Nehemiah 3:6

LIST OF THE FOREMEN WHO REPAIRED THE OLD GATE

"And the old gate repaired Joiada the son of Paseah and Meshullum the son of Besodeiah; they laid the beams thereoff and set up the doors thereof, and the bolts thereof, and the bars thereof. And next unto them repaired Melatiah the Gibeonite and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon, and of Mizpah, that appertained to the throne of the governor beyond the River. Next unto him repaired Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, goldsmiths. And next unto them repaired Hananiah one of the perfumers, and they fortified Jerusalem even unto the broad wall. And next unto them repaired Rephaih the son of Hur, the ruler of half the district of Jerusalem. And next unto them repaired Jedaiah the son of Harumaph, over against his house. And next unto him repaired Hattush the son of Hashabneiah. Malchijah the son of Harim, and Hasshub the son of Pahath-moab, repaired another portion, and the tower of the furnaces. And next unto him repaired Shallum the son of Hallohesh, the ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, he and his daughters."

Critics attempting to make this chapter some kind of an interpolation claim that, "It is intent upon underscoring the role of the clergy in the rebuilding of the wall."[4] However, no such intention is evident in this chapter. On the other hand, the focus is not upon the clergy at all, but upon the fact that EVERYBODY engaged in the work. "All classes participated in the project, including priests (Nehemiah 3:1), goldsmiths and perfumers (Nehemiah 3:8), rulers of the city and even women (Nehemiah 3:12), also Levites (Nehemiah 3:17) and merchants (Nehemiah 3:32)."[5] Where is there any emphasis on the clergy in all that?

Not merely the population of Jerusalem engaged in this project, but their fellow-countrymen who lived throughout the area. "These included the men of Jericho (Nehemiah 3:2), the Tekoites (Nehemiah 3:5), the men of Gibeon and Mizpah (Nehemiah 3:7), the inhabitants of Zanoah (Nehemiah 3:13), those who lived in the district of Bethzur (Nehemiah 3:16), those in Keilah (Nehemiah 3:17), and the men of the Plain, the Jordan valley (Nehemiah 3:22)."[6] Again, we must ask, "Where is there any special emphasis upon the clergy in this chapter"?

Another factor that ties this chapter irrevocably to the person of Nehemiah is the frequent mention of the great beams used for the doors of the various gates. Only Nehemiah had the king's permission to bring these, presumably from the forest of Lebanon; and it was therefore the men directly obedient to the orders of Nehemiah who delivered these great timbers to the various locations. The fact of Nehemiah's name not being mentioned in these verses is of no importance whatever.