Nehemiah's Wall in the City of David
A Persian-period wall and tower on the eastern slope, proposed as the wall Nehemiah rebuilt in 52 days
Found 2007 — Eilat Mazar (Hebrew University / Shalem Center), building on Kathleen Kenyon's 1960s trenches and Yigal Shiloh's Area G (1978–85)
Where City of David, eastern slope (Area G), Jerusalem (Israel)
Dates from c. 5th century BCE (disputed) · Persian period · Nehemiah's rebuilding of Jerusalem's wall, 445 BCE
Now at In situ, City of David archaeological park, Jerusalem
How Nehemiah's Wall in the City of David was found
While shoring up a collapsing tower above the 'Stepped Stone Structure', Mazar found Persian-period pottery and bullae under the tower's base and argued the tower and adjoining wall were Nehemiah's work. Kenyon had earlier dated a wall on the crest to the Persian period.
What it is
A wall roughly 5 m thick running along the crest of the eastern ridge above the earlier Judahite houses, with a tower of large unworked stones. Persian-period pottery, Yehud stamp impressions and a few seals were found in the layers around and beneath it.
Why it matters for the Bible
Nehemiah 3 describes rebuilding a wall around a much shrunken city, and Nehemiah 2 records a night ride along a slope so choked with rubble that his animal could not pass. The Persian-period wall on the crest, set back from the older Iron Age line, fits that picture of a smaller, hastily walled Jerusalem. Critics (Finkelstein, Ussishkin and others) argue the pottery under the tower only gives a date 'after which' and that the tower could be Hasmonean; the wall's date remains open.
The Hebrew word: cho-MAH
חוֹמָה
חוֹמָה is pronounced cho-MAH and means city wall (Strong's H2346).
People this discovery connects to
- Nehemiah — נְחֶמְיָה (ne-chem-YAH) — YHVH comforts
Places
- Jerusalem — יְרוּשָׁלַיִם (ye-roo-shah-LAH-yim) — foundation of peace (traditional)
Events
Nehemiah's night inspection of the ruined walls · Rebuilding of the wall in 52 days (Nehemiah 6:15)
Nehemiah's Wall in the City of David in Scripture
Nehemiah 1:1 First mention of Nehemiah in Scripture.
Nehemiah 2:13-15 Nehemiah rides at night along the Kidron slope where the rubble blocks his way; this is the very slope where the wall was found.
Nehemiah 6:15 The wall is finished in 52 days; the rough, quick construction of the tower has been read as fitting a hurried project.
Questions people ask
What is Nehemiah's Wall in the City of David?
A wall roughly 5 m thick running along the crest of the eastern ridge above the earlier Judahite houses, with a tower of large unworked stones. Persian-period pottery, Yehud stamp impressions and a few seals were found in the layers around and beneath it.
When was Nehemiah's Wall in the City of David discovered?
It was found in 2007 by Eilat Mazar (Hebrew University / Shalem Center), building on Kathleen Kenyon's 1960s trenches and Yigal Shiloh's Area G (1978–85), at City of David, eastern slope (Area G), Jerusalem.
Where is Nehemiah's Wall in the City of David today?
In situ, City of David archaeological park, Jerusalem.
Which Bible verses does Nehemiah's Wall in the City of David relate to?
Nehemiah 1:1, Nehemiah 2:13-15, Nehemiah 6:15.
Is Nehemiah's Wall in the City of David authentic?
The Persian-period date of the crest wall is accepted by some (Mazar, following Kenyon) and rejected by others who date the tower to the Hasmonean period. No inscription links it to Nehemiah.
Related discoveries
- פַּחַת יְהוּדָהPersian-Period Jerusalem: Bullae, Seals and the Small CityThe scanty but telling remains of the Jerusalem Ezra and Nehemiah knew
- מְצוּדָהLarge Stone Structure ('David's Palace')Massive walls in the City of David that one excavator called David's palace
- תְּעָלָהHezekiah's Tunnel (Siloam Tunnel)533-metre rock-cut water channel bringing the Gihon Spring inside Jerusalem's walls
- מִלּוֹאStepped Stone StructureA giant stone rampart on the slope of the City of David, perhaps the biblical Millo
- חוֹתָםGedaliah son of Pashhur BullaSeal of a second official from Jeremiah 38, found beside the Jehucal bulla
- עָלָהPilgrimage Road (Stepped Street)The 600-meter stepped street from the Pool of Siloam up to the Temple Mount, built under Pilate
Sources
- E. Mazar, 'The Wall That Nehemiah Built', BAR 35:2 (2009)
- Finkelstein, 'Jerusalem in the Persian (and Early Hellenistic) Period and the Wall of Nehemiah', JSOT 32 (2008)
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