the Arabian (see Neh. 6:1 for example). It appears that a certain Jewish group, centered around the Jerusalem temple, saw in the practice of mingling with other peoples a dangerous way of life that threatened to lead to more trouble in the future. They pledged instead to keep the covenantal law that had been revealed to Moses, including its separatist demands, and thus to insure the deity’s good will toward them. With Nehemiah the curtain closes on the historical stage in Judah, at least for all