Baruch (son of Zakkai, rebuilder of Jerusalem's wall (Nehemiah 3))
Rebuilder of Jerusalem's Wall
El regresoWarriorLeaderc. 400s BC
Baruch, son of Zakkai, was one of the faithful Jews who participated in rebuilding Jerusalem's wall under Nehemiah's leadership after the exile in Babylon. He distinguished himself through his zeal and effort, repairing a section of the wall with great dedication. His contribution is mentioned in Nehemiah 3, which documents the various workers and their assigned sections of the wall.
Baruch, son of Zakkai, repaired a section of Jerusalem's wall with great zeal under Nehemiah's leadership. He is specifically noted for working diligently on his assigned stretch.
20Next to him Baruch son of Zabbai worked with zeal, repairing another section from the angle to the entrance of the house of Eliashib the high priest.
1Then Eliashib the high priest and his fellow priests set to work and rebuilt the Sheep Gate. They consecrated it and set its doors in place, and they consecrated the wall as far as the Tower of the Hundred, all the way to the Tower of Hananel.
4Next to them Meremoth son of Uriah, son of Hakkoz, made repairs. Next to them Meshullam son of Berechiah, son of Meshezabel, made repairs, and next to them Zadok son of Baana.
5Next to them the men of Tekoa made repairs, but their nobles would not put their shoulders to the work of their Lord.[fn: The Hebrew word can mean either their Lord (God) or their lords, that is, their supervisors.]
Despite opposition from enemies like Sanballat and Tobiah, Jerusalem's wall was completed in just 52 days, partly thanks to the efforts of people like Baruch.
16When all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid, and their confidence sank low, for they knew that this work had been accomplished by our God.
During the work, the workers, including Baruch, faced strong opposition from surrounding peoples, but they held fast to the task with a sword in one hand and tools in the other.
16At that time I also told the people, "Let every man and his servant spend the night inside Jerusalem, so that they may stand guard for us by night and work by day."
17Neither I nor my brothers nor my men nor the guards with me ever took off our clothes; each of us kept his weapon at hand, even when going for water.
After the wall was completed, the people committed themselves to follow God's law. The rebuilders, of whom Baruch was a part, were integral to this renewal community.
29The rest of the people—the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants, and all who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands in order to follow the Law of God, together with their wives, their sons, and their daughters, all who had the knowledge to understand—
30joined with their brothers, the nobles, and bound themselves with a curse and an oath to walk in the Law of God, given through Moses the servant of God, and to keep and carry out all the commandments of the LORD our Lord, with his judgments and his statutes: