Neh 13:15-31 - Commentary

Commentary

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Text -- Nehemiah 13:15-31 (NET)

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Context

13:15 In those days I saw people in Judah treading winepresses on the Sabbath, bringing in heaps of grain and loading them onto donkeys, along with wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of loads, and bringing them to Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. So I warned them on the day that they sold these provisions. 13:16 The people from Tyre who lived there were bringing fish and all kinds of merchandise and were selling it on the Sabbath to the people of Judah– and in Jerusalem, of all places! 13:17 So I registered a complaint with the nobles of Judah, saying to them, “What is this evil thing that you are doing, profaning the Sabbath day? 13:18 Isn’t this the way your ancestors acted, causing our God to bring on them and on this city all this misfortune? And now you are causing even more wrath on Israel, profaning the Sabbath like this!” 13:19 When the evening shadows began to fall on the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I ordered the doors to be closed. I further directed that they were not to be opened until after the Sabbath. I positioned some of my young men at the gates so that no load could enter on the Sabbath day. 13:20 The traders and sellers of all kinds of merchandise spent the night outside Jerusalem once or twice. 13:21 But I warned them and said, “Why do you spend the night by the wall? If you repeat this, I will forcibly remove you!” From that time on they did not show up on the Sabbath. 13:22 Then I directed the Levites to purify themselves and come and guard the gates in order to keep the Sabbath day holy. For this please remember me, O my God, and have pity on me in keeping with your great love. 13:23 Also in those days I saw the men of Judah who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. 13:24 Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod (or the language of one of the other peoples mentioned) and were unable to speak the language of Judah. 13:25 So I entered a complaint with them. I called down a curse on them, and I struck some of the men and pulled out their hair. I had them swear by God saying, “You will not marry off your daughters to their sons, and you will not take any of their daughters as wives for your sons or for yourselves! 13:26 Was it not because of things like these that King Solomon of Israel sinned? Among the many nations there was no king like him. He was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel. But the foreign wives made even him sin! 13:27 Should we then in your case hear that you do all this great evil, thereby being unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign wives?” 13:28 Now one of the sons of Joiada son of Eliashib the high priest was a son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite. So I banished him from my sight. 13:29 Please remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood, the covenant of the priesthood, and the Levites. 13:30 So I purified them of everything foreign, and I assigned specific duties to the priests and the Levites. 13:31 I also provided for the wood offering at the appointed times and also for the first fruits. Please remember me for good, O my God.

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Names, People and Places, Dictionary Themes and Topics

Names, People and Places:

· Ammon the tribe/nation of people descended from Ben-Ammi, Lot's son,Territory of the tribe/nation of Ammon

· Ashdod a town on the western coast of the territory of Judah

· Eliashib chief of a division of priests serving in David's sanctuary,son of Eli-O-Enai, (Hananiah Zerubbabel David),high priest in the days of Nehemiah,a Levite singer who agreed to put away his heathen wife,a layman of the Zattu clan who put away his heathen wife,a layman of the Bani clan who put away his heathen wife,a chief priest; son of Joiakim

· Horonite a resident of the town of Horonaim

· Israel a citizen of Israel.,a member of the nation of Israel

· Jehoiada a chief priest; father of Benaiah, head of David's body guard,chief priest under Athaliah and Joash,a prince of the house of Aaron who defected to David with his men,a man who was a counselor of King David,a chief priest in the time of Jeremiah,son of Eliashib the high priest in Nehemiah's time

· Jerusalem the capital city of Israel,a town; the capital of Israel near the southern border of Benjamin

· Jew the people descended from Israel

· Judah the son of Jacob and Leah; founder of the tribe of Judah,a tribe, the land/country,a son of Joseph; the father of Simeon; an ancestor of Jesus,son of Jacob/Israel and Leah; founder of the tribe of Judah,the tribe of Judah,citizens of the southern kingdom of Judah,citizens of the Persian Province of Judah; the Jews who had returned from Babylonian exile,"house of Judah", a phrase which highlights the political leadership of the tribe of Judah,"king of Judah", a phrase which relates to the southern kingdom of Judah,"kings of Judah", a phrase relating to the southern kingdom of Judah,"princes of Judah", a phrase relating to the kingdom of Judah,the territory allocated to the tribe of Judah, and also the extended territory of the southern kingdom of Judah,the Province of Judah under Persian rule,"hill country of Judah", the relatively cool and green central highlands of the territory of Judah,"the cities of Judah",the language of the Jews; Hebrew,head of a family of Levites who returned from Exile,a Levite who put away his heathen wife,a man who was second in command of Jerusalem; son of Hassenuah of Benjamin,a Levite in charge of the songs of thanksgiving in Nehemiah's time,a leader who helped dedicate Nehemiah's wall,a Levite musician who helped Zechariah of Asaph dedicate Nehemiah's wall

· Levites relating to Levi and the priesthood given to him,a tribal name describing people and ceremonies as sacred

· Moab resident(s) of the country of Moab

· Sanballat a man who was an enemy of Nehemiah

· Solomon the tenth son of David; the father of Rehoboam; an ancestor of Jesus; the third king of Israel.,son of David and Bath-Sheba; successor of King David

· Tyre a resident of the town of Tyre

Table of Contents

Verse Notes / Footnotes NET Notes

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Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Neh 13:16 The words “of all places” are not in the Hebrew text but have been supplied in the translation to indicate the emphasis on Jerusalem.

NET Notes: Neh 13:18 Heb “your fathers.”

NET Notes: Neh 13:19 Heb “caused to stand.”

NET Notes: Neh 13:21 This statement contains a great deal of restrained humor. The author clearly takes pleasure in the effectiveness of the measures that he had enacted.

NET Notes: Neh 13:24 Heb “people and people.”

NET Notes: Neh 13:25 Heb “give.”

NET Notes: Neh 13:26 Heb “gave.”

NET Notes: Neh 13:27 Heb “give a dwelling to.”

NET Notes: Neh 13:29 One medieval Hebrew MS, the Lucianic Greek recension, and the Syriac Peshitta read the plural הַכֹּהֲנ...

NET Notes: Neh 13:30 Heb “a man in his work.”

NET Notes: Neh 13:31 The words “I also provided for” are not included in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.

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