Nehemiah 3:9
in Nehemiah 3Next to them, Rephaiah son of Hur, ruler of a half-district of Jerusalem, made repairs;
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And next unto them repaired Rephaiah the son of Hur, the ruler of half the district of Jerusalem.
KJV
And next unto them repaired Rephaiah the son of Hur, the ruler of the half part of Jerusalem.
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This verse in Nehemiah 3
Commentary
5 notes on this verseRuler of the half part of Jerusalem - Probably the city was divided into two parts; one for Judah, and the other for Benjamin, each having its proper governor. Rephaiah mentioned here was one of these governors, and Shallum, mentioned Neh 3:12, was the other. There were other rulers or governors of particular country or village districts.
This site's exposition
the old gate
on Nehemiah 3:6-12
The builders are not builders: a goldsmith and an apothecary repair at verse 8, rulers of half-parts of towns take their sections, and at verse 12 Shallum repairs, HE AND HIS DAUGHTERS, women named into the wall's record. Perfumers and jewelers doing masonry is the chapter's picture of a city where the work outranked the trade. Every fortifying of Jerusalem in this roll is done by amateurs whose names were kept.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
Half part - As Rome was anciently divided into several quarters or regions, so was Jerusalem; and especially into two parts, whereof one was in the tribe of Benjamin, and nearest the temple, the other in the tribe of Judah, these accordingly had two several rulers, this man and the other, ver. 12, but both under the chief governor of the city.
quarantine:anchor (2026-07-29) — cites-ver-12-anchored-9-9
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
And next unto them repaired Rephaiah, the son of Hur, the ruler of the half part of Jerusalem. That city belonging partly to the tribe of Judah, and partly to the tribe of Benjamin; one part of it was under a governor that was of the tribe of Judah, as this man seems to be; and the other part under one of the tribe of Benjamin; see Neh 3:12.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
and opposite his house his lot fell to build, for his house was near that place of the wall of the city.
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
10 Hebrew wordsEvery 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.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְעַל־ | veal- | and on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| יָדָ֤ם | yadam | hand their | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| הֶחֱזִיק֙ | hechezik | he repaired | H2388 → | 291 times |
| רְפָיָ֣ה | refayah | Rephaiah | H7509 → | |
| בֶן־ | ven- | [the] son of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| ח֔וּר | chur | Hur | H2354 → | |
| שַׂ֕ר | sar | [the] official of | H8269 → | 421 times |
| חֲצִ֖י | chatzi | <the> half of | H2677 → | 125 times |
| פֶּ֥לֶךְ | pelekh | [the] district of | H6418 → | 10 times |
| יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם׃ ס | yerushalim | Jerusalem | H3389 → | 643 times |
וְעַל־and on
veal-H5921 →5755 times
יָדָ֤םhand their
yadamH3027 →1618 times
הֶחֱזִיק֙he repaired
hechezikH2388 →291 times
רְפָיָ֣הRephaiah
refayahH7509 →
בֶן־[the] son of
ven-H1121 →4930 times
ח֔וּרHur
churH2354 →
שַׂ֕ר[the] official of
sarH8269 →421 times
חֲצִ֖י<the> half of
chatziH2677 →125 times
פֶּ֥לֶךְ[the] district of
pelekhH6418 →10 times
יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם׃ סJerusalem
yerushalimH3389 →643 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach 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
Nehemiah 3:17Next to him, the Levites made repairs under Rehum son of Bani, and next to him, Hashabiah, ruler of a half-district of Keilah, made repairs for his district.
it leads to
- Joshua 15:44
Keilah, Achzib, and Mareshah—nine cities, along with their villages.
- 1 Chronicles 23:4
“Of these,” said David, “24,000 are to oversee the work of the house of the LORD, 6,000 are to be officers and judges,
- Nehemiah 3:16
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…
- 1 Samuel 23:1–13
Now it was reported to David, “Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and looting the threshing floors.”
- Joshua 15:44
Through
Nehemiah 3:12And 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
- Philippians 4:3
Yes, and I ask you, my true yokefellow, to help these women who have labored with me for the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in…
- Exodus 35:25
Every skilled woman spun with her hands and brought what she had spun: blue, purple, or scarlet yarn, or fine linen.
- Acts 21:8–9
Leaving the next day, we went on to Caesarea and stayed at the home of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the Seven.
- Nehemiah 3:14–18
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.
- Philippians 4:3
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Nehemiah
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.