The Book of Nehemiah in the Hebrew Bible, largely takes the form of a first-person memoir by Nehemiah, a Jew who is a high official at the Persian court, concerning the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile and the dedication of the city and its people to God's laws (Torah).
Building the Wall of Jerusalem
Septuagint version of Nehemiah
Nehemiah is the central figure of the Book of Nehemiah, which describes his work in rebuilding Jerusalem during the Second Temple period. He was governor of Persian Judea under Artaxerxes I of Persia.
Greek icon
Nehemiah rebuilding Jerusalem, illustration by Adolf Hult, 1919
The Rebuilding of Jerusalem
Gustave Doré, Nehemiah Views the Ruins of Jerusalem's Walls, 1866