Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Nehemiah 3:19

And next to him repaired Ezer the son of Jeshua, the ruler of Mizpah, another piece over against the going up to the armory at the turning [of the wall].

19. Ezer the ruler of Mizpah, another piece ] R.V. portion. ‘The ruler of Mizpah’ as distinguished from ‘the ruler of the district of Mizpah’ ( Neh 3:15).

over against the going up to the armoury at the turning of the wall]. A much-disputed piece of topography. There is nothing to show in which direction the wall turned.

The ‘armoury’ will naturally be connected with the mention of ‘the house of the mighty men’ of Neh 3:16; to the N. of which the present description seems to place it. The ‘armoury’ is mentioned in 1Ki 10:17; 1Ki 10:21 ; 1Ki 14:26; Isa 22:8.

‘the turning of the wall.’ This spot is referred to in 2Ch 26:9; ‘Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the corner gate, and at the valley gate, and at the turning of the wall, and fortified them.’ It was clearly then strategically one of the most important points in the fortifications of the city.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Verse 19. The going up to the armoury] This was either a tower that defended the angle where the two walls met; or the city arsenal, where shields, spears, &c., were kept to arm the people in time of danger.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

To the armory; either to the house of the forest of Lebanon, which was their armory from Solomons days, Isa 22:8; or to some other place, which either before or since that time had been used as another and less armory for common occasions.

At the turning of the wall; or, at the corner; or, which is in the corner.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

19. at the turning of the wallthatis, the wall across the Tyropoeligon, being a continuation of thefirst wall, connecting Mount Zion with the temple wall [BARCLAY].

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

And next to him repaired Ezer, the son of Jeshua, the ruler of Mizpah,…. Either of another Mizpah, or of the other half of Mizpah, Ne 3:15

another piece; or a second piece; one of the two pieces; for another is mentioned in the next verse:

over against the going up to the armoury, at the turning [of the wall]; the western wall towards the south, near to which was a place where armour was laid up; perhaps the same with the tower of David, to which there is an allusion in So 4:4.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

Next to these repaired Ezer the son of Jeshua, the ruler of Mizpah, another piece (on , see rem. on Neh 3:11) opposite the ascent to the armoury of the angle. or (in most editions) is probably an abbreviation of , arsenal, armoury; and is, notwithstanding the article in , genitive; for to combine it as an accusative with , and read, “the going up of the armoury upon the angle,” gives no suitable meaning. The locality itself cannot indeed be more precisely stated. The armoury was probably situate on the east side of Zion, at a place where the wall of the city formed an angle; or it occupied an angle within the city itself, no other buildings adjoining it on the south. The opinion of Bertheau, that the armoury stood where the tower described by Tobler ( Dritte Wand. p. 228) stands, viz., about midway between the modern Zion gate and the dung-gate, and of which he says that “its lower strata of stones are undoubtedly of a remoter date than the rebuilding of the wall in the sixteenth century,” coincides with the assumption already refuted, that the old wall of the city of David passed, like the southern wall of modern Jerusalem, over Mount Zion.

Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament

(19) At the turning of the wall.Literally, the armoury of the corner: the north-west corner of the city of David, with its special wall.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

19. Another piece The next section of the wall adjoining that repaired by the men of Keilah. Comp. note on Neh 3:11.

The going up to the armoury The ascent of ground where the armoury, or arsenal, was situated. The exact localities here mentioned cannot now be even plausibly conjectured. So utterly has Jerusalem been “trodden down of the Gentiles” since the works here described were wrought, that no traces of them now remain. The turning of the wall was probably some angle or curve which it took near the armoury, so that it would bring the place where the arms were kept somewhere near the northeastern corner of Zion.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

‘And next to him repaired Ezer the son of Jeshua, the ruler of Mizpah, another portion, opposite the ascent to the armoury at the turning (of the wall).’

‘Next to him’, as in Neh 3:17, may be intended to indicate the close relationship between the Levites as they worked in association.

Thus next to Bavvai and the men of Keilah repaired Ezer and the men of Mizpeh. They repaired the portion opposite the ascent to the armoury ‘at the turning’ or ‘at the angle’ or ‘by the buttress’ or ‘by the escarpment’. The meaning of the word is uncertain and probably means ‘a place where something is cut off or ends abruptly’. It was no doubt easily identifiable at the time. The same word occurs in Neh 3:20; Neh 3:24-25. The armoury would be within the walls at the point where there was an angle. A further ‘angle’ to the wall is mentioned in Neh 3:24. Perhaps the wall angled outwards, and then back in again.

Ezer was ruler of Mizpah. See on Neh 3:15. An Ezer (meaning ‘help’) was also a musician in one of the large companies appointed by Nehemiah to give thanks at the dedication of the wall (Neh 12:42). Elsewhere it is the name of a Horite chief (Gen 36:21; 1Ch 1:38); a Judahite (1Ch 4:4); an Ephraimite, slain by men from Gath (1Ch 7:21); and a Gadite who followed David while in exile as a result of the wrath of Saul (1Ch 12:9). It was a regular Jewish name.

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

Neh 3:19 And next to him repaired Ezer the son of Jeshua, the ruler of Mizpah, another piece over against the going up to the armoury at the turning [of the wall].

Ver. 19. Another piece ] Or, a second measure; that is, he repaired two parts, saith Pellican. Lyra and others think it to be meant of the second ward and wall, which was called Secunda, where the Levites, prophets, and students dwelt; their college or school is called Mishne, or a second part, 2Ki 22:14 , which the Targum interpreteth a house of learning, Domus doctrinae.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)