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 Yahweh our Lord, and his ordinances and his statutes; and that we would not give our daughters to the peoples of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons; 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, and the exaction of every debt.
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; 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, and for the holy things, and for the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, and for all the work of the house of our God. 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 Yahweh our God’s altar, as it is written in the law; 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 Yahweh’s house; 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; 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 the cities of our tillage. The priest the son 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. 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.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv29, 31, 33, 34, 36, 37, 39 They made the oath in the name of the…
They made the oath in the name of the whole multitude.
Whereunto they gave themselves if they brake the Law, as Deut. 28:15.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv29–39 Neh 10:29 They clave to their brethren, their nobles,…
Neh 10:29 They clave to their brethren, 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 judgments and his statutes;
Ver. 29. They clave to their brethren] Heb. They laid fast hold on them, viz. by taking hold of the covenant, to keep the Sabbath from polluting it, and choosing the things that please God, as Isa 56:4; Isa 56:6.
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And entered into a curse] The more to confirm the oath, and to keep their deceitful hearts close to God. See Deu 29:12; Deu 29:21. This is called the oath of God, Ecc 7:2. Confer Isa 19:18; Isa 44:5; 2Ch 15:12; 2Ch 15:14; 2Ch 34:31.
To walk in God’s law] Ex gnomone et canone decalogi, to walk accurately and exactly by line and by rule (Aug. in Exod.). "In all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless," Luk 1:6, so far as by his grace he should vouchsafe to assist them. For lex iubet, gratia iuvat. The law orders, grace assists. The bowls of the candlestick have no oil but what droppeth from the olive branches. David can wish well to the keeping of God’s commandments diligently, Psa 119:4-5, but promise no further than God shall please to enlarge his heart, Neh 10:32. Vows and covenants indefinitely and absolutely made (as that of Jephthah, Jdg 11:31) prove a snare. Condition with the Lord for his strength and grace; rely not on thine own sufficiency, lest it repent thee of thy rashness and self-confidence, as it befell Peter. Consider that thou art but a poor garrison soldier; and without supplies of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, Php 1:19, thou canst do nothing. David knew this, and therefore called earnestly for help from heaven, Psa 51:13-15; Psa 119:106-107.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 37, 38, 39 They clave to their brethren; they owned and ratified…
They clave to their brethren; they owned and ratified what the others had done in their names, declaring their assent to it by their words, or by the lifting up of their hands, as the manner was.
Into an oath, i.e. an oath bound with a curse or imprecation upon themselves, in case they violated it.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Matthew Henry 1710 · Public Domain On v32 Having covenanted against the sins they had been guilty…
Having covenanted against the sins they had been guilty of, they proceed in obliging themselves to revive and observe the duties they had neglected. We must not only cease to do evil, but learn to do well.
I. It was resolved, in general, that the temple service should be carefully kept up, that the work of the house of their God should be done in its season, according to the law, Neh 10:33. Let not any people expect the blessing of God unless they make conscience of observing his ordinances and keeping up the public worship of him. Then it is likely to go well with our houses when care is taken that the work of God's house go on well. It was likewise resolved that they would never forsake the house of their God (Neh 10:39), as they and their fathers had done, would not forsake it for the house of any other god, or for the high places, as idolaters did, nor forsake it for their farms and merchandises, as those did that were atheistical and profane. Those that forsake the worship of God forsake God.
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II. It was resolved, in pursuance of this, that they would liberally maintain the temple service, and not starve it. The priests were ready to do their part in all the work of God's house, if the people would do theirs, which was to find them with materials to work upon. Now here it was agreed and concluded, 1. That a stock should be raised for the furnishing of God's table and altar plentifully. Formerly there were treasures in the house of the Lord for this purpose, but these were gone, and there was no settled fund to supply the want of them. It was a constant charge to provide show-bread for the table, two lambs for the daily offerings, four for the sabbaths, and more, and more costly, sacrifices for other festivals, occasional sin-offerings, and meat-offerings, and drink-offerings for them all. They had no rich king to provide these, as Hezekiah did; the priests could not afford to provide them, their maintenance was so small; the people therefore agreed to contribute yearly, every one of them, the third part of a shekel, about ten pence a-piece for the bearing of this expense. When every one will act, and every one will give, though but little, towards a good work, the whole amount will be considerable. The tirshatha did not impose this tax, but the people made it an ordinance for themselves, and charged themselves with it, Neh 10:32, Neh 10:33. 2. That particular care should be taken to provide wood for the altar, to keep the fire always burning upon it, and wherewith to boil the peace-offerings. All of them, priests and Levites as well as people, agreed to bring in their quota, and cast lots in what order they should bring it in, which family first and which next, that there might be a constant supply, and not a scarcity at one time and an overplus at another, Neh 10:34. Thus they provided the fire and the wood, as well as the lambs for the burnt-offerings. 3. That all those things which the divine law had appointed for the maintenance of the priests and Levites should be duly paid in, for their encouragement to mind their business, and that they might not be under any temptation to neglect it for the making of necessary provision for their families. Then the work of the house of God is likely to go on when those that serve at the altar live, and live comfortably, upon the altar. First-fruits and tenths were then the principal branches of the ministers' revenues; and they here resolved, (1.) To bring in the first-fruits justly, the first-fruits of their ground and trees (Exo 23:19; Lev 19:23), the first-born of their children (even the money wherewith they were to be redeemed) and of their cattle, Exo 13:2, Exo 13:11, Exo 13:12 (this was given to the priests, Num 18:15, Num 18:16), also the first-fruits of their dough (Num 15:21), concerning which there is a particular order given in the prophecy concerning the second temple, Eze 44:30. (2.) To bring in their tenths likewise, which were due to the Levites (Neh 10:37), and a tenth out of those tenths to the priest, Neh 10:38. This was the law (Num 18:21-28); but these dues had been withheld, in consequence of which God, by the prophet, charges them with robbing him (Mal 3:8, Mal 3:9), at the same time encouraging them to be more just to him and his receivers, with a promise that, if they brought the tithes into the store-house, he would pour out blessings upon them, Neh 10:10. This therefore they resolved to do, that there might be meat in God's house, and plenty in the store-chambers of the temple, where the vessels of the sanctuary were, Neh 10:39. "We will do it (say they) in all the cities of our tillage," Neh 10:37. In all the cities of our servitude, so the Septuagint, for they were servants in their own land, Neh 9:36. But (as Mr. Poole well observes), though they paid great taxes to the kings of Persia, and had much hardship put upon them, they would not make that an excuse for not paying their tithes, but would render to God the things that were his, as well as to Caesar the things that were his. We must do what we can in works of piety and charity notwithstanding the taxes we pay to the government, and cheerfully perform our duty to God in our servitude, which will be the surest way to ease and liberty in God's due time.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv29–38 They clave to their brethren, their nobles,.... Who had…
They clave to their brethren, their nobles,.... Who had signed and sealed the covenant, they declared their approbation of it, attended to it, and ratified what they had done in their name:
and entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in God's law, which was given by Moses the servant of God; they bound themselves with an oath that they would keep the law of God, and added a curse or imprecation on themselves to it should they break it; or, according to Piscator, they went into the space between the two pieces of the calf, which they cut asunder for the confirmation of the covenant, and so they cursed themselves if they should break it, see Jer 34:18
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and to observe and do all the commandments of the Lord our God, and his judgments and his statutes; all the laws, moral, ceremonial, and judicial; this they engaged to do in general; some particulars follow.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv29, 31 Their nobles - The commonality agreed with the nobles…
Their nobles - The commonality agreed with the nobles in this good work, great men never look so great, as when they encourage religion and are examples of it: and they would by that, as much as any thing, make an interest in the most valuable of their inferiors, who would cleave to them closer than they can imagine. Observe their nobles are called their brethren; for in the things of God, rich and poor, high and low meet together. They cleave - They ratified what the others had done in their names, declaring their assent to it.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv29, 30, 31, 32, 34, 36, 38, 39 Verse 29. They clave to their brethren] Though they…
Verse 29. They clave to their brethren] Though they did not sign this instrument, yet they bound themselves under a solemn oath that they would fulfil the conditions of the covenant, and walk according to the law of Moses.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv29, 30, 31, 32, 34, 35, 37, 39 Neh 10:29. They clave to their brethren, their nobles…
Neh 10:29. They clave to their brethren, their nobles — The commonalty owned and ratified what the nobles had done in their names, declaring their assent to it by their words, or by lifting up of their hands, as the manner was. Great men never look so great as when they encourage religion, and are examples of it: and they would by that, as much as any thing, make an interest in the most valuable of their inferiors, who would cleave to them closer than they can imagine. Observe, their nobles are called their brethren; for in the things of God, rich and poor, high and low, meet together. And entered into a curse, and into an oath — That is, an oath under an execration. They obliged themselves by an oath to walk in God’s law, with an imprecation upon themselves, if they violated it; wishing, probably, that all the curses written in the law might fall upon them, if they did not observe it in all things.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv31, 32, 34 Bring ware ... on the sabbath day - Compare…
Bring ware ... on the sabbath day - Compare Neh 13:16, where this desecration of the Sabbath is shown to have commonly taken place.
Leave the seventh year ... - i. e., “let the land rest in the sabbatical year” (margin reference) and give up the “pledge-taking” Neh 10:2-10.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv29, 30, 31, 32, 34, 35, 37, 38 Understand. Hebrew mebin, "the teachers," or Levites, 1 Esdras…
Understand. Hebrew mebin, "the teachers," or Levites, 1 Esdras viii. 16. (Menochius) --- Promising. Hebrew, "clave to their brethren;" and they promised with a curse to transgressors, and with an oath to walk, &c. (Haydock)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv29, 32, 34, 38, 39 POINTS OF THE COVENANT. (Neh 10:29-39)
POINTS OF THE COVENANT. (Neh 10:29-39)
to observe and do all the commandments, &c.--This national covenant, besides containing a solemn pledge of obedience to the divine law generally, specified their engagement to some particular duties, which the character and exigency of the times stamped with great urgency and importance, and which may be summed up under the following heads: that they abstain from contracting matrimonial alliances with the heathen; that they would rigidly observe the sabbath; that they would let the land enjoy rest and remit debts every seventh year; that they would contribute to the maintenance of the temple service, the necessary expenses of which had formerly been defrayed out of the treasury of the temple (Ch1 26:20), and when it was drained, given out from the king's privy purse (Ch2 31:3); and that they would make an orderly payment of the priests' dues. A minute and particular enumeration of the first-fruits was made, that all might be made fully aware of their obligations, and that none might excuse themselves on pretext of ignorance from withholding taxes which the poverty of many, and the irreligion of others, had made them exceedingly prone to evade.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv29, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39 29. Entered into a curse, and into an oath…
29. Entered into a curse, and into an oath — Bound themselves by publicly uttered vows, and invoked upon themselves the curse of God should they prove unfaithful to their oaths.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv30–39 30. Prohibition of Intermarriage with the Heathen
30. Prohibition of Intermarriage with the Heathen
we] Observe the first person plural here introduced and maintained to Neh_10:39 throughout the rest of the Covenant details.
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people] R.V. peoples.
This prohibition of intermarriage with the people of the land had been strenuously upheld by Ezr_9:2. (See note.) The difficulty of enforcing it appears from Neh_13:23-28. The words of the prohibition seem to be based on Deu_7:3 ‘Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.’ Cf. Exo_34:16; Jos_23:12; Jdg_3:6.
It is to be noticed that the so-called Priestly Code gives no such prohibition unless it is implied in Gen_26:35; nor is it found in the central legislative portion of Deut. (12–26).
The Covenant introduces no new enactment, but affirms the Deuteronomic teaching which itself appears to be an expansion of the oldest law in Exo_23:32-33, ‘Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods. They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin against me.’
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv29, 31, 32, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39 (29) They clave to their brethren.—It was a union…
(29) They clave to their brethren.—It was a union of the people as such, and sprang from a deep national conviction.
Entered into a curse, and into an oath.—The oath assumed the obligation; the curse imprecated the penalty of violation. (Comp. Deu_29:12.)
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv29–39 They clave to their brethren, their nobles. They gave…
They clave to their brethren, their nobles. They gave their support and adherence to their more distinguished brethren who had attached their seals to the document, approving what they had done, and ratifying it. Entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in God"s law. Something of this kind seems to have occurred in the wilderness, when God"s law was first given to his people; (Deu_29:12) and therefore, when renewals of the covenant were made, and the people were required to ratify the act, it was natural to recur to the old sanction, An oath was probably taken of the people in the time of Josiah, (2Ki_23:3) when they are said to have "stood to the covenant." Moses the servant of God. The epithet "servant of God," or "servant of the Lord," attaches to Moses in a peculiar way. God called him (Num_12:7) "my servant Moses, who is faithful in all my house;" and henceforward "servant of God" was his epitheton usitatum. (see Jos_1:1 Jos_8:31, 33 1Ch_6:49 2Ch_24:9 Dan_9:11 Heb_3:5 Rev_15:3) St. Paul contrasts "Moses, the servant" with "Christ, the Son". (Heb_3:1-6)
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On vv31, 32, 35, 37, 39 And if the people of the land bring ware…
Neh_10:31
And if the people of the land bring ware or any victuals on the sabbath day to all
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The profit of Sabbath-keeping
John Brand was an old Cornish fisherman.
The fishing had not been good for some days, the water had been wild and stormy; but at length, on the Sunday, the weather became fine, and the other fishermen said, We would keep Sunday--but--we have had so few fish lately; and we are sorry to go out to-day--but--the weather is so good. It is a pity; we would not go if we were not so poor. What! said honest John, are you going to break Gods laws with your ifs and buts? Better be poor than be wicked. My religion is not the kind that shifts with the wind. Thou shalt remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy--that is enough for me. So he persuaded them, and they took his advice, and spent the day in worshipping God. And it was well they did so; for that night, just when the boats would have been coming back, a terrible storm suddenly burst over the deep, and lasted two days. Any boat out in that weather would certainly have been wrecked. But two days after the beautiful weather returned, and more fish were taken then than had been caught for weeks before. No; no one ever yet lost by obeying God. Be you like John Brand; be thorough, honest, and God-fearing in and out; do not have a religion like a weathercock that shifts with the wind, or one that can be broken with An if or a but. (J. Reid Howatt.)
The Sabbath beneficial
In a prize essay on the Sabbath written by a journeyman printer in Scotland, there appears the following striking passage: Yoke-fellows, think how the abstraction of the Sabbath would hopelessly enslave the working-classes with whom we are identified. Think of the labour thus going on in one monotonous, and continuous, and eternal cycle--limbs for ever on the rack, the fingers for ever plying, the eyeballs for ever straining, the brow for ever sweating, the feet for ever plodding, the brain for ever throbbing, the shoulders for ever drooping, the loins for ever aching, and the restless mind for ever scheming! Think of the beauty it would efface, of the merry-heartedness it would extinguish, of the giant strength it would tame, of the resources of nature it would exhaust, of the aspirations it would crush, of the sickness it would breed, of the projects it would wreck, of the groans it would extort, of the lives it would immolate, of the cheerless graves it would prematurely dig! See them toiling and moiling, sweating and fretting, grinding and hewing, weaving and spinning, sowing and gathering, mowing and reaping, raising mad building, digging mad planting, unloading and storing, striving and struggling--in the garden and in the field, in the granary and in the barn, in the factory and in the mill, in the warehouse and in the shop, on the mountain and in the ditch, on the roadside and in the wood, in the city and in the country, on the sea and on the shore, on the earth in days of brightness and of gloom. What a sad picture would the world present if we had no Sabbath!
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain On v33 shewbread (See Scofield "Exo 25:30").
shewbread (See Scofield "Exo 25:30").
atonement (See Scofield "Exo 29:33").
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv30, 32, 34, 37, 39 General Information:
General Information:
In these verses, the people describe the content of the oath they were making in Nehemiah 10:29.
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would not give our daughters to the people of the land or take their daughters for our sons
This means that they would not allow their sons and daughters to marry them. AT: "would not give our daughters to marry the people of the land or take their daughters to marry our sons" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
the people of the land
This refers to the people who live in their land who do not worship Yahweh. AT: "the people of this land who do not worship Yahweh" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
We promised ... we would not give ... we would not buy ... we will let ... we will cancel
The pronoun "we" here includes Nehemiah and the Jewish people, but not the reader of this book. (See: Exclusive and Inclusive "We")
seventh year
"year 7" (See: Ordinal Numbers)
we will let our fields rest
This is an idiom. AT: "we will not plow our fields" or "we will not grow anything in our fields" (See: Idiom)
we will cancel all debts
This means that they will not require that people pay them what they owe. AT: "we will cancel all debts that people owe us" or "we will tell people that they no longer have to pay us back"
translationWords
promise
people group
son
grain
Sabbath
holy
rest
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv29, 30, 31, 33, 34, 35, 37 10:29 swore a curse on themselves if they failed…
10:29 swore a curse on themselves if they failed to obey the Law: Cp. Lev 26:14-35; Deut 28:15-62.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.