OLD TESTAMENT

Nehemiah 10

The Holy Bible · English
All chapters

Read all chapter notes ↗

Bilingual reading
Text

Open an explanation beneath verses with notes. Your notes and highlights stay on this device.

1

Now those who sealed were: Nehemiah the governor, the son of Hacaliah, and Zedekiah,

ExplanationCommentary
EXPLANATION

Verse 1. Athersatha. Hebrew hatirshatha. Prot. “the tirshatha,” cup-bearer, or governor, highly ( Bible.) “privileged” and honoured by Artaxerxes. Worthington.—Hebrew “And over those who were sealed, ( Calmet. Septuagint or who sealed the deed. Bible.) Nehemias, the cup-bearer.” Esdras, Eliasib, and so forth were also princes. Calmet.—It is not easy to account for the omission of their names. Menochius.—They may be designated by different titles. An aristocracy, mixed with oligarchy, was the present form of government. The advice of the ancients, and of the people, was taken. Calmet.—Hachelai, is less properly styled Helchias; (Calmet. 1:1) where the Septuagint read Chelchias, or Achalia, (Hebrew chacala) as well as here.

Read all chapter notes
2

Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah,

3

Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah,

4

Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch,

5

Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,

6

Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch,

7

Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,

8

Maaziah, Bilgai, and Shemaiah. These were the priests.

ExplanationCommentary
EXPLANATION

Verse 8. Priests. All, at least after Nehemias. Bible.

Read all chapter notes
9

The Levites: Jeshua the son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel;

10

and their brothers, Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan,

11

Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah,

12

Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,

13

Hodiah, Bani, and Beninu.

14

The chiefs of the people: Parosh, Pahathmoab, Elam, Zattu, Bani,

ExplanationCommentary
EXPLANATION

Verse 14. Pharos. Many of these are mentioned as returning from Babylon. Calmet. 7:8. 11. and so forth

Read all chapter notes
15

Bunni, Azgad, Bebai,

16

Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin,

17

Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur,

18

Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai,

19

Hariph, Anathoth, Nobai,

20

Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir,

21

Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua,

22

Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah,

23

Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub,

24

Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek,

25

Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah,

26

Ahiah, Hanan, Anan,

27

Malluch, Harim, and Baanah.

28

The rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants, and all those who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters—everyone who had knowledge and understanding—

ExplanationCommentary
EXPLANATION

Verse 28. Lands. Idolaters, ( Bible.) namely, the proselytes. Menochius.—Daughters. These did not all subscribe in person, but by the hands of the intelligent, and chief men, (verse 29) or, ( Calmet.) as the Septuagint seem to understand, these went through the different ranks of the people, and received their oaths. E. Menochius.

Read all chapter notes
29

joined with their brothers, their nobles, and entered into a curse and into an oath, to walk in God’s law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord, and his ordinances and his statutes;

ExplanationCommentary
EXPLANATION

Verse 29. Understand. Hebrew mebin, “the teachers,” or Levites. 1 Ezra 8:16. Menochius.—Promising. Hebrew “clave to their brethren;” and they promised with a curse to transgressors, and with an oath to walk, and so forth Bible.

Read all chapter notes
30

and that we would not give our daughters to the peoples of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons;

ExplanationCommentary
EXPLANATION

Verse 30. And. In all covenants, the articles which have been chiefly broken, are specified. Worthington.

Read all chapter notes
31

and if the peoples of the land bring wares or any grain on the Sabbath day to sell, that we would not buy from them on the Sabbath, or on a holy day; and that we would forego the seventh year crops and the exaction of every debt.

ExplanationCommentary
EXPLANATION

Verse 31. Holy day. The contrary practice is therefore sinful. Bible.—Year. Not cultivating the land. Leviticus 25:4.—Hand. No debts were to be demanded. Deuteronomy 15:1. Menochius.

Read all chapter notes
32

Also we made ordinances for ourselves, to charge ourselves yearly with the third part of a shekel for the service of the house of our God:

ExplanationCommentary
EXPLANATION

Verse 32. Third part. About 9d. ( Bible.) on account of the poverty of the people. Calmet.—They afterwards paid half a sicle, or 1s. 2d. conformably to the law. Exodus 30:13. Matthew 17:23. Bible.—Before the captivity, the kings of Juda provided sacrifices, (2 Chronicles 31:3) and after, the Persian monarchs supplied what was requisite, in favour of Zorababel and Esdras. Calmet. 6:8 and 7:21. But these grants had been recalled, or were not well executed.

EXPLANATION

A shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.35 ounces.

Read all chapter notes
33

for the show bread, for the continual meal offering, for the continual burnt offering, for the Sabbaths, for the new moons, for the set feasts, for the holy things, for the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, and for all the work of the house of our God.

34

We, the priests, the Levites, and the people, cast lots for the wood offering, to bring it into the house of our God, according to our fathers’ houses, at times appointed year by year, to burn on the LORD our God’s altar, as it is written in the law;

ExplanationCommentary
EXPLANATION

Verse 34. Wood. The Nathinites had performed this office till the captivity. But not their numbers were too small. Calmet.—The people therefore brought the wood. The Levites, with the Nathinites, carried it into the temple, and the priests laid it upon the altars; all being regulated by lots. Lyran.—Hence the feast called Xylophoria, was instituted about the month of August, as we may gather from Josephus. The Rabbins say that the priests cut the wood, from March till the 15th of July.

Read all chapter notes
35

and to bring the first fruits of our ground and the first fruits of all fruit of all kinds of trees, year by year, to the LORD’s house;

ExplanationCommentary
EXPLANATION

Verse 35. Every tree, of seven species; the pear, apple, fig, apricot, olive, palm, and vine trees; besides wheat, legumes, and so forth Calmet.—For three years the fruit was deemed unclean. Leviticus 19:23. Menochius.

Read all chapter notes
36

also the firstborn of our sons and of our livestock, as it is written in the law, and the firstborn of our herds and of our flocks, to bring to the house of our God, to the priests who minister in the house of our God;

37

and that we should bring the first fruits of our dough, our wave offerings, the fruit of all kinds of trees, and the new wine and the oil, to the priests, to the rooms of the house of our God; and the tithes of our ground to the Levites; for they, the Levites, take the tithes in all our farming villages.

ExplanationCommentary
EXPLANATION

Verse 37. Meats. Hebrew “paste.” Numbers 15:20. Calmet. and 23:17.—Ground, or the produce. Menochius.

Read all chapter notes
38

The priest, the descendent of Aaron, shall be with the Levites when the Levites take tithes. The Levites shall bring up the tithe of the tithes to the house of our God, to the rooms, into the treasure house.

ExplanationCommentary
EXPLANATION

Verse 38. With. To observe that all is done according to the law. Numbers 18:26. Calmet.

Read all chapter notes
39

For the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the wave offering of the grain, of the new wine, and of the oil, to the rooms where the vessels of the sanctuary are, and the priests who minister, with the gatekeepers and the singers. We will not forsake the house of our God.