Commentary - Nehemiah 3:13

Bird's-eye view

Nehemiah 3 is one of those chapters that modern readers are tempted to skim. It is a detailed, repetitive accounting of who built what section of the wall around Jerusalem. But in the economy of God, there are no throwaway chapters. This is a masterful record of a covenant community functioning as it ought. It is a picture of organized, cooperative, and sacrificial labor. Verse 13 is a standout example within this larger framework. It highlights not only the dedication of a specific group of people, Hanun and the men of Zanoah, but also the sheer scope and unglamorous nature of their task. They built a gate, secured it properly, and then repaired a massive fifteen hundred foot stretch of wall that terminated at the Dung Gate. This verse is a potent reminder that kingdom work involves specific people taking responsibility for specific, often dirty, jobs and doing them with thoroughness and grit for the glory of God and the good of the whole community.

This is applied theology in brick and mortar. It is the antithesis of a gnostic faith that floats in the realm of abstract ideas. Here, faith has calloused hands. The men of Zanoah were not just rebuilding a wall; they were pushing back the chaos of the wilderness and reestablishing a perimeter of holiness, a place where God’s people could dwell in safety. Their work, culminating at the gate for refuse, demonstrates that there is no task too menial or too foul in the service of God’s kingdom. True holiness is not afraid to take out the trash.

Outline

Context In Nehemiah

This verse sits within the great muster roll of Nehemiah 3. After Nehemiah’s initial inspection of the ruined walls (Chapter 2) and his rousing call to the people to rise up and build, this chapter details the response. The work is organized geographically, moving counter-clockwise around the city. Priests, rulers, goldsmiths, perfumers, men from various towns, and even daughters are all named and assigned a section. This is not a top-down edict from a distant king; it is a grassroots, all-hands-on-deck effort of the covenant people. Verse 13 describes the work on the southwestern section of the wall. It follows the work of the men of Keilah and precedes the work of Shallun on the Dung Gate itself. The chapter as a whole demonstrates a crucial principle of reformation: widespread, cooperative obedience is the engine of renewal. Nehemiah’s leadership was vital, but the reformation would have gone nowhere if ordinary men like Hanun had not picked up their tools.

Key Issues

Glory at the Dung Gate

We live in an age that worships the spectacular. We are drawn to the big stage, the bright lights, and the tasks that come with a title and public recognition. We want to build the cornerstone, the glorious gate where the king enters. But the kingdom of God is built differently. It is built as much through quiet faithfulness in obscure corners as it is through public triumphs. The work of Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah is a powerful illustration of this truth.

Their assignment was massive and it was menial. A thousand cubits of wall is no small thing. That is about a quarter of a mile of heavy lifting, stone upon stone. And where did this great labor lead? To the Dung Gate. This was the city’s exhaust pipe, the place where all the filth and refuse was hauled out. This was not the place you took visitors to show off the architectural beauty of Jerusalem. This was the necessary, smelly, and utterly unglamorous part of the city. Yet, these men did not shirk the task. They put their shoulders to a massive section of wall that protected the city, and they did it all the way to the trash heap. This is the kind of faithfulness God records and honors. The church today is in desperate need of men and women who are willing to build the wall to the Dung Gate, to do the hard, necessary, and unseen work that makes the life of the community possible.

Verse by Verse Commentary

13 Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah repaired the Valley Gate.

The work is specific and personal. It is not an anonymous committee that does the work, but Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah. Zanoah was a town in the lowlands of Judah, some miles from Jerusalem. These men were not Jerusalem natives, but they understood that the health of the capital city was tied to the health of the entire nation. They left their own homes and fields to labor for the good of the whole. This is a picture of the church functioning rightly. We are not a collection of isolated individuals, but members of one body, and the well being of the whole is the responsibility of every part. Hanun, likely a leader in his community, steps up and his people follow. This is leadership from the front.

They built it and made its doors stand with its bolts and its bars,

Their work was not shoddy or superficial. They did not just pile up some rocks in the gap and call it a gate. They built it. And they finished the job. A gate without doors, bolts, and bars is just a decorated hole in the wall; it offers no security. These men understood the nature of the enemy. The point of a wall is to keep threats out. Therefore, the access points must be securable. This speaks to the thoroughness that should characterize all Christian work. Whether we are building a business, raising a family, or teaching a Sunday School class, we are to do it with excellence, attending to the details, because our work is ultimately for the Lord. They were not just building for Nehemiah; they were building for the God of Israel.

and one thousand cubits of the wall to the Dung Gate.

Here we see the scale of their commitment. A thousand cubits is roughly 1,500 feet. This was a significant portion of the wall, a massive undertaking of manual labor. And as we have noted, this long stretch of wall had as its destination the most ignoble gate in the entire city. It is easy to be motivated when your section of the wall is "over against" your own house (v. 10, 23, 28-30). It is another thing to labor on a long, anonymous stretch that ends at the garbage dump. This is the hard slog of faithfulness. Much of the Christian life is not lived in moments of high drama but in the long, patient, and often unnoticed work of building righteousness, one stone at a time, even in the parts of our lives that feel like they lead to the Dung Gate. God sees and honors this steadfastness. This massive effort, this long obedience in the same direction, is what rebuilds a civilization.

Application

This single verse from a chapter of lists is packed with application for the modern Christian. First, it teaches us about the nature of our work in the church. Are you a Hanun? Are you a man or woman who sees a need, takes responsibility, and leads others from your community to get the job done? The church is not a spectator sport. God has assigned every one of us a section of the wall to build.

Second, it confronts our desire for glamorous tasks. Every church has "Dung Gate" ministries. These are the jobs that are essential but unseen. Changing diapers in the nursery, cleaning the bathrooms, setting up chairs, managing the church finances, visiting the sick and elderly. These tasks don't get applause, but without them, the community cannot function. This verse calls us to embrace the humble work, to find our satisfaction not in the praise of men but in the quiet approval of God who sees all that is done in secret.

Finally, this verse is a picture of the gospel. Our lives are in ruins because of sin. We are exposed and defenseless. Christ did not come and do a patch job. He came to rebuild us from the foundation up. And He did not shrink from the dirtiest work of all. He went to the Dung Gate of Golgotha, the place of refuse outside the city, and there He took all of our filth and sin upon Himself. He did the ultimate dirty work so that the Holy City, His bride the Church, could be made secure and beautiful. Because He was faithful in His great and terrible task, we are now free to be faithful in our small and humble ones, knowing that every stone laid in faith, even on the wall to the Dung Gate, is a glorious work in His kingdom.