CHAPTER III.

The names and order of them that builded the wall. THEN Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the priests, and they builded the sheep gate; they sanctified it, and set up the doors of it; even unto the tower of Meah they sanctified it, unto the tower of 'Hananeel.

2 And 'next unto him builded the men of Jericho. And next to them builded Zaccur the son of Imri.

3 But the fish gate did the sons of Hassenaah build, who also laid the beams thereof, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof.

4 And next unto them repaired Meremoth the son of Urijah, the son of Koz. And next unto them repaired Meshullam the son of Berechiah, the son of Meshezabeel. And next unto them repaired Zadok the son of Baana.

5 And next unto them the Tekoites repaired; but their nobles put not their necks to the work of their Lord.

6 Moreover the old gate repaired Jehoiada the son of Paseah, and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah; they laid the beams thereof, and set up the doors thereof, and the locks thereof, and the bars thereof.

7 And next unto them repaired Melatiah the Gibeonite, and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon, and of Mizpah, unto the throne of the governor on this side the river.

8 Next unto him repaired Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, of the goldsmiths. Next unto him also repaired Hananiah the son of one of the apothecaries, and they 'fortified Jerusalem unto the broad wall.

9 And next unto them repaired Rephaiah the son of Hur, the ruler of the half part of

Jerusalem.

10 And next unto them repaired Jedaiah the son of Harumaph, even over against his house. And next unto him repaired Hattush the son of Hashabniah.

11 Malchijah the son of Harim, and Hashub the son of Pahath-moab, repaired the 'other piece, and the tower of the furnaces.

12 And next unto him repaired Shallum the son of Halohesh, the ruler of the half part of Jerusalem, he and his daughters.

13 The valley gate repaired Hanun, and the inhabitants of Zanoah; they built it,

and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof, and a thousand cubits on the wall unto the dung gate.

14 But the dung gate repaired Malchiah the son of Rechab, the ruler of part of Bethhaccerem; he built it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof.

15 But the gate of the fountain repaired Shallun the son of Col-hozeh, the ruler of part of Mizpah; he built it, and covered it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof, and the wall of the pool of 'Siloah by the king's garden, and unto the stairs that go down from the city of David.

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

17 And after him repaired the Levites, Rehum the son of Bani. Next unto him repaired Hashabiah, the ruler of the half part of Keilah, in his part.

18 After him repaired their brethren, Bavai the son of Henadad, the ruler of the half part of Keilah.

19 And next to him repaired Ezer the son of Jeshua, the ruler of Mizpah, another piece over against the going up to the armoury at the turning of the wall.

20 After him Baruch the son of "Zabbai earnestly repaired the other piece, from the turning of the wall unto the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest.

21 After him repaired Meremoth the son of Urijah the son of Koz another piece, from the door of the house of Eliashib even to the end of the house of Eliashib.

22 And after him repaired the priests, the men of the plain.

23 After him repaired Benjamin and Hashub over against their house. After him repaired Azariah the son of Maaseiah the son of Ananiah by his house.

24 After him repaired Binnui the son of Henadad another piece, from the house of Azariah unto the turning of the wall, even unto the corner.

25 Palal the son of Uzai, over against the turning of the wall, and the tower which lieth out from the king's high house, that was by the court of the prison. After him Pedaiah the son of Parosh.

Jer, 31, 38. 2 Heb. at his hand. Or, left Jerusalem unto the broad wall, 4 Heb, second measure. 5 John 9.7.
7 Or, Zaccai.
8 Jer, 32, 2.

62 Kings 20. 20.

26 Moreover the Nethinims dwelt in 10Ophel, unto the place over against the water gate toward the east, and the tower that lieth out.

27 After them the Tekoites repaired another piece, over against the great tower that lieth out, even unto the wall of Ophel.

28 From above the horse gate repaired the priests, every one over against his house. 29 After them repaired Zadok the son of Immer over against his house. After him repaired also Shemaiah the son of Shechaniah, the keeper of the east gate.

92 Chron. 27. 3.

30 After him repaired Hananiah the son of Shelemiah, and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph, another piece. After him repaired Meshullam the son of Berechiah over against his chamber.

31 After him repaired Malchiah the goldsmith's son unto the place of the Nethinims, and of the merchants, over against the gate Miphkad, and to the "going up of the

corner.

32 And between the going up of the corner unto the sheep gate repaired the goldsmiths and the merchants.

CHAP. III.-This chapter is full of particulars concerning the wall and its gates and towers. The examination of every separate detail would not much interest the general reader, and would also occupy much room. We shall therefore merely state a few explanatory particulars where they seem most required, reserving some notice of the more important details for those passages, in the present or future books, where they recur in such historical connection as will render more interesting the statements we may then offer. With respect to walls and towers generally, we may refer the reader to the observations in the note to 2 Chron. xxxii. As a further appendage to the remarks there made, and as a very suitable illustration to the present chapter, we here introduce the very ancient figures of the walls and towers of fortified towns, as represented on silver coins found at Babylon, and which have already been mentioned in the note to which we have referred. Speaking of the representation on the larger coin, Sir R. K. Porter observes, "It may be considered a very ancient portrait of an ancient city, and perhaps of Babylon itself."

Verse 1. "The sheep gate."-We copy from Horne (Introduction,' vol. iii. p. 20.) the following brief enumeration and arrangement of the gates mentioned in Nehemiah. It will serve as a general analysis, without precluding the introduction, hereafter, of other particulars concerning such of the gates as are of historical interest.

"In the account of the rebuilding of the wall under the direction of Nehemiah, ten gates are distinctly enumerated, namely, three on the south, four on the east, and three on the western side of the wall. The three gates on the SOUTH SIDE were, 1. The Sheep Gate (v. 1), which was probably so called from the victims intended for sacrifice, being conducted through it to the Temple. Near this gate stood the towers of Meah and Hananeel. The pool of Bethesda was at no great distance from this gate, which was also called the Gate of Benjamin.-2. The Fish Gate (v. 3.; xii. 39) which was also called the First Gate.-3. The Old Gate, also called the Corner Gate (v. 6; xii. 39; 2 Kings xiv. 13; Jer. xxxi. 38).

"The gates on the EASTERN SIDE were, 1. The Water Gate (v. 26), near which the waters of Etam passed, after having been used in the Temple service, in their way to the brook Kedron, into which they discharged themselves.2. The Horse Gate (v. 11; Jer. xxxi. 40), supposed to be so called because horses went through it in their way to be watered.-3. The Prison Gate (xii. 39), probably so called from its vicinity to the prison.-4. The gate Miphkad (v. 31). "The gates on the WESTERN SIDE were, 1. The Valley Gate (v. 13), also termed the Gate of Ephraim, above which stood the Tower of Furnaces (v. 11; xii. 38); and near it was the Dragon Well (ii. 13), which may have derived its name from the representation of a dragon, out of whose mouth the stream issued that flowed from the well.-2. The Dung Gate (v. 13), which is supposed to have derived its name from the filth of the beasts that were sacrificed, being carried from the Temple through this gate.-3. The Gate of the Fountain (v. 15) had its name either from its proximity to the fountain of Gihon, or to the spot where the pool of Siloam took its rise. We have no account of any gates being erected on the NORTHERN side."-We need scarcely add that the situation of some of the gates, as mentioned in the above extract, and most of the explanations of the names, are very uncertain.

6. "The locks...and the bars."-The publication of Mr. Lane's Account of the Modern Egyptians,' affords us an opportunity of introducing a representation of the very simple and primitive kind of wooden lock, which maintains its ground in Egypt and other parts of the East. We give Mr. Lane's description:-"Every door is furnished with a wooden lock, called a dubbeh: the mechanism of which is shown by the sketch here inserted. No. 1 in this sketch is a front view of the lock, with the bolt drawn back; Nos. 2, 3, and 4, are back views of the separate parts and the key. A number of small iron pins (four, five, or more) drop into corresponding holes in the sliding bolt, as soon as the latter is pushed into the hole or staple of the door-post. The key, also, has small pins, made to correspond with the holes, into which they are introduced to open the lock: the former pins being thus pushed up, the bolt may be drawn back. The wooden lock of a street door is commonly about fourteen inches long (this is the measure of the sliding-bolt): those of the doors of apartments, cupboards, &c. are about seven, or eight, or nine inches. The locks of the gates of quarters (of towns), public buildings, &c. are of the same kind, and mostly two feet, or even more, in length. It is not 425

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difficult to pick this kind of lock." Locks of this sort are common throughout Western Asia: and where greater security than they afford is desired, strong wooden bars are used in addition. The two together probably answer to the "locks and bars" of the text.

that we returned all of us to the wall, every one unto his work.

16 And it came to pass from that time forth, that the half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the habergeons; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah.

17 They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon.

18 For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so builded. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me. 19 ¶ And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The

7 Heb, on his loins.

work is great and large, and we are separated upon the wall, one far from another.

20 In what place therefore ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither unto us: our God shall fight for us.

21 So we laboured in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared.

22 Likewise at the same time said I unto the people, Let every one with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and labour on the day.

23 Šo neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard which followed me, none of us put off our clothes, saving that every one put them off for washing.

8 Cr, every one went w th his weapon for water

Verse 18. "Every one had his sword girded by his side, and so builded."-The writer of the present note, in different parts of Asia, has often had to notice circumstances, of a similar description to those recorded in this and the preceding verses. In countries or districts liable to the visits of, or partly occupied by, Bedouins or Tartars; or where a settled population is divided into adverse clans or tribes; or where the principle of blood revenge is in strong and extensive operation-under all these and other circumstances the cultivators dare not pursue the labours of the field unarmed. We have seen men following the plough with guns slung to their backs and swords by their sides; or else these and other weapons were placed within reach, while they pursued such labours as kept them stationary. Sometimes also, but less frequently, we have observed men, armed with guns, swords, spears, clubs, and bucklers, keeping a watchful guard while their fellows pursued their important labours. It is by such statements as these that we are most forcibly impressed with a sense of the misery and fear of a state of society in which even common safety is regarded as the greatest of temporal blessings.