sary to send  him again in the character of a governor,
and which was still within the same year, as follows:
from the 2Oth year, even unto the 32d year of Arta-
xerxes, that is, l2 years; see ch. xiii. 6. I and my bre-
thren have not eaten the bread of the governor; which
was fit and proper for him, and used to be given him;
neither he, nor those that assisted him in the govern-
ment, the principal men he brought along with him,
and put into posts and places under him.
Vet. 15. But the former governors, that had been be-
fore me, were chargeable to the people, &c.] Between
him and Zerubbabel, for Ezra was no governor; ac-
.cording to the Jewish chronology {m}, when Ezra came
to Jerusalem, Zerubbabel returned to Babylon, and
there died, and his son Methullam was in his stead,
and after him succeeded Hananiah his son: and had
talcen of them bread and wine, besides 40 shekels of sil-
ver; which amounted to between four and five pounds,
and this they had every day: yea, even their servants
bare rule over the people; required a salary, or at least
perquisites of them, which the governors connived at:
but so did not I, because of the fear of God; neither
took any thing himself of the people, nor suffered his
servants; because the fear of God was upon his heart,
and before. his eyes, and therefore could not allow
himself to oppress the poor.
Ver. 16. Yea, also I continued in the worlc of tMs
wall, &c.] Of building the wall of Jerusalem; here
he gave his constant attendance to direct and encou-
rage the workmen, and see that they kept to their
work, and did it well: neither bought we any land;
neither he nor the principal men with. him, though
they could have bought it cheap, but they chose not
to take the advantage of the poverty of the people:
and all my servants were gathered thither unto the work:

all were employed in it, taking no wages for their
work, being maintained at his expense.
Ver. 17. Moreover, there were at my table 150 o.f
the Jews and rulers, &c.] Every day at his own cost,
which must be considerable to provide for such a
number, and of such rank: besides those that came
unto us from among the Heathen that are about us;
who were proselytes, and came thither to worship,
or on a civil account, to give intelligence, and take
directions.
Ver. 18. Now that which was prepared for me daily
was one ox and six choice sheep, &c.] Or fat ones;
of beef and mutton a considerable quantity, abundantly
sufficient for his guests and servants, and shews what
a good table he kept: alsofowls were prepared for me ;
what number is not said: and once in ten days store of
all sorts of wine; the country afforded; that is, either
once in ten days his stock of wine was renewed,
or a more liberal entertainment was made, a banquet
of wine, Esth. v. 6. yet for all this required not 1 the
bread of the governor; the salary that used to be given
him, but did this at his own expense, out of his own
estate in Judea; or what he had got by his office as
cupbearer to the king of Persia, the salary of which
perhaps was continued: because the bondage was heavy
upon the people; the tribute of the king of Persia, and
their labour and expense in building the walls of the
city.
Ver. 19. Think upon me, my God, for good, accord-
ing to all that I have done for this .people.] He ex-
pected not any recompense from the people, but from
the Lord; and from him not in a way of merit, but of
grace and good will, who forgets not what is done for
his name's sake, Heb. vi. 10.

SANBALLAT and his brethren, hearing the wall
was finished, sent to Nehemiah, to have a meeting
with him at a place named, which he refused, yet.
1, 2. then they sent him a terrifying letter, suggesting
that he, and the Jews with him, would be treated as
rebels, since their intention, as reported, was to make
him king, which letter he regarded not, vet. 3--9.
then they employed some that pretended to be pro-
phets to advise him to flee to the temple for safety,
which he rejected, ver. 10--14. and so the work went
on and was finished, though there was a secret cor-
respondence carried on between their enemies and
some false brethren among themselves, ver. 15--19.
Vet. 1. Now it came to pass, when Sanballat and
Tobiah, and Geshem the Arabian, and the rest of our
enemies, heard that I had builded the wall, &c.] Quite
finished it: and that there was no breach left therein;
but all was made up firm and strong: though at that
time I had not set up the doors upon the gates; not upon
all of them, though some might by the particular
builders of them; and they all of them might be
ready made, though not as yet put upon the hinges.

Ver. 2. Then Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me,
&c.] Messengers: saying, come, let us meet together
in some one of the villages; in Ccphirim, which Jarchi
takes to be the name of a place, perhaps the same with
Cephirah, a city in the tribe of Benjamin, Josh. xviii.
26. in the plain of Ono ; which was m the same tribe,
see 1 Chron. viii. 12. they might pretend a friendly
meeting, to accommodate differences between them,
or to converse together about the general interest of
the king of Persia in those parts: but they thought to
do me mischief; to kill him, or at least to confine him;
this he either conjectured from their general character
and behaviour, or he had intelligence of their design.
Ver. 3. And I sent messengers unto them, &c.] He
did not shew any open contempt of them, nor did he
even return answer by the messenger that came from
them, but sent some of his own people to them: say-
ing, I am doing a great work; was about an affair of
great importance, very busy, and not at leisure to give
them a meeting: so that I cannot come down; Jeru-
salem being built on an eminence, and the place pro-
posed to meet at in a plain, go;,ng thither is expressed

{m} Seder Olam Zuta, p. 108, lo9.