Nehemiah was cupbearer to Artaxerxes (I or II) King of Persia. Hearing of troubles in Jerusalem, he obtained from the king an appointment as governor (Tirshatha, Pehah) of Judah, and went to live there either about 445 (Artaxerxes I) or about 384 (Artaxerxes II) for 12 years, then apparently returning for a second visit.. One verse hints however that Nehemiah did not live in Judah all of the time, but only visited briefly.

The book can be divided into four parts:

Chapters 1-7: Rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem, and the register of those who had returned from Babylon, identical to that in Ezra.

Chapters 8-10: Religious backsliding and reform. Celebration of Sukkoth (Tabernacles).

Chapters 11-12: A census roll

Chapters 12-13: Dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, the arrangement of the temple officers, and the reforms carried out by Nehemiah, and dealing with the problem of foreign wives again. (12:27-ch. 13).

The description in Chapter 4, of rebuilding the walls while keeping guard against marauders became a moral model for Zionist defense in the rebuilding of modern Israel.

Nehemiah also carried out land reforms that favored the poor and bought him the enmity of wealthy residents, and a reform of the aristocracy, which earned him the enmity of others. He repopulated Jerusalem by casting lots among all the inhabitants of Judah to determine which families should relocate in Jerusalem. A part of the book at least, was probably written by Nehemiah, and is devoted to praising his own work and denouncing his enemies.

Because of the uncertainty surrounding the question of which Artaxerxes gave Nehemiah his commission, and which Artaxerxes was the king mentioned in the Book of Ezra, it is difficult to date the events accurately, nor can it be certain that the mention of foreign wives in chapter 13 is a different incident or the same one as is described in the book of Ezra.

The books of Ezra and Nehemiah, and the Book of Chronicles, must be viewed in part as nation-building efforts on the part of their authors. The Jews returning to Judea could not have national sovereignty, as Judea remained a satrapy of the Persian empire. National life was therefore reconstituted around the temple worship. It is not unlikely that the earlier books of the old testament were redacted in the light of the new reality as well.