Nehemiah — Chapter 3

Eliasib sacerdos magnus aedificaverunt

And Eliasib the high priest arose — that is, the Pontifex. He was the son and successor of Joacim, son of Josedec. Philo Annianus records that Jesus died having completed the pontificate in the 20th year of Darius Hystaspis, and was succeeded by Joacim until the 12th year of Artaxerxes, at which point Joacim died and was succeeded by his son Eliasib, who served as high priest until the 33rd year of Artaxerxes — so says that Philo, on whose authority be it. \"THEY BUILT THE SHEEP GATE\" — through which sheep and cattle for sacrifice were led into the city, to be washed in the Probatica (sheep pool) and then brought into the temple. \"THEY SANCTIFIED IT\" — that is, cleansed the sheep gate from ruins, rubble, and the profanation of fire, restoring it as it was before and returning it to its former splendor (Vatablus, Cajetan, Vilalpandus). Thus in Exodus 19, God says to Moses: \"Sanctify the people\" — that is, command them to purify and cleanse themselves by washing their garments and abstaining from their wives. Secondly, \"they sanctified it\" — they dedicated it to the Lord; for this was the sheep gate through which the victims to be sanctified and consecrated to God by immolation were led into the temple; therefore the high priest and priests built and consecrated it to God, and through it, the other gates and the whole city. For Jerusalem was called and was a holy city, set apart from the profane rites of the Gentiles and dedicated to the worship of the true God, as God's very mirror, especially through the temple so magnificently erected by Solomon to God. Hence Mariana, Salianus, Emmanuel Sa, and Sanchez hold that the high priest Eliasib dedicated and consecrated this sheep gate and the whole city to God with solemn prayer, sacrifice, holy water, or similar blessing — this is sufficiently gathered from what the Samaritans say in the following chapter (v. 2): \"Will they sacrifice and complete it in one day?\" and from chapter 12:27: \"For the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought out the Levites,\" and v. 30: \"And the priests and Levites purified themselves, and purified the people, the gates, and the wall.\" The Gentiles imitated this practice. Servius on Aeneid III records that at the founding of a city they sacrificed to Father Liber so that the city might be free. Moreover, among the Gentiles gates and walls were considered sacred, as Alexander of Alexandria teaches (Genial Days VI.14, with Tiraquellus).

Et portam veterem aedificaverunt

Note from Vilalpandus (Tome III, Book III, ch. 26): the principal gates of Jerusalem were twelve, situated on three sides of the city facing three directions; each side had four gates. The southern side, where the steep cliffs of Mount Sion enclosed the city and denied exit and entry, had no gate. The eastern side had: (1) the sheep gate (already mentioned); (2) the horse gate, through which horses were led to water at the torrent Cedron; (3) the water gate, so named from the collection of Siloam spring waters which Hezekiah gathered there; (4) the potters' gate, because potters practiced their craft near it and formed clay vessels. The northern side had: (1) the Benjamin gate, through which one went toward the tribe of Benjamin; (2) the fish gate, through which fish were brought into the city and the fish market; (3) the judicial gate, in which judges sat and dispensed justice to strangers and citizens alike, adjacent to the temple and the sheep gate — this same gate is called the \"old gate\" in this verse, because vestiges of the old Jebusite and Melchisedech structure remained in it; (4) the Ephraim gate, through which one went to the tribe of Ephraim. This fourth gate and the next, the corner gate, are not named here because they needed no restoration (as is suggested in verse 8). The western side had: (1) the corner gate, so named because it stood at the western and northern corner of the city; (2) the valley gate (of the dead and of Calvary); (3) the dung gate; (4) the fountain gate (see previous chapter, verse 13). To these twelve gates of Jerusalem St. John alluded in Apocalypse 21:12, where he enumerates the same number of gates for the heavenly Jerusalem.

Dimiserunt Jerusalem usque ad

They left Jerusalem as far as the wall of the broader street — that is, they left off building for a space of 400 cubits between the Ephraim gate and the corner gate already mentioned, because not long before, King Azariah had excellently repaired and fortified this section, so that the Chaldeans could not tear it down.

Usque ad domum fortium

As far as the house of the mighty men — in which dwelt the thirty mightiest heroes of David, and later their successors. This house seems to have been a kind of seminary or college of men of valor who practiced arms and led and taught soldiers how to fight. See what was said at 2 Samuel 23:8 and following.

Post eum aedificavit Hasebias

After him built Hasebias, prince of half the district of Ceila, in his own district. — Jerusalem was divided into its districts, and over each district presided its own leader and prefect, here called \"prince.\" The same is still done in Rome. For Rome was from of old divided into its districts or regions, each of which had its own prefect, called in Italian \"Caporioni\" (that is, heads of the city's regions), whose authority is great even when their seat is vacant; it is their duty to protect the city and suppress tumults, and therefore to punish wrongdoers.

Usque ad domum Nathinieorum

As far as the house of the Nethinim — These were Gibeonites, concerning whom I spoke at Joshua 9.