^3:1Then Eliashib the high priest and his priestly colleagues¹ arose and built the Sheep Gate. They dedicated² it and erected its doors, working as far as the Tower of the Hundred³ and⁴ the Tower of Hananel. ^3:2The men of Jericho⁵ built adjacent to it, and Zaccur son of Imri built adjacent to them.⁶

^3:3The sons of Hassenaah rebuilt the Fish Gate. They laid its beams and positioned its doors, its bolts, and its bars. ^3:4Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakoz, worked on the section adjacent to them. Meshullam son of Berechiah the son of Meshezabel worked on the section next to them. And Zadok son of Baana worked on the section adjacent to them. ^3:5The men of Tekoa worked on the section adjacent to them, but their town leaders⁷ would not assist⁸ with the work of their master.⁹

^3:6Joiada son of Paseah and Meshullam son of Besodeiah worked on the Jeshanah Gate.¹⁰ They laid its beams and positioned its doors, its bolts, and its bars. ^3:7Adjacent to them worked Melatiah the Gibeonite and Jadon the Meronothite, who were men of Gibeon and Mizpah. These towns were under the jurisdiction¹¹ of the governor of Trans-Euphrates. ^3:8Uzziel son of Harhaiah, a member of the goldsmiths’ guild, worked on the section adjacent to him. Hananiah, a member of the perfumers’ guild, worked on the section adjacent to him. They plastered¹² the city wall of Jerusalem¹³ as far as the Broad Wall. ^3:9Rephaiah son of Hur, head of a half-district of Jerusalem, worked on the section adjacent to them. ^3:10Jedaiah son of Harumaph worked on the section adjacent to them opposite¹⁴ his house, and Hattush son of Hashabneiah worked on the section adjacent to him. ^3:11Malkijah son of Harim and Hasshub son of Pahath-Moab worked on another section and the Tower of the Fire Pots. ^3:12Shallum son of Hallohesh, head of a half-district of Jerusalem, worked on the section adjacent to him, assisted by his daughters.¹⁵

^3:13Hanun and the residents of Zanoah worked on the Valley Gate. They rebuilt it and positioned its doors, its bolts, and its bars, in addition to working on fifteen hundred feet¹⁶ of the wall as far as the Dung Gate.

^3:14Malkijah son of Recab, head of the district of Beth Hakkerem, worked on the Dung Gate. He rebuilt it and positioned its doors, its bolts, and its bars.

^3:15Shallun son of Col-Hozeh, head of the district of Mizpah, worked on the Fountain Gate. He rebuilt it, put on its roof, and positioned its doors, its bolts, and its bars. In addition, he rebuilt the wall of the Pool of Siloam,¹⁷ by the royal garden, as far as the steps that go down from the City of David. ^3:16Nehemiah son of Azbuk, head of a half-district of Beth Zur, worked after him as far as the tombs of David and the artificial pool and the House of the Warriors.

^3:17After him the Levites worked—Rehum son of Bani and¹⁸ after him Hashabiah, head of half the district of Keilah, for his district. ^3:18After him their relatives¹⁹ worked—Binnui²⁰ son of Henadad, head of a half-district of Keilah. ^3:19Adjacent to him Ezer son of Jeshua, head of Mizpah, worked on another section, opposite the ascent to the armory at the buttress. ^3:20After him Baruch son of Zabbai worked on another section, from the buttress to the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest. ^3:21After him Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, worked on another section from the door of Eliashib’s house to the end of it.²¹

^3:22After him the priests worked, men of the nearby district. ^3:23After them Benjamin and Hasshub worked opposite their house. After them Azariah son of Maaseiah, the son of Ananiah, worked near his house. ^3:24After him Binnui son of Henadad worked on another section, from the house of Azariah to the buttress and the corner. ^3:25After him Palal son of Uzai worked²² opposite the buttress and the tower that protrudes from the upper palace²³ of the court of the guard. After him Pedaiah son of Parosh ^3:26and the temple servants who were living on Ophel worked²⁴ up to the area opposite the Water Gate toward the east and the protruding tower. ^3:27After them the men of Tekoa worked on another section, from opposite the great protruding tower to the wall of Ophel.

^3:28Above the Horse Gate the priests worked, each in front of his house. ^3:29After them Zadok son of Immer worked opposite his house, and after him Shemaiah son of Shecaniah, guard at the East Gate, worked. ^3:30After him²⁵ Hananiah son of Shelemiah, and Hanun, the sixth son of Zalaph, worked on another section. After them Meshullam son of Berechiah worked opposite his quarters. ^3:31After him Malkijah, one of the goldsmiths, worked as far as the house of the temple servants and the traders, opposite the Inspection Gate,²⁶ and up to the room above the corner. ^3:32And between the room above the corner and the Sheep Gate the goldsmiths and traders worked.

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Footnotes

1 Heb “his brothers the priests.”
2 Or “consecrated” (so , ); , “sanctified”; “gave it to the Lord’s service.”
3 The adds קִדְּשׁוּהוּ (qidshuhu, “they sanctified it”). This term is repeated from the first part of the verse, probably as an intentional scribal addition to harmonize this statement with the preceding parallel statement.
4 The translation reads וְעַד (vé’ad, “and unto”) rather than the reading עַד (ad, “unto”). The original vav (ו) was probably dropped accidentally due to haplography with the final vav on the immediately preceding word in the .
5 For the location of Jericho see ; ; ; ; ; .
6 Heb “it.”
7 Heb “their nobles.”
8 Heb “bring their neck.”
9 The plural form אֲדֹנֵיהֶם (’adonehem, “lords”) is probably a plural of majesty referring to Nehemiah (e.g., Isa 19:4; see §124.i). However, some English versions take the plural to refer to the “supervisors” (, , ) and others to “their Lord” (, ).
10 Or “the Old Gate” (cf. , , , , , ).
11 Heb “to the seat.”
12 Assuming that the reading וַיַּעַזְבוּ (vayya’azvu) is related to the root עָזַב I (“to abandon”)—which makes little sense contextually—some interpreters emend the to וַיַּעַזְרוּ (vayya’azru, “they aided”), as suggested by the editors of . However, it is better to relate this term to the root II עָזַב meaning “to restore; to repair” ( 738 II עָזַב) or “to plaster” ( II עזב qal.1). This homonymic root is rare, appearing elsewhere only in Exod 23:5 and Job 9:27, where it means “to restore; to put in order” ( II עזב qal.2). The related Mishnaic Hebrew noun מעזיבה refers to a “plastered floor.” This Hebrew root is probably related to the cognate Ugaritic, Old South Arabic and Sabean verbs that mean “to restore” and “to prepare; to lay” (see 738 ; ). Some scholars in the nineteenth century suggested that this term be nuanced “paved.” However, most modern English versions have “restored” (so , , , ) or “rebuilt” (so , ).
13 Heb “[the city wall of] Jerusalem.” The term “Jerusalem” probably functions as a metonymy of association for the city wall of Jerusalem. Accordingly, the phrase “the city wall of” has been supplied in the translation to clarify this figurative expression. For location see ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .
14 The translation reads נֶגֶד (neged, “before”) with a few medieval Hebrew , some of the , the , and the , rather than וְנֶגֶד (véneged, “and before”) of the .
15 The reference to daughters, while not impossible, is odd in light of the cultural improbability that young women would participate in the strenuous labor of rebuilding city walls. All other such references in the Book of Nehemiah presuppose male laborers. Not surprisingly, some scholars suspect a textual problem. One medieval Hebrew and the read וּבָנָיו (uvanayv, “and his sons”) rather than the reading וּבְנוֹתָיו (uvénotayv, “and his daughters”). Some scholars emend the to וּבֹנָיו (uvonayv, “and his builders”). On the other hand, the is clearly the more difficult reading, and so it is preferred.
16 Heb “one thousand cubits.” The standard cubit in the OT is assumed by most authorities to be about eighteen inches (45 cm) long, so this section of the wall would be about fifteen hundred feet (450 m).
17 The Hebrew word translated “Siloam” is הַשֶּׁלַח (hashelakh, “water-channel”; cf. , , , , “Shelah”). It apparently refers to the Pool of Siloam whose water supply came from the Gihon Spring via Hezekiah’s Tunnel built in 701 b.c. (cf. Isa 8:6). See 1019 שִׁלֹחַ; W. L. Holladay, Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon, 372. On the etymology of the word, which is a disputed matter, see III שֶׁלַח.
18 The translation reads וְעַל (vé’al, “and unto”) with several medieval Hebrew and some of , rather than the reading עַל (’al, “unto”).
19 Heb “brothers.”
20 The translation reads with a few medieval Hebrew and the בִּנֻּי (binnuy) rather than the reading בַּוַּי (bavvay).
21 Heb “the house of Eliashib.” This has not been repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.
22 The lacks the phrase אַחֲרָיו הֶחֱזִיק (’akharayv hekheziq, “after him worked”). This phrase is used repeatedly in Neh 3:16–31 to introduce each worker and his location. It probably dropped out accidentally through haplography.
23 Heb “house of the king.”
24 The Hebrew text lacks the verb “worked.” It is implied, however, and has been supplied in the translation.
25 The translation reads אַחֲרָיו (’akharayv, “after him”) with the Qere and many medieval Hebrew , rather than the reading אַחֲרֵי (’akharey, “after me”) of the . So also in v. 31.
26 Heb “Miphkad Gate” (so ; similar); “Muster Gate.”