Nehemiah 3:13-16 sits inside this longer paragraph.
13Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah repaired the valley gate. They built it, and set up its doors, its bolts, and its bars, and one thousand cubits of the wall to the dung gate.
14Malchijah the son of Rechab, the ruler of the district of Beth Haccherem repaired the dung gate. He built it, and set up its doors, its bolts, and its bars.
15Shallun the son of Colhozeh, the ruler of the district of Mizpah repaired the spring gate. He built it, and covered it, and set up its doors, its bolts, and its bars, and the wall of the pool of Shelah by the king’s garden, even to the stairs that go down from David’s city. 16After him, Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, the ruler of half the district of Beth Zur, made repairs to the place opposite the tombs of David, and to the pool that was made, and to the house of the mighty men. 17After him, the Levites, Rehum the son of Bani made repairs. Next to him, Hashabiah, the ruler of half the district of Keilah, made repairs for his district. 18After him, their brothers, Bavvai the son of Henadad, the ruler of half the district of Keilah made repairs. 19Next to him, Ezer the son of Jeshua, the ruler of Mizpah, repaired another portion, across from the ascent to the armory at the turning of the wall. 20After him, Baruch the son of Zabbai earnestly repaired another portion, from the turning of the wall to the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest. 21After him, Meremoth the son of Uriah the son of Hakkoz repaired another portion, from the door of the house of Eliashib even to the end of the house of Eliashib. 22After him, the priests, the men of the Plain made repairs. 23After them, Benjamin and Hasshub made repairs across from their house. After them, Azariah the son of Maaseiah the son of Ananiah made repairs beside his own house. 24After him, Binnui the son of Henadad repaired another portion, from the house of Azariah to the turning of the wall, and to the corner. 25Palal the son of Uzai made repairs opposite the turning of the wall, and the tower that stands out from the upper house of the king, which is by the court of the guard. After him Pedaiah the son of Parosh made repairs. 26(Now the temple servants lived in Ophel, to the place opposite the water gate toward the east, and the tower that stands out.) 27After him the Tekoites repaired another portion, opposite the great tower that stands out, and to the wall of Ophel.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On v15 Or, Shoa.
Or, Shoa.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv13–16 Neh 3:13 The valley gate repaired Hanun, and the…
Neh 3:13 The valley gate repaired Hanun, and the inhabitants of Zanoah; they built it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof, and a thousand cubits on the wall unto the dung gate.
Ver. 13. The valley gate] See Neh 2:13.
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And the inhabitants of Zanoah] Together with Hanun, their governor. Not priests and Levites only, but the great men in every country, yea, and the country people too, must work at God’s building. Every one must be active in his own sphere; not live to himself, but help to bear the burdens of Church and commonwealth, toti natum se credere mundo, as Cato did (Lucan).
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv14–16 Beth-haccerem; a town or territory, the government whereof was…
Beth-haccerem; a town or territory, the government whereof was divided between two persons.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv13–16 But the dung gate repaired Malchiah the son of…
But the dung gate repaired Malchiah the son of Rechab,.... If this was one of the Rechabites, they were forbid to build houses, Jer 35:7 but, perhaps, though they might not build private houses for themselves to dwell in, they might be employed in building walls and fortresses for public security; though it is more probable that this man was not of that family:
the ruler of part of Bethhaccerem; or of the tract of Bethhaccerem, a place between Tekoah and Jerusalem; see Jer 6:1,
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he built it, and set up the doors thereof; &c. as in Neh 3:3.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv14, 16 Beth-haccerem - A town or territory, the government whereof…
Beth-haccerem - A town or territory, the government whereof was divided between two persons.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv13–16 Verse 13. The inhabitants of Zanoah] This was a…
Verse 13. The inhabitants of Zanoah] This was a town in the tribe of Judah. Jos 15:34.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On v14 Neh 3:14-16. Beth-haccerem — A town or territory, the…
Neh 3:14-16. Beth-haccerem — A town or territory, the government whereof was divided between two persons. The wall of the pool of Siloah — That part of the wall which was directly against that pool. After him repaired Nehemiah — One of the same name, but not of the same family, with the writer of this book. Over against the sepulchres of David — The place which David appointed for his own sepulchre, and the sepulchres of his successors, the kings of Israel and Judah. To the pool that was made — To wit, by Hezekiah, (2Ki 20:20,) whereby it was distinguished from that pool, which was natural. And unto the house of the mighty — Or, valiant. The place where the king’s guards were lodged, who were all mighty men, and from this circumstance probably it had its name.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv13, 15, 16 Zanoah lay west of Jerusalem, at the distance of…
Zanoah lay west of Jerusalem, at the distance of about 10 miles (Jos 15:34 note).
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv14–16 Bethacharam, in the tribe of Benjamin, Jeremias vi. 1.
Bethacharam, in the tribe of Benjamin, Jeremias vi. 1.
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv13, 14, 16 the inhabitants of Zanoah--There were two towns so called…
the inhabitants of Zanoah--There were two towns so called in the territory of Judah (Jos 15:34, Jos 15:56).
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv13–16 13. The valley gate — On the west side…
13. The valley gate — On the west side of the city, opening into the valley of Gihon. See note on Neh_2:13.
A thousand cubits — About 1,820 feet, which is the distance from the present tower of Hippicus to the southwestern corner of Zion. The dung gate, so called, no doubt, from being the place where the filth of the city was carried out, must have stood somewhere near the southwestern corner of Zion, and was probably the same as that which Josephus (v, 4, 2) calls the gate of the Essenes.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv13–16 13. The valley gate] See note on Neh_2:13; Neh_2:15.…
13. The valley gate] See note on Neh_2:13; Neh_2:15. This was the main entrance on the western side.
Zanoah] This town, mentioned in Neh_11:30; Jos_15:34, is probably the modern Zanuah, some 13 miles W. of Jerusalem.
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the doors thereof, &c.] See note on Neh_3:3.
and a thousand cubits on the wall unto the dung gate] R.V. of the wall. Some who have thought that this would be too great a distance of wall to be restored by a single section of the community regard the clause as a topographical parenthesis, = ‘There were a thousand cubits between the two gates.’ But if we may suppose little restoration was here needed, no further details would be recorded of this section of the wall. This very reason, however, would enable us to accept the repairing of ‘the thousand cubits’ as the work of ‘Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah.’ Comparatively little work was here needed, and a small party could undertake a long stretch.
The ‘dung gate’ was probably at the S.W. angle of the wall. The wall having passed due S. from the ‘valley gate’ to the ‘dung gate,’ turned thence in an easterly direction.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv13–16 (13) A thousand cubits.—Not so much “built” as “strengthened.”…
(13) A thousand cubits.—Not so much “built” as “strengthened.” This comparatively large space—mentioned in round numbers—had probably suffered less damage, and therefore needed less repairing.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv13–16 The valley gate. A gate in the western wall…
The valley gate. A gate in the western wall (See the comment on Neh_2:13) Zanoah was situated to the west of Jerusalem at the distance of some nine or ten miles. It is mentioned in Jos_15:34 as a city of Judah, but was not a place of much importance. We can scarcely suppose that the inhabitants had as much as a thousand cubits of the wall assigned to them, since that is more than a quarter of a mile, and the entire circuit was under four miles. Bertheau suggests that Nehemiah merely means to note that the distance between the two gates, the Valley and the Dung gate, was a thousand cubits, and that he says nothing of the repairs because no repairs were needed.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On v15 By the kings garden.
Neh_3:15
By the kings garden.
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The kings garden
There are six of these kings gardens to which I shall conduct you, but we shall not have time to tarry in more than one of them. I The garden of paradise, which was situate in the midst of Eden.
II. The garden of Gethsemane..
III. The garden of the burial and the resurrection.
IV. The garden of the human heart. The heart is meant to be a garden for God. By nature it scarcely deserves the name; it is rather a tangled wilderness of all manner of noisome things. What must be done to this neglected garden? The rough plough of conviction must be dragged through it. The spade of trouble must break up the surface, and smash in pieces the clods, and kill the weeds. Into this prepared soil the Holy Spirit must put in the seeds of faith, and love and hope, and patience and perseverance, and zeal. Then there must be drained out of us much superfluity of naughtiness and excess of carnal confidence, or our heart will be a cold swamp, a worthless plant-killing bog. And in addition to all this, there must be constant hoeing and raking and digging. After a garden is made, the flower-beds are never left long alone; if they were left to themselves they would soon breed weeds again, and return to the old confusion. So with the garden of the heart, cleansing and pruning must be done every day, and God must do it through ourselves, and we must do it through constant examination and repentance.
V. The garden of The Christian Church. Follow me in each word of the text.
1. What is it? A garden. So it is called in the book of Solomons Song. Many thoughts are gathered in that one metaphor like bees in a hive.
(1) It implies separation. I earnestly desire to see the wall of separation between the Church and the world made broader and stronger. Christians should always wear their regimentals as Christs soldiers. They are to go forth without the camp bearing His reproach. Be not conformed to this world.
(2) It is a place of order. You do not, when you go into a garden, find the plants arranged anyhow, but the wise gardener arranges them according to their tints and hues, so that in the midst of summer the garden shall look like a rainbow that has been broken to pieces and let down upon the earth. Let us all try to maintain order in all things as the servants of Christ. We seek not the order which consists in all sleeping in their places, like corpses in the catacombs, but we desire the order which finds all working in their places for the common cause of the Lord Jesus.
(3) A garden is a place of beauty. Such should the Christian Church be. If there be no holiness, no love, no zeal, no prayerfulness outside in the world, yet you should see these things in the Church.
(4) It is a place of growth.
(5) It is a place of retirement. When a man is in his garden, he does not expect to see all his customers walking down between the beds to do business with him. So the Lord Jesus would have us reserve the Church to be a place in which He can manifest Himself to us as He doth not to the world.
2. Whose is it? It is the Kings garden. He chose it for Himself. He bought it. What a nobility this gives to Christs Church?
3. What does it need?
(1) It requires labour. In every Church there should be--
(a) Planters. I had a letter last week from a young woman. She says she has been here for two years, that she has been very anxious about her soul, and she has often wished that somebody would speak to her, but nobody has done so. Somebody has been negligent, very negligent. We want planters who can get the young slips and put them where they will grow.
(b) Some to watch over those who are planted.
(c) Some to collect the straggling.
(d) Some to burn up the rubbish and sweep up the leaves. In the best Church there will always be some falling leaves. Whenever a brother sees any mischief he ought to sweep it up and say nothing about it. Whenever you find that such and such a brother is going a little amiss, talk to him quietly; do not spread it all over the Church and make jealousies and suspicions. Pick up the leaf and destroy it. When a brother member has offended you, so that you feel vexed, forgive him. If every one would seek to make peace, there never could be much accumulation of discord in the Kings garden to annoy Him.
(2) It wants new plants.
(3) It wants rain and sunshine; the dew of the Holy Spirit and the sunshine of the Divine favour.
4. What does it produce? Herein is My Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit.
VI. The garden of the paradise above (Rev_22:1-5). (C. H. Spurgeon.)
The garden of the heart
Very often when I am going through a garden I come to some little bit marked off from the rest by a stick or a row of stones, and some lad or some little maiden comes running up; This is my garden, they say, my very own, to do whatever I like with. Now each of us has a garden, our very own, and yet it ought to be, and must be, the Kings garden. It is the garden of the heart.
I. I should like you to remember that gardens are made out of waste places. We want our heart to be nice and kind, and like a kings garden ought to be; and we look at the brambles and the waste places, and fear sometimes that it never can be made into a garden. I never shall be good, you say; I never shall be like so-and-so. When I was a little boy I learnt drawing, and one day when I had tried again and again, and couldnt do it right, I flung down the pencil and said angrily, I never shall be able to draw. The master was a very and a very wise man. He laughed pleasantly, and said, Come--never is a long time. I couldnt draw any better than you can when I was your age. That put new life into me. He who could draw anything with his pencil, and could make it exactly right with just a touch--to think that once he could not draw any better than I could! I went at it again then, and never felt inclined to give up afterwards. And so with all good people that ever lived--their hearts were wild and waste before they became the Kings garden.
II. Before the king can make a garden he must own the land. Jesus says to us, My son, give Me thine heart. He wants the heart, not because it is a garden, but that He may make a Kings garden of it.
III. It must be cleared and planted. Ah, you say, this is hard work. The weeds will grow so fast when youve pulled them up. But suppose you could get some one to come and change the ground, so that instead of bringing forth weeds it should bring forth flowers and fruits. That is just what we can do. Jesus has come on purpose to create clean hearts.
IV. We have to keep this garden for the king.
1. We must plant it well. The seed is the Word of God.
2. We must water it twice a day, and prayer is the watering.
3. We must watch against enemies.
When I was a boy we used to set little heaps of grains to attract the slugs and snails, and then creep out at night with a lantern and take these mischievous creatures, that otherwise would have spoiled all the fruit and many of the flowers. Take care of these, of habits that spoil all the fruit; of little neglects and forgetfulnesses that ruin the Kings garden. The peach-trees and plum-trees have a matting or net hung in front of them--in winter to keep off the frosts, or in summer to keep off the busy birds. We must be watchful against all things that hurt the Kings garden. We must be on our guard against bad companions, bad books, and bad influences of all kinds, and also of hasty words, thoughtless ways, and little harmful thoughts and feelings.
V. If it be the kings garden the king himself will come to it. Cyrus used to say, I take so much interest in my garden because I have planted every plant, and have sown every seed in it. So it is that Jesus loves His garden. He turned it from a waste into a garden, and has sown the good seed and planted the trees. I have heard of a poor man who lived in a very poor cottage far away from everybody else. One day somebody called to see him and said, My friend, you must be very lonely here. Lonely! he replied, ah, so I might be, but Jesus is such blessed company! He had been walking in the Kings garden with the King, and this made him so happy. (Mark Guy Pearse.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv13, 14, 16 This is the name of a man. (See: How…
Hanun
This is the name of a man. (See: How to Translate Names)
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the inhabitants of Zanoah
"the people from Zanoah"
Zanoah
This is the name of a place. (See: How to Translate Names)
the Valley Gate
"the Gate of the Valley" or "the Gate that Leads to the Valley." Try to translate this expression as a name, not just as a description.
set its doors
"installed its doors" or "put its doors in place"
its bolts, and its bars
"its locks and bars." These locked the gates securely.
They repaired a thousand cubits as far as the Dung Gate
They repaired the portion of the wall between the Valley Gate and the Dung Gate. AT: "They repaired a thousand cubits of the wall, from the Valley Gate to the Dung Gate" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
They repaired a thousand cubits
It is understood that they were repaing the wall of Jerusalem. AT: "They repaired a thousand cubits of the wall" or "They repaired another thousand cubits of the wall beyond the Valley Gate" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
a thousand cubits
"1,000 cubits." This may be written in modern measurements. AT: "460 meters" (See: Biblical Distance and Numbers)
the Dung Gate
Presumably, refuse was removed from the city through this gate. Try to translate this expression as a name, not just as a description.
translationWords
gate
dung
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv13–16 3:13 Zanoah was a village about thirteen miles (21…
3:13 Zanoah was a village about thirteen miles (21 kilometers) southwest of Jerusalem.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.