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And next to him Hananiah, one of the perfumers, made repairs, and they restored Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall.</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/newcom.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /><script type="application/javascript" src="https://scripts.webcontentassessor.com/scripts/8a2459b64f9cac8122fc7f2eac4409c8555fac9383016db59c4c26e3d5b8b157"></script><script src='https://qd.admetricspro.com/js/biblehub/biblehub-layout-loader-revcatch.js'></script><script id='HyDgbd_1s' src='https://prebidads.revcatch.com/ads.js' type='text/javascript' async></script><script>(function(w,d,b,s,i){var cts=d.createElement(s);cts.async=true;cts.id='catchscript'; cts.dataset.appid=i;cts.src='https://app.protectsubrev.com/catch_rp.js?cb='+Math.random(); document.head.appendChild(cts); }) (window,document,'head','script','rc-anksrH');</script></head> <script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-LR4HSKRP2H"></script> <script> window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} gtag('js', new Date()); gtag('config', 'G-LR4HSKRP2H'); </script><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../vmenus/nehemiah/3-8.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="/bmcom/nehemiah/3-8.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="http://biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="http://biblehub.com/commentaries/">Commentaries</a> > Nehemiah 3:8</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../nehemiah/3-7.htm" title="Nehemiah 3:7">◄</a> Nehemiah 3:8 <a href="../nehemiah/3-9.htm" title="Nehemiah 3:9">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="topverse">Next unto him repaired Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, of the goldsmiths. Next unto him also repaired Hananiah the son of <i>one of</i> the apothecaries, and they fortified Jerusalem unto the broad wall.</div><div id="jump">Jump to: <a href="/commentaries/barnes/nehemiah/3.htm" title="Barnes' Notes">Barnes</a> • <a href="/commentaries/benson/nehemiah/3.htm" title="Benson Commentary">Benson</a> • <a href="/commentaries/illustrator/nehemiah/3.htm" title="Biblical Illustrator">BI</a> • <a href="/commentaries/cambridge/nehemiah/3.htm" title="Cambridge Bible">Cambridge</a> • <a href="/commentaries/clarke/nehemiah/3.htm" title="Clarke's Commentary">Clarke</a> • <a href="/commentaries/darby/nehemiah/3.htm" title="Darby's Bible Synopsis">Darby</a> • <a href="/commentaries/ellicott/nehemiah/3.htm" title="Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers">Ellicott</a> • <a href="/commentaries/expositors/nehemiah/3.htm" title="Expositor's Bible">Expositor's</a> • <a href="/commentaries/edt/nehemiah/3.htm" title="Expositor's Dictionary">Exp Dct</a> • <a href="/commentaries/gaebelein/nehemiah/3.htm" title="Gaebelein's Annotated Bible">Gaebelein</a> • <a href="/commentaries/gsb/nehemiah/3.htm" title="Geneva Study Bible">GSB</a> • <a href="/commentaries/gill/nehemiah/3.htm" title="Gill's Bible Exposition">Gill</a> • <a href="/commentaries/gray/nehemiah/3.htm" title="Gray's Concise">Gray</a> • <a href="/commentaries/guzik/nehemiah/3.htm" title="Guzik Bible Commentary">Guzik</a> • <a href="/commentaries/haydock/nehemiah/3.htm" title="Haydock Catholic Bible Commentary">Haydock</a> • <a href="/commentaries/hastings/nehemiah/8-10.htm" title="Hastings Great Texts">Hastings</a> • <a href="/commentaries/homiletics/nehemiah/3.htm" title="Pulpit Homiletics">Homiletics</a> • <a href="/commentaries/jfb/nehemiah/3.htm" title="Jamieson-Fausset-Brown">JFB</a> • <a href="/commentaries/kad/nehemiah/3.htm" title="Keil and Delitzsch OT">KD</a> • <a href="/commentaries/kelly/nehemiah/3.htm" title="Kelly Commentary">Kelly</a> • <a href="/commentaries/king-en/nehemiah/3.htm" title="Kingcomments Bible Studies">King</a> • <a href="/commentaries/lange/nehemiah/3.htm" title="Lange Commentary">Lange</a> • <a href="/commentaries/maclaren/nehemiah/3.htm" title="MacLaren Expositions">MacLaren</a> • <a href="/commentaries/mhc/nehemiah/3.htm" title="Matthew Henry Concise">MHC</a> • <a href="/commentaries/mhcw/nehemiah/3.htm" title="Matthew Henry Full">MHCW</a> • <a href="/commentaries/parker/nehemiah/3.htm" title="The People's Bible by Joseph Parker">Parker</a> • <a href="/commentaries/poole/nehemiah/3.htm" title="Matthew Poole">Poole</a> • <a href="/commentaries/pulpit/nehemiah/3.htm" title="Pulpit Commentary">Pulpit</a> • <a href="/commentaries/sermon/nehemiah/3.htm" title="Sermon Bible">Sermon</a> • <a href="/commentaries/sco/nehemiah/3.htm" title="Scofield Reference Notes">SCO</a> • <a href="/commentaries/ttb/nehemiah/3.htm" title="Through The Bible">TTB</a> • <a href="/commentaries/wes/nehemiah/3.htm" title="Wesley's Notes">WES</a> • <a href="#tsk" title="Treasury of Scripture Knowledge">TSK</a></div><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="comtype">EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)</div><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/nehemiah/3.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(8) <span class= "bld">And they fortified Jerusalem unto the broad wall.</span>—The word translated “fortified” means literally <span class= "ital">left,</span> and this yields a good sense: <span class= "ital">they left Jerusalem</span> untouched as far as a certain portion of the wall extended which needed no restoration. The gate of Ephraim was in this (see <a href="/context/nehemiah/12-38.htm" title="And the other company of them that gave thanks went over against them, and I after them, and the half of the people on the wall, from beyond the tower of the furnaces even to the broad wall;">Nehemiah 12:38-39</a>); and it is significant that nothing is said about the rebuilding of this important gate.<p><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/benson/nehemiah/3.htm">Benson Commentary</a></div><span class="bld"><a href="/nehemiah/3-8.htm" title="Next to him repaired Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, of the goldsmiths. Next to him also repaired Hananiah the son of one of the apothecaries, and they fortified Jerusalem to the broad wall.">Nehemiah 3:8</a></span>. <span class="ital">Next unto him repaired Uzziel; also Hananiah — </span>These were two eminent persons, one among the workers or casters of gold, the other among the perfumers. <span class="ital">They fortified Jerusalem, &c., unto the broad wall</span> — It is not said, <span class="ital">they repaired, </span>but, <span class="ital">they fortified </span>it, either because this part of the wall was less demolished than the other, and therefore they needed not to repair it, but only to make it stronger; or, to note their extraordinary care and diligence, that they would not only repair it, but make it stronger than ever.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="mhc" id="mhc"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/mhc/nehemiah/3.htm">Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary</a></div>3:1-32 The rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. - The work was divided, so that every one might know what he had to do, and mind it, with a desire to excel; yet without contention, or separate interests. No strife appears among them, but which should do most for the public good. Every Israelite should lend a hand toward the building up of Jerusalem. Let not nobles think any thing below them, by which they may advance the good of their country. Even some females helped forward the work. Some repaired over against their houses, and one repaired over against his chamber. When a general good work is to be done, each should apply himself to that part which is within his reach. If every one will sweep before his own door, the street will be clean; if every one will mend one, we shall all be mended. Some that had first done helped their fellows. The walls of Jerusalem, in heaps of rubbish, represent the desperate state of the world around, while the number and malice of those who hindered the building, give some faint idea of the enemies we have to contend with, while executing the work of God. Every one must begin at home; for it is by getting the work of God advanced in our own souls that we shall best contribute to the good of the church of Christ. May the Lord thus stir up the hearts of his people, to lay aside their petty disputes, and to disregard their worldly interests, compared with building the walls of Jerusalem, and defending the cause of truth and godliness against the assaults of avowed enemies.<a name="bar" id="bar"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/barnes/nehemiah/3.htm">Barnes' Notes on the Bible</a></div>Unto the throne ... - The meaning is thought to be "the men of Gibeon and Mizpah, who, though they worked for Nehemiah, were not under his government, but belonged to the jurisdiction of the governor on this side the river." <a name="jfb" id="jfb"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/jfb/nehemiah/3.htm">Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary</a></div>8. they fortified Jerusalem unto the broad wall—or, "double wall," extending from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, four hundred cubits in length, formerly broken down by Joash, king of Israel [2Ch 25:23], but afterwards rebuilt by Uzziah [2Ch 26:9], who made it so strong that the Chaldeans, finding it difficult to demolish, had left it standing.<div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/poole/nehemiah/3.htm">Matthew Poole's Commentary</a></div> It is not said <span class="ital">they repaired</span>, as was said of the rest, but they <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="bld">fortified</span> it, either because this part of the wall was less demolished than the other, and therefore they needed not to repair it, but only to make it stronger by some additions; or to note their extraordinary care and diligence, that they would not only repair it, and restore it to its former state, but make it stronger than ever it was; which also might be fit to be done in that part of the city. Others render it <span class="ital">they left</span>, as this word commonly signifies; and so the meaning is, They omitted the building of that part of the wall, because it remained standing; this being that space of four hundred cubits which was pulled down by Joash king of Israel, and rebuilt by Uzziah, who made it so strong, that the Chaldeans could not pull it down without more trouble than they thought fit to employ about it. But this chapter gives us an account of what they did in the building, not of what they did not, but left as they found it. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="gil" id="gil"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/gill/nehemiah/3.htm">Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible</a></div>Next unto him repaired Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, of the goldsmiths,.... Or Tzorephim, which, according to Jarchi, was the name of a family so called from their trade and business: <p>next unto him also repaired Hananiah the son of one of the apothecaries; or confectioners, which also might be the name of a family so called for the same reason: <p>and they fortified Jerusalem unto the broad wall; which reached from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, which was broken down by Joash, king of Israel, but was rebuilt so strong by Uzziah, king of Judah, that it stood firm to this time; wherefore these men repaired up to it, but left that as they found it; see <a href="http://biblehub.com/2_chronicles/25-23.htm">2 Chronicles 25:23</a>, and were not careful to repair it, it not wanting any repair. <a name="gsb" id="gsb"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/gsb/nehemiah/3.htm">Geneva Study Bible</a></div><span class="cverse2">Next unto him repaired Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, of the goldsmiths. Next unto him also repaired Hananiah the son of one of the apothecaries, and they fortified Jerusalem unto the broad wall.</span></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><div class="comtype">EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)</div><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/cambridge/nehemiah/3.htm">Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges</a></div><span class="bld">8</span>. <span class="ital">Uzziel</span> … of <span class="ital">the goldsmiths</span>] R.V. <span class="bld">Uzziel …, goldsmiths.</span> The R.V. gives the literal rendering. The meaning of course is that a guild or the guild of goldsmiths, who were represented by Uzziel, undertook the next piece of the wall. The wealth of ‘the goldsmiths’ is shown by the large portion undertaken by the members of their ‘guild.’ Cf. <span class="ital"><a href="/context/nehemiah/3-31.htm" title="After him repaired Malchiah the goldsmith's son to the place of the Nethinims, and of the merchants, over against the gate Miphkad, and to the going up of the corner....">Nehemiah 3:31-32</a></span>.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="ital">Next unto him also</span>] R.V. <span class="bld">And next unto him.</span><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="ital">Hananiah the son of</span> one of <span class="ital">the apothecaries</span>] R.V. <span class="bld">Hananiah, one of the apothecaries.</span> Marg. ‘<span class="ital">perfumers</span>’. The R.V. gives the meaning of the Hebrew, which is literally ‘Hananiah, a son of the apothecaries or perfumers.’ This Hananiah, possibly ‘the son of Shelemiah’ mentioned as engaged in restoring another portion of the wall, represented the guild of ‘perfumers.’<span class="p"><br /><br /></span>The word ‘apothecary,’ which appears in the A.V. in <a href="/exodus/30-25.htm" title="And you shall make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the are of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil.">Exodus 30:25</a>; <a href="/exodus/30-35.htm" title="And you shall make it a perfume, a confection after the are of the apothecary, tempered together, pure and holy:">Exodus 30:35</a>; <a href="/exodus/37-29.htm" title="And he made the holy anointing oil, and the pure incense of sweet spices, according to the work of the apothecary.">Exodus 37:29</a>; <a href="/2_chronicles/16-14.htm" title="And they buried him in his own sepulchers, which he had made for himself in the city of David, and laid him in the bed which was filled with sweet odors and divers kinds of spices prepared by the apothecaries' are: and they made a very great burning for him.">2 Chronicles 16:14</a>; <a href="/ecclesiastes/10-1.htm" title="Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking smell: so does a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honor.">Ecclesiastes 10:1</a>, is not used in the sense of a vendor of medicines. The context in each passage shows that a dealer in ointments, spices, and perfumes is intended. The same word in the feminine is rendered ‘confectionaries’ in <a href="/1_samuel/8-13.htm" title="And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers.">1 Samuel 8:13</a>, where the R.V. marg. ‘perfumers’ is to be preferred.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span>This was a most important industry in Eastern countries, combining provision for the comforts of the poor and the luxuries of the rich (<a href="/songs/3-6.htm" title="Who is this that comes out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all powders of the merchant?">Song of Solomon 3:6</a>), with the elaborate arts of embalming the dead.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span>In hot climates the anointing of head or feet with ointment and perfumes was a recognised courtesy offered a distinguished guest (<a href="/luke/7-38.htm" title="And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.">Luke 7:38</a>; <a href="/luke/7-46.htm" title="My head with oil you did not anoint: but this woman has anointed my feet with ointment.">Luke 7:46</a>; <a href="/john/12-3.htm" title="Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment.">John 12:3</a>). Anointing with sweet oil was an act of cleansing or purification (<a href="/ezekiel/16-9.htm" title="Then washed I you with water; yes, I thoroughly washed away your blood from you, and I anointed you with oil.">Ezekiel 16:9</a>; <a href="/ruth/3-3.htm" title="Wash yourself therefore, and anoint you, and put your raiment on you, and get you down to the floor: but make not yourself known to the man, until he shall have done eating and drinking.">Ruth 3:3</a>; <a href="http://apocrypha.org/judith/10-3.htm" title="And pulled off the sackcloth which she had on, and put off the garments of her widowhood, and washed her body all over with water, and anointed herself with precious ointment, and braided the hair of her head, and put on a tire upon it, and put on her garments of gladness, wherewith she was clad during the life of Manasses her husband.">Jdt 10:3</a>). With women cosmetics constituted a considerable part of personal adornment (<a href="/songs/4-10.htm" title="How fair is your love, my sister, my spouse! how much better is your love than wine! and the smell of your ointments than all spices!">Song of Solomon 4:10</a>).<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="ital">and they fortified Jerusalem unto</span> (R.V. <span class="bld">even unto</span>) <span class="ital">the broad wall</span>] R.V. marg. ‘Or, <span class="ital">left</span>’ for ‘fortified,’ giving the usual sense of the Hebrew verb.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span>The LXX. has <span class="greekheb">καὶ κατέλιπον Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἕως τοῦ τείχους τοῦ πλατέος</span>: the Vulgate ‘dimiserunt Ierusalem usque ad murum plateæ latioris.’<span class="p"><br /><br /></span>The difficulty occasioned by the verb has given rise to very different interpretations of the passage:<span class="p"><br /><br /></span>(1) The A.V. following ancient Jewish interpretation renders ‘fortified Jerusalem;’ and it appears to be the case that the word occurs in Talmudic Hebrew with a meaning connected with building operations (Buxtorf, <span class="ital">sub voce</span>, ‘pavimentarunt’). But even if this meaning be accepted, it is not easy to account for the occurrence of the words ‘fortified Jerusalem’ in the middle of a description, the whole of which deals with the fortification of Jerusalem.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span>(2) Accepting the usual rendering ‘left,’ the following explanations have been given:<span class="p"><br /><br /></span>(<span class="ital">a</span>) ‘And they’, i.e. the Babylonian troops, at the destruction of Jerusalem, had left this portion untouched. This translation introduces an imaginary subject, i.e. the Babylonians. It fails to explain the introduction of the reference to Jerusalem. It makes ‘left’ equivalent to ‘left undestroyed.’<span class="p"><br /><br /></span>(<span class="ital">b</span>) The Jews who were engaged upon the work of restoration ‘left untouched’ this portion of the wall, which happened not to require rebuilding. This again gives an arbitrary meaning to the word ‘left,’ and the mention of ‘Jerusalem’ remains unexplained.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span>(<span class="ital">c</span>) They carried on the fortification at some distance from the dwelling-places of Jerusalem. The city wall extended further north than the houses. The builders ‘left the city,’ i.e. the neighbourhood of the houses, in order to complete the circumvallation included in the plan.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span>(<span class="ital">d</span>) ‘And the Jews had abandoned Jerusalem,’ i.e. Jerusalem was at this point not occupied by the Jews returned from the Captivity. The northern limit of the inhabited quarter did not extend so far as it had done in the Monarchy.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span>(<span class="ital">e</span>) It is possible that the builders at this point ‘left’ some portion of Jerusalem <span class="ital">outside</span> their wall. The circumference of the old city was larger than was now needed. In the course of the restoration of the wall the builders abandoned at some point the old outer wall and the uninhabited portion of Jerusalem which it included.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span>The exact meaning lies hid in the topographical allusion, which we cannot hope to understand. It seems most natural, (1) that the subject to the verb ‘left’ should be the builders just previously mentioned; (2) that ‘Jerusalem’ should imply the inhabited city. The solution offered by (<span class="ital">e</span>) seems to be the most probable. The new circumvallation was, as a rule, larger than the old. Here only where the builders went <span class="ital">inside</span> and left the old wall, it is expressly mentioned.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="ital">the broad wall</span>] The broad wall is mentioned again in chap. <a href="/nehemiah/12-38.htm" title="And the other company of them that gave thanks went over against them, and I after them, and the half of the people on the wall, from beyond the tower of the furnaces even to the broad wall;">Nehemiah 12:38</a> as between ‘the tower of the furnaces’ and ‘the gate of Ephraim.’ The name was probably given to a portion of the wall where the thickness and strength of the structure indicated the strategic importance of this point in the fortifications. It is possible that this was the portion of 400 cubits which Amaziah pulled down (see <a href="/2_kings/14-13.htm" title="And Jehoash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Bethshemesh, and came to Jerusalem, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, four hundred cubits.">2 Kings 14:13</a>; <a href="/2_chronicles/25-23.htm" title="And Joash the king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, at Bethshemesh, and brought him to Jerusalem, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, four hundred cubits.">2 Chronicles 25:23</a>) with the view of rendering Jerusalem defenceless on the N., and that this was the portion which Hezekiah took pains to strengthen and renew (<a href="/2_chronicles/32-5.htm" title="Also he strengthened himself, and built up all the wall that was broken, and raised it up to the towers, and another wall without, and repaired Millo in the city of David, and made darts and shields in abundance.">2 Chronicles 32:5</a>).<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="pul" id="pul"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/nehemiah/3.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 8.</span>- <span class="cmt_word">Hananiah the son of one of the apothecaries</span>. Or "the son of Harak-kashim." <span class="cmt_word">They fortified Jerusalem unto the broad wall.</span> The Septuagint has <span class="greek">κατέ&#x3Nehemiah 3:8<a name="kad" id="kad"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/kad/nehemiah/3.htm">Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament</a></div>Next to him repaired Uzziel the son of Harhaiah of the goldsmiths, and next to him repaired Hananiah, a son of the apothecaries. צורפים is in explanatory apposition to the name Uzziel, and the plural is used to denote that his fellow-artisans worked with him under his direction. Hananiah is called בּן־הרקּחים, son of the apothecaries, i.e., belonging to the guild of apothecaries. The obscure words, וגו ויּעזבוּ, "and they left Jerusalem unto the broad wall," have been variously interpreted. From <a href="http://biblehub.com/nehemiah/12-38.htm">Nehemiah 12:38</a>, where the broad wall is also mentioned, it appears that a length of wall between the tower of the furnaces and the gate of Ephraim was thus named, and not merely a place in the wall distinguished for its breadth, either because it stood out or formed a corner, as Bertheau supposes; for the reason adduced for this opinion, viz., that it is not said that the procession went along the broad wall, depends upon a mistaken interpretation of the passage cited. The expression "the broad wall" denotes a further length of wall; and as this lay, according to <a href="http://biblehub.com/nehemiah/12-38.htm">Nehemiah 12:38</a>, west of the gate of Ephraim, the conjecture forces itself upon us, that the broad wall was that 400 cubits of the wall of Jerusalem, broken down by the Israelite king Joash, from the gate of Ephraim unto the corner gate (<a href="/2_kings/14-13.htm">2 Kings 14:13</a>), and afterwards rebuilt by Uzziel of a greater breadth, and consequently of increased strength (Joseph. Antiq. ix. 10. 3). Now the gate of Ephraim not being mentioned among the rebuilt gates, and this gate nevertheless existing (according to <a href="/nehemiah/8-16.htm">Nehemiah 8:16</a>) in the days of Nehemiah, the reason of this omission must be the circumstance that it was left standing when the wall of Jerusalem was destroyed. The remark, then, in this verse seems to say the same concerning the broad wall, whether we understand it to mean: the builders left Jerusalem untouched as far as the broad wall, because this place as well as the adjoining gate of Ephraim needed no restoration; or: the Chaldeans had here left Jerusalem, i.e., either the town or town-wall, standing. So Hupfeld in his above-cited work, p. 231; Arnold; and even older expositors.<p>(Note: Bertheau's interpretation of this statement, viz., that at the rebuilding and re-fortification of the town after the captivity, the part of the town extending to the broad wall was left, i.e., was not rebuilt, but delayed for the present, answers neither to the verbal sense of the passage nor to the particular mentioned <a href="http://biblehub.com/nehemiah/12-38.htm">Nehemiah 12:38</a>, that at the dedication of the wall the second company of them that gave thanks went upon the wall from beyond the tower of the furnaces even unto the broad wall, and over from beyond the gate of Ephraim, etc. Haneberg (in Reusch's theol. Literaturbl. 1869, No. 12) supports this view, but understands by "the broad wall" the wall which had a broad circuit, i.e., the wall previous to the captivity, and hence infers that the Jerusalem now rebuilt was not equal in extent to the old city. But if a portion of the former city had here been left outside the new wall, the gate of Ephraim would have been displaced, and must have been rebuilt elsewhere in a position to the south of the old gate. Still less can the attempt of the elder Buxtorf (Lexic. talm. rabb. s. v. עזב), now revived by Ewald (Gesch. iv. p. 174), to force upon the word עזב the meaning restaurare, or fortify, be justified.)<div class="vheading2">Links</div><a href="/interlinear/nehemiah/3-8.htm">Nehemiah 3:8 Interlinear</a><br /><a href="/texts/nehemiah/3-8.htm">Nehemiah 3:8 Parallel Texts</a><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/niv/nehemiah/3-8.htm">Nehemiah 3:8 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/nehemiah/3-8.htm">Nehemiah 3:8 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/nehemiah/3-8.htm">Nehemiah 3:8 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/nehemiah/3-8.htm">Nehemiah 3:8 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/nehemiah/3-8.htm">Nehemiah 3:8 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="http://bibleapps.com/nehemiah/3-8.htm">Nehemiah 3:8 Bible Apps</a><br /><a href="/nehemiah/3-8.htm">Nehemiah 3:8 Parallel</a><br /><a href="http://bibliaparalela.com/nehemiah/3-8.htm">Nehemiah 3:8 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="http://holybible.com.cn/nehemiah/3-8.htm">Nehemiah 3:8 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="http://saintebible.com/nehemiah/3-8.htm">Nehemiah 3:8 French Bible</a><br /><a href="http://bibeltext.com/nehemiah/3-8.htm">Nehemiah 3:8 German Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/">Bible Hub</a><br /></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td align="center"><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script><br /><br /> </div> <div id="left"><a href="../nehemiah/3-7.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Nehemiah 3:7"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Nehemiah 3:7" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="../nehemiah/3-9.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Nehemiah 3:9"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Nehemiah 3:9" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div> <div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>