Nehemiah 1 Footnotes

1:1 Some scholars discredit the historical reliability of the Nehemish text by pointing to alleged dating inaccuracies as evidence that the writer was not an eyewitness of the events described or that he was ignorant of key historical details. However, the author was most certainly a careful historian.

1:7 Some scholars believe that the Pentateuch (Genesis–Deuteronomy) was not written until the postexilic period. The numerous references in the book of Nehemiah to Mosaic authorship of authoritative passages found in the Pentateuch and the intense reverence the people felt toward many of these passages argue for Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch. Some of the pentateuchal passages attributed to Moses in the book of Nehemiah include Dt 4:25-27; 28:64 (see Neh 1:8); Lv 26:33; Dt 4:27; 26:12, (see Neh 8:10); Lv 23:34-43 (see Neh 8:14-15); Ex 16:23 (see Neh 9:14); Dt 7:3 (see Neh 10:29-30); Dt 23:3-6 (see Neh 13:1).

1:11 Some have misunderstood the importance of what Nehemiah divulged at the end of this verse, thinking that the cupbearer was a lowly position. To the contrary, the cupbearer in the Persian court served in a position of honor and influence, second only to the crown prince in relation to the king. Nehemiah’s relationship to the king actually explains why he received such a positive response to his request and the subsequent authority he exercised in the province of Judah.