Nehemiah 3:2 Commentary and Bible Study

The work is organised by families, and we see all the families enrolled. They are named by their heads of family and the sons worked with their fathers. The whole task is too big for any one family, and so each one is given a part of the wall they are responsible for, and everyone knows who is responsible for what. The work was expected to advance in the most effective possible way when existing lines of authority were already in place in families to carry out the work. There was an immediate threat to the city until the walls were finished, so they built with some urgency. Cooperation and joint effort were to accomplish the task. Many built where they were most well motivated to build, the region closest to their own house, and over all the work was Nehemiah who coordinated everything. Although each family rose up to build, Nehemiah had oversight of the whole project. The record of the sections of the wall for which they were responsible is their commendation, recorded in Scripture for all time. All join in with the same work. There was very little chain of command, but leaders and junior members of the family worked together; there were none who were exempt from the work. The task in hand reduced them to the same level: rich and poor, great and small worked alongside each other.