| Back to Home Page | Back to Book Index
|
Introduction
to Nehemiah
INTRODUCTION TO NEHEMIAH
This
book is, by the authors of the Vulgate Latin and Arabic versions, called the
"Second" Book of Ezra, it being a continuation of the same history,
and was by the Jews reckoned as one book with Ezra; Kimchi on Isaiah 9:7, calls
it Ezra, so the TalmudF1T. Bab. Succah, fol. 37. 1. & Gloss. in
ib. fol. 12. 1. ; and it has been quoted by Christian writers under his name;
see the argument of the book of Ezra; but not as if it was written by him; for
it is a clear case it was written by Nehemiah, whose name it bears, as appears
from Nehemiah 1:1 and
throughout Nehemiah speaks of himself under the first person; and the style
also is very different from that of Ezra, being plainer and easier than his. It
has always had a place in the canon of Scriptures, both with Jews and
Christians; and is of use to show the fulfilment of the prophecy of Zechariah,
and especially of Daniel concerning the building of the wall of Jerusalem in
troublesome times; to carry on the history of the Jews, and describe the state
of the church in those times, what opposition was made to it, and what enemies
it had, and what must be expected when any work of God is set about; it is the
last of the historical books that was written, as is thought, and contains an
history of the space of about twelve years, from the twentieth of Artaxerxes to
the thirty second of his reign, see Nehemiah 1:1.
Commentator
John Gill (November 23, 1697-October 14,
1771) was an English Baptist, a biblical scholar, and a staunch Calvinist.
Gill's relationship with hyper-Calvinism is a matter of academic debate.
He was born in Kettering, Northamptonshire.
In his youth, he attended Kettering Grammar School, mastering the Latin
classics and learning Greek by age eleven. The young scholar continued
self-study in everything from logic to Hebrew. His love for Hebrew would follow
Gill throughout his life.
At the age of about twelve, Gill heard a
sermon from his pastor, William Wallis, on the text, "And the Lord called
unto Adam, and said unto him, where art thou?" (Genesis 3:9). The message
stayed with Gill and eventually led to his conversion. It was not until seven
years later that young John made a public profession when he was almost
nineteen years of age.
His first pastoral work was as an intern
assisting John Davis at Higham Ferrers in 1718 at age twenty one. He was
subsequently called to pastor the Strict Baptist church at Goat Yard Chapel,
Horsleydown, Southwark in 1719. In 1757, his congregation needed larger
premises and moved to a Carter Lane, St. Olave's Street, Southwark. His
pastorate lasted 51 years. This Baptist Church was once pastored by Benjamin
Keach and would later become the New Park Street Chapel and then the
Metropolitan Tabernacle pastored by Charles Spurgeon.
During Gill's ministry the church strongly
supported the preaching of George Whitefield at nearby Kennington Common.
In 1748, Gill was awarded the honorary degree
of Doctor of Divinity by the University of Aberdeen. He was a profound scholar
and a prolific author. His most important works are:
John Gill is the first major writing Baptist
theologian. His work retains its influence into the twenty-first century.
Gill's relationship with hyper-Calvinism in English Baptist life is a matter of
debate. Peter Toon has argued that Gill was himself a hyper-Calvinist, which
would make Gill the father of Baptist hyper-Calvinism. Tom Nettles has argued
that Gill was not a hyper-Calvinist himself, which would make him merely a
precursor and hero to Baptist hyper-Calvinists.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James Version
Bible, NKJV
The
NKJV was commissioned in 1975 by Thomas Nelson Publishers.
One-hundred-and-thirty respected Bible scholars, church leaders, and lay
Christians worked for seven years with the goal of updating the vocabulary and
grammar of the King James Version, while preserving the classic style of the of
the 1611 version.
The
task of updating the English of the KJV involved many changes in word order,
grammar, vocabulary, and spelling. One of the most significant features of the
NKJV was its removal of the second person pronouns "thou",
"thee", "ye," "thy," and "thine." Verb
forms were also modernized in the NKJV (for example, "speaks" rather
than "speaketh").
Young’s
Literal Translation was completed in 1898 by Robert Young, who also compiled
Young’s Analytical Concordance. It is an extremely literal translation that
attempts to preserve the tense and word usage as found in the original Greek
and Hebrew writings. The online text is from a reprint of the 1898 edition as
published by Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Obvious errors in
spelling or inconsistent spellings of the same word were corrected in the
online edition of the text. This text is Public Domain in the United States.