THE BOOK OF NEHEMIAH
Lesson 4
Chapters 7-8
The Reorganization
and Registration of the Citizens of Jerusalem
Heavenly Father,
Throughout Salvation History You have continually called
Your faithful people to confession, repentance, and covenant renewal. In every
case, despite Your people's sins, You forgave them and took them back as
purified sons and daughters. Help us to follow the example of the people of
the faithful remnant who have gone before us. Help us to understand that continual
repentance and renewal are necessary for a spiritually healthy life in service
to You. We pray in the name of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
Amen.
+ + +
In the
spiritual sense too, whenever the walls of the Church have been built by
gathering new nations to the faith or by setting straight those who have erred,
immediately the doors of regular discipline must be set in place so that the
ancient enemy, who "prowls around like a roaring lion," might not in any place
be able to invade the fold of the faithful.
St. Bede, On Ezra and Nehemiah, 3.24
Chapters 1-6 reveal that Nehemiah is an ideal example of a Servant of God. Keep in mind that he was not a prophet, prince, noble, priest, or a clan leader. He was an ordinary layman who was born in captivity, probably physically disfigured by pagans to serve a pagan king but called by God to a special mission. Nehemiah never blamed God for his sufferings but had a reverent fear of offending God and submitted his life to His service.
| Nehemiah's Actions as God's Servant in Chapters 1-6 | God's Actions in Response in Chapters 1-6 |
| Prays for God's people (1:4-5, 6 twice, 11 twice, 17; 2:4; 3:36-37; 4:3; 5:19; 6:14) | God hears the prayers of His servant and preserves His covenant people (1:5; 6:12) |
| Plans for the welfare of God's people (2:6-8; 4:11-17) and gives God credit his successes and their protection (6:16) | Directs the actions of His servant (2:8b, 12, 18) |
| Perseveres against obstacles to God's plan (4:9, 23) and fears offending God (5:15; 7:2) | Paves the way for His servant's success and thwarts his enemies (4:15, 20) |
| Works for unity among the people (5:10, 11) | Unity among His people pleases God (5:9, 13) |
| Guided by God's spirit, he perceives falsehood and remains faithful (6:2, 8, 12; 7:5) | Guides His servant in wisdom and righteous acts (5:6-19) |
Despite many attempts by the governors of neighboring provinces to stop the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls, in fifty-two days, Nehemiah and his volunteers restored the walls and hung new doors in the gateways. It is not unreasonable that Nehemiah's project took under two months when one considers:
When Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem for his second term as provincial governor, he discovered that religious laxity had taken root again in the years after Ezra's reforms. One of his previous enemies was even so bold as to take possession of a room within the Temple precincts. Nehemiah will set to work restoring religious reforms in Jerusalem and Judah.
Nehemiah Part One Continued:
Reorganization of Jerusalem (7:1-3)
Registration of citizens of Jerusalem (7:4-73)
Nehemiah 7:1-3 ~ The Reorganization of Jerusalem and the Temple
1 Now,
when the wall had been rebuilt and I had hung the doors, the gatekeepers (the
singers and the Levites) were then appointed.
2 I entrusted the administration of Jerusalem to my
brother Hanani, and to Hananiah the commander of the citadel, for he was a more
trustworthy, God-fearing man than many others.
3 I said to them, "The gates of
Jerusalem must not be opened until the sun gets hot; and the doors must be shut
and barred before it begins to go down. Detail guards from the residents
of Jerusalem, each to his post, in front of his own house."
4 The city was large and spacious,
but the population was small, and the houses had not been rebuilt.
5 My God then inspired me to assemble the nobles, the officials and the
people for the purpose of taking a census by families. I discovered the
genealogical register of those who had returned in the first group, and there I
found entered:
Now that the city is secure with its protective walls and gates, Nehemiah turns his attention to the administration of Jerusalem and makes a series of appointments:
He appoints Hanani as Jerusalem's chief administrator and a man named Hananiah as the commander of the citadel or fortress of the guard. The guard commander had the duty to oversee the city's security measures like organizing the night patrols, assigning men as watchkeepers in the city's towers, and commanding the defensive forces if they came under attack. Hanani is Nehemiah's brother who brought him the news concerning Jerusalem's plight without walls to protect the city in Nehemiah 1:2. Some Biblical scholars think Nehemiah's brother Hanani is the same person as Hananiah since the name Hanani is the shortened form of Hananiah. However, it is just as likely that these are two different men with the same name appointed to two different positions of authority and Nehemiah uses the shortened form for his brother to distinguish between the two.
3 I said
to them, "The gates of Jerusalem must not be opened until the sun gets hot; and
the doors must be shut and barred before it begins to go down. Detail guards
from the residents of Jerusalem, each to his post, in front of his own house.
Usually, the gates were opened at dawn and closed at sunset.
Nehemiah's orders not to open the gates until noon is unusual but
understandable concerning the threats against the city. He doesn't want the
city to be vulnerable with opened gates until everyone is awake and about. A
city's gates were the key to a city's defenses; "to possess the gate" was to possess
the city itself (Gen 24:60). Civil judgments often took place at city gates
(Dt 17:5; 22:24); it was where the elders assembled (Job 29:7-8; Prov 31:23),
where announcements were made, or discussions on civic issues took place (Ruth 4:1ff),
and the right to enter a gate indicated citizenship (Gen 23:10, 18).
Question: What is the significance of entering the
gates in Revelation 22:14-15?
Answer: Heaven has walls, gates, and an extreme vetting
process. To enter the gates of the heavenly Jerusalem is only a privilege extended
to the elect who enter free of sin (in a state of grace) to become citizens of God's
heavenly Kingdom.
4 The city was large and spacious,
but the population was small, and the houses had not been rebuilt.
Historians estimate Jerusalem covered about 30 or 40
acres in Nehemiah's time. No new houses were built during the wall rebuilding
project, and since the city was continually under the threat of attack, it did
not attract new residents.
5 My God then inspired me to assemble
the nobles, the officials and the people for the purpose of taking a census by
families. I discovered the genealogical register of those who had returned in the
first group, and there I found entered:
Nehemiah wants to repopulate the city and writes that God
inspired him to call an assembly to take a census. In the meantime, he
discovered the genealogical register from the time of Sheshbazzar's first group
of returned exiles (see Ezra 1:5-8 and Chapter 2).
PART TWO OF THE BOOK OF NEHEMIAH
Everything recorded in Chapters 7-8 pertains to events after the first return of the exiles, ninety-two years before Nehemiah found in Ezra Chapter 2. Nehemiah's personal narrative ends and does not resume until 12:31. The inspired writer offers a historical review, recounting the mission of Ezra thirteen years earlier to show that Ezra and Nehemiah's missions were two halves of God's plan to redeem the covenant people spiritually and physically.
Nehemiah 7:6-68 ~ The List of the First Exiles to Make
the Journey with Sheshbazzar and Zerubbabel from Babylon in 538/7 BC
6 These are the people of the province who
returned from the captivity of the Exile, those whom Nebuchadnezzar king of
Babylon had deported, and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own
town. 7 They were the ones who arrived
with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai,
Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, Baanah. The number of the men of the people
of Israel: 8 sons of Parosh, two
thousand one hundred and seventy-two; 9 sons
of Shephatiah, three hundred and seventy-two; 10 sons of Arah, six hundred and fifty-two; 11 sons of Pahath-Moab, that is to say sons of
Jeshua and Joab, two thousand eight hundred and eighteen; 12 sons of Elam, one thousand two hundred and
fifty-four; 13 sons of Zattu, eight
hundred and forty-five; 14 sons of Zaccai,
seven hundred and sixty; 15 sons of
Binnui, six hundred and forty-eight; 16 sons
of Bebai, six hundred and twenty-eight; 17
sons of Azgad, two thousand three hundred and twenty-two; 18 sons of Adonikam, six hundred and
sixty-seven; 19 sons of Bigvai, two
thousand and sixty-seven; 20 sons
of Adin, six hundred and fifty-five; 21 sons
of Ater, that is to say of Hezekiah, ninety-eight; 22 sons of Hashum, three hundred and
twenty-eight; 23sons of
Bezai, three hundred and twenty-four; 24 sons
of Hariph, one hundred and twelve; 25 sons
of Gibeon, ninety-five; 26men of Bethlehem and Netophah,
one hundred and eighty-eight; 27 men
of Anathoth, one hundred and twenty-eight; 28
men of Beth-Azmaveth, forty-two; 29
men of Kiriath-Jearim, Chephirah and Beeroth, seven hundred and
forty-three; 30 men of Ramah and Geba,
six hundred and twenty-one; 31 men
of Michmas, one hundred and twenty-two; 32
men of Bethel and Ai, one hundred and twenty-three; 33 men of the other Nebo, fifty-two; 34 sons of the other Elam, one thousand two
hundred and fifty-four; 35 sons of
Harim, three hundred and twenty; 36 sons
of Jericho, three hundred and forty-five; 37
sons of Lod, Hadid and Ono, seven hundred and twenty-one; 38 sons of Senaah, three thousand nine hundred
and thirty. 39 The priests: sons of
Jedaiah, of the House of Jeshua, nine hundred and seventy-three; 40 sons of Immer, one thousand and fifty-two; 41 sons of Pashhur, one thousand two hundred and
forty-seven; 42 sons of Harim, one
thousand and seventeen. 43 The
Levites: sons of Jeshua, of Kadmiel, of the sons of Hodiah, seventy-four. 44 The singers: sons of Asaph, one hundred and
forty-eight. 45 The gatekeepers:
sons of Shallum, sons of Ater, sons of Talmon, sons of Akkub, sons of Hatita, sons
of Shobai, one hundred and thirty-eight. 46
The temple slaves: sons of Ziha, sons of Hasupha, sons of Tabbaoth, 47 sons of Keros, sons of Sia, sons of Padon, 48 sons of Lebana, sons of Hagaba, sons of
Shalmai, 49 sons of Hanan, sons of
Giddel, sons of Gahar, 50 sons of
Reaiah, sons of Rezin, sons of Nekoda, 51 sons
of Gazzam, sons of Uzza, sons of Paseah, 52
sons of Besai, sons of the Meunites, sons of the Nephusites, 53 sons of Bakbuk, sons of Hakupha, sons of
Harhur, 54 sons of Bazlith, sons of
Mehida, sons of Harsha, 55 sons of
Barkos, sons of Sisera, sons of Temah, 56 sons
of Nezaiah, sons of Hatipha. 57 The
sons of Solomon's slaves: sons of Sotai, sons of Sophereth, sons of Perida, 58 sons of Jaala, sons of Darkon, sons of
Giddel, 59 sons of Shephatiah, sons
of Hattil, sons of Pochereth-ha-Zebaim, sons of Amon. 60 The total of the temple slaves and the sons
of Solomon's slaves: three hundred and ninety-two. 61 The following, who came from Tel-Melah,
Tel-Harsha, Cherub, Addon and Immer, could not prove that their families and
ancestry were of Israelite origin: 62 the
sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, the sons of Nekoda: six hundred and
forty-two. 63 And among the
priests: the sons of Hobaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, the sons of Barzillai, who
had married one of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, whose name he
adopted. 64 These had looked for
their entries in the official genealogies but were not to be found there and were
hence disqualified from the priesthood. 65
Consequently, His Excellency forbade them to eat any of the consecrated
food until a priest appeared who could consult urim and thummim. 66 The whole assembly numbered forty-two
thousand three hundred and sixty people, 67
not counting their slaves and maidservants to the number of seven thousand
three hundred and thirty-seven. They also had two hundred and forty-five male
and female singers. 68 They had four
hundred and thirty-five camels and six thousand seven hundred and twenty donkeys.
Nehemiah will take a census of the people to prepare for the repopulating of the city in 11:4-24, but in the meantime, he discovers a list of the exiles who returned to Judah and Jerusalem with Davidic princes Sheshbazzar and Zerubbabel in about 538 BC. It is a list recorded in the Book of Ezra 2:1-67. The old list will be useful for Nehemiah in establishing which families of pure Jewish descent are eligible for residence in Jerusalem.
|
List of Names and Numbers from the First Group of Exiles (Ezra 2:1-67) |
Nehemiah's List of Names and Numbers (Nehemiah 7:6-68) |
Comparison of the Lists |
| List of leaders: Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah*, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah | List of leaders: Zerubbabel, Jeshus, Nehemiah*, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, Baanah | Twelve names in both lists but Azariah instead of Seraiah** and Beigvai replaces Rehum. Reelaiah and Raamiah are probably the same man as are Mispar and Mispereth. |
| Sons of Paroush = 2,172 | Sons of Paroush = 2, 172 | Same |
| Sons of Shephatiah = 372 | Sons of Shephatiah = 372 | Same |
| Sons of Arah = 775 | Sons of Arah = 652 | Same family but a smaller number |
| Sons of Pahath-Moab (Jeshua and Joab) = 2, 812 | Sons of Pahath-Moab (Jeshua and Joab) = 2, 818 | Same name but a slightly larger number |
| Sons of Elam = 1,254 | Sons of Elam = 1,254 | Same |
| Sons of Zattu = 845 | Missing in Ezra | |
| Sons of Zaccai = 760 | Sons of Zaccai = 760 | Same |
| Sons of Bani = 642 | Sons of Bannii = 648 | Probably the same family; different number |
| Sons of Bebai = 623 | Sons of Bebai = 628 | Same family; different number |
| Sons of Azgad = 1,222 | Sons of Azgad = 2,322 | Same family but much greater number + |
| Sons of Adonikam = 666 | Sons of Adonikam = 667 | Same family but number greater by one |
| Sons of Bigvai = 2,056 | missing | |
| Sons of Adin = 454 | Sons of Adin = 455 | Same family but number greater by one |
| Sons of Ater/Hezekiah = 98 | Sons of Ater/Hezekiah = 98 | Same |
| Sons of Hashum: 328 | Hashum is farther down the first list, and Nehemiah's number is considerably larger; perhaps an error in one of the lists | |
| Sons of Bezai = 323 | Sons of Bezai = 324 | Same family but number greater by one |
| Sons of Jorah = 112 | Not named | |
| Sons of Hashum = 223 | See above | Same name but greater by 105 |
| Sons of Gibba = 95 | Sons of Gibeon = 95 | Probably the same family |
| Sons of Bethlehem = 123 | Men of Bethlehem and Netophah = 188 | Netophah added to the sons/men of Bethlehem men and greater number |
| Men of Netophah = 52 | See above | |
| Men of Anathoth = 128 | Not in Ezra's list | |
| Men of Beth-Azmaveth = 42 | Not in Ezra's list | |
| Sons of Kiriath-Jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth = 743 | Men of Kiriath-Jearim, Cephirah, and Beeroth = 743 | Same families and number |
| Sons of Ramah and Geba = 621 | Men of Ramah and Geba = 621 | Same families and number |
| Men of Michmas = 121 | Men of Michmas = 121 | Same families and number |
| Men of Bethel and Ai = 223 | Men of Bethel and Ai = 123 | Same families but number less by 100 |
| Sons of Nebo = 52 | Sons of Nebo = 52 | Same families and number |
| (Sons) of Magbish = 156 | ||
| Sons of Elam = 1, 254 | Sons of Elam = 1, 254 | Same families and number |
| Sons of Harim = 320 | Sons of Harim = 320 | Same families and number |
| Sons of Lod, Hadid, and Ono = 725 | ||
| Sons of Jericho = 345 | Sons of Jericho = 345 | Same families and number |
| Sons of Lod, Hadid, and Ono = 725 | Out of order but same families and number | |
| Sons of Senaah = 3,630 | Sons of Senaah = 3,930 | Same families but a different number; perhaps confusion between the letter symbols for 6 and 9 caused an error? |
| Priests: sons of Jedaiah/Jeshua = 973 | Priests: sons of Jedaiah/Jeshua = 973 | Same priestly families and number |
| Priests: sons of Immer = 1,052 | Priests: sons of Immer = 1,052 | Same priestly families and number |
| Priests: sons of Pashhur = 1,247 | Priests: sons of Pashhur = 1,247 | Same priestly families and number |
| Priests: sons of Harim = 1017 | Priests: sons of Harim = 1017 | Same priestly families and number |
| Levites: sons of Jeshua and Kadmiel of Hodaviah = 74 | Levites: sons of Jeshua and Kadmiel of Hodaviah = 74 | Same Levitical families and numbers |
| Descendants of Temple singers: sons of Asaph = 128 | Descendants of Temple singers: sons of Asaph = 148 | Same families of Temple singers but a greater number |
| Descendants of Temple gatekeepers: sons of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita, Shobai = 139 | Descendants of Temple gatekeepers: sons of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita, Shobai = 138 | Same families of gatekeepers but one number less |
| Descendants of Temple servants: sons of Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbanoth, Keros, Siaha, Padon, Lebanah, Hagabah, Akkub, Hagab, Shamlai, Hanan, Giddel, Reaiah, Rezin, Nekoda, Uzza, Paseah, Besai, Asnah, the Menuites, of the Nephisites, Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur, Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha, Barkos, Sisera, Temah, Neziah, Hatipha (no numbers) | Descendants of Temple servants: sons of Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbanoth, Keros, Sia, Padon, Lebana, Hagaba, Shalmai, Hanan, Giddel, Gahar, Reaiah, Rezin, Nekoda, Gazzam, Uzza, Paseah, Besai, the Menuites, the Nephusites, Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur, Bazlith, Mehida, Harsha, Barkos, Sisera, Temah, Nezaiah, Hatipha (no numbers) | Same families but some clans have alternate spellings. |
| Descendants of Solomon's slaves: sons of Sotai, Hassophereth, Peruda, Jaalah, Darkon, Giddel, Shephatiah, Hattil, Pochereth-ha-Zebaim, Ami = 392 | Descendants of Solomon's slaves: sons of Sotai, Sophereth, Perida, Jaalah, Darkon, Giddel, Shephatiah, Hattil, Pochereth-ha-Zebaim, Ami = 392 | Only one different name, an alternate spelling of Peruda/Perida, but the same number |
| From Tel-Melah, Tel-Harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer without proof of ancestry; sons of Delaiah, Tobiah, Nekoda = 652 | From Tel-Melah, Tel-Harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer without proof of ancestry; sons of Delaiah, Tobiah, Nekoda = 642 | Same families but numbered ten less |
| Those without proof of legitimate priestly descent: sons of Habaiah, Hakkoz, Barzillai (married dau. of a Gileadite); no numbers | Those without proof of legitimate priestly descent: sons of Hobaiah, Hakkoz, Barzillai (married dau. of a Gileadite); no numbers | Same families but spelling variation with Habaiah/Hobaiah |
| Whole assembly: 42,360 not counting male and female slaves = 7,337. Also 200 male and female singers. Horses = 736, mules = 245, camels = 435, donkeys = 6,720 | Whole assembly: 42,360 not counting male and female slaves = 7,337. Also 245 male and female singers. Camels = 435, donkeys = 6,720 | Most of the numbers are the same except for the male and female singers. The number of horses and mules were not included in Nehemiah's list |
*not Governor Nehemiah; ** these men were members of the same family. +That this number is off by a thousand may suggest the list is Ezra was not recorded correctly by a thousand.
Question: What could account for the numbers
being slightly different for the people and some of the names different? Note:
Sheshbazzar's registry listed in Ezra Chapter 2 was before the journey to
Jerusalem.
Answer: The differences in numbers may be because of
deaths or births on the journey, with Ezra's list naming the families that left
on the journey and Nehemiah's list of those who arrived in Jerusalem. Name differences
may be because of spelling variations, some heads of families died, and others
became leaders of their groups.
Nehemiah's list does not include the mounts of the wealthy: horses and mules. It could be because Nehemiah's focus is always on the ordinary person and not the elites.
Question: What is another reason why he might not
want to list the mules? What did the law concerning mules mean concerning
their value? See Lev 19:19.
Answer: Since the law prohibited the breeding of
hybrids, mules could not be breed in Judah and could only be imported. The
fact that mules had to be imported made them the high-value mounts of kings and
princes (2 Sam 18:9; 1 Kng 1:33, 38, 44).
64 These had
looked for their entries in the official genealogies but were not to be found there
and were hence disqualified from the priesthood. 65 Consequently,
His Excellency forbade them to eat any of the consecrated food until a priest
appeared who could consult urim and thummim.
The list included the names of undocumented men and chief
priests who could not prove their descent from Jacob-Israel. "His Excellency" refers
to Sheshbazzar the Tirshatha, or royal
governor appointed by King Cyrus (Ezra 1:8-11) of the first group of returning
exiles in 538/7 BC, therefore, made the decision to forbid those laymen and
their families who could not prove their lineage to eat the sacred communion
meal of the Toda (Hebrew word meaning "thanksgiving") reestablishing "peace"
with God that was limited to members of the covenant (Lev 7:11-15/7:1-5;
22:21-30; Num 15:7-10). He also forbade undocumented chief priests from eating
the terumah, sacred gifts belonging to only the priests (see Lev 7:7-10/6:37-40;
7:28-34/7:29-24 and Mishnah Ketubot, 24b). Zerubbabel didn't become the royal
governor until the reign of Darius I. Nehemiah has the same title in Nehemiah 10:2.
Question: Limiting the sacred "thanksgiving" meal of
the Toda to covenant members is similar to what practice in the rituals of
worship in the Catholic Church?
Answer: The sacred meal of the Eucharist (from a Greek
word meaning "thanksgiving) is also limited to those baptized as a member of
the New Covenant in Christ and in communion with Christ's Vicar, the Pope.
Question: What were the Urim and Thummim mentioned
in verse 63? See Ex 28:30; Lev 8:8; Num 27:31; Dt 33:8; 1 Sam 28:6; Ezra 2:63;
Neh 7:65.
Answer: They were sacred lots worn on the breastplate of the high
priest and cast to obtain guidance from God when the people were facing problems.
Nehemiah 7:69-72 ~ Record of the First Group of Exiles' in Jerusalem
69 A certain number of heads of families contributed to the work. His Excellency contributed one thousand gold drachmas, fifty bowls, and thirty priestly robes to the fund.
70 And heads of families gave twenty thousand gold drachmas and two thousand two hundred silver minas to the work fund.
71 The gifts made by the rest of the people amounted to twenty thousand gold drachmas, two thousand silver minas, and sixty-seven priestly robes.
72 The priests, the Levites and some of the people lived in Jerusalem and thereabouts; the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple slaves in their appropriate towns; and all the other Israelites, in their own towns.
"His Excellency," the Tirshatha, in verse 69 again
refers to Sheshbazzar, the first Persian governor of Judah (verse is a repeat
from Ezra 2:63).
The governor, clan leaders, and the people made generous
gifts toward the fund to rebuild the Temple that was already built 137 years
before Nehemiah returned.
69 b His Excellency contributed one thousand gold drachmas, fifty bowls, and thirty priestly robes to the fund = 19 pounds (about 8.5 kilograms) of what should probably read Persian darics. A drachma is a Greek coin.
70 And heads of families gave twenty thousand gold drachmas and two thousand two hundred silver minas to the work fund = 375 pounds (about 170 kilograms) and 1 and 1/3 tons (about 1.2 metric tons) of silver.
71 The gifts made by the rest of the people amounted to twenty thousand gold drachmas, two thousand silver minas, and sixty-seven priestly robes = 1 and ¼ tons (about 1.1 metric tons).
Chapter 8
Chapter 8: The Priest Ezra Reads the Law During the Feast of Shelters
Nehemiah 7:72b-8:1-8 ~ Ezra Reads from the Book of the Law
7:72b
Now when the seventh month came round, the Israelites being in their towns, 8:1 all the people gathered as one man in
the square in front of the Water Gate, and asked the scribe Ezra to bring the
Book of the Law of Moses which Yahweh had prescribed for Israel. 2 Accordingly,
on the first day of the seventh month, the priest Ezra brought the Law before the
assembly, consisting of men, women and all those old enough to understand.
3 In the square in front of
the Water Gate, in the presence of the men and women, and of those old enough
to understand, he read from the book from dawn till noon; all the people
listened attentively to the Book of the Law. 4 The scribe Ezra stood on a wooden dais erected for the
purpose; beside him stood, on his right, Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah,
Hilkiah and Maaseiah; on his left, Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah,
Zechariah, and Meshullam. 5 In
full view of all the people, since he stood higher than them all, Ezra opened
the book; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. 6 Then
Ezra blessed Yahweh, the great God, and all the people raised their hands and
answered, "Amen! Amen!"; then they bowed down and, face to the ground, prostrated
themselves before Yahweh. 7 And Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin,
Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabab, Hanan, Pelaiah,
who were Levites, explained the Law to the people, while the people all kept
their places. 8 Ezra read from
the book of the Law of God, translating and giving the sense; so the reading
was understood.
Ezra and the caravan of returning Judahites left Babylon on the first day of the first month of Abib (March/April), in the seventh year of the reign of King Artaxerxes. See a register of the names of Ezra's exiles in Ezra 8:1-14. They arrived in Jerusalem in the fifth month of Ab, July/August according to our modern calendar (Ezra 7:8), thirteen years before Nehemiah came to Jerusalem. After Ezra's prayer in Ezra 9:6-17, the narrative continues in the Book of Nehemiah where he read the entire Book of the Law (Exodus — Deuteronomy) during the Feast of Shelters in Nehemiah 8:1-18, followed by a liturgical service of repentance and expiation in 9:1-37.
7:72b Now when the seventh month came round, the Israelites being in their towns, 8:1 all the people gathered as one man in the square in front of the Water Gate, and asked the scribe Ezra to bring the Book of the Law of Moses which Yahweh had prescribed for Israel.
The Divine Name appears twenty-one times in the Book of Nehemiah. The Water Gate was on the east side of the city outside the Temple complex. The Book of the Law of Moses probably refers to the Book of Deuteronomy that contained the last of the precepts of the Law in Yahweh's final instructions that Moses conveyed to the new generation of Israelites on the east side of the Jordan River before the beginning of the conquest of the Promised Land.
2 Accordingly, on the first day of the seventh month, the priest Ezra brought the Law before the assembly, consisting of men, women and all those old enough to understand, he read from the book from dawn till noon; all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.
It is the first day of Tishri and the prescribed date under the Law for the Feast of Trumpets, Rosh Ha-Shanah (Lev 23:23-25; Num 29:1-6) that was also the feast of the new moon for that month (Num 29:11-14). The Feast of Trumpets was the beginning of the civil new year (Passover was the beginning of the Liturgical year). The seventh month in 7:72b is two months after Ezra arrived in Jerusalem (see Ezra 7:6).
The people listened to Ezra read the Law for six hours from dawn to noon, the sixth-hour Jewish time. Women did not participate in most meetings but were included with older children in Sacred Assemblies because they were full members of the covenant with Yahweh (cf. Dt 31:12-13; Josh 8:35; Neh 10:28; 12:43).
Question: Verses 4-8 recall what two
previous events concerning the reading of the "Book of the Law" to the covenant
people? See Ex 24:3-7 and 2 Chron 34:29-32 (2 Kng 23:1-3). How are those
events connected to Ezra reading the Book of the Law to the assembly of the
covenant people?
Answer:
In reading from the Book of the Law to an assembly of the covenant people, Ezra is reenacting the ratification of the covenant with Yahweh at Mt. Sinai and the last renewal of the Law and the covenant during the reign of King Josiah.1
Verse 4 names a group thirteen prominent laymen standing beside Ezra, representing the people and giving authority to the assembly with six standing to his right and seven to his left. Also notice that there are thirteen Levites in 8:7. One recognizable name in verse 4 is Meshullam, perhaps the same influential Jerusalemite who, thirteen years later, had family connections to Nehemiah's enemy Tobiah in Nehemiah 6:17-18.
5 In
full view of all the people, since he stood higher than them all, Ezra opened
the book; and when he opened it, all the people stood up.
It wasn't a book that Ezra opened but a scroll.
Everyone stood out of respect and remained standing for the reading of the word
of God, just as Catholic Christians stand for the reading of the Gospel in the
Mass.
6 Then
Ezra blessed Yahweh, the great God, and all the people raised their hands and
answered, "Amen! Amen!"; then they bowed down and, face to the ground,
prostrated themselves before Yahweh.
The people's "Amen" expresses their consent to
obedience to the Law. It is an action that recalls the oath of obedience of
the people in response to Moses' reading of the Law (Ex 24:7b) and the pledge
of obedience of the people at Josiah's covenant renewal assembly (2 Chron 34:31-32). "Amen" is an appropriate response at a covenant renewal ceremony
because it is a word formed from the first letters of the acclamation: "God is
a trustworthy King," in Hebrew = El meleck Ne'eman (Jewish Talmud; Shabbat
1196).
7 And
Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita,
Azariah, Jozabab, Hanan, Pelaiah, who were Levites, explained the Law to the people,
while the people all kept their places. 8 Ezra
read from the book of the Law of God, translating and giving the sense; so the
reading was understood.
The Levite Sherebiah was recruited by Ezra
with his family to make the journey with the returning exiles in Ezra 8:19; perhaps
these Levites were all from the group of the original eighteen Levites. The
Levites moved through the crowd helping to translate into Aramaic what was
being read by Ezra in Hebrew and explaining certain passages.
Nehemiah 8:9-12 ~ Ezra Encourages the People
9Then [His Excellency Nehemiah and]* the priest-scribe
Ezra [said singular] and the Levites who were instructing the people said[spoke
plural] to all the people, "Today is sacred to Yahweh your God. Do not be
mournful, do not weep." For the people were all in tears as they listened to
the words of the Law. 10He then said, "You may go; eat what is rich, drink what is sweet
and send a helping to the man who has nothing prepared. For today is sacred to
our Lord. Do not be sad: the joy of Yahweh is your stronghold." 11 And the Levites calmed all the people down,
saying, "Keep quiet; this is a sacred day. Do not be sad." 12 Then all the people went off to eat
and drink and give helpings away and enjoy themselves to the full, since they
had understood the meaning of what had been proclaimed to them. * is a scribal
addition since Nehemiah was not in Jerusalem at this time and would not be
present there for thirteen years.
The words His Excellency Nehemiah are a scribal addition. Nehemiah hadn't yet arrived in Jerusalem and the verb "said" is singular. The Hebrew copy of Ezra that contained both books of Ezra and Nehemiah as one book, 1 Esdras, omits "Nehemiah," and the Septuagint omits "His Excellency;" these are additions.
The people mourned and wept in repentance for having failed in their obedience to the Law in the past, but their leaders and the Levites encouraged them not to feel sad but to celebrate the sacred day of covenant renewal.
Ezra 8:13-18 ~ The People Study the Words of the Law
13 On the
second day, the heads of families of the whole people, and the priests and Levites,
gathered round the scribe Ezra to study the words of the Law. 14And written in the Law that Yahweh had prescribed through Moses, they
found that the Israelites were to live in shelters during the feast of the
seventh month. 15So they issued a proclamation and had it
circulated in all their towns and in Jerusalem: "Go into the hills and bring
branches of olive, pine, myrtle, palm and other leafy trees to make shelters,
as it says in the book." 16The people went out; they
brought branches and made shelters for themselves, each man on his roof, in
their courtyards, in the precincts of the Temple of God, in the square of the
Water Gate and in the square of the Ephraim Gate. 17The whole assembly, all who had returned from the captivity, put up
shelters and lived in them; this the Israelites had not done from the days of
Joshua son of Nun till that day, and there was very great merrymaking. 18Each day, from the first day to the last one, Ezra read from the Book of
the Law of God. They celebrated the feast for seven days; on the eighth day, as
prescribed, they held a solemn assembly.
The next day after the Feast of Trumpets, the clan leaders came together with the priests, Levites, and Ezra to study the Law. It is then that they discover the requirements for the third annual feast in the month of Tishri, the Feast of Shelters/Booths/Tabernacles, Sukkot in Hebrew, that required the people to live in temporary shelters to relive the experience of the Exodus generation when they first received the Law at Mt. Sinai. See the chart on the Seven Sacred Feasts of the Old Covenant.
According to the observance of the
Feast of Shelters/Booths/Tabernacles, the people were to live in shelters for a
week from the 15th of Tishri to the 21st and then hold a
sacred assembly on the eighth day. It was also the third pilgrim feast of the
year (Dt 16:16), memorializing the giving of the Law and the gift of the
Tabernacle at Mt. Sinai, and took place during the time of the fruit harvest:2
But on the
fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the produce of
the land, you will celebrate the feast of Yahweh for seven days. The first and
eighth days will be days of rest. On the first day you will take choice fruit,
palm branches, boughs of leafy trees and flowering shrubs from the river bank,
and for seven days enjoy yourselves before Yahweh your God. You will celebrate
a feast for Yahweh in this way for seven days every year. This is a perpetual
law for your descendants. You will keep this feast in the seventh month. For
seven days you will live in shelters: all the citizens of Israel will live in shelters,
so that your descendants may know that I made the Israelites live in shelters
when I brought them out of Egypt, I, Yahweh your God
(Lev 23:39-43; also
see Num 29:12-39).
17The whole
assembly, all who had returned from the captivity, put up shelters and lived in
them; this the Israelites had not done from the days of Joshua son of Nun till
that day, and there was very great merrymaking.
It is difficult to know what claim the inspired writer is making concerning
failures to observe the law concerning the Feast of Shelters, although similar
claims are made in 2 Kings 23:22 and 2 Chronicles 35:18 in reference to feasts.
The intention may be hyperbole, suggesting that the covenant people hadn't celebrated
this feast so joyfully since Joshua's covenant renewal in Joshua 24:25-28.
A similar boast of a much greater celebration than ever before accompanied King Josiah's
covenant renewal and Passover-Unleavened Bread celebration in 2 Kings 23:21-23.
In the New Testament, Jesus attended the Feast of Shelters in John Chapters 7-8,
announcing in 7:37-39 that He is the "living water" promised in Scripture (Is 44:3-4)
and the "light of the world" in 8:12.
The people made the necessary preparations to celebrate the Feast of Shelters at the designated time according to the Law (verses 15-17), and 18Each day, from the first day to the last one, Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God. They celebrated the feast for seven days; on the eighth day, as prescribed, they held a solemn assembly.
Question for discussion or reflection:
The purpose of the seven annual God-ordained feasts was
for the covenant people in every generation to relive their origins in the
Exodus liberation. What is the purpose of our Christian holy feast days? Name
several New Covenant annual feasts and explain how they serve the same purpose
as the Old Testament feasts. Why is Easter called the "Feast of feasts"?
Endnotes:
1. King Josiah was the last good Davidic king who ruled 640-609 BC.
2. Also see Ex 23:16b; 34:22b; Lev 23:33-38, 39-43; Num 29:12-34; Dt 16:13-15; 1 Kng 8:3, 65; 2 Chron 7:1; Zec 14:16-19; Jn 7:2; Mt 24:35; 2 Pt 3:7, 10, 13; Rev 21:1.
Michal Hunt, Copyright © 2019 Agape Bible Study. Permissions All Rights Reserved.
Catechism references for this lesson (* indicates
Scripture is either quoted or paraphrased in the citation):
The feasts of the Jews and Jesus (CCC 583)
Easter is the "Feast of feasts" (CCC 1169)