The next sections of the wall were repaired by members of professional guilds, the goldsmiths and perfumers. Guilds were associations or organizations of people who worked in the same profession, trade, or craft. The goldsmiths, which is literally “refiners,” were jewelers or idol-makers. In addition to making perfume, the perfumers made products like soap and incense. People in these professions were wealthier and had more spare time to work on the wall than some other people.

Uzziel the son of Harhaiah was a member of the guild of goldsmiths. New Jerusalem Bible says he belonged to the “metal-workers’ guild.” Uzziel means “God is my strength.”

They restored Jerusalem: The Hebrew word rendered restored usually means “abandon” (see the Revised Standard Version footnote; compare the Septuagint) and may refer to the possibility that the wall rebuilt by Nehemiah did not include all of pre-exilic Jerusalem as has been thought by archaeologists. Williamson (1985) maintains that it was the original wall around the Temple Mount and the City of David that was rebuilt, and the part of the Jerusalem to the west enclosed by a later wall was abandoned. But Blenkinsopp (1988) strongly rejects this view and defends restored as the correct translation of this verb on the basis of its use in Neh 4.2 (where Revised Standard Version has “restore”). Translators are advised to follow the example of Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation.

The Broad Wall probably refers to the pre-exilic wall that branched off between the Ephraim Gate and the Tower of the Ovens (see also Neh 12.38), extended to the west along the western hill, and rejoined the original wall next to the Siloam Pool. Its name does not refer to the thickness of the wall but to the area that it enclosed. Its name may mean that it enclosed a large part of the city. An alternative suggestion is that it was the retaining wall for a landfill to broaden the narrow neck of land joining the Temple Mount to the City of David that contained the royal buildings.

Quoted with permission from Noss, Philip A. and Thomas, Kenneth J. A Handbook on Nehemiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2005. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .