Nehemiah 1:1

"The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Susa the palace,"

Key Reflection

These opening verses set the stage for Nehemiah's spiritual awakening and divine call while he is far from Jerusalem, in Susa. The specific date—Chislev (November/December) in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes' reign—marks a moment when Nehemiah, away from his homeland, receives a vision or message that compels him to take action to restore and rebuild God's house in Jerusalem.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah -The prophetical books commence generally with a title of this kind (seeJeremiah 1:1); but no other extant historical book begins thus. Nehemiah, while attaching his work to Ezra, perhaps marked in this manner the point at which his own composition commenced. (See the introduction of the Book of Nehemiah.) Chisleu -The ninth month, corresponding to the end of November and beginning of December. In the twentieth year -i. e. of Artaxerxes Longimanus (465-425 B.C.). CompareNehemiah 2:1. Shushan the palace -CompareEsther 1:2,Esther 1:5, etc.;Daniel 8:2. Shushan, or Susa, was the ordinary residence of the Persian kings.

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