Neemia 8:15 Commento

Ezra came up out of Babylon thirteen years before Nehemiah came, yet we have here a piece of good work which he did, that might have been done before, but was not done till Nehemiah came, who, though he was not such a scholar nor such a divine as Ezra, nor such a scribe in the law of his God, yet was a man of a more lively active spirit. His zeal set Ezra's learning on work, and then great things were done, as we find here, where we have, I. The public and solemn reading and expounding of the law (Neh 8:1-8). II. The joy which the people were ordered to express upon that occasion (Neh 8:9-12). III. The solemn keeping of the feast of tabernacles according to the law (Neh 8:13-18).

INTRODUCTION TO NEHEMIAH 8 Ezra being desired to bring forth the book of the law, read it to the people and others, expounded it to them, Neh 8:1 and Nehemiah exhorted the people to express joy and gladness on this occasion, which they did, Neh 8:9 and observing the feast of tabernacles was in the law commanded to be observed, they kept it very strictly and joyfully, Neh 8:13.

And that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities, and in Jerusalem,.... That is, as Jarchi interprets it, by supplying it thus: and they commanded that they should publish, &c. Ezra and those with him gave orders that heralds should proclaim in all cities where the Jews dwelt that the feast of tabernacles would be kept, and they should prepare for it; and which seems to be the true sense, since it is not written in the law that such a proclamation should be made; but this was an order of their own, thereby to give notice of it, that all might be provided: go forth unto the mount, and fetch olive branches, and pine branches, and myrtle branches, and palm branches, and branches of thick trees, to make booths, as it is written; in Lev 23:40, where the first three of these seem to be called boughs of goodly trees; though the Jews (r) commonly understand them of pomecitrons, of which the Syriac version here interprets the myrtle branches; and by them are meant the citron branches, with the leaves and fruit, and which the Jews make absolutely necessary to the keeping of the feast, and for beautiful ones will give a large price; some of them go every year to Spain, and buy as many as they can, and dispose of them wherever Jews live (s): and those branches were to be fetched, not properly speaking to make the booths of, which were made of boards and planks, but for the decoration of them; and it was not necessary, according to Aben Ezra, that some of each of these should be gathered for that purpose, but of any sort of them; for he interprets the words disjunctively olive branches, or pine branches, or myrtle branches, &c. these, according to the common notion of the Jews, were tied up in little bundles, and carried in the hand, which they call "lulabs"; and they observe (t), the thick branches were for them, which included the rest; now these they were to fetch from the mount of Olives, and other mountains about Jerusalem; near to which also there was a place called Motza (u); whither they went, and gathered the willows of the brook mentioned in Lev 23:39. (r) T. Bab. Succah, fol. 35. 1. (s) Buxtorf. Synagog. Jud. c. 21. p. 454. (t) Succah, fol. 12. 1. (u) Misn. Saccah, c. 4. sect. 5.

Go forth, he says, to the mountain, etc. And let us also go forth from a dwelling of general thoughts, to the height of the holy Scriptures to be frequently meditated upon; and let us bring from there, as if olive branches, the fruits of mercy, with which by refreshing the poor, we may simultaneously shade ourselves from the heat of tempting vices; and branches of the most beautiful wood, which the Jews call cedar, indeed, the fruits of charity, which is amongst all virtues the most beautiful and illustrious, through which our Lord ascended the wood of the cross for our salvation. As we imitate His passion to the extent that it is possible, we are certainly protected by the branches of the most beautiful wood. Let us also bring branches of myrtle, in the mortification of desires and all vices. For even the magi, offering myrrh to the Lord, taught typologically that those who belong to Jesus Christ ought to crucify their flesh with its vices and lusts. Likewise, whoever can say: 'For we are the good fragrance of Christ to God, in every place' (II Cor. II), brings myrtle branches to make a shelter for themselves. Let us also bring palm branches, the ornament of the victorious hand, so that we may always carry a mind victorious over gluttony, wrath, greed, and other vices, and always strive to be stronger than all enemies; so that in the future we may be worthy to be consorts of those about whom John speaks in his Apocalypse: 'They stood before the throne in the presence of the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and with palms in their hands' (Rev. VII). Also, branches of woody trees, that is, the adornments of other virtues; with all these we make mystic tabernacles for ourselves, as by being delighted with good works, we draw our entire mind away from worldly enticements.

Ezra, Nehemiah, and the Levites, read and interpret the laws to the people, Neh 8:1-7. The manner in which they do this important work, Neh 8:8. The effect produced on the people's minds by hearing it, Neh 8:9. The people are exhorted to be glad, and are told that the joy of the Lord is their strength, Neh 8:10-12. On the second day they assemble, and find that they should keep the feast of tabernacles; which they accordingly religiously solemnize for seven days; and Ezra reads to them from the book of the law, Neh 8:13-18.

Fetch olive branches - For every thing concerning this feast of tabernacles, see the notes on Leviticus 23 (note), and the other places there referred to.

RELIGIOUS MANNER OF READING AND HEARING THE LAW. (Neh 8:1-8) all the people gathered themselves together as one man--The occasion was the celebration of the feast of the seventh month (Neh 7:73). The beginning of every month was ushered in as a sacred festival; but this, the commencement of the seventh month, was kept with distinguished honor as "the feast of trumpets," which extended over two days. It was the first day of the seventh ecclesiastical year, and the new year's day of the Jewish civil year, on which account it was held as "a great day." The place where the general concourse of people was held was "at the water gate," on the south rampart. Through that gate the Nethinims or Gibeonites brought water into the temple, and there was a spacious area in front of it. they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses--He had come to Jerusalem twelve or thirteen years previous to Nehemiah. He either remained there or had returned to Babylon in obedience to the royal order, and for the discharge of important duties. He had returned along with Nehemiah, but in a subordinate capacity. From the time of Nehemiah's appointment to the dignity of tirshatha, Ezra had retired into private life. Although cordially and zealously co-operating with the former patriot in his important measures of reform, the pious priest had devoted his time and attention principally toward producing a complete edition of the canonical Scriptures. The public reading of the Scriptures was required by the law to be made every seventh year; but during the long period of the captivity this excellent practice, with many others, had fallen into neglect, till revived, on this occasion. That there was a strong and general desire among the returned exiles in Jerusalem to hear the word of God read to them indicates a greatly improved tone of religious feeling.

Public Reading of the Law. the Feast of Tabernacles. A Public Fast Held, and a Covenant Made to Keep the Law - Neh 8:1 These three chapters form a connected whole, and describe acts of worship and solemnities conducted by Ezra and other priests and Levites, Nehemiah as the secular governor being only twice mentioned in them (Neh 8:9; Neh 10:2). The contents of the three chapters are as follows: On the approach of the seventh month, which opened with the feast of trumpets, and during which occurred both the feast of tabernacles and the great day of atonement, the people were gathered to Jerusalem; and Ezra, at the request of the congregation, read to the assembled people out of the book of the law on the first and second days. It being found written in the law, that the Israelites were to dwell in booths during the seventh month, it was resolved to keep the festival in accordance with this direction; and this resolution was carried into execution by erecting booths made with branches of trees on housetops, in courts, and in the public places of the city, and celebrating the seven-days' festival by a daily public reading of the law (Neh 8). On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the congregation again assembled, with fasting and mourning, to make a public confession of their sins, and to renew their covenant with God (Neh 9, 10). The second clause of Neh 7:73 belongs to Neh 8, and forms one sentence with Neh 8:1. "When the seventh month came, and the children of Israel were in their cities, the whole people gathered themselves together as one man in the open space that was before the water-gate," etc. The capitular division of the Masoretic text is erroneous, and makes the words, "and the children of Israel were in their cities," appear a mere repetition of the sentence, "and all Israel dwelt in their cities." The chronological statement, "when the seventh month came," without mention of the year, points back to the date in Neh 6:15 : the twenty-fifth Elul, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes; on which day the building of the wall was completed. Elul, the sixth month, is followed by Tishri, the seventh, and there is nothing against the inference that the seventh month of the same year is intended; the dedication of the wall not being related till Neh 12, and therefore occurring subsequently, while all the facts narrated in Neh 8-11 might, without any difficulty, occur in the interval between the completion of the wall and its dedication. For, besides the public reading of the law on the first two days of the seventh month, the celebration of the feast of tabernacles, and the public fast on the twenty-fourth day of the seventh month (Neh 8-11), nothing more is recorded (Neh 11:1, Neh 11:2) than the execution of the resolve made by Nehemiah, immediately after the completion of the wall (Neh 7:4), viz., to increase the inhabitants of Jerusalem, by appointing by lot one of every ten dwellers in the surrounding country to go to Jerusalem and dwell there. This is succeeded by lists of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and of the cities of Benjamin and Judah, and lists of the priests and Levites (11:3-12:26):