The Hebrew Concept of ‘Arukah’ in Nehemiah 4:7 in The Contexts of Community Security and Community Policing Operations.
Studies in Nehemiah have engaged the book from the perspectives of history, ethics, gender, leadership and so on. However, the significance of the security architecture and its semantic importance of ‘arukah’ have not been engaged. Precisely, Nehemiah 4 narrative contains community security architectures which can be of use to human society. ‘Arukah’ (אֲרוּכָה ) is a derivative of arak, the Hebrew word used in Nehemiah 4:7 to denote ‘repair’ in the context of community defence against bandits. This paper explores, by means of expository narratology, the lexicography of “arukah” in Ancient Near East (ANE), in Nehemiah narrative, finds its nexus with contemporary community policing operations and argues ‘arukah’ to be the proactive security measure that drove community safety. The findings proved that, proactiveness is key not reactionary approach. It concludes that community policing is effective if its approach is preventive. The research recommends upgrade of Nigerian policing method from reactionary to proactive form.
Keywords: Nehemiah, Arukah, Security Architecture, Society, Community Policing.