as in 'and he gathered them into custody' (Genesis 42:17); the Targum [renders it] 'to the house of matara.'
Malbim
'Over against the Turning' — opposite it, to the east, stood the king's house, and from there a tower extended out from the king's house, belonging to the court of the guard, which was also next to the king's house. (This is not the gate of Hammattarah mentioned below, 12:39, which was next to the House of Hashem.) And the word 'repaired' from the previous verse carries forward to apply four times: 'Palal the son of Uzai [repaired]'; 'after him [repaired] Pedaiah the son of Parosh.' 'And the Nethinim' (who dwelt in Ophel) 'repaired unto over against the water gate' — meaning, the Nethinim repaired the tower that extended from the king's house, and from there up to the water gate, which stood on the east side; for now it begins reckoning the east side from south to north. And it is explained in Yoma 69 that the water gate stood opposite the Temple.
Now the Nethinim dwelt in Ophel, to the place over against the water gate toward the east, and the tower that stands out.—
verse value 2417
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 48 letters. The shortest word is "to" (עַ֠ד, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·the·Nethinim" (וְהַ֨נְּתִינִ֔ים, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "to·the·east" (לַמִּזְרָ֔ח). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "were" (root היה, 48x in Nehemiah); "gate" (root שער, 41x in Nehemiah); "opposite" (root נגד, 24x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root נתין ("and·the·Nethinim") in Nehemiah. First appearance of the root עפל ("in·Ophel") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·Ophel', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 7 words. Full calculation: וְהַ֨נְּתִינִ֔ים [and·the·Nethinim] (571) + הָי֥וּ [were] (21) + יֹשְׁבִ֖ים [dwelling] (362) + בָּעֹ֑פֶל [in·Ophel] (182) + עַ֠ד [to] (74) + נֶ֜גֶד [opposite] (57) + שַׁ֤עַר [gate] (570) + הַמַּ֙יִם֙ [the·water] (95) + לַמִּזְרָ֔ח [to·the·east] (285) + וְהַמִּגְדָּ֖ל [and·the·tower] (88) + הַיּוֹצֵֽא [the·going·out] (112) = 2417.
Rashi
And the Nethinites dwelt in the Ophel And the Nethinites were dwelling in that district, and they were building their district, which was near the wall, until opposite the Water Gate of the eastern side.
Ibn Ezra
Ophel (ha-Ofel) – a high fortress, as in 'the Ophel of the daughter of Zion'; and 'vaya'apilu' means 'and they went up high.' The word 'who' is missing from the verse; thus it should be understood: 'and the Nethinim, who dwelt in Ophel, repaired alongside them.'
Metzudat David
'[Who] dwelt' — meaning, those who dwelt in Ophel repaired up to opposite the water gate that faced east, and also the tower that projected outward from the wall.
Metzudat Zion
The Nethinim — these are the Gibeonites. In Ophel — the name of a tower, as in 'and he came to the Ophel' (2 Kings 5).
After him the Tekoites repaired another portion, over against the great tower that stands out, and to the wall of Ophel.
verse value 2853
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 54 letters. The shortest word is "measure" (מִדָּ֣ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "they·repaired" (הֶחֱזִ֥יקוּ, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "the·Tekoites" (הַתְּקֹעִ֖ים), "the·tower" (הַמִּגְדָּ֤ל), "Ophel" (הָעֹֽפֶל). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "they·repaired" (root חזק, 43x in Nehemiah); "wall·of" (root חומה, 32x in Nehemiah); "after·him" (root אחר, 29x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'second', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 7 words. Full calculation: אַחֲרָ֛יו [after·him] (225) + הֶחֱזִ֥יקוּ [they·repaired] (136) + הַתְּקֹעִ֖ים [the·Tekoites] (625) + מִדָּ֣ה [measure] (49) + שֵׁנִ֑ית [second] (760) + מִנֶּ֜גֶד [from·opposite] (97) + הַמִּגְדָּ֤ל [the·tower] (82) + הַגָּדוֹל֙ [the·great] (48) + הַיּוֹצֵ֔א [the·going·out] (112) + וְעַ֖ד [and·to] (80) + חוֹמַ֥ת [wall·of] (454) + הָעֹֽפֶל [Ophel] (185) = 2853.
Ibn Ezra
another portion (middah sheni) – like 'sheinit' (a second portion); and likewise 'to the second house of the women.'
Ralbag
'The wall of Ophel' — this is the wall of the high part of the city.
Metzudat David
'The Tekoites' — although they had already repaired [a section] once, as stated above, they now again repaired the same measure that the Nethinim had built; the construction began opposite the tower, and so on.
Malbim
'The Tekoites, another portion' — as above, verse 5. 'To the wall of Ophel' — Ophel was a separate stronghold, standing apart from the great tower that extended from the king's house. It appears that here they built both the wall and the tower, with Ophel attached to it, facing it. The Nethinim built the wall of the city up to the water gate, and the tower itself that extended out; and the Tekoites built the wall from opposite the tower up to the wall of Ophel. There stood the horse gate, which was likewise opposite the king's house, as mentioned (II Kings 11:16), for the road from the horse gate led to the king's house.
Above the horse gate repaired the priests, every one over against his own house.
verse value 1973
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 35 letters. The shortest word is "from·above" (מֵעַ֣ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·horses" (הַסּוּסִ֗ים, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "the·horses" (הַסּוּסִ֗ים). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "his·house" (root בית, 60x in Nehemiah); "from·above" (root על, 44x in Nehemiah); "the·priests" (root כהן, 44x in Nehemiah). Full calculation: מֵעַ֣ל [from·above] (140) + שַׁ֣עַר [gate] (570) + הַסּוּסִ֗ים [the·horses] (181) + הֶחֱזִ֙יקוּ֙ [repaired] (136) + הַכֹּ֣הֲנִ֔ים [the·priests] (130) + אִ֖ישׁ [man] (311) + לְנֶ֥גֶד [to·opposite] (87) + בֵּיתֽוֹ [his·house] (418) = 1973.
Rashi
each one opposite his house Each one was building opposite his house.
Ralbag
'The horse gate' — this is the gate through which the horses went in and out.
Metzudat David
'Above the horse gate' — from the horse gate upward, toward the height of the hill. 'Every one over against his own house' — for the houses of the priests stood there.
After them repaired Zadok the son of Immer over against his own house. And after him repaired Shemaiah the son of Shecaniah, the keeper of the east gate.
verse value 3916
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 60 letters. The shortest word is "opposite" (נֶ֣גֶד, 3 letters) and the longest is "son·of·Shecaniah" (בֶן־שְׁכַנְיָ֔ה, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 130: repaired, repaired. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "son·of·Shecaniah" (בֶן־שְׁכַנְיָ֔ה), "the·east" (הַמִּזְרָֽח). The root אחר appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·Immer" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah); "his·house" (root בית, 60x in Nehemiah); "repaired" (root חזק, 43x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root שמעיה ("Shemaiah") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·house', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 7 words. Full calculation: אַחֲרָ֧יו [after·him] (225) + הֶחֱזִ֛יק [repaired] (130) + צָד֥וֹק [Zadok] (200) + בֶּן־אִמֵּ֖ר [son·of·Immer] (293) + נֶ֣גֶד [opposite] (57) + בֵּית֑וֹ [his·house] (418) + וְאַחֲרָ֤יו [and·after·him] (231) + הֶחֱזִיק֙ [repaired] (130) + שְׁמַֽעְיָ֣ה [Shemaiah] (425) + בֶן־שְׁכַנְיָ֔ה [son·of·Shecaniah] (437) + שֹׁמֵ֖ר [keeper·of] (540) + שַׁ֥עַר [gate] (570) + הַמִּזְרָֽח [the·east] (260) = 3916.
Metzudat David
'Zadok' — he was not one of the priests, and therefore he is mentioned separately, on his own.
Malbim
'The keeper of the east gate' — of the Temple court; and this is the gate of Hammiphkad (mentioned in verse 31).
After him repaired Hananiah the son of Shelemiah, and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph, another portion. After him repaired Meshullam the son of Berechiah over against his chamber.
verse value 4417
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 75 letters. The shortest word is "measure" (מִדָּ֣ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "son·of·Shelemiah" (בֶן־שֶׁלֶמְיָ֗ה, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 225: after·him, after·him. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "son·of·Shelemiah" (בֶן־שֶׁלֶמְיָ֗ה), "and·Hanun" (וְחָנ֧וּן), "son·of·Zalaph" (בֶּן־צָלָ֛ף). The root אחר appears 3 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·Shelemiah" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah); "repaired" (root חזק, 43x in Nehemiah); "after·him" (root אחר, 29x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root נשכה ("his·chamber") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'second', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 6 words.
Rashi
and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph Zalaph had many sons, and Hanun was the sixth. a second measure Heb. מִדָה שֵּׁנִי, like שֵּׁנִית. his chamber Heb. נִשְּׁכָּתוֹ, like לִשְּׁכָּתוֹ. He had one chamber adjoining the wall.
Ibn Ezra
over against his chamber (neged nishkato) – like 'lishkato' (his chamber); some say it one way, and some the other.
Ralbag
'His chamber' — the Hebrew word used here (nishkato) is equivalent to the more common word for chamber (lishkato); it means a single room.
Metzudat David
'The sixth' — the sixth son of Zalaph. 'His chamber [nishkato]' — equivalent to 'lishkato,' since the letters dalet, tet, lamed, nun, and tav interchange with one another.
Malbim
'The sixth, [son] of Zalaph' — 'sixth' here is used like 'a second one,' i.e., 'another portion.' 'His chamber' [nishkato] — [to be read as] 'lishkato' [his chamber]; for his chamber stood there, opposite the Temple court. And likewise, what is said, 'over against the gate of Hammiphkad,' refers to the eastern gate of the Temple, as stated in [the tractate] Middot.
After him repaired Malchijah one of the goldsmiths to the house of the Nethinim, and of the merchants, over against the gate of Hammiphkad, and to the upper chamber of the corner.
verse value 4064
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 67 letters. The shortest word is "opposite" (נֶ֚גֶד, 3 letters) and the longest is "son·of·the·goldsmiths" (בֶּן־הַצֹּ֣רְפִ֔י, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "son·of·the·goldsmiths" (בֶּן־הַצֹּ֣רְפִ֔י), "to·house·of" (עַד־בֵּ֥ית), "Hammiphkad" (הַמִּפְקָ֔ד). The root אחר appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·the·goldsmiths" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah); "to·house·of" (root בית, 60x in Nehemiah); "repaired" (root חזק, 43x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root רכל ("and·the·merchants") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·the·merchants', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 6 words.
Rashi
the son of Hatzorefi the goldsmith, and he was named after his craft.
Ralbag
'One of the goldsmiths' — this [Hebrew wording] is equivalent to 'the goldsmith,' with an extra yod; or perhaps it is missing a mem, and the intended meaning is 'son of the goldsmiths' [i.e., of the guild of goldsmiths].
Metzudat David
'Over against, etc.' — meaning, from the house of the Nethinim and the merchants onward, to opposite the gate of Hammiphkad, and from there onward to the place from which one ascends to the corner.
Metzudat Zion
The merchants — these are traders in spices.
Malbim
'And to the upper chamber of the corner' — there was a fortified place there that one ascended, for it stood at a height; and after it was the sheep gate, from which they had originally begun the building.
And between the upper chamber of the corner and the sheep gate repaired the goldsmiths and the merchants.
verse value 2336
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 39 letters. The shortest word is "and·between" (וּבֵ֨ין, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·the·merchants" (וְהָרֹכְלִֽים, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "the·goldsmiths" (הַצֹּרְפִ֖ים). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "repaired" (root חזק, 43x in Nehemiah); "to·gate" (root שער, 41x in Nehemiah); "upper-chamber·of" (root עלה, 20x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root בין ("and·between") in Nehemiah. Full calculation: וּבֵ֨ין [and·between] (68) + עֲלִיַּ֤ת [upper-chamber·of] (510) + הַפִּנָּה֙ [the·corner] (140) + לְשַׁ֣עַר [to·gate] (600) + הַצֹּ֔אן [the·sheep] (146) + הֶחֱזִ֥יקוּ [repaired] (136) + הַצֹּרְפִ֖ים [the·goldsmiths] (425) + וְהָרֹכְלִֽים [and·the·merchants] (311) = 2336.
Rashi
And between the ascent to the tower and the Sheep Gate At the beginning of the building they began to build the Sheep Gate, as it says (verse 1): “...and they built the Sheep Gate, etc.” So did they build the wall all around, one after the other.
Ralbag
'Repaired the goldsmiths and the merchants' — he already mentioned them in the preceding verse.
Metzudat David
'The sheep gate' — for that is where the construction had begun, as stated above; they built in a circuit until they arrived back at the starting point.
But it came to pass that, when Sanballat heard that we built the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews.
verse value 2768
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 64 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (ל֔וֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "to·him" (ל֔וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "upon·the·Jews" (עַל־הַיְּהוּדִֽים, 9 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "that·we" (כִּֽי־אֲנַ֤חְנוּ), "and·he·was·angry" (וַיִּכְעַ֖ס), "and·mocked" (וַיַּלְעֵ֖ג). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "as·that" (root אשר, 66x in Nehemiah); "and·it·came·to·pass" (root היה, 48x in Nehemiah); "the·wall" (root חומה, 32x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'greatly', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיְהִ֞י [and·it·came·to·pass] (31) + כַּאֲשֶׁ֧ר [as·that] (521) + שָׁמַ֣ע [heard] (410) + סַנְבַלַּ֗ט [Sanballat] (151) + כִּֽי־אֲנַ֤חְנוּ [that·we] (145) + בוֹנִים֙ [building] (108) + אֶת־הַ֣חוֹמָ֔ה [the·wall] (465) + וַיִּ֣חַר [and·it·burned] (224) + ל֔וֹ [to·him] (36) + וַיִּכְעַ֖ס [and·he·was·angry] (166) + הַרְבֵּ֑ה [greatly] (212) + וַיַּלְעֵ֖ג [and·mocked] (119) + עַל־הַיְּהוּדִֽים [upon·the·Jews] (180) = 2768.
Metzudat David
'He was wroth' — inwardly, in his heart. 'And took great indignation, etc.' — he displayed his anger [outwardly].
Malbim
'He was wroth' — 'charah lo' [was wroth] denotes something displeasing in one's eyes, as in 'vayichar le-Kayin' [and Cain was wroth] (Genesis 4:5); and our Sages said of 'vayichar le-David' [and David's anger was kindled] (II Samuel 6:8) that his face changed color, becoming like a scorched cake. The 'indignation' is when this displeasure becomes revealed outwardly, and mockery follows after it.
And he spoke before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said: ‘What do these feeble Jews? will they restore at will? will they sacrifice? will they make an end this day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, seeing they are burned?’
verse value 5109
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 104 letters. Verse gematria: 5109 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "what" (מָ֛ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·stones" (אֶת־הָאֲבָנִ֛ים, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 257: and·he·said, and·he·said. 12 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "his·brethren" (אֶחָ֗יו), "and·army·of" (וְחֵיל֙), "Samaria" (שֹֽׁמְר֔וֹן). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 19 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·them" (root הם, 67x in Nehemiah); "and·he·said" (root אמר, 66x in Nehemiah); "in·the·day" (root יום, 61x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root זבח ("will·they·sacrifice") in Nehemiah. First appearance of the root אבן ("the·stones") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'doing', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 11 words.
Rashi
before his brethren and the army of Samaria before his brethren and the army of Samaria, who were the adversaries of Judea. What are the Jews Why are the Jews doing this? the feeble Heb. הָאֲמֵלָלִִים, a term denoting weakness and feebleness. Will they let them Do they think that the heathens will allow them to build? Will they sacrifice Will they constantly slaughter their sacrifices for themselves as they think? Will they finish in one day Will they complete the work that they started in one day? That is to say that the heathens will not permit them to complete their building. Will they revive Will they revive and repair and restore stones to their previous state to be harder and stronger than the dust? from the heaps Heb. מֵעֲרֵמוֹת, a term denoting heaps and mounds. for they are burnt The stones were burnt and have become dust. So did they jeer and ridicule the building of the wall, which they were building from the burnt stones that had fallen to the earth from the fire when Jerusalem was burned.
Ibn Ezra
feeble (ha-umlalim) – related to 'for I am feeble'; these are terms denoting being cut off, and the body's breakdown from excessive suffering. will they restore (haya'azvu) – the first instance of this root refers to plastering, finishing work (ma'azivah). will they sacrifice (hayizbechu) – like 'the sacrifice of the dedication of the house'; the meaning: will they offer the dedication-sacrifice of the house. will they make an end (hayichlu) – will they complete their building by the day they reckon to finish it. will they revive the stones – because a burnt stone is regarded as something dead.
Ralbag
'What do these feeble Jews...,' etc. — meaning, what are these weak Jews doing? 'Will they restore at will?' — meaning, will they fortify the city for themselves? 'Will they sacrifice?' — meaning, will they offer sacrifices in their rejoicing once they have completed the wall? 'Will they make an end this day?' — meaning, will they finish and complete this building on the very day they are engaged in it? He says this to point out that if they do not complete it on that day, it will do them no good, for on the next day their adversaries will come upon them and destroy what they have built. 'Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, seeing they are burned?' — is it conceivable that they could revive the stones lying in the heaps of rubble and restore them to the wall, when they are burned and broken? He speaks of the stones in terms of 'reviving' because burning destroys the natural stamp by which they had their being and stability; the burning is therefore, in their case, like death, for it removed from them the very nature by which they were stones.
Metzudat David
'What...etc.' — meaning, what benefit is there in their actions? 'Will they restore [at will]?' — will they strengthen the wall for themselves merely by filling in earth? As if to say: is there any real strength in that wall? 'Will they sacrifice?' — will they offer joyous sacrifices when the building is complete? As if to say: is such a feeble structure worth rejoicing over? 'Will they make an end this day?' — will they finish the building on the day they imagine they will finish it? For he spoke these words at the time they began to build, as if to say: are not the builders of the wall few indeed — when will they ever complete the building? 'Will they revive [the stones]?' — will they be able to make sound the stones taken from the heaps of rubble made from the piles of stone of the fallen wall? 'Seeing they [are burned]' — are not these stones burned by fire? What strength can they have?
Metzudat Zion
Feeble — cut off and weakened, as in 'for I am feeble' (Psalms 6:3). Restore — from the word 'ma'aziva' [plaster-fill], which is the filling in of earth for reinforcement. Revive — an expression of healing, as in 'until they were healed' (Joshua 5), used here figuratively; as it is said [further], 'that healing has come up for the wall of...' etc. (below, ch. 4). Heaps — an expression of a pile or mound; similarly, 'and they made heaps upon heaps' (2 Chronicles 31).
Malbim
'Will they restore at will?' — this is related to the sense of 'strengthening,' as in 'and they fortified Jerusalem' (above, 3:8), i.e., will they strengthen the wall? 'Will they sacrifice? will they make an end this day?' — that is, will they offer sacrifices, [thinking] that in the merit of the sacrifices a miracle will be done for them to complete the work in a single day; or that a miracle will be done to revive the stones that have already died and lie buried in the heap of rubble, and are burned? They applied, by way of figurative speech, [the terms] death and life to the stones.
Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said: ‘Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall break down their stone wall.’
verse value 2794
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 56 letters. The shortest word is "even" (גַּ֚ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·Tobiah" (וְטוֹבִיָּ֥ה, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 108: building, their·stones. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "if·it·goes·up" (אִם־יַעֲלֶ֣ה), "and·breaks·through" (וּפָרַ֖ץ), "their·stones" (אַבְנֵיהֶֽם). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·they" (root הם, 67x in Nehemiah); "and·he·said" (root אמר, 66x in Nehemiah); "wall·of" (root חומה, 32x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root גם ("even") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'by·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 9 words. Full calculation: וְטוֹבִיָּ֥ה [and·Tobiah] (38) + הָעַמֹּנִ֖י [the·Ammonite] (175) + אֶצְל֑וֹ [by·him] (127) + וַיֹּ֗אמֶר [and·he·said] (257) + גַּ֚ם [even] (43) + אֲשֶׁר־הֵ֣ם [that·they] (546) + בּוֹנִ֔ים [building] (108) + אִם־יַעֲלֶ֣ה [if·it·goes·up] (156) + שׁוּעָ֔ל [fox] (406) + וּפָרַ֖ץ [and·breaks·through] (376) + חוֹמַ֥ת [wall·of] (454) + אַבְנֵיהֶֽם [their·stones] (108) = 2794.
Rashi
And Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him Tobiah was beside Sanballat. and he said And so he was saying and ridiculing. Even what they build even this building that they are building. if a fox comes up on the building to breach the wall of the city, what will become of it? That is to say that the building cannot be repaired, and whoever wishes, can come and break into it.
Ralbag
'If a fox go up' — he says this because the fox is weak and slow-moving.
Metzudat David
'By him' — he was standing beside him as he spoke these words. 'And he said, even...' — meaning, he too spoke mocking words like Sanballat, and this is what he said: the building that they are building — if a fox climbs up on it, it will breach their stone wall, for it is a very feeble structure.
Malbim
'Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said' — he added that even if they succeed in completing the building, it will not be a fortified structure, for even a fox could breach it, since it is the way of foxes to make breaches in ruins, as it says, 'Your prophets, O Israel, have been like foxes in the ruins' (Ezekiel 13:4).
Hear, O our God; for we are despised; and turn back their reproach upon their own head, and give them up to spoiling in a land of captivity;
verse value 3406
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 51 letters. Verse gematria: 3406 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "hear" (שְׁמַ֤ע, 3 letters) and the longest is "for·we·were" (כִּֽי־הָיִ֣ינוּ, 7 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "for·we·were" (כִּֽי־הָיִ֣ינוּ), "despised" (בוּזָ֔ה), "and·turn·back" (וְהָשֵׁ֥ב). The root בזה appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "our·God" (root אלהים, 62x in Nehemiah); "for·we·were" (root היה, 48x in Nehemiah); "and·give·them" (root נתן, 45x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root ראש ("to·their·head") in Nehemiah. First appearance of the root ארץ ("in·land·of") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·their·head', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 4 words. Full calculation: שְׁמַ֤ע [hear] (410) + אֱלֹהֵ֙ינוּ֙ [our·God] (102) + כִּֽי־הָיִ֣ינוּ [for·we·were] (111) + בוּזָ֔ה [despised] (20) + וְהָשֵׁ֥ב [and·turn·back] (313) + חֶרְפָּתָ֖ם [their·reproach] (728) + אֶל־רֹאשָׁ֑ם [to·their·head] (572) + וּתְנֵ֥ם [and·give·them] (496) + לְבִזָּ֖ה [to·spoiling] (44) + בְּאֶ֥רֶץ [in·land·of] (293) + שִׁבְיָֽה [captivity] (317) = 3406.
Rashi
Hearken, our God When I heard their ridicule of us, I prayed this prayer. in a land of captivity that they be exiled from the land as we were exiled.
Ibn Ezra
we are despised (buzah) – a noun on the pattern of 'numah' (slumber) or 'shuchah' (a pit); the meaning is contempt. to spoiling (la-vazah) – from the root of 'they plundered for themselves.'
Ralbag
'And give them up to spoiling in a land of captivity' — meaning, may plunderers despoil them in a land where they are led away captive.
Metzudat David
'Hear' — and Nehemiah said: Hear, O our God, for we have become an object of scorn. 'And turn back' — the reproach they heap upon us, turn back upon them, and give them over to disgrace, as they [will be] in a land of captivity.
Malbim
'Hear, O our God' — (1) [he prays that God] repay them for the contempt with which they treated us; (2) do not cover over their iniquity, in that they provoked [us] to anger before the builders in order to actually disrupt them from their work. As for what is written, 'and do not blot out their sin,' see Jeremiah 18:23.
and do not cover their iniquity, and do not let their sin be blotted out from before You; for they have vexed You before the builders.
verse value 2362
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 48 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·do·not·cover" (וְאַל־תְּכַס֙, 6 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "and·do·not·cover" (וְאַל־תְּכַס֙), "upon·their·iniquity" (עַל־עֲוֺנָ֔ם), "and·their·sin" (וְחַטָּאתָ֖ם). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "from·before·You" (root פנים, 31x in Nehemiah); "the·builders" (root בנה, 27x in Nehemiah); "for" (root כי, 25x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'do·not·wipe', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְאַל־תְּכַס֙ [and·do·not·cover] (517) + עַל־עֲוֺנָ֔ם [upon·their·iniquity] (266) + וְחַטָּאתָ֖ם [and·their·sin] (464) + מִלְּפָנֶ֣יךָ [from·before·You] (230) + אַל־תִּמָּחֶ֑ה [do·not·wipe] (484) + כִּ֥י [for] (30) + הִכְעִ֖יסוּ [they·have·vexed] (171) + לְנֶ֥גֶד [before] (87) + הַבּוֹנִֽים [the·builders] (113) = 2362.
Rashi
And do not conceal Heb. וְאַל תְּכַס, like וְאַל תְּכַסֶה, similar to (Prov. 25:9): “...but do not divulge (תְּגָל) another’s secret,” like תְּגַלֶה. for they have provoked that they have provoked the builders to ridicule them.
Metzudat David
'And do not cover' — meaning, let their iniquity be exposed and visible, so as to arouse wrath and exact vengeance. 'For they have vexed [You]' — at the time of their mockery he displayed anger toward the builders of the wall, thinking that by this their hands would grow slack from the work.
Metzudat Zion
Cover — [i.e.,] like 'techaseh' [you shall cover]. Do not let it be blotted out — do not erase it.
So we built the wall; and all the wall was joined together to half its height; for the people had a mind to work.
verse value 2894
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 44 letters. The shortest word is "heart" (לֵ֦ב, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·wall" (אֶת־הַ֣חוֹמָ֔ה, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "and·it·was·joined" (וַתִּקָּשֵׁ֥ר), "all·the·wall" (כׇּל־הַחוֹמָ֖ה), "to·its·half" (עַד־חֶצְיָ֑הּ). The root חומה appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·do" (root עשה, 55x in Nehemiah); "and·there·was" (root היה, 48x in Nehemiah); "to·the·people" (root עם, 47x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·its·half', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַנִּבְנֶה֙ [and·we·built] (113) + אֶת־הַ֣חוֹמָ֔ה [the·wall] (465) + וַתִּקָּשֵׁ֥ר [and·it·was·joined] (1006) + כׇּל־הַחוֹמָ֖ה [all·the·wall] (114) + עַד־חֶצְיָ֑הּ [to·its·half] (187) + וַיְהִ֧י [and·there·was] (31) + לֵ֦ב [heart] (32) + לָעָ֖ם [to·the·people] (140) + לַעֲשֽׂוֹת [to·do] (806) = 2894.
Rashi
was built Heb. וַתִּקָשֵּׁר, lit. it was bound. When the wall was bound up and built to its half, the people were eager and anxious to complete their building of it.
Ibn Ezra
was joined together (va-tikasher) – because the breaches were sealed up.
Metzudat David
'So we built' — despite all the words of mockery and anger, we did not abandon the building. 'Was joined together' — for as long as there were breaches in it, the wall was not attached and joined to itself; but once the breaches were sealed, it became joined together. 'To half its height' — they had not yet sealed the breaches except up to half the wall. (Earlier it stated in general terms that they built the entire wall all around; now it comes to relate what happened in the course of the building.) 'And [the people] had a mind, etc.' — seeing that half [the wall] had been built, they rejoiced and were eager for the work [to continue].
Malbim
'So we built the wall' — and nevertheless, not only was the work not halted on their account, but the people's heart was [still] set on doing [the work], and no laziness or faintheartedness fell upon their hearts because of it.
Rashi
Ibn Ezra
Ralbag
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim