by
Damien F. Mackey
The striking similarities between Nehemiah and Daniel, particularly with regard to prayer life, prompted me to ponder, right at the end of my article of comparisons:
Daniel and Nehemiah
(DOC) Daniel and Nehemiah | Damien Mackey - Academia.edu
WAS NEHEMIAH THE SAME PERSON AS DANIEL?
In my own mind I had already come to that very conclusion, based on my view that Nehemiah’s sovereign, “Artaxerxes king of Babylon” (Nehemiah 13:6), was in fact Daniel’s king, “Nebuchednezzar”, and that the walls and gates of Jerusalem, reported to Nehemiah as having been smashed and burned, pertained to the Chaldean sack of the city at the time of Daniel.
I have much enlarged on this era, now, in e.g. my article:
Ezra heroic in the face of death
(1) (DOC) Ezra heroic in the face of death | Damien Mackey - Academia.edu
Edwin M. Yamauchi, who has a more conventional view of the identification of Nehemiah’s “Artaxerxes”: “It is certain that Nehemiah served as the cupbearer of Artaxerxes I (Neh. 1:1; 2:1), the Achaemenid king who ruled from 464 to 424 B.C”, has also described Nehemiah in terms that could be well fitted to Daniel (and which Yamauchi, in some cases, cross-references with Daniel):
(Edwin M. Yamauchi, “The Archaeological Background of Nehemiah”, Bibliotheca Sacra, October-December, 1980: D:\Dropbox\My Dropbox\For Processing\Bib Sac\BS137.548 [291-304].tif-Page1 (biblicalstudies.org.uk)).
Yamauchi writes (pp. 296-297):
Classical sources give detailed descriptions of cupbearers at the Persian court. Xenophon describes one of the main duties as follows: "Now, it is a well known 'fact that the cupbearers, when they proffer the cup, draw off some of it with the ladle, pour it into their left hand. and swallow it down - so that, if they should put poison in, they may not profit by it." …. That the cupbearer could have other responsibilities as well is indicated by Tobit 1:22. "Now Aḥikar was cupbearer, keeper of the signet, and in charge of administration of the accounts, for Esarhaddon had appointed him second to himself."
From varied sources it may be assumed that Nehemiah as a royal cupbearer would probably have had the following traits:
1. He would have been well trained in court etiquette (cf. Dan. 1 :4_5). ….
2. He was probably a handsome individual (cf. Dan. 1 :4, 13, 15). ….
3. He would certainly know how to select the wines to set before the king. A proverb in the Babylonian Talmud (Baba Qamma 92b) states, "The wine belongs to the master but credit for it is due to his cupbearer."
4. He would have to be a convivial companion to the king with a willingness to lend an ear at all times. North is reminded of Saki, the companion of Omar Khayyam, who served wine to him and listened to his discourses. ….
5. He would be a man of great influence as one with the closest access to the king, and one who could well determine who could see the king.
6. Above all, Nehemiah had to be an individual who enjoyed the unreserved confidence of the king. The great need for trustworthy attendants is underscored by the intrigues which were endemic to the Achaemenid [sic] court. ….
On p. 304, Edwin M. Yamauchi describes:
Nehemiah as a Leader
Nehemiah provides one of the most vivid patterns of leadership in the Scriptures. ….
1. He was a man of responsibility, as shown by his position as the royal cup bearer.
2. He was a man of vision. He knew who God was and what He could do through His servants. Nehemiah was not, however, a visionary [sic], but instead was a man who planned and then acted.
3. He was a man of prayer. He prayed spontaneously and constantly even in the presence of the king (Neh. 2:4-5).
4. He was a man of action and of cooperation. He realized what had to be done, explained it to others, and enlisted their aid. Nehemiah, a layman [sic], was able to cooperate with his contemporary, Ezra, the scribe and priest, in spite of the fact that these two leaders [sic] were of entirely different temperaments. In reaction to the intermarriage of the people, Ezra plucked out his own hair (Ezra 9:3) whereas Nehemiah pulled out the hair of the offenders (Neh. 13:25) ….
5. He was a man of compassion. He was moved by the plight of the poorer members of society so that he renounced his rights (Neh. 5: 18) and denounced the greed of the wealthy (Neh. 5:8).
6. He was a man who triumphed over opposition. His opponents tried ridicule (Neh. 4:3), attempted slander (Neh. 6:5-7), and spread misleading messages (Neh. 6:10-14). But Nehemiah would not be distracted or discouraged.
7. He was a man who was rightly motivated. The last words of Nehemiah, "Remember me, 0 my God, for good" (13 :31), re-capitulate an oft-repeated theme running through the final chapter (vv. 14, 22, 29). His motive throughout his ministry was to please and to serve his divine sovereign Lord.
….
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