Nehemiah 10: Those who sealed, and the covenant
A free study, verse by verse. Text: World English Bible. Notes come from the Hebrew. How to read a study
What happens?
The chapter opens with the names of those who sealed: Nehemiah the governor and Zedekiah, then the priests, the Levites, and the chiefs of the people. The rest of the people, with their wives, sons, and daughters, join them and enter into a curse and an oath to walk in God's law given by Moses. They promise not to give their daughters to the peoples of the land or take theirs, not to buy on the Sabbath or a holy day from the peoples of the land who bring goods to sell, to leave the seventh year and the exaction of every debt, to charge themselves a third of a shekel a year, to cast lots for the wood offering, and to bring the firstfruits, the firstborn, and the tithes to the house of their God.
Who is speaking?
No one in this chapter is God speaking, so no verse is in gold. Verses 1 to 27 are a list of names, and verses 28 and 29 tell what the people did. From verse 30 the people speak as "we" and state what they promise. Where they say "as it is written in the law" (verses 34 and 36) they are naming the law, and those are the people's words, not gold. God's own words are printed in gold, and those verses are marked God speaks
1Now those who sealed were: Nehemiah the governor, the son of Hacaliah, and Zedekiah,
In plain English: Now those who sealed (or: whose names are on the sealed documents) were: Nehemiah the governor, the son of Hacaliah, and Zedekiah,
The Hebrew word: "The governor" is ha-tirshata, a title the dictionary gives as "Tirshatha, the title of a Persian deputy or governor". It is in 4 verses of Nehemiah (, , and this one).
How it is translated: The WEB says "governor" in all 4. The Hebrew is the title itself, and the verse names Nehemiah with it.
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2Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah,
In plain English: Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah,
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3Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah,
In plain English: Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah,
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4Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch,
In plain English: Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch,
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5Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,
In plain English: Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,
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6Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch,
In plain English: Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch,
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7Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,
In plain English: Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,
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8Maaziah, Bilgai, and Shemaiah. These were the priests.
In plain English: Maaziah, Bilgai, and Shemaiah. These were the priests.
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9The Levites: Jeshua the son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel;
In plain English: The Levites: Jeshua the son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel;
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10and their brothers, Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan,
In plain English: and their brothers: Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan,
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11Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah,
In plain English: Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah,
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12Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,
In plain English: Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,
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13Hodiah, Bani, and Beninu.
In plain English: Hodiah, Bani, and Beninu.
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14The chiefs of the people: Parosh, Pahathmoab, Elam, Zattu, Bani,
In plain English: The chiefs (or: heads) of the people: Parosh, Pahathmoab, Elam, Zattu, Bani,
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15Bunni, Azgad, Bebai,
In plain English: Bunni, Azgad, Bebai,
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16Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin,
In plain English: Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin,
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17Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur,
In plain English: Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur,
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18Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai,
In plain English: Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai,
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19Hariph, Anathoth, Nobai,
In plain English: Hariph, Anathoth, Nobai,
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20Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir,
In plain English: Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir,
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21Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua,
In plain English: Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua,
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22Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah,
In plain English: Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah,
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23Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub,
In plain English: Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub,
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24Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek,
In plain English: Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek,
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25Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah,
In plain English: Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah,
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26Ahiah, Hanan, Anan,
In plain English: Ahiah, Hanan, Anan,
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27Malluch, Harim, and Baanah.
In plain English: Malluch, Harim, and Baanah.
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28The 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—
In plain English: The rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers (or: porters), the singers, the temple servants, and everyone who had separated himself from the peoples of the lands to the law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, everyone who had knowledge and understanding,
The Hebrew words: "The temple servants" is ha-nethinim, which the dictionary gives as "the Nethinim, or Temple-servants (as given to that duty)". "The peoples of the lands" uses am, which the dictionary gives as "a people (as a congregated unit)". "Separated himself" is badal, "to divide ... separate, distinguish".
How it is translated: Nethinim is in 8 verses of Nehemiah, and the WEB says "temple servants" in all 8. The words "the peoples of the land" or "of the lands" are in 5 verses of Nehemiah: , , this verse, and .
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29joined 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 Yahweh our Lord, and his ordinances and his statutes;
In plain English: 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 take care to do all the commandments of Yahweh our Lord, and his ordinances (or: judgments) and his statutes:
The Hebrew words: "A curse" is alah, which the dictionary gives as "an imprecation". "An oath" is shebuah, "something sworn, i.e. an oath".
How it is translated: Alah is in this verse only in Nehemiah, and the WEB says "curse". Shebuah is in 2 verses of Nehemiah, and the WEB says "oath" in 1 of them (this one). The verse says they entered into the two together, and it does not say what the curse was.
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30and that we would not give our daughters to the peoples of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons;
In plain English: that we will not give our daughters to the peoples of the land, and will not take their daughters for our sons;
Good to know: has a command in similar words, "You shall not give your daughter to his son, nor shall you take his daughter for your son." and have a similar line. Verse 30 does not name any of them.
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31and 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.
In plain English: and if the peoples of the land bring wares or any grain on the Sabbath day to sell, that we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or on a holy day; and that we will leave (or: give up) the seventh year and the exaction of every debt (literally: of every hand).
The Hebrew words: The Hebrew of the last clause says "so we may leave the seventh year and the exaction of every hand". The WEB adds "crops" after "seventh year" and puts "debt" where the Hebrew has "hand". The word for "exaction" is mashsha, which the dictionary gives as "a loan; by implication, interest on a debt".
What changes: With the WEB's words, they give up the seventh year crops and every debt that is demanded. With the plainer Hebrew, they leave the seventh year and the exaction of every hand, and the verse does not spell out what that means. It is stated as the people's promise.
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32Also 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:
In plain English: We also set commandments (or: ordinances) on ourselves, to put on ourselves a charge of a third of a shekel each year for the service of the house of our God:
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33for 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.
In plain English: for the bread set out in rows (the show bread), for the continual grain offering, for the continual burnt offering, for the Sabbaths, for the new moons, for the appointed 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.
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34We, 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 Yahweh our God’s altar, as it is written in the law;
In plain English: We, the priests, the Levites, and the people, have cast lots for the wood offering, to bring it to the house of our God, by our fathers' houses, at appointed times year by year, to burn on the altar of Yahweh our God, as it is written in the law;
The Hebrew word: "Lots" is goral, which the dictionary gives as "a pebble, i.e. a lot (small stones being used for that purpose); figuratively, a portion or destiny".
How it is translated: The word is in 2 verses of Nehemiah, this one and , and the WEB says "lots" in both. The verse says the lots were cast for the wood offering, and that this is "written in the law". It does not say which verse of the law.
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35and to bring the first fruits of our ground and the first fruits of all fruit of all kinds of trees, year by year, to Yahweh’s house;
In plain English: and to bring the firstfruits of our ground and the firstfruits of the fruit of every tree, year by year, to the house of Yahweh;
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36also 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;
In plain English: 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 serve in the house of our God;
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37and 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.
In plain English: and that we will bring the first of our dough, our contributions (or: wave offerings), the fruit of every tree, the new wine and the fresh oil, to the priests, to the rooms (or: storerooms) of the house of our God; and the tithe of our ground to the Levites. For they, the Levites, are the ones who collect the tithes in all the cities of our farming (literally: our labor).
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38The 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.
In plain English: The priest, a descendant of Aaron, will be with the Levites when the Levites collect the tithes. And the Levites will bring up the tenth of the tithe to the house of our God, to the rooms, into the treasure house.
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39For 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.
In plain English: For the people of Israel and the descendants of Levi will bring the contribution (or: wave offering) of the grain, the new wine, and the fresh oil to the rooms, where the utensils of the sanctuary are, and the priests who serve, the gatekeepers, and the singers are. We will not neglect (or: forsake) the house of our God.
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