Nehemiah 8:1

READING OF THE LAW OF MOSES;

THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES

Nehemiah 7:73b: "And when the seventh month was come, the children of Israel were in their cities."

Our version (ASV) includes this line with Nehemiah 8, because it identifies the time of the great reading of the Law discussed herein. The seventh month was Tishri, corresponding to our September-October.[1]

The Nehemiah 8; Nehemiah 9 and Nehemiah 10 are a unit, incorporated, we believe, by the author Nehemiah as an explanation of the great celebration that followed the completion of the wall.

Keil wrote that the mention of the seventh month (Tishri) here should be understood as a reference to the very next month after the completion of the wall in the sixth month (Elul), "There is nothing against the inference that the seventh month of the same year is intended."[2] Short also agreed that the events of this chapter, "Came only a few days after the completion of the wall, which occurred on the 25th day of the month Elul (Nehemiah 6:15), the sixth month."[3]

Throughout this whole century, from the times of James Moffatt until the present day, critical scholars have been advocating all kinds of rearrangements of the sacred text, some of them even attempting to place these chapters in the Book of Ezra.

All such speculations, rearrangements, and allegations of all kinds of confusion, interpolations and mistakes on the part of their mythical `chronicler' are, in the view of this writer, without any value. The Book of Nehemiah still stands in the sacred text, as it has stood for ages, a unit, composed of "The Words of Nehemiah," and of course, including things that Nehemiah himself incorporated into his narrative. Williamson gives us the name of a current great scholar, "Y. Kaufmann, whose work, History of the Religion of Israel, Volume IV, carries a defense of the unity of these three chapters, and also maintains at the same time that they are in their correct historical setting."[4] It only remains to be said that there is absolutely no agreement whatever among the critics on any other viable alternative.

GATHERING OF A GENERAL ASSEMBLY TO HEAR THE LAW READ

"And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the broad place that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which Jehovah had commanded to Israel. And Ezra the priest brought the book of the law before the assembly, both men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month. And he read therein before the broad place that was before the water gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women, and of those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law. And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Uriah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchiah, and Hashum, and Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullum. And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people (For he was above all the people); and when he opened it, all the people stood up. And Ezra blessed Jehovah, the great God; and all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with the lifting up of their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped Jehovah with their faces to the ground. Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethaih, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozebad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites caused the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their place. And they read in the book, in the law of God, distinctly; and they gave the sense, so that they understood the reading."

"They spake unto Ezra the scribe" (Nehemiah 8:1). Where was Ezra during the rebuilding of the wall? We do not know. He might have been recalled to Persia years earlier, or he might have been temporarily absent from Jerusalem. "The most probable explanation is that he had been recalled to Persia in 456 B.C., and that now, eleven years later in 444 B.C., he was allowed to return to Jerusalem."[5] It is not unreasonable at all to suppose that Nehemiah had sent for him to come and celebrate the dedication of the completed wall.

Some scholars have expressed amazement that the people requested Ezra to read to them from the Law of Moses; but Ezra was a popular leader, and the will of the people in that matter became manifest. "It was quite natural for the people to request Ezra to resume his work of exposition of the law of Moses, to which he had accustomed them on his former visit."[6]

We appreciate Bowman's admission that the author of Nehemiah, "Regarded it as the whole Pentateuch,"[7] which it most certainly was. We regard Nehemiah as the author; and his clear statement here that the law of Moses is that which was read is conclusive.

The dedication of the wall is not related until Nehemiah 12; and, as Keil stated it, "All of the facts related in Nehemiah 8-11 might easily have occurred in the interval between the completion of the wall and its dedication."[8] This understanding overwhelmingly supports the unity of the Book of Nehemiah, the focus of which, first and last, is centered in the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem.

"From early morning until midday" (Nehemiah 8:3). "Early morning, daylight. He began as soon as it was daylight, and continued on, he and his assistants (Nehemiah 8:8), till noon."[9] Many details of this great gathering are not revealed. The general assembly - was it of people from the surrounding area, or merely all the people in the city? If the surrounding people were included, did they travel in darkness before daylight; and did they open the gates before the sun was hot? The absence of any detailed answers to such questions suggests caution in the acceptance of such quotations as that we just cited.

"And Ezra stood upon a pulpit of wood" (Nehemiah 8:4). Here we find the word pulpit used in the sense of a podium, or platform; because thirteen men are named as the persons standing side by side with Ezra. It is amazing to this writer that scholars have trouble accepting the number of those men as thirteen. `It must have been fourteen, seven on each side, because the Jews thought the number seven was a perfect number? `Maybe, it was twelve men, six on each side, the twelve being symbolical of the twelve tribes of Israel? In that case, perhaps one of the names was dropped out by mistake. Such comments are ludicrous. What a shame that God did not employ some of those critics to revise the Bible! As a matter of fact, there were six of them on Ezra's right hand, and seven on his left. Cook identified them as, "The chief priests of the course at that time performing the Temple service."[10]

"Ezra opened the book ... and when he opened it, all the people stood up" (Nehemiah 8:5). Frequently, even today, Christians stand when the word of God is read. However, there is no record that such a custom was observed from the times of Moses and afterward. Furthermore, these words may not be tortured to mean that all of the people stood during the entire morning. "The people listened to Ezra and his fellow priests as they read from various scrolls of the Pentateuch, no doubt including Leviticus 23:23-25 regarding the Feast of Trumpets, and the portions describing the Feast of Tabernacles; but much moral instruction from various parts of the Pentateuch must also have been read."[11]

"The Levites caused the people to understand the law, and the people stood in their place" (Nehemiah 8:7). It is not known exactly what is meant by the Levites causing the people to understand the law. Hamrick thought that they did so, "By translating the words out of the Hebrew into the Aramaic vernacular of the people."[12] Cook believed that they might also have merely explained, "Obscure words or passages."[13]

Of particular interest is the word stood, which we have underlined in Nehemiah 8:5, above. It is italicized in the ASV, indicating that the word is not in the Hebrew text but has been added by the translators. The RSV reads, `the people remaining in their place.'

Regarding this chapter, Oesterley has a very excellent comment. While admitting that the text fails to give us any complete account of all the details of what happened, he wrote, "The really important point is clear enough, viz., that by Ezra's inspiration and under his guidance the Law (of Moses) was now for the first time put before the Jews in such a way as to convince them that it was the most important thing in the world that their lives should be conducted wholly in accordance with its precepts."[14] That being indeed true for ancient Israel, how much more is it important for Christians so to honor, trust and obey the word of inspiration in the New Testament!