The Last Prophetess of Jerusalem

Nehemiah 6:13

Amichai Lau-Lavie (he/him)

May 19, 2025

When did prophets stop being such a central voice in the political life of the nation? And how is the story of the last woman to hold that role in Judah give us a clue to this evolution?

The shift from the prophetic power of Isaiah and Ezekiel, even Hagai and Malachi to the new power held by scribes like Ezra and leaders like Nehemiah is huge - and subtle as well. It may be connected to the gradual shift in authority from temple rites to the teaching of Torah, from priestly and prophetic norms of the divine to more intellectual and lay-led formats of religious education. Both transitions are alluded to in today’s chapter.

Most scholars identify the shift in spiritual leadership styles that likely happened during the first century of so of the building of the Second Temple. Between the Babylonian exile and its deconstruction of prior paradigms, the shifts in global norms and the rise of scholarship -- the individuals who speak for God and inspire the people as prophets of doom and/or consolation give way to the new model -- teachers and preachers, sages and storytellers. God’s message will from now on be deciphered through the written word - not the spoken vision. Although some passionate leaders and teachers will somehow straddle both.

This chapter of Nehemiah includes several prophetic voices, some named, including a lesser known prophetess - the only one mentioned in these books - and some are nameless. Their voices are used for the pro/con campaign as different factions competed for authority and conflicting cultural stakes attempted to define the narrative - to support or stop the wall.

This drama is happening while Nehemiah insists on completing the project of the wall around Jerusalem -which he will complete and celebrate later in this chapter - and in 52 days.

A lot can happen in less than two months and somehow these chapters go back and forth between the internal and external tensions, leading ultimately to the celebration of the wall’s completion, although not everybody was pleased.

The local leaders who represent the Samaritans, Edomites and others invite Nehemiah to a regional meeting to discuss their future - no less than four times. He refuses to attend, blaming the urgency of the building project. It’s more likely that like Ezra, and perhaps with backing from Persian authorities - he prefers an exclusivist approach to rebuilding Judah and not an inclusive stance that will include the local neighbors.

After the fourth invitation they go public with an open letter to the king in which Nehemiah is accused of wanting to become the king of Judah, building not just a wall but also a palace. This is already an accusation of treason, and he must respond.

The accusation used against him by Sanbalat and the other local leaders is that the prophets are already proclaiming Nehemiah as potential king - setting the stage for attempted autonomy. Could they be quoting the prophecies of Hagai and Malachi for future days?

Either way - Nehemiah is troubled by Sanballat’s open letter—citing prophetic circles whose actions played into Sanballat’s hands by encouraging people to see Nehemiah as a Jewish king rather than a Persian-appointed governor.

In order to respond wisely to this public accusation, Nehemiah seeks the advice of a local seer we’ve never heard of - he’s only mentioned in this chapter, but may have been a central figure at the time and perhaps a significant prophet. Shemaiah son of Delaiah, might be under house arrest (or just homebound, unclear) and had earned Nehemiah’s trust - at least initially. He receives advice that can be interpreted in different ways:

וַאֲנִי־בָ֗אתִי בֵּ֣ית שְֽׁמַֽעְיָ֧ה בֶן־דְּלָיָ֛ה בֶּן־מְהֵֽיטַבְאֵ֖ל וְה֣וּא עָצ֑וּר וַיֹּ֡אמֶר נִוָּעֵד֩ אֶל־בֵּ֨ית הָאֱלֹהִ֜ים אֶל־תּ֣וֹךְ הַֽהֵיכָ֗ל וְנִסְגְּרָה֙ דַּלְת֣וֹת הַהֵיכָ֔ל כִּ֚י בָּאִ֣ים לְהׇרְגֶ֔ךָ וְלַ֖יְלָה בָּאִ֥ים לְהׇרְגֶֽךָ׃

Then I visited Shemaiah son of Delaiah son of Mehetabel when he was housebound, and he said,

“Let us meet in the House of God, inside the sanctuary, and let us shut the doors of the sanctuary, for they are coming to kill you. By night they are coming to kill you.”

According to one interpretation, Shemaiah advises Nehemiah to protect himself from the murderous intentions of Tobiah and Sanballat by fleeing to the inner sanctuary of the Temple—the Holy of Holies. Since entrance to the Holy of Holies is forbidden to anyone but the priests, this advice could trap Nehemiah into committing a grave transgression, portraying him as someone who desecrates the sacred.

Another interpretation is that Shemaiah is advising Nehemiah to seize control of the Temple precinct and assert authority over the priests. This could have led to a confrontation between Nehemiah and the priesthood, possibly resulting in a complaint being lodged against him with the Persian king.

Either way, Shemaiah’s advice makes it clear to Nehemiah that Shemaiah’s loyalty does not lie with him, but rather with Sanballat and Tobiah. He realizes that the forces that are against his project are from outside - and from the inside too.

While he continues with the wall, Nehemiah appeals to God’s help -- citing the numerous voices that are trying to stop his project. Among them are also several prophets, including the previously unnamed prophetess Noadiah. She may just be the last prophetess of Jerusalem - at least the last one ever named:

זׇכְרָ֧ה אֱלֹהַ֛י לְטוֹבִיָּ֥ה וּלְסַנְבַלַּ֖ט כְּמַעֲשָׂ֣יו אֵ֑לֶּה וְגַ֨ם לְנוֹעַדְיָ֤ה הַנְּבִיאָה֙ וּלְיֶ֣תֶר הַנְּבִיאִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר הָי֖וּ מְיָֽרְאִ֥ים אוֹתִֽי׃

“O my God, remember against Tobiah and Sanballat these deeds of theirs, and against Noadiah the prophetess, and against the other prophets that they wished to intimidate me!”

Who is Noadiah and why is she mentioned here? many scholars want to know.

Prof. Tamara Cohn Eskenazi wrote that “The mention of this mysterious female prophet together with such highly placed officials suggests that her status was comparable to theirs and that she, like them, was a prominent person.”

Here she appears to be one of the leading voices that confront Nehemiah and may not be supporting his project. Whoever she was and whatever position she stood for - this text places her at the center of the debate regarding the cessation of prophecy. Noadiah is one of the last named people who are prophets mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. There is likely more to her story that is waiting to be explored.

The Sages in the Talmud taught that during Nehemiahs’ times - prophecy ceased in Israel. Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi were the last to be considered legitatem prophets speaking for God. It’s possible that this chapter’s subtext alludes to this societal-theological shift. It’s not just described as a transformation of leadership styles - but also stems from political reasons.

According to this chapter -- the decline of the prophetic institution is connected to the fact that some or all prophets were acting against the national interest and the building of the wall and opposing the people’s leader. This too may be hinting at larger schisms and societal divides that the authors of this book chose not to dwell on.

But they did choose to tell us the date on which the wall is finally done:

וַתִּשְׁלַם֙ הַֽחוֹמָ֔ה בְּעֶשְׂרִ֥ים וַחֲמִשָּׁ֖ה לֶאֱל֑וּל לַחֲמִשִּׁ֥ים וּשְׁנַ֖יִם יֽוֹם׃

The wall was finished on the twenty-fifth of Elul, after fifty-two days of construction.

The wall is a big achievement - yet with societal discord and conflicting claims of spiritual leadership - what is the primary focus under Nehemiah’s watch?

Jacob Wright in Why the Bible Began helps us understand the bigger picture of priorities and tensions between wall and temple, prophetic voices and loyal priests:

“For Nehemiah – and perhaps many others in Judah – Jerusalem’s wall was more central to their collective dignity and corporate identity than even the temple. Indeed, he hardly even mentions the sanctuary, describing Jerusalem as a wasteland and writing as if earlier generations had done nothing to make Yhwh’s dwelling the center of Judean society. Of course, these aspersions perturbed the priests of Jerusalem, and they made every effort to set the record straight. They wrote the larger narrative of Ezra-Nehemiah to show their readers that long before Nehemiah (and Haggai), hordes of exiles had flocked to the city with the sole purpose of rebuilding the temple.

What unified Judah, according to their narrative, was not the work on the wall but devotion to the temple.. His account of Judah’s rebirth was not to be forgotten, even if it was not the final word.

Although building accounts make for less thrilling reading, the authors of Ezra-Nehemiah imbue the work on Jerusalem’s temple and wall with a marital quality. The people battle through building.”

Nehemiah’s project presses on, with opposition from within and beyond. Once again, whoever wrote this text has an agenda - but includes the voices of the opposition - including the last prophets of Jerusalem.

Nehemiah will next attempt to create some sort of unity by setting up the stage for a collective story - - a new way to build identity, replace the prophets, and introduce what will eventually prove to be more durable than any temple - and any wall.

Image: Noadiah by David Hunter

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Below the Bible Belt

The Last Prophetess of Jerusalem

Nehemiah 6:13

When did prophets stop being such a central voice in the political life of the nation? And how is the story of the last woman to hold that role in Judah give us a clue to this evolution?

This drama is happening while Nehemiah insists on completing the project of the wall around Jerusalem -which he will complete and celebrate later in this chapter - and in 52 days.

A lot can happen in less than two months and somehow these chapters go back and forth between the internal and external tensions, leading ultimately to the celebration of the wall’s completion, although not everybody was pleased.

After the fourth invitation they go public with an open letter to the king in which Nehemiah is accused of wanting to become the king of Judah, building not just a wall but also a palace. This is already an accusation of treason, and he must respond.

The accusation used against him by Sanbalat and the other local leaders is that the prophets are already proclaiming Nehemiah as potential king - setting the stage for attempted autonomy. Could they be quoting the prophecies of Hagai and Malachi for future days?

Either way - Nehemiah is troubled by Sanballat’s open letter—citing prophetic circles whose actions played into Sanballat’s hands by encouraging people to see Nehemiah as a Jewish king rather than a Persian-appointed governor.

Then I visited Shemaiah son of Delaiah son of Mehetabel when he was housebound, and he said,

“Let us meet in the House of God, inside the sanctuary, and let us shut the doors of the sanctuary, for they are coming to kill you. By night they are coming to kill you.”

Nehemiah 6:11

Another interpretation is that Shemaiah is advising Nehemiah to seize control of the Temple precinct and assert authority over the priests. This could have led to a confrontation between Nehemiah and the priesthood, possibly resulting in a complaint being lodged against him with the Persian king.

Either way, Shemaiah’s advice makes it clear to Nehemiah that Shemaiah’s loyalty does not lie with him, but rather with Sanballat and Tobiah. He realizes that the forces that are against his project are from outside - and from the inside too.

“O my God, remember against Tobiah and Sanballat these deeds of theirs, and against Noadiah the prophetess, and against the other prophets that they wished to intimidate me!”

Nehemiah 6:13

Who is Noadiah and why is she mentioned here? many scholars want to know.

Prof. Tamara Cohn Eskenazi wrote that “The mention of this mysterious female prophet together with such highly placed officials suggests that her status was comparable to theirs and that she, like them, was a prominent person.”

But they did choose to tell us the date on which the wall is finally done:

וַתִּשְׁלַם֙ הַֽחוֹמָ֔ה בְּעֶשְׂרִ֥ים וַחֲמִשָּׁ֖ה לֶאֱל֑וּל לַחֲמִשִּׁ֥ים וּשְׁנַ֖יִם יֽוֹם׃

The wall was finished on the twenty-fifth of Elul, after fifty-two days of construction.

Nehemiah 6:14

The wall is a big achievement - yet with societal discord and conflicting claims of spiritual leadership - what is the primary focus under Nehemiah’s watch?

Jacob Wright in Why the Bible Began helps us understand the bigger picture of priorities and tensions between wall and temple, prophetic voices and loyal priests:

What unified Judah, according to their narrative, was not the work on the wall but devotion to the temple.. His account of Judah’s rebirth was not to be forgotten, even if it was not the final word.

Although building accounts make for less thrilling reading, the authors of Ezra-Nehemiah imbue the work on Jerusalem’s temple and wall with a marital quality. The people battle through building.”

Nehemiah’s project presses on, with opposition from within and beyond. Once again, whoever wrote this text has an agenda - but includes the voices of the opposition - including the last prophets of Jerusalem.

Nehemiah will next attempt to create some sort of unity by setting up the stage for a collective story - - a new way to build identity, replace the prophets, and introduce what will eventually prove to be more durable than any temple - and any wall.

Image: Noadiah by David Hunter

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