a horse (as leaping) · definite article + noun, common masculine plural absolute
gate
שַׁ֣עַרSha.'ar
H8179
an opening · noun, common masculine singular construct
repaired
הֶחֱזִ֙יקוּ֙he.che.Zi.ku
H2388
to fasten upon · verb, hiphil perfect, 3rd person common plural
priests
הַכֹּ֣הֲנִ֔יםha.Ko.ha.Nim
H3548
literally one officiating · definite article + noun, common masculine plural absolute
one
אִ֖ישׁ'ish
H376
a man as an individual or a male person · noun, common masculine singular absolute
against
לְנֶ֥גֶדle.Ne.ged
H5048
a front · preposition + cardinal number, masculine singular construct
house
בֵּיתֽוֹbei.To
H1004
a house (in the greatest variation of applications · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
2 Chronicles 23:15 So they laid hands on her; and when she was come to the entering of the horse gate by the king’s house, they slew her there.
Jeremiah 31:40 And the whole valley of the dead bodies, and of the ashes, and all the fields unto the brook of Kidron, unto the corner of the horse gate to…
2 Kings 11:16 And they laid hands on her; and she went by the way by the which the horses came into the king’s house: and there was she slain.
Nehemiah 3:10 And next unto them repaired Jedaiah the son of Harumaph, even over against his house. And next unto him repaired Hattush the son of Hashabni…
Nehemiah 3:23 After him repaired Benjamin and Hashub over against their house. After him repaired Azariah the son of Maaseiah the son of Ananiah by his ho…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Nehemiah 3:1–end
The best way to know how to divide this chapter is to observe how the work was divided among the undertakers, that every one might know what he had to do, and mind it accordingly with a holy emulation, and desire to excel, yet without any contention, animosity, or separate interest. No strife appears among them but which should do most for the public good. Several things are observable in the account here given of the building of the wall about Jerusalem: -
I. That Eliashib the high priest, with his brethren the priests, led the van in this troop of builders, Neh 3:1. Ministers should be foremost in every good work; for their office obliges them to teach and quicken by their example, as wel…
the Nethinims--Not only the priests and the Levites, but the common persons that belonged to the house of God, contributed to the work. The names of those who repaired the walls of Jerusalem are commemorated because it was a work of piety and patriotism to repair the holy city. It was an instance of religion and courage to defend the true worshippers of God, that they might serve Him in quietness and safety, and, in the midst of so many enemies, go on with this work, piously confiding in the power of God to support them [BISHOP PATRICK].
Next: Nehemiah Chapter 4
Adam Clarke on Nehemiah 3:28
The horse gate - The place through which the horses passed in order to be watered; It was near the temple. Some rabbins suppose that in order to go to the temple, a person might go on horseback to the place here referred to, but then was obliged to alight, as a horse could pass no farther. Horses were never very plentiful in Jerusalem.
John Gill on Nehemiah 3:28
From above the horse gate repaired the priests,.... So called, either because near it were stables for horses; or through it horses were led to be watered at the brook of Kidron, to which it was near; or to be exercised in the valley; Josephus (c) speaks of the "hippie", or horse tower, which might be near it:
everyone over against his house; for it seems there was a row of houses in which the priests dwelt, and each of them repaired as much of the wall as was right against his house.
(c) Ut supra. (De Bello Jud. l. 5. c. 4. sect. 2, 3.)
The Church Fathers
Upwards to the Horse Gate they built, etc. Jeremiah mentions this gate and designates it to be on the eastern side of the city, writing typically about the holy Church: And the city shall be built for the Lord from the tower of Hananeel (Jer. XXI). And a little later: Up to the brook Kidron, and unto the corner of the Horse Gate eastwards (Ibid.). Horses, when taken in a good sense, like donkeys, camels, and mules, sometimes signify the Gentile peoples converted to the Lord, and sometimes the cares of temporal matters rightly subjected to the Lord by the soul. The priests built the wall of God's city up to the Horse Gate, just as the holy teachers, after the calling of the Jewish people, continued spreading the word until they brought the Gentile peoples into the Holy Church. Equally, they build to the Horse Gate when they provide the example of a sufficient mode of living for those who enter the gates of the holy Church to restrain their carnal or mental desires; or certainly when they arrange their own thoughts, which they must have in dealing with their livelihood or habits, in such a way that they do not hinder the freedom of mind, with which they have always proposed to seek heavenly things. And it is aptly added about the laborers, "Everyone against his own house"; this phrase is often repeated in this construction of the holy city. There is no need to labor in explaining how in the holy Church each one should build a wall of virtues against his own house and fortify his mind against the devil's snares; so that he who roams about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Pet. V), cannot in any way break in, while each one fortifies his own body and mind with the strong faith in the Lord. But everyone also builds against his own house if he protects with diligent guard of regular discipline those who are committed to him, so that they cannot be deceived either by the incursion of vices or by heretical persuasion. It would take a long time to discuss in spiritual interpretation each of the buildings of the holy city or its builders; which, even without our speaking, the skilled reader can very easily recognize. This much, however, should be noted, that those who build the gates and towers, through which either citizens may enter or enemies be warded off, are the prophets, apostles, and evangelists; through whom the form and order of faith and…
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Horse-gate — A gate in the wall of Jerusalem, at the west end of the bridge, leading from Zion to the temple (Neh. 3:28; Jer. 31:40).
Jerusalem — Called also Salem, Ariel, Jebus, the “city of God,” the “holy city;” by the modern Arabs el-Khuds, meaning “the holy;” once “the city of Judah” (2 Chr. 25:28). This name is in the original in the…
Shemaiah — Whom Jehovah heard. (1.) A prophet in the reign of Rehoboam (1 Kings 12:22-24). (2.) Neh. 3:29. (3.) A Simeonite (1 Chr. 4:37). (4.) A priest (Neh. 12:42). (5.) A Levite (1 Chr. 9:16). (6.) 1 Chr.…
Gates · Of Jerusalem: Horse gate — Of Jerusalem: Horse gate
Jerusalem · Horse gate — Horse gate
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
Keil & Delitzsch on Nehemiah 3:28–end
The wall of Ophel and the eastern side of the temple area. - Neh 3:28 Above the horse-gate repaired the priests, each opposite his own house. The site of the horse-gate appears, from Ch2 23:15 compared with Kg2 11:6, to have been not far distant from the temple and the royal palace; while according to the present verse, compared with Neh 3:27, it stood in the neighbourhood of the wall of Ophel, and might well be regarded as even belonging to it. Hence we have, with Thenius, to seek it in the wall running over the Tyropoean valley, and uniting the eastern edge of Zion with the western edge of Ophel in the position of the present dung-gate (Bab el Mogharibeh). This accords with Jer 31:40, wher…
This final group of workers connected the repairs to the Sheep Gate, where the work had started (3:1). • Horse Gate: See also 2 Chr 23:15; Jer 31:40. • East Gate: See also 1 Chr 26:14, 17; 2 Chr 31:14; Ezek 10:19; 40:21-22.
Rashi on Nehemiah 3:28
each one opposite his house Each one was building opposite his house.
