Nehemiah, originally combined with Ezra to form a single book in the Hebrew canon. In the Septuagint, Ezra and Nehemiah are combined as Second Esdras. The book narrates the return to Jerusalem of Nehemiah, the cup-bearer of Persian King Artaxerxes I, as governor of the city-state. In the first period of Nehemiah's governorship (445–433 BC) as related in the book, Jerusalem's walls were rebuilt. There follows an account of the census taking during the earlier era of Zerubbabel in c.520 BC The work continues with the return of Ezra in 458 BC; the reading of the Jewish law; the national confession of sin; a return to Nehemiah's first governorship; and a brief account of his second term, which began sometime after 433 BC

See Ezra for bibliography.

Nehemiah. Governor of Judah after the Babylonian exile. Nehemiah restored the walls of Jerusalem and established order within the community. In the aggadah he is identified with Zerubbabel. See also EZRA.

Nehemiah (5th century bc) a Hebrew leader who supervised the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem (c.444) and introduced moral and religious reforms (c.432). His work was continued by Ezra.

Nehemiah (nē´əmī´ə), in the Bible. 1 Central figure of the Book of Nehemiah: see Ezra. 2 One who returned from the Exile. 3 Worker on the wall.

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