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Ezra-Nehemiah: A Mentor Commentary is unavailable, but you can change that!

Tiberius Rata, an Old Testament scholar, considers the narrative of the restoration of the Jewish people to its homeland. At the center of these two books of Ezra and Nehemiah are the decrees of two Persian kings, Cyrus and Artaxerxes. We discover a God who is in control of history and the hearts of his people. Yahweh can even work through the lives of secular kings.

in verses 1 and 32 forms an indirect inclusio, pointing to the completion of the project that started and ended at the very important Sheep Gate. It shows the right priorities of the workers, beginning and ending with the gate most closely associated with temple worship. “God is our number one priority,” the workers say without using words. Chapter three displays and emphasizes unity in diversity. Even though the workers come from different locations, different levels of education and different professions,
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