Bible Strands
Nehemiah 3:8
Next to them, Uzziel son of Harhaiah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs. And next to him, Hananiah, one of the perfumers, made repairs. They fortified Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrative recounts the physical reconstruction of Jerusalem’s defenses under Nehemiah’s governorship. It lists specific workers and their assigned sections during the wall repair project.
The words — The text uses הֶחֱזִיק (he.che.Zik) to state that the workers actively repaired or made firm the structure. It identifies Uzziel as one of the צוֹרְפִים (tzor.Fim), literally goldsmiths or metalworkers.
The thread — The involvement of goldsmiths in wall construction reappears in Nehemiah 3:31 near the temple servants’ quarters. The completed wall later serves as the route for a thanksgiving procession in Nehemiah 12:38.
Why it lands — The text records specific tradesmen contributing labor to a civic-religious project before noting the geographic extent of their work. It requires the reader to acknowledge that communal restoration depends on the practical skills of ordinary workers.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Next unto him repaired Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, of the goldsmiths. Next unto him also repaired Hananiah the son of one of the apothecaries, and they fortified Jerusalem unto the broad wall.
Cross-references
- Nehemiah 12:38 The second thanksgiving choir proceeded to the left, and I followed it with half the people along the top of the wall, past the Tower of the Ovens to the Broad Wall,
- Nehemiah 3:31 Next to him, Malchijah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs as far as the house of the temple servants and the merchants, opposite the Inspection Gate, and as far as the upper room above the corner.
- Genesis 50:2 And Joseph directed the physicians in his service to embalm his father Israel. So they embalmed him,
- Exodus 30:25 Prepare from these a sacred anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer; it will be a sacred anointing oil.
- Ecclesiastes 10:1 As dead flies bring a stench to the perfumer’s oil, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.
- Isaiah 46:6 They pour out their bags of gold and weigh out silver on scales; they hire a goldsmith to fashion it into a god, so they can bow down and worship.