Hashabneiah
Hashabneiah repaired a section of Jerusalem's wall near his house. (Neh.3.10)
Biography
Hashabneiah was a resident of Jerusalem who participated in Nehemiah's great wall-rebuilding project in the mid-fifth century BC. According to Nehemiah 3:10, his son Hattush repaired the section of the wall directly adjacent to their home. This proximity of service to one's dwelling was a common pattern in the Nehemiah 3 register, where many builders worked nearest their own property, combining personal investment with communal duty. The name Hashabneiah, meaning 'the LORD has considered me,' reflects the piety common to the returned exiles. Though only briefly mentioned, his family's participation represents the grassroots, neighbor-by-neighbor approach that made Nehemiah's rapid wall reconstruction possible.
Significance
Hashabneiah's family contribution to Jerusalem's wall exemplifies the community-driven nature of the restoration project. Nehemiah 3 reveals that the rebuilding of Jerusalem was not a top-down government project but a mosaic of individual acts of faithfulness, each person or family taking responsibility for a portion of the work. The willingness to repair the wall near one's own home reflects a personal stake in the collective welfare, a model of engaged, embodied discipleship. His story reminds readers that large-scale renewal often depends on ordinary people who take ownership of their small, local corner of the work.
Verse Appearances (1)
Nehemiah
References
- Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References (TIPNR). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Wikidata contributors (n.d.) Wikidata. Available at: https://www.wikidata.org. [CC0]
- Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]