1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Nehemiah

NEHEMIAH (Heb. for “Yah[weh] comforts”), governor of Judaea under Artaxerxes (apparently A. Longimanus, 465–424 B.C.). The book of Nehemiah is really part of the same work with the book of Ezra, though it embodies certain memoirs of Nehemiah in which he writes in the first person. Apart from what is related in this book we possess little information about Nehemiah. The hymn of praise by Ben Sira (Ecclesiasticus xlix. 13) extols his fame for rebuilding the desolate city of Jerusalem and for raising up fresh homes for the downtrodden people. According to other traditions he restored the temple-service and founded a collection of historical documents (2 Macc. i. 18-36, ii. 13). See further Ezra and Nehemiah (Books), Jews: History §§ 21 seq.