Nehemiah 10:37 - Exposition

The first-fruits of our dough . See Numbers 15:18-21 . And our offerings . Literally, "our heave offerings" ( Numbers 15:20 ; Le Numbers 23:11 , Numbers 23:17 ). To the chambers of the house . The store-chambers attached to the temple-building (see Nehemiah 13:4 , Nehemiah 13:5 ). The tithes of our ground . As with the law of first-fruits, so with that of tithes (which was more burthensome), there had grown up a practice of neglecting it on the part of many, if not of all. The natural result would be the non-attendance of Levites at Jerusalem, and so a falling-off in the solemnity and grandeur of the temple-worship (comp. Nehemiah 13:10 ). It was now covenanted afresh on the part of the people that they would resume the legal practice, at any rate to the extent of paying what has been called "the first tithe," or that due to the Levites for their sustentation. In all the cities of our tillage . The Levitical tithe was not taken to Jerusalem. but stored up in some neighbouring, generally Levitical, city.