Nehemiah 13:1

Nehemiah 13:1

Principles of Separation

1 On that day ^athey read from the Book of Moses in the hearing of the people, and in it was found written ^bthat no Ammonite or Moabite should ever come into the assembly of God,

2 because they had not met the children of Israel with bread and water, but ^ahired Balaam against them to curse them. ^bHowever, our God turned the curse into a blessing.

3 So it was, when they had heard the Law, ^athat they separated all the mixed multitude from Israel.

The Reforms of Nehemiah

4 Now before this, ^aEliashib the priest, having authority over the storerooms of the house of our God, was allied with ^bTobiah.

5 And he had prepared for him a large room, ^awhere previously they had stored the grain offerings, the frankincense, the articles, the tithes of grain, the new wine and oil, ^bwhich were commanded to be given to the Levites and singers and gatekeepers, and the offerings for the priests.

6 But during all this I was not in Jerusalem, ^afor in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I had returned to the king. Then after certain days I obtained leave from the king,

7 and I came to Jerusalem and discovered the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, in ^apreparing a room for him in the courts of the¹ house of God.

8 And it grieved me bitterly; therefore I threw all the household goods of Tobiah out of the room.

9 Then I commanded them to ^acleanse the rooms; and I brought back into them the articles of the house of God, with the grain offering and the frankincense.

10 I also realized that the portions for the Levites had ^anot been given them; for each of the Levites and the singers who did the work had gone back to ^bhis field.

11 So ^aI contended with the rulers, and said, ^b“Why is the house of God forsaken?” And I gathered them together and set them in their place.

Commentaries:

Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown

<< Nehemiah 12:47

Nehemiah 13:2 >>

UPON THE READING OF THE LAW SEPARATION IS MADE FROM THE MIXED MULTITUDE. (Nehemiah 13:1-9)

On that day—This was not immediately consequent on the dedication of the city wall and gates, but after Nehemiah's return from the Persian court to Jerusalem, his absence having extended over a considerable period. The transaction here described probably took place on one of the periodical occasions for the public readings of the law, when the people's attention was particularly directed to some violations of it which called for immediate correction. There is another instance afforded, in addition to those which have already fallen under our notice, of the great advantages resulting from the public and periodical reading of the divine law. It was an established provision for the religious instruction of the people, for diffusing a knowledge and a reverence for the sacred volume, as well as for removing those errors and corruptions which might, in the course of time, have crept in.

the Ammonite and the Moabite should not come into the congregation of God for ever—that is, not be incorporated into the Israelitish kingdom, nor united in marriage relations with that people (Deuteronomy 23:3-4). This appeal to the authority of the divine law led to a dissolution of all heathen alliances (Nehemiah 9:2; Ezra 10:3).

**Other Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown entries containing Nehemiah 13:1:**

Deuteronomy 23:3
Nehemiah 13:1
Lamentations 1:10

<< Nehemiah 12:47

Nehemiah 13:2 >>

DISCLAIMER: Church of the Great God (CGG) provides these resources to aid the individual in studying the Bible. However, it is up to the individual to "prove all things, and hold fast to that which is good" (I Thessalonians 5:21). The content of these resources does not necessarily reflect the views of CGG. They are provided for information purposes only.