Nehemiah 3:29 - Exposition

Shemaiah the son of Shechaniah is very possibly the descendant of David mentioned in 1 Chronicles 3:22 . He must have been an old man, as his son, Hattush, had returned to Jerusalem with Ezra ( Ezra 8:2 , Ezra 8:3 ); but still he may have taken part in the work. That he was keeper of the east gate does not militate against this hypothesis, for that post was an honourable one, and it is not to be supposed that all the descendants of David were in flourishing circumstances. By "the east gate"we are perhaps to understand "the water gate towards the east" of verse 26.