Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Nehemiah 3:7
And next unto them repaired Melatiah the Gibeonite, and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon, and of Mizpah, unto the throne of the governor on this side the river.
7. Melatiah the Gibeonite, and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon, and of Mizpah ] In this arrangement of names it is natural to see the names of two leaders followed by the description of their respective followers. Melatiah is thus at the head of the Gibeonites, Jadon at the head of the men of Mizpah. But as the latter is called ‘the Meronothite’ (see also 1Ch 27:30), we conclude that Meronoth, his native place, must have been a village in the immediate neighbourhood of Mizpah.
The men of Gibeon are included in Neh 7:25 among those who returned with Zerubbabel (see the parallel passage, Ezr 2:20).
Mizpah, about 3 miles N. of Jerusalem, the modern Nebi-Samwil. Rulers of Mizpah are further on mentioned as concerned in the restoration of other portions of the wall ( Neh 3:15 ; Neh 3:19). The men of Mizpah referred to in this verse may have been under different control (see next note).
unto the throne of the governor on this side the river ] R.V. which appertained to the throne of the governor beyond the river.
This obscure clause has occasioned great difficulty. ( a) According to the rendering of the A.V., it denotes the limit of the restoration undertaken by the men mentioned in this verse. ‘The throne of the governor, &c.’ will then be the official residence of the Persian satrap or the actual throne in which he sate dispensing justice. The preposition ‘unto’ may be understood to mean, either that the governor’s house was built on the wall, and that the restoration mentioned in this verse reached this point; or that the governor’s ‘throne’ was in the vicinity, and the restoration was carried on to a point over against it.
The chief objection to this rendering is the use of the word ‘throne.’ But it is more simple than the alternative rendering given below. And the supposition is very natural, that an official spot, close to the chief northern gate of the city (Neh 3:6), should become a recognised landmark. The visit of the satrap of the country W. of the Euphrates to the provincial capitals would be a rare event; and the spot which symbolised his dignity would receive a distinctive name.
( b) According to the rendering of the R.V., the clause is added by way of limitation after the mention of Mizpah. Mizpah it is supposed was partly under Jewish rulers ( Neh 3:15 ; Neh 3:19), partly under the rule of the Persian provincial governor. The boundary passed through the district of Mizpah. ‘The men of Mizpah,’ mentioned here, represented the portion under Persian rule, in which perhaps the village of Maronoth was included. By the indulgence of the Persian rulers (cf. Neh 2:7) a contingent was permitted to render aid to their brethren.
The phrase ‘the throne of the governor beyond the river’ will then be a technical term of authority in vogue among the Jews during the Persian supremacy. ‘Throne’ in the sense of ‘rule’ is poetical, cf. Psa 89:29; Psa 89:36.
There is nothing to be said in favour of another proposed rendering ‘in the name of the governor, &c.’ The Vulgate renders ‘pro duce,’ the LXX. .
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Unto the throne … – The meaning is thought to be the men of Gibeon and Mizpah, who, though they worked for Nehemiah, were not under his government, but belonged to the jurisdiction of the governor on this side the river.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 7. The throne of the governor] His house, and the place where he dispensed justice and judgment. Previously to the days of Nehemiah, Jerusalem was governed by a deputy from the Persian king; (see Ne 5:15😉 but after this time they were governed by governors and judges chosen from among themselves.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
i.e. Unto the place where the governor of the country on this side the river Euphrates, for and under the Persian kings, sometimes had a palace or throne, to which all persons living in the adjacent parts were to resort for judgment.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And next unto them repaired Melatiah the Gibeonite, and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon and Mizpah,…. Which places were both in the tribe of Benjamin, Jos 18:25 and one of these men was of the one place, and the other of the other:
unto the throne of the governor on this side the river; where the governor of those parts under the king of Persia had his seat, and now Nehemiah; but, according to Aben Ezra, Cisse, rendered “throne”, is the name of a man who was the governor.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(7) Unto the throne.Unto the seat of the pechah of the whole district this side the Euphrates: his residence when he came to Jerusalem.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
7. Meronothite A native or inhabitant of Meronoth, but no place of this name is now known. Compare 1Ch 27:30.
Unto the throne of the governor The official residence of the Persian governor of Jerusalem. The governor of Jerusalem was one of the several officers of like character and authority on the west of the Euphrates. Comp. Neh 2:7. The throne is to be understood of the seat or tribunal where the governor sat to hear cases and dispense justice, and seems to have been somewhere along or against the northern wall.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘And next to them repaired Melatiah the Gibeonite, and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon, and of Mizpah, which pertains to the seat of the governor of Beyond the River.’
The part of the wall following the Gate of the Old City/Wall was repaired by Melatiah the Gibeonite, and Jadon the Meronothite, who supervised the men of Gibeon and Mizpah. As Melatiah was a Gibeonite, Meronoth was presumably connected with Mizpah. The Mizpah in question is possibly identified as being the place where the Governor of Beyond The River had his residence when he visited Judah (‘the seat of the Governor’). Or it may be that ‘towards the seat of the governor of Beyond the River’ refers to the part of the wall being repaired, it being by the Governor’s Jerusalem residence. Either way it is probable that Mizpah is the Mizpah of 2Ki 25:23; Jer 40:5-12.
All the work described above was on the northern wall, and it is around this point that we move to the work on the western wall.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Neh 3:7 And next unto them repaired Melatiah the Gibeonite, and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon, and of Mizpah, unto the throne of the governor on this side the river.
Ver. 7. Unto the throne of the governor ] i.e. Of the king of Persia’s viceroy, who had there his throne, or tribunal. But to what a height of pride were the bishops grown, that sat in thrones, and from on high despised their fellow servants! this was their ruin, God putts down the mighty from their throne, and exalts them of low degree, Luk 1:52 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Gibeon. Mizpah. Now ‘el Jib Suf, about 4 and 5 1/2 miles north-north-west of Jerusalem respectively.
governor. The Persian governor.
the river. The Euphrates.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
the Gibeonite: Jos 9:3-27, 2Sa 21:2
Mizpah: Neh 3:19, 2Ch 16:6
the throne: That is, probably, the palace of the Persian governor, west of the Euphrates; the term throne being used to signify any royal abode: for Sir J. Chardin, describing a splendid tent erected by the king of Persia, says “that there was an inscription wrought upon the cornice of the anti-chamber, which gave it the appellation of the throne of the second Solomon.” Sitting upon a throne has, however, sometimes been granted to governors. Neh 2:8
Reciprocal: Neh 3:15 – Mizpah
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Neh 3:7. Unto the throne of the governor on this side the river Unto the place where the governor of the country on this side Euphrates, under the Persian kings, sometimes had a palace or throne.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
3:7 And next unto them repaired Melatiah the Gibeonite, and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon, and of Mizpah, unto the {c} throne of the governor on this side the river.
(c) To the place where the Duke was wont to sit in judgment, who governed the country in their absence.