#614 Building the Wall

Eliashib the high priest and his fellow priests went to work and rebuilt the Sheep Gate. They dedicated it and set its doors in place, building as far as the Tower of the Hundred, which they dedicated, and as far as the Tower of Hananel. 2 The men of Jericho built the adjoining section, and Zakkur son of Imri built next to them.

3 The Fish Gate was rebuilt by the sons of Hassenaah. They laid its beams and put its doors and bolts and bars in place. 4 Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, repaired the next section. Next to him Meshullam son of Berekiah, the son of Meshezabel, made repairs, and next to him Zadok son of Baana also made repairs. 5 The next section was repaired by the men of Tekoa, but their nobles would not put their shoulders to the work under their supervisors.[a]

6 The Jeshanah[b] Gate was repaired by Joiada son of Paseah and Meshullam son of Besodeiah. They laid its beams and put its doors with their bolts and bars in place. 7 Next to them, repairs were made by men from Gibeon and Mizpah—Melatiah of Gibeon and Jadon of Meronoth—places under the authority of the governor of Trans-Euphrates. 8 Uzziel son of Harhaiah, one of the goldsmiths, repaired the next section; and Hananiah, one of the perfume-makers, made repairs next to that. They restored Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall. 9 Rephaiah son of Hur, ruler of a half-district of Jerusalem, repaired the next section. 10 Adjoining this, Jedaiah son of Harumaph made repairs opposite his house, and Hattush son of Hashabneiah made repairs next to him. 11 Malkijah son of Harim and Hasshub son of Pahath-Moab repaired another section and the Tower of the Ovens. 12 Shallum son of Hallohesh, ruler of a half-district of Jerusalem, repaired the next section with the help of his daughters.

13 The Valley Gate was repaired by Hanun and the residents of Zanoah. They rebuilt it and put its doors with their bolts and bars in place. They also repaired a thousand cubits[c] of the wall as far as the Dung Gate.

14 The Dung Gate was repaired by Malkijah son of Rekab, ruler of the district of Beth Hakkerem. He rebuilt it and put its doors with their bolts and bars in place.

15 The Fountain Gate was repaired by Shallun son of Kol-Hozeh, ruler of the district of Mizpah. He rebuilt it, roofing it over and putting its doors and bolts and bars in place. He also repaired the wall of the Pool of Siloam,[d] by the King’s Garden, as far as the steps going down from the City of David. 16 Beyond him, Nehemiah son of Azbuk, ruler of a half-district of Beth Zur, made repairs up to a point opposite the tombs[e] of David, as far as the artificial pool and the House of the Heroes.

17 Next to him, the repairs were made by the Levites under Rehum son of Bani. Beside him, Hashabiah, ruler of half the district of Keilah, carried out repairs for his district. 18 Next to him, the repairs were made by their fellow Levites under Binnui[f] son of Henadad, ruler of the other half-district of Keilah. 19 Next to him, Ezer son of Jeshua, ruler of Mizpah, repaired another section, from a point facing the ascent to the armory as far as the angle of the wall. 20 Next to him, Baruch son of Zabbai zealously repaired another section, from the angle to the entrance of the house of Eliashib the high priest. 21 Next to him, Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, repaired another section, from the entrance of Eliashib’s house to the end of it.

22 The repairs next to him were made by the priests from the surrounding region. 23 Beyond them, Benjamin and Hasshub made repairs in front of their house; and next to them, Azariah son of Maaseiah, the son of Ananiah, made repairs beside his house. 24 Next to him, Binnui son of Henadad repaired another section, from Azariah’s house to the angle and the corner, 25 and Palal son of Uzai worked opposite the angle and the tower projecting from the upper palace near the court of the guard. Next to him, Pedaiah son of Parosh 26 and the temple servants living on the hill of Ophel made repairs up to a point opposite the Water Gate toward the east and the projecting tower.27 Next to them, the men of Tekoa repaired another section, from the great projecting tower to the wall of Ophel.

28 Above the Horse Gate, the priests made repairs, each in front of his own house. 29 Next to them, Zadok son of Immer made repairs opposite his house. Next to him, Shemaiah son of Shekaniah, the guard at the East Gate, made repairs. 30 Next to him, Hananiah son of Shelemiah, and Hanun, the sixth son of Zalaph, repaired another section. Next to them, Meshullam son of Berekiah made repairs opposite his living quarters.31 Next to him, Malkijah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs as far as the house of the temple servants and the merchants, opposite the Inspection Gate, and as far as the room above the corner; 32 and between the room above the corner and the Sheep Gate the goldsmiths and merchants made repairs. Nehemiah 3 NIV

Some time later there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool with five covered colonnades, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda. 3On these walkways lay a great number of the sick, the blind, the lame, and the paralyzed.…John 5:1-3

When I first looked at this passage, I thought perhaps I could attach it to the next, there really didn't seem to be much here. The truth is, you could do a study on each of the gates, on the background of some of the men, places they were from, trail after trail of beautiful country and scenes. The more I study it the more daunting my notes become. I pray that I can pick a column to support the weight of one tiny bridge, that's all, and that the rest will stay in my heart in mind, ready to be stirred up upon the next sturdy pillar of support. 

It is of note, and I think important for sure, that not only the priest, but also the high priest, worked on and dedicated the sheep gate and it's surrounding wall. I have known pastors when I was younger that claimed to have healing hands, preaching hands, this stated as others worked  on their house or after I offered them a job when they needed money. I am fine with pastors being paid, but their work as a leader is by example, and I think it is inspiring to see these men take up the brick and the mortar. Read on if you disagree, I think the text more than supports it. The sheep gate is where the shepherds brought the sacrificial lambs to be sold at the temple market.

O king, Araunah gives all these to the king.” He also said to the king, “May the LORD your God accept you.” 24“No,” replied the king, “I insist on paying a price, for I will not offer to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. 25And there he built an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. Then the LORD answered the prayers on behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel was halted.…2 Samuel 24:23-25

The fish gate is next and props to the men who joined in the work, and especially the men of Tekoa, that while their nobles would not work, they saw that the work was good and right even without their own leadership. I have known many that turn their backs to those who could use assistance, thinking that anything more than standing there was beneath them. I myself am not good with my hands, not like a craftsman, but if he is doing work for me then I want to either pay him well, or if he is doing volunteer work near me, then I should offer up my untrained hands and feet to fetch for him. I can bring water, turn a wrench, mix mortar, carry blocks, keep him at the place where his skill set is most useful. I am not a craftsman but I have assisted many, done research, looked up parts, appropriated funds, flipped burgers for their lunch, leaders are servants or they are not leaders. As we get older and weaker, when we are sick or have need, it is then when we realize how much the simplest things mean, and how much we could have done but chose not to because it was beneath us. The nobles of Tekoa, what a way to be remembered, in the canons of scripture no less, refusing to help your brothers. God forgive me for every time I thought so much of myself. This is also the gate of the fishmongers, bringing to the market that which was taken from the Mediterranean and also Galilee.

“On that day,” declares the Lord,

“a cry will be heard from tthe Fish Gate,

ua wail from vthe Second Quarter,

a loud crash from the hills. Zephaniah 1:10

Jeshanah, also called the old gate, many were mentioned here as coworkers in this great build. It takes many hands and all sorts of labor.

The Valley gate was finished and the wall all the way to the Dung gate. 


And he burned his sons as an offering in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, and used fortune-telling and omens and sorcery, and dealt with mediums and with necromancers. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger. 2 Chronicles 33:6

The Dung gate went to the dump, the place of refuse, also where King Manasseh made sacrifices of children to idols. If we were smart and realized the holiness of God, we would not place our children here, but rather that refuse which He hates. This was also known as the Potsherd gate.

The fountain and the water gates were near the house of David. The men of Tekoa are made mention of again. They finished their earlier work without the help of their nobles and yet found zeal and desire to continue the building elsewhere. Many were commended also for fixing what was next to their houses. This is always the case, that both charity and love start at home. There is an old saying that if each man will just sweep the walk in front of his house, then the whole walk will be clean. There were sons, daughters, priests, goldsmiths, perfumers and Levites, all doing this work to make their city secure, to restore Jerusalem, to take back the control of what comes in and where. God uses very ordinary people to do the most extraordinary things. 

I was cupbearer to the king. Nehemiah 1:11