And next unto him repaired Shallum, the son of Hallohesh ,.... So called, as Ben Melech says, from his being an enchanter of serpents, or a wise prudent counsellor: the ruler of the half part of Jerusalem ; of the other half; see Nehemiah 3:9 he and his daughters ; who were rich widows or heiresses, and employed men to build at their own expense; he seems to have had no sons. read more
The son of Halohesh - Or, the son of the Enchanter: conjectured to be thus named from having the art to charm serpents. The ruler of the half part - See on Nehemiah 3:9 ; (note). read more
An honourable record. In the preceding chapter the good resolutions of the people are recorded; here, what is more satisfactory, their performances. It is a record of those who united to restore the wall of Jerusalem, and the part which each principal person, or group of persons, took in the work. The account may appear of little interest for us; but it would be of much to the Jews, especially the descendants of those whose names are so honourably recorded, as long as they preserved their... read more
The Church engaged in a work of moral repair. I. THAT THE CHURCH IS ENGAGED IN REPAIRING MORAL RUIN . "And next unto them repaired Meremoth" ( Nehemiah 3:4 ). Jerusalem was once a strong and beautiful city; now it is in ruins. Society has not always been a ruin. Man has not always been a wreck. 1. The desolation was extensive. The entire city was waste; not a wall or gate remained intact. And man's entire intellectual and moral nature is laid waste by sin; he has no... read more
Doing God's work. Under Nehemiah's direction, and inspired with his own earnestness, the children of Israel gave themselves to the good work of encircling the city of God with walls. The account of their building in this chapter reminds us— I. THAT ALL WORK WE DO FOR GOD IS CONSIDERED IMPORTANT AND IS RECORDED BY HIM . We should hardly have expected, judging antecedently, that all these names would have appeared in the sacred Scriptures with the posts... read more
Church work. Notice several points in this record of the labours and the distribution of their work. I. Devotion and effort in the cause of God are worthy of DISTINCTION AND REMEMBRANCE . Names have great power, both among contemporaries and successors. We are stimulated by individual examples. 1. The priests are mentioned first ; and God's ministers should be first and foremost in every good work, especially that which is most closely connected with his house. 2. Not... read more
He and his daughters . It seems to be almost impossible that women were pressed into the service, especially when it was one of so much danger ( Nehemiah 4:13-21 ). By "daughters" we must therefore understand the villages contained in Shallum's district, which is agreeable to the use of the term in Nehemiah 11:25 , Nehemiah 11:27 , Nehemiah 11:28 . read more
Family zeal in good work. "He and his daughters." Some take "daughters" here in the sense which it bears in Nehemiah 11:25 , Nehemiah 11:27 , viz; "villages (regarded as the daughters of the town or district to which they belong), and would read, "it" ( i.e. the half-part, or district, of Jerusalem) "and its villages." If, however, we take the word "daughters" in the sense of women, they present us an instance of a father and his daughters uniting in a good work. Probably the... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Nehemiah 3:1-32
The best way to know how to divide this chapter is to observe how the work was divided among the undertakers, that every one might know what he had to do, and mind it accordingly with a holy emulation, and desire to excel, yet without any contention, animosity, or separate interest. No strife appears among them but which should do most for the public good. Several things are observable in the account here given of the building of the wall about Jerusalem:? I. That Eliashib the high priest,... read more