Nehemiah
/ˌniːəˈmaɪə/noun
A biblical Hebrew personal name borne by Nehemiah, a fifth-century BCE Jewish leader who helped rebuild Jerusalem’s walls.
Did you know?Nehemiah appears in the Hebrew Bible as a royal cupbearer who became governor and led the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls after the Babylonian exile.
Etymological Timeline
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
נְחֶמְיָה (Neḥemyāh)
“Yahweh comforts or Yahweh has comforted”
Ancient Hebrew
Hebrew
נחם (n-ḥ-m)
“To comfort, console, or bring relief”
3rd–2nd Century BCE
Septuagint Greek
Νεεμίας (Neemias)
“Greek rendering of the Hebrew personal name”
4th–5th Century CE
Latin
Nehemias
“Latin biblical form of the name”
Middle English
English
Nehemias / Nehemiah
“Biblical personal name transmitted through Latin and vernacular Bible traditions”
Modern English
English
Nehemiah
“A biblical given name and the name of the Book of Nehemiah”