John Gill

And each of the builders worked with his sword strapped at his side. But the trumpeter stayed beside me.

“For the builders had everyone his sword girded by his side, and so builded,.... Thus accoutred he wrought, and was prepared for either service: and he that sounded the trumpet was by me; to give the alarm of war, that everyone might lay aside his…”

Others were saying, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our homes to get grain during the famine.”

“Some also there were that said, we have mortgaged our lands, vineyards, and houses,.... Made them over to others, put them into their hands as pledges for money received of them: that we may buy corn; for the support of their families: because of the…”

Still others were saying, “We have borrowed money to pay the king’s tax on our fields and vineyards.

“There were also that said,.... Who though they were able to buy corn for their families without mortgaging their estates: yet, say they: we have borrowed money for the king's tribute, and that upon our lands and vineyards; for though the priests, Levites, and Nethinims…”

Instead, I devoted myself to the construction of the wall, and all my servants were gathered there for the work; we did not acquire any land.

“Yea, also I continued in the work of this wall,.... Of building the wall of Jerusalem; here he gave his constant attendance to direct and encourage the workmen, and see that they kept to their work, and did it well: neither bought we any land…”

Remember me favorably, O my God, for all that I have done for this people.

“Think upon me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people. He expected not any recompence from the people, but from the Lord; and from him not in a way of merit, but of grace and good will, who…”

The fifth time, Sanballat sent me this same message by his young servant, who had in his hand an unsealed letter

“Then sent Sanballat his servant unto me in like manner the fifth time,.... In his own name, neither Tobiah nor Geshem joining with him, he being more solicitous and anxious to get him into his hands than any of them; and it may be, as…”

O my God, remember Tobiah and Sanballat for what they have done, and also Noadiah the prophetess and the other prophets who tried to intimidate me.

“My God, think thou on Tobiah and Sanballat according to these their works,.... Their wicked counsels and schemes, and not only confound and disappoint them, but reward them as they deserve: and on the prophetess Noadiah: whom Aben Ezra takes to be the same with…”

Also in those days, the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah’s letters came back to them.

“Moreover, in those days,.... While the wall was building: the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and the letters of Tobiah came unto them; letters passed between them frequently, they informing him how things went on at Jerusalem, and he advising them to…”

The rest of the people gave a total of 20,000 darics of gold, 2,000 minas of silver, and 67 priestly garments.

“And that which the rest of the people gave was twenty thousand drachms of gold,.... Worth as many pounds of our money, and somewhat more: and two thousand pound of silver; of which See Gill on Neh 7:71, and threescore and seven priests' garments; having…”

So the priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers, and temple servants, along with some of the people and the rest of the Israelites, settled in their own towns.

“So the priests and the Levites, and the porters, and the singers, and some of the people, and the Nethinims, and all Israel, dwelt in their cities,....”

And the Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be still, since today is holy. Do not grieve.”

“So the Levites stilled all the people,.... Made them quiet and easy, being backed by the governor: saying, hold your peace; refrain from weeping and mourning: for the day is holy; a festival, set apart for joy and gladness: neither be ye grieved; inwardly; as…”

And they found written in the Law, which the LORD had commanded through Moses, that the Israelites were to dwell in booths during the feast of the seventh month.

“And they found written in the law which the Lord had commanded by Moses,.... The children of Israel, to be observed by them; either by hearing it read the day before, or by conversation with Ezra, they perceived it was enjoined in the law, particularly…”

Day after day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God.

“Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God,....”

And the Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani—stood on the raised platform and cried out in a loud voice to the LORD their God.

“Then stood up upon the stairs of the Levites,.... On an ascent; an elevated place where the Levites used to stand when they sang at the time of sacrifice, and where they might be seen and heard by the people: Jeshua and Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah…”

You revealed to them Your holy Sabbath and gave them commandments and statutes and laws through Your servant Moses.

“And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath,.... Which was not made known to others, and was peculiar to the Jewish nation, and a privilege granted to them, to have rest corporeal and spiritual, typical of the rest in Christ: and commandedst them precepts, statutes…”

But they and our fathers became arrogant and stiff-necked and did not obey Your commandments.

“But they and our fathers dealt proudly,.... Behaved in a haughty manner towards God, their kind benefactor: and hardened their necks; refused to take the yoke of his law, as refractory oxen, that withdraw their necks from the yoke: and hearkened not to thy commandments…”

Even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf and said, ‘This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt,’ and when they committed terrible blasphemies,

“Yea, when they had made them a molten calf,.... In imitation of the Apis, or ox of the Egyptians: and said, this is thy god that brought thee out of Egypt; or the image of thy god, as the Arabic version, see Exo 32:4, and…”

You multiplied their descendants like the stars of heaven and brought them to the land You had told their fathers to enter and possess.

“Their children also multipliedst thou as the stars of heaven,.... Fulfilling the promise made to Abraham, Gen 15:5 their number when they came out of Egypt, and just before they entered into the land of Canaan, being upwards of 600,000 men, besides women and children…”

So You delivered them into the hands of enemies who oppressed them, and in their time of distress they cried out to You.

“Therefore thou deliveredst them into the hand of their enemies, who vexed them,.... As the kings of Mesopotamia, Moab, Canaan, and others: and in the time of their trouble, when they cried unto thee; as they usually did, Jdg 3:9, thou heardest them from heaven…”

But in Your great compassion, You did not put an end to them; nor did You forsake them, for You are a gracious and compassionate God.

“Nevertheless, for thy great mercies' sake, For the displaying of that, and the glorifying of it, which is so large and exceeding abundant: thou didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them; some were left in the land, and those that were carried captive found…”

We will not give our daughters in marriage to the people of the land, and we will not take their daughters for our sons.

“And that we would not give our daughters unto the people of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons,.... Intermarry with them as they had done, and were prone to do, and even did after this, Neh 13:23.”

We will also bring the firstfruits of our land and of every fruit tree to the house of the LORD year by year.

“And to bring the firstfruits of our ground,.... Not that they cast lots to do this, but they bound themselves with an oath, according to the law, to do it; this is the first of all the fruits of the earth, Exo 23:19, though Aben…”

These are the heads of the provinces who settled in Jerusalem. (In the villages of Judah, however, each lived on his own property in their towns—the Israelites, priests, Levites, temple…

“Now these are the chief of the province that dwelt in Jerusalem,.... That is, of Judea, reduced to a province by the king of Babylon, and now a province of the Persian monarchy: but in the cities of Judah dwelt everyone in his possession in…”

while some of the descendants of Judah and Benjamin settled in Jerusalem.)

“And at Jerusalem dwelt certain of the children of Judah, and of the children of Benjamin,.... It belonging partly to one tribe and partly to the other, and so inhabited by both, as it originally was, Jos 15:63 of the children of Judah; Athaiah; called…”

and Maaseiah son of Baruch, the son of Col-hozeh, the son of Hazaiah, the son of Adaiah, the son of Joiarib, the son of Zechariah, a descendant of Shelah.

“And Maaseiah,.... Who seems to be the same with Asaiah, 1Ch 9:5 and whose genealogy is carried up through Baruch, Colhozeh, Hazaiah, Adaiah, Joiarib, Zechariah, to Shiloni; perhaps the same with Shelah, another son of Judah, see 1Ch 9:5.”