The books Ezra and Nehemiah are closely related and often lumped together, “Ezra-Nehemiah.”
Author and Date
Dating Nehemiah is generally done along with Ezra, which references “the seventh year of King Artaxerxes” in Ezra 7:7 as the time when Ezra and others came home to Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile. They were latecomers, most others having returned home years before. There is much scholarly debate around which King Artaxerxes is being referred to in this verse. The most common dates given are 458 BC, 438 BC, and 398 BC. So, around 400 years before Christ, give or take a few decades.
Nehemiah himself was a cupbearer to the Babylonian king (1:11). He uses his position to request aid from the king in rebuilding Jerusalem. King Darius, who originally released the exiles to return home, had equipped them with money and supplies for rebuilding. But decades have passed and this is a new king, with new potential.
Nehemiah “returns” to Jerusalem with new money and supplies. Remember that every exile “returning” at this point has never been to the homeland. They were born and raised in captivity. Returning means leaving the known for what only the heart knows. Once in Jerusalem, Nehemiah assumes a position of prominent leadership, which his Babylonian position likely groomed him for.
Not everyone took kindly to the rebuilding project, and Nehemiah experienced opposition throughout the rebuilding effort. But, he perseveres, and even equips all the workers with weapons that they always carry, even if they stop for a drink of water. Once the walls are completed in chp 7, they are put under heavy guard.
In addition to rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, Nehemiah institutes social justice reform and help for the poor of the land.
Chp 8 shows Ezra, a “teacher of the law,” bringing out what is presumably the Torah to read it to the assembly. After the reading, there is a huge party with food and dancing. This is followed in chp 9 with a recounting of Jewish history and a commitment by the people to once again follow the laws of God and live as God’s people.