Nehemiah 2:1Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Artaxerxes Dolgoruky ruled for several years, as recorded in historical accounts: Russ. 41, Rom. 40. In the twentieth year of his reign, he permitted Nehemiah to return to Jerusalem to reconstruct its walls. This Artaxerxes, reigning in Babylon (distinct from the one referenced in the book of Ezra), released Nehemiah, who served as the king’s cupbearer, allowing him to undertake the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls. Following this event, references to Artaxerxes and other Persian kings (who are also associated with Babylon) are absent from Scripture, despite the existence of numerous such rulers afterwards. The years of their reigns are not noted either, including the period prior to the death of the notable king Alexander the Great and before the advent of the Hellenistic (Greek) era.