Separation of the People, Separation of the Land

This book argues that the parallel narrative structures of Ezra 9-10 and Nehemiah 1:1--3:32 are intended to connect the two books and highlight theological connection of building the community through exclusive ownership of the land. This is developed by contrasting the return narrative in Nehemiah 1-3 with the two other return narratives in Ezra 1-2 and 7-8. Then the removal of foreign wives in Ezra 9-10 is contrasted with foreign wives crises in Nehemiah 9-10 and 13:23-29. In these comparisons, the major thematic points, prominent character(s) and primary concern, and the narrative movements are examined. Once the differences between the thematically similar passages have been shown, the structures of Nehemiah 1-3 and Ezra 9-10 are compared. This comparison shows that the narrative movements of the two passages overlap, indicating that the narratives have been intentionally shaped to mirror each other. Finally, the theological and thematic importance of this is explained by comparing the theological message in each movement of the narrative in Ezra 9-10 and Nehemiah 1-3. The conclusion is that these highlight the shared theological message of building the community through exclusive ownership of the land.