Bible Timeline · 458 and 445 BC

Ezra Teaches the Law and Nehemiah Rebuilds the Walls

Ezra, a priest and scribe, came to Jerusalem in 458 BC to teach God's Law. In 445 BC Nehemiah, cupbearer to the Persian king, came to rebuild the city walls and finished them in just 52 days. Then Ezra read the Law aloud to the people.

Read it in the Bible: Ezra 7-10 Nehemiah 1-8 Nehemiah 6:15 Nehemiah 8:8-10

Ezra and Nehemiah were two leaders who helped rebuild Jerusalem after the exile. Ezra was a priest and scribe who came from Babylon in 458 BC to teach God's Law. Nehemiah was a high official at the Persian court who came in 445 BC to rebuild the city's broken walls. Despite threats and mockery, the walls were finished in just 52 days. Then the whole city gathered as Ezra read the Law of Moses aloud from morning until noon. Together they rebuilt both the city and the people's faith.

Who Was Ezra the Scribe?

Ezra was a priest descended from Aaron and an expert in the Law of Moses. In the seventh year of the Persian king Artaxerxes I, which was 458 BC, he led a second group of exiles from Babylon to Jerusalem. That was almost eighty years after the first return under Zerubbabel.

For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of Yahweh, to practice it, and to teach its statutes and ordinances in Israel. Ezra 7:10

Notice the order. Study it, live it, then teach it. That is a pretty good job description for any Bible teacher. The king gave Ezra a letter, money for the temple and authority to appoint judges. Ezra was too embarrassed to ask for soldiers, since he had told the king that God protects those who seek Him. So the group fasted and prayed, and they made the four month trip safely.

When Ezra arrived, he found that many people, including priests and leaders, had married women who worshiped other gods. Ezra tore his clothes and prayed a heartbroken prayer of confession in Ezra 9. The people agreed to put things right. It is a hard chapter for modern readers, but the issue was faith, not race. Mixed worship had led Israel into idolatry before, and it nearly happened again.

Who Was Nehemiah?

Nehemiah was a Jew serving as cupbearer to King Artaxerxes I in the Persian palace at Susa. The cupbearer tasted the king's wine to make sure it was not poisoned, so it was a position of great trust and access.

In 446 BC, Nehemiah heard that Jerusalem's walls were still broken down and its gates burned. He sat down and wept, then fasted and prayed for days. Months later, in 445 BC, the king noticed his sad face and asked what he wanted.

“What is your request?” replied the king. So I prayed to the God of heaven Nehemiah 2:4

That might be the shortest prayer in the Bible, shot up to heaven between the king's question and Nehemiah's answer. Nehemiah asked to be sent to rebuild the city. The king said yes and even gave him timber and letters of safe passage.

How Were the Walls Rebuilt in 52 Days?

Nehemiah arrived and inspected the walls secretly at night. Then he called the people together.

Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in. Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned down. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, so that we will no longer be a disgrace.” Nehemiah 2:17

Nehemiah 3 lists who built each section. Priests, goldsmiths, perfume makers, rulers and even one man's daughters all pitched in, many working on the section near their own homes. It is one of the great teamwork chapters in the Bible.

Enemies mocked them. Sanballat of Samaria and Tobiah the Ammonite joked that a fox could knock their wall down. When mocking failed, they planned an attack. Nehemiah posted guards and armed the workers. Half worked and half stood guard, and the builders worked with a tool in one hand and a weapon in the other, Nehemiah 4:17.

When the enemies tried to lure him away to a meeting, Nehemiah gave a classic answer.

So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it to go down to you?” Nehemiah 6:3

The wall was finished on the twenty fifth of Elul, after 52 days of work, Nehemiah 6:15. Even the enemies realized God had done it. Outside the Bible, an Aramaic letter from the Jewish colony at Elephantine in Egypt, written in 407 BC, mentions the sons of Sanballat, governor of Samaria. That fits the book well.

What Happened When Ezra Read the Law?

Soon after the wall was done, the people gathered in the square before the Water Gate and asked Ezra to bring out the Book of the Law. He stood on a wooden platform and read from daybreak until noon. When he opened the book, everyone stood up.

So they read from the Book of the Law of God, explaining it and giving insight, so that the people could understand what was being read. Nehemiah 8:8

Levites moved through the crowd explaining what it meant, likely translating from Hebrew into Aramaic, the everyday language many now spoke. Many think this is an early form of what synagogues later did every Sabbath.

The people wept when they heard how far they had fallen. But Nehemiah and Ezra told them this was a day for celebrating.

Then Nehemiah told them, “Go and eat what is rich, drink what is sweet, and send out portions to those who have nothing prepared, since today is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of Yahweh is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10

They celebrated the Feast of Booths, then held a day of confession and signed a covenant to keep God's Law, Nehemiah 9 to 10.

When Did Ezra and Nehemiah Live?

The Owner's Manual follows the traditional order. Ezra came in 458 BC, the seventh year of Artaxerxes I, and Nehemiah came in 445 BC, his twentieth year. Nehemiah stayed as governor for twelve years, went back to the king, and later returned after 433 BC to fix new problems. Some scholars think Ezra actually came later, in 398 BC under Artaxerxes II, but the books present them working together, and most readers follow the traditional dates.

Ezra and Nehemiah were originally one book in the Hebrew Bible. Jewish tradition says Ezra wrote it, and much of it comes from their own first person memoirs.

What Do Ezra and Nehemiah Mean for You Today?

Ezra shows the power of God's Word. Revival came when people heard Scripture explained in a language they understood. That is exactly what a good translation and a good study Bible try to do.

Nehemiah shows prayer and hard work going together. He prayed, then planned. He trusted God, then posted guards. Many count Daniel's seventy weeks from Artaxerxes' decree, either Ezra's in 458 BC or Nehemiah's in 445 BC, to the time of the Messiah. The walls of Jerusalem were rebuilt so that, centuries later, Jesus could walk through its gates as the true King.

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Questions People Ask

How long did it take Nehemiah to rebuild the wall?

Nehemiah 6:15 says the wall of Jerusalem was completed in 52 days, finishing on the twenty fifth of the month of Elul in 445 BC. The work went fast because families each built the section near their own homes.

When did Ezra and Nehemiah go to Jerusalem?

Ezra came in 458 BC, the seventh year of King Artaxerxes I. Nehemiah came in 445 BC, the king's twentieth year. Some scholars date Ezra later, to 398 BC, but the traditional dates put them in Jerusalem at the same time.

What was a cupbearer in the Bible?

A cupbearer served wine to the king and tasted it first to make sure it was not poisoned. It was a trusted position with daily access to the king. That is why Nehemiah could ask King Artaxerxes for help directly.

Were Ezra and Nehemiah one book?

Yes. In the Hebrew Bible, Ezra and Nehemiah were counted as one book. Later Christian Bibles divided them in two. Jewish tradition says Ezra wrote it, using his own memoir and Nehemiah's.

Sources

← Esther: For Such a Time as This Malachi and the 400 Quiet Years →

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