Reading for December 15th

FORMING THE HOUSE OF GOD In 7.6-13.3: This section drops the first-person style of the "Nehemiah memior" and the concern with the opponent to the rebuilding efforts. Instead, the focus is on the community's concern and corporate commitments. These are presented by means of several large gatherings of the "assembly" of the people interspersed with lengthy lists of the people involved. The culmination is an extended description of the dedication of the city walls and the separation of "Israel" from those of "foriegn descent," thus paralleling the physical separation of the city from the surrounding peoples. Read Nehemiah 7.6-73a. In 7.6-73a: The list of those who returned from Babylon In verse 6: These are the people of the proince: largely repeats the list found in Ezra 2.1-70. Variations between the two lists are minor, but often this list represents a slightly fuller version of the list in Ezra 2. The focus is clearly on the people, and the reduplication of the lists shows the author's concern to focus on the community's efforts. In verse 7: Nehemiah: Notice that this is in the third person, rather than the first-person accounts of the "Nehemiah memior." Comments or Questions..