NEHEMIAH 13:1 Ejection of Tobiah the Ammonite from the Temple. While Nehemiah was in the Persian capital of Susa, reporting to the king (v. Nehemiah 13:6; see note on 2:4–6), his opponents took advantage of his absence and gave a non-Israelite a place to live in the temple. Upon his return to Jerusa... [ Continue Reading ]
NEHEMIAH—NOTE ON NEHEMIAH 13:4 The connection of these verses with vv. Nehemiah 13:1 is that TOBIAH, an enemy of the community (Nehemiah 2:10; Nehemiah 4:7), was an Ammonite. Eliashib’s offense is also related to proper care of tithes and offerings (Nehemiah 12:44), because he gave Tobiah a room in... [ Continue Reading ]
NEHEMIAH—NOTE ON NEHEMIAH 13:6 I WAS NOT IN JERUSALEM. Nehemiah had been called back to the Persian court in the THIRTY-SECOND YEAR (433 B.C.; see Nehemiah 1:1) for an unspecified time. The journey between Jerusalem and Susa took about 55 days (see note on 4:7–8). Eliashib (see Nehemiah 12:10) may h... [ Continue Reading ]
NEHEMIAH—NOTE ON NEHEMIAH 13:9 CLEANSED, that is, purified in a ritual sense. Nehemiah sees the misuse of the temple as a violation of its holiness. He restores the polluted area to its proper use. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
NEHEMIAH 13:10 Dealing with Neglect of the Offerings. The people had stopped providing for the LEVITES, so they had FLED EACH TO HIS FIELD, where they could provide for themselves and their families. This, of course, had a negative impact on worship at the temple. Contrast the commitments made by th... [ Continue Reading ]
NEHEMIAH 13:15 Dealing with Sabbath Breaking. The community once again sins, this time by breaking the SABBATH by trading. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
NEHEMIAH—NOTE ON NEHEMIAH 13:16 TYRIANS. Foreigners would not be bound by the Sabbath law, of course, but they find a ready market on the SABBATH among the Jews. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
NEHEMIAH—NOTE ON NEHEMIAH 13:18 DID NOT YOUR FATHERS ACT IN THIS WAY? Breaking the Sabbath was an obvious sign of previous generations’ lack of commitment to God (see Jeremiah 17:19; Amos 8:4). Here it is given as the reason for the exile. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); fo... [ Continue Reading ]
NEHEMIAH—NOTE ON NEHEMIAH 13:19 Nehemiah still has authority and resources to enforce his reforms (though it is not clear whether he is still governor). ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
NEHEMIAH—NOTE ON NEHEMIAH 13:22 THE LEVITES... PURIFY THEMSELVES. The gatekeeper Levites had been neglecting their duties. They needed to be ritually purified again for their task. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
NEHEMIAH 13:23 The Problem of Intermarriage Again. As the returned exiles ignored covenantal commitments such as Sabbath keeping, they began losing their sense of identity as God’s special people. One result was more intermarriages with pagans. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img... [ Continue Reading ]
NEHEMIAH—NOTE ON NEHEMIAH 13:25 Nehemiah calls the people back to the Mosaic law (Deuteronomy 7:1) and cites the example of SOLOMON, who was turned away from the Lord by his foreign wives (1 Kings 11:1). Spiritual unfaithfulness in intermarriage has even affected the family of the high priest ELIASH... [ Continue Reading ]
NEHEMIAH—NOTE ON NEHEMIAH 13:29 REMEMBER THEM. See also Nehemiah 6:14. COVENANT OF THE PRIESTHOOD. The special obligations of the priests and Levites, for the sake of the whole people (see 1 Samuel 2:27; Malachi 2:4). ⇐ ⇔... [ Continue Reading ]
NEHEMIAH 13:30 Summary of Nehemiah’s Temple Reforms. These verses highlight all that Nehemiah has done to ensure pure worship in the temple and to establish proper support for the priests. WOOD OFFERING. See Nehemiah 10:34. REMEMBER ME. Nehemiah asks the Lord to take note of his faithful actions (se... [ Continue Reading ]