15 So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. 16 When all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations surrounding us saw it, they lost their confidence; for they recognized that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God. 17 Also in those days many letters went from the nobles of Judah to Tobiah, and Tobiah’s letters came to them. (Nehemiah 6:15–17)
JERUSALEM—Nehemiah announced today that the wall around Jerusalem was now complete. Hanging the doors marked the final step of the project, and the last of these was installed yesterday on the twenty-fifth of Elul, the 52nd day of the effort. The leader proudly claimed that the work was only “accomplished with the help of our God.” It should be noted, however, that Persian King Artaxerxes contributed significantly to the effort at its start with supplies and protection. In his prior position, Nehemiah served as his cupbearer.
The project was not without its critics, coming under heavy fire for its duration from surrounding rulers Sanballat in Samaria, Geshem the Arab, and Tobiah east of the river, who continued to strongly criticize the project and its leader, questioning Nehemiah’s future intentions, and committing to holding the new governor accountable. Tobiah stated in his response to the milestone, “I’ve already sent a letter to the governor containing serious questions.” He claimed to have the full backing of local leaders and that opposition to Nehemiah’s leadership was growing, particularly now.
It is well known that Tobiah is tightly aligned with the influential nobles of Judah, who appear to be the most impacted by the wall economically. While the physical barrier to city is now without breach, it remains to be seen whether this alliance, particularly led by Tobiah, has aleady begun to compromise it.
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