Nehemiah was a Jewish prophet who served the Persian king Artaxerxes as a cupbearer, built the walls of Jerusalem, and wrote the Book of Nehemiah. He built the wall with the help of the Jews who returned from their exile in Babylon. There was many who opposed to this project. Some tried to stop Nehemiah with threats (such as Geshem).
Nehemiah was the son of Hachaliah [1]. One of his brothers are named, Hanani. Nehemiah lived in the fortress city of Susa. His brother arrived there with men from Judah, and Nehemiah questioned them about Jerusalem and the exiles who returned. [2] They told him that the survivors were in great trouble and disgrace and the walls were broken down along with the gates burned down.