Nehemiah 8

Chapter context

What is happening in Nehemiah 8?

restorationleadershipreformprayer

Nehemiah 8 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as public Torah reading and covenant renewal. Nehemiah recounts the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls, the renewal of covenant identity, and the hard maintenance of communal reform. Read this chapter with the wider themes of restoration, leadership, and reform in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.

¹ And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded to Israel. ² And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month. ³ And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law. ⁴ And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Urijah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchiah, and Hashum, and Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam. ⁵ And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up: ⁶ And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD with their faces to the ground. ⁷ Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their place. ⁸ So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading. ⁹ And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the LORD your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law. ¹⁰ Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our LORD: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength. ¹¹ So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, Hold your peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved. ¹² And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great mirth, because they had understood the words that were declared unto them. ¹³ And on the second day were gathered together the chief of the fathers of all the people, the priests, and the Levites, unto Ezra the scribe, even to understand the words of the law. ¹⁴ And they found written in the law which the LORD had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh month: ¹⁵ And that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities, and in Jerusalem, saying, Go forth unto the mount, and fetch olive branches, and pine branches, and myrtle branches, and palm branches, and branches of thick trees, to make booths, as it is written. ¹⁶ So the people went forth, and brought them, and made themselves booths, every one upon the roof of his house, and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of God, and in the street of the water gate, and in the street of the gate of Ephraim. ¹⁷ And all the congregation of them that were come again out of the captivity made booths, and sat under the booths: for since the days of Jeshua the son of Nun unto that day had not the children of Israel done so. And there was very great gladness. ¹⁸ Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according unto the manner.

Study helps

Glossary

Ezra Person v. 1-2, 4-6, 9, 13: Help. (1. ) A priest among those that returned to Jerusalem under Zerubabel ( Neh. 12:1 ). (2. ) The “scribe” who led the second body of exiles that returned from Babylon to Jerusalem B. C.
Water Gate Place v. 1, 3, 16: Biblical gate. Modern identification: Jerusalem.
Hilkiah Person v. 4: Portion of Jehovah. (1. ) 1 Chr. 6:54 . (2. ) 1 Chr. 26:11 . (3. ) The father of Eliakim ( 2 Kings 18:18 , 26, 37). (4. ) The father of Gemariah ( Jer. 29:3 ). (5. ) The father of the prophet Jeremiah (1:1).
Malchiah Person v. 4: Jehovah’s king. (1. ) The head of the fifth division of the priests in the time of David ( 1 Chr. 24:9 ). (2. ) A priest, the father of Pashur ( 1 Chr. 9:12 ; Jer. 38:1 ).
Meshullam Person v. 4: Befriended. (1. ) One of the chief Gadites in Bashan in the time of Jotham ( 1 Chr. 5:13 ). (2. ) Grandfather of Shaphan, “the scribe,” in the reign of Josiah ( 2 Kings 22:3 ). (3. ) A priest, father of Hilkiah.
Mishael Person v. 4: Who is like God! (1. ) A Levite; the eldest of the three sons of Uzziel ( Ex. 6:22 ). (2. ) One of the three Hebrew youths who were trained with Daniel in Babylon ( Dan. 1:11 , 19), and promoted to the rank of Magi.
Pedaiah Person v. 4: Redemption of the Lord. (1. ) The father of Zebudah, who was the wife of Josiah and mother of king Jehoiakim ( 2 Kings 23:36 ). (2. ) The father of Zerubbabel ( 1 Chr. 3:17-19 ). (3. ).
Zechariah Person v. 4: Jehovah is renowned or remembered. (1. ) A prophet of Judah, the eleventh of the twelve minor prophets. Like Ezekiel, he was of priestly extraction. He describes himself (1:1) as.
Akkub Person v. 7: (another form of Jacob). (1. ) The head of one of the families of Nethinim ( Ezra 2:45 ). (2. ) A Levite who kept the gate of the temple after the return from Babylon ( 1 Chr. 9:17 ; Ezra 2:42 ; Neh. 7:45 ).
Azariah Person v. 7: Whom Jehovah helps. (1. ) Son of Ethan, of the tribe of Judah ( 1 Chr. 2:8 ). (2. ) Son of Ahimaaz, who succeeded his grandfather Zadok as high priest ( 1 Chr. 6:9 ; 1 Kings 4:2 ) in the days of Solomon.
Hanan Person v. 7: Merciful. (1. ) A Benjamite ( 1 Chr. 8:23 ). (2. ) One of David’s heroes ( 1 Chr. 11:43 ). (3. ) Jer. 35:4 . (4. ) A descendant of Saul ( 1 Chr. 8:38 ). (5. ) One of the Nethinim ( Ezra 2:46 ).
Jozabad Tribe v. 7: Whom Jehovah bestows. (1. ) One of the Benjamite archers who joined David at Ziklag ( 1 Chr. 12:4 ). (2. ) A chief of the tribe of Manasseh ( 1 Chr. 12:20 ).
Pelaiah Person v. 7: Distinguished of the Lord. (1. ) One of David’s posterity ( 1 Chr. 3:24 ). (2. ) A Levite who expounded the law ( Neh. 8:7 ).
Shabbethai Person v. 7: Sabbath-born, a Levite who assisted in expounding the law and investigating into the illegal marriages of the Jews ( Ezra 10:15 ; Neh. 8:7 ; 11:16 ).
Sherebiah Person v. 7: Flame of the Lord, a priest whose name is prominent in connection with the work carried on by Ezra and Nehemiah at Jerusalem ( Ezra 8:17 , 18, 24-30; Neh. 8:7 ; 9:4 , 5; 10:12).
Nehemiah Tribe v. 9: Comforted by Jehovah. (1. ) Ezra 2:2 ; Neh. 7:7 . (2. ) Neh. 3:16 . (3. ) The son of Hachaliah ( Neh. 1:1 ), and probably of the tribe of Judah. His family must have belonged to Jerusalem ( Neh. 2:3 ).
Jerusalem Place v. 15: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Jerusalem.
Ephraim Gate Place v. 16: Biblical gate. Modern identification: Jerusalem.
Nun Person v. 17: Beyond the fact that he was the father of Joshua nothing more is known of him ( Ex. 33:11 ).