Nehemiah served in the court of the king of Persia (and later was appointed governor over the Jews) may indicate that he was of royal birth. One might ask, if he were a descendant of David, why was his royal character not mentioned? In reply it may be said that after the Zerubbabel debacle, one can understand why the author of the book of Nehemiah would be reticent to underscore Nehemiah’s descent from David (note that the author refrains also from reminding the reader of Zerubbabel’s Davidic origins).