🏗️WEB · Nehemiah 3:28
What does Nehemiah 3:28 mean?
"Above the horse gate, the priests made repairs, everyone across from his own house."
— Nehemiah 3:28 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
Palal the son of Uzai made repairs opposite the turning of the wall, and the tower that stands out from the upper house of the king, which is by the court of the guard. After him Pedaiah the son of Parosh made repairs.
(Now the temple servants lived in Ophel, to the place over against the water gate toward the east, and the tower that stands out.)
After him the Tekoites repaired another portion, over against the great tower that stands out, and to the wall of Ophel.
Above the horse gate, the priests made repairs, everyone across from his own house.
After them, Zadok the son of Immer made repairs across from his own house. After him, Shemaiah the son of Shecaniah, the keeper of the east gate made repairs.
After him, Hananiah the son of Shelemiah, and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph, repaired another portion. After him, Meshullam the son of Berechiah made repairs across from his room.
After him, Malchijah, one of the goldsmiths to the house of the temple servants, and of the merchants, made repairs opposite the gate of Hammiphkad, and to the ascent of the corner.
Explanation
Nehemiah 3:28 states plainly that the priests took responsibility for repairing a section of Jerusalem's wall located above the Horse Gate, and that each priest worked on the portion directly across from his own house. This is a simple, factual notice embedded in a long list documenting who rebuilt which section of the wall, but its simplicity carries real significance once we understand the setting.
The book of Nehemiah recounts events roughly in the mid-400s BC, after the Jewish exiles had returned from Babylonian captivity. Nehemiah, a Jewish official serving in the Persian court, learned that Jerusalem's walls lay in ruins and its gates burned, leaving the city vulnerable and its people disgraced. He obtained permission from the Persian king to return and lead a rebuilding effort. Chapter 3 is essentially a construction roster, cataloging by name and by family or vocational group who repaired which segment of the wall, moving systematically around the city from gate to gate. The Horse Gate was located near the southeastern part of the city, close to the temple area and the royal palace complex, a location historically associated with royal stables or horse traffic (compare 2 K
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