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Nehemiah 3:16

in Nehemiah 3

Beyond him, Nehemiah son of Azbuk, ruler of a half-district of Beth-zur, made repairs up to a point opposite the tombs of David, as far as the artificial pool and the House of the Mighty.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV

ASV

After him repaired Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, the ruler of half the district of Beth-zur, unto the place over against the sepulchres of David, and unto the pool that was made, and unto the house of the mighty men.

KJV

After him repaired Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, the ruler of the half part of Beth–zur, unto the place over against the sepulchres of David, and to the pool that was made, and unto the house of the mighty.

This verse in Nehemiah 3

Commentary

9 notes on this verse

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

The pool that was made - Calmet supposes that this was the reservoir made by Hezekiah, when besieged by Sennacherib, 2Ch 32:4. The house of the mighty - Probably a place where a band of soldiers was kept, or the city guard.

This site's exposition

Nehemiah the son of Azbuk

on Nehemiah 3:16-27

A second Nehemiah, son of Azbuk, repairs to the place over against the sepulchres of David and the house of the mighty, the roll passing David's tombs and his guard-house in one clause. Through this stretch the record's quiet principle emerges and repeats: men repair over against their own houses, Levites, priests and Nethinims each by their dwelling, responsibility mapped to residence. The Tekoites appear a second time at verse 27, the commoners doubling the portion their nobles refused.

The record, by era

The Medieval Church2 voices

A commentator

Bede

Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah · Written before 735.

proposed

And up to the pool, etc. The pool, indeed, constructed with great effort, can not be unreasonably understood as divine Scripture; which, created by the work of the Holy Spirit, provides for us a washing to cleanse sins, and at the same time offers a …

A commentator

Bede

Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah · Written before 735.

proposed

After him Nehemiah built, etc. Note that King David is buried not in Bethlehem, as some assert, but in Jerusalem; and indeed not without a certain reason of mystery. For just as in Bethlehem he was born and anointed as a king, prefiguring that the …

The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

Yes, though he undertook not any particular piece of the wall, yet he did more than any of them, for he had the oversight of them all; half of his servants worked where there was most need, and the other half stood sentinel, as we find afterwards ( ch. iv.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

They did not think their callings excused them, nor plead that they could not leave their shops to attend the public business, knowing that what they lost would certainly be made up to them by the blessing of God upon their callings. Some ladies are spoken of as helping forward this work-- Shallum and his daughters (

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens

A commentator

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)

proposed

Made - By Hezekiah, 2 Kings xx, 20. Whereby it is distinguished from that pool which was natural. Mighty - Or, of the valiant: which possibly was formerly appointed for the receipt of those chief captains that should attend upon the king in their courses.
2 more voices on this verse

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

After him repaired Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, the ruler of the half part of Bethzur.

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

Beth-zur - Now Beit-sur, on the road from Jerusalem to Hebron Jos 15:58. By “the sepulchres of David” must be understood the burial place in which David and the kings his descendants to the time of Hezekiah were interred. This was an excavation in the rock, in the near vicinity of the temple Eze 43:7-9, and on its western side. The position of the burial-place was well known until the destruction of the city by Titus; but modern research has not yet discovered it. The pool - Probably that made by Hezekiah in the Tyropoeon valley, west of the temple area (marginal reference).

How the passage was read

What the Jewish commentators add

On the verses either side of this one

the ruler of the district of Mizpah the prince and duke of Mizpah.
Rashi: France, 1040–1105 · Rashi on Nehemiah 3:15:1, via Sefaria, The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg

This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.

Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 2 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.

The words behind it

20 Hebrew words

Every Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

  • אַחֲרָ֤יוafter him

    ʾacharavH310715 times

  • הֶחֱזִיק֙he repaired

    hechezikH2388291 times

  • נְחֶמְיָ֣הNehemiah

    nechemyahH51668 times

  • בֶן־[the] son of

    ven-H11214930 times

  • עַזְבּ֔וּקAzbuk

    ʾazbukH5802

  • שַׂ֕ר[the] official of

    sarH8269421 times

  • חֲצִ֖י<the> half of

    chatziH2677125 times

  • פֶּ֣לֶךְ[the] district of

    pelekhH641810 times

  • בֵּֽית־Beth

    beit-H1049

  • צ֑וּרZur

    tzurH1049

  • עַד־to

    ʾad-H57041261 times

  • נֶ֙גֶד֙before

    negedH5048151 times

  • קִבְרֵ֣י[the] tombs of

    kivreiH691367 times

  • דָוִ֔ידDavid

    davidH1732999 times

  • וְעַד־and to

    vead-H57041261 times

  • הַבְּרֵכָה֙the pool

    haberekhahH129517 times

  • הָעֲשׂוּיָ֔ה<the> made

    haasuyahH62132628 times

  • וְעַ֖דand to

    veadH57041261 times

  • בֵּ֥ית[the] house of

    beitH10042046 times

  • הַגִּבֹּרִֽים׃ סthe mighty [men]

    hagiborimH1368158 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

The walk

8 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    Acts 2:29

    Brothers, I can tell you with confidence that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.

    it leads to

    • Acts 13:36

      For when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep. His body was buried with his fathers and saw decay.

    • Acts 7:8–9

      Then God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision, and Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day. And Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve…

    • 1 Kings 2:10

      Then David rested with his fathers and was buried in the City of David.

    • Hebrews 7:4

      Consider how great Melchizedek was: Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder.

  • Through

    Nehemiah 3:12

    And next to them, Shallum son of Hallohesh, ruler of the other half-district of Jerusalem, made repairs, with the help of his daughters.

    it leads to

    • Nehemiah 3:9

      Next to them, Rephaiah son of Hur, ruler of a half-district of Jerusalem, made repairs;

      Reached by 2 separate paths from here.

  • Through

    Nehemiah 3:14

    The Dung Gate was repaired by Malchijah son of Rechab, ruler of the district of Beth-haccherem. He rebuilt it and installed its doors, bolts, and bars.

    it leads to

    • Jeremiah 6:1

      “Run for cover, O sons of Benjamin; flee from Jerusalem! Sound the ram’s horn in Tekoa; send up a signal over Beth-haccherem, for disaster looms from the north, even great destruction.

  • Through

    2 Kings 20:20

    As for the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, along with all his might and how he constructed the pool and the tunnel to bring water into the city, are they not written in…

    it leads to

    • 2 Chronicles 32:32

      As for the rest of the acts of Hezekiah and his deeds of loving devotion, they are indeed written in the vision of the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz in the Book of the…

    • 2 Chronicles 32:4

      Many people assembled and stopped up all the springs and the stream that flowed through the land. “Why should the kings of Assyria come and find plenty of water?” they said.

Where this verse is studied

On this page

About Nehemiah

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Bede, Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and W. F. Adeney, Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther (Expositor's Bible).