Nehemiah << `nee` uh MY uh >> , Book of, is a book of the Hebrew Bible (also called the Old Testament ). It is named for an important figure from the ancient region of Judah in southern Palestine . Appointed governor of Judah by the ruling Persians , Nehemiah served in that office from 445 to 433 B.C. and for several years after 432 B.C. His vigorous programs of political and religious reforms, recorded in the Book of Nehemiah, renewed and restored the faltering Jewish community in Palestine in the 400’s B.C. See also Bible (The Writings) ; Ezra, Book of .
