Nehemiahchapter 13

A.Tobiah's furniture thrown out of the temple chambervv. 1-9

1 At that time the Book of Moses was read aloud in the hearing of the people, and in it they found the passage stating that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God, 2 because they had not met the Israelites with food and water, but had hired Balaam to call down a curse against them (although our God had turned the curse into a blessing). 3 As soon as the people heard this law, they excluded from Israel all of foreign descent. 4 Now before this, Eliashib the priest, a relative of Tobiah, had been put in charge of the storerooms of the house of our God 5 and had prepared for Tobiah a large room where they had previously stored the grain offerings, the frankincense, the temple articles, and the tithes of grain, new wine, and oil prescribed for the Levites, singers, and gatekeepers, along with the contributions for the priests. 6 While all this was happening, I was not in Jerusalem, because I had returned to Artaxerxes king of Babylon in the thirty-second year of his reign. Some time later I obtained leave from the king 7 to return to Jerusalem. Then I discovered the evil that Eliashib had done on behalf of Tobiah by providing him a room in the courts of the house of God. 8 And I was greatly displeased and threw all of Tobiah’s household goods out of the room. 9 Then I ordered that the rooms be purified, and I had the articles of the house of God restored to them, along with the grain offerings and frankincense.

B.The Levites had fled to their fields: remember me, O my Godvv. 10-14

10 I also learned that because the portions for the Levites had not been given to them, all the Levites and singers responsible for performing the service had gone back to their own fields. 11 So I rebuked the officials and asked, “Why has the house of God been neglected?” Then I gathered the Levites and singers together and stationed them at their posts, 12 and all Judah brought a tenth of the grain, new wine, and oil into the storerooms. 13 I appointed as treasurers over the storerooms Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah of the Levites, with Hanan son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah, to assist them, because they were considered trustworthy. They were responsible for distributing the supplies to their fellow Levites. 14 Remember me for this, O my God, and do not blot out my deeds of loving devotion for the house of my God and for its services.

C.Winepresses on the sabbath, and the gates shut at duskvv. 15-22

15 In those days I saw people in Judah treading winepresses on the Sabbath and bringing in grain and loading it on donkeys, along with wine, grapes, and figs. All kinds of goods were being brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. So I warned them against selling food on that day. 16 Additionally, men of Tyre who lived there were importing fish and all kinds of merchandise and selling them on the Sabbath to the people of Judah in Jerusalem. 17 Then I rebuked the nobles of Judah and asked, “What is this evil you are doing—profaning the Sabbath day? 18 Did not your forefathers do the same things, so that our God brought all this disaster on us and on this city? And now you are rekindling His wrath against Israel by profaning the Sabbath!” 19 When the evening shadows began to fall on the gates of Jerusalem, just before the Sabbath, I ordered that the gates be shut and not opened until after the Sabbath. I posted some of my servants at the gates so that no load could enter on the Sabbath day. 20 Once or twice, the merchants and those who sell all kinds of goods camped outside Jerusalem, 21 but I warned them, “Why are you camping in front of the wall? If you do it again, I will lay hands on you.” From that time on, they did not return on the Sabbath. 22 Then I instructed the Levites to purify themselves and guard the gates in order to keep the Sabbath day holy. Remember me for this as well, O my God, and show me mercy according to Your abundant loving devotion.

D.Children who could not speak the Jews' language, and a priest chased awayvv. 23-31

23 In those days I also saw Jews who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. 24 Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or of the other peoples, but could not speak the language of Judah. 25 I rebuked them and called down curses on them. I beat some of these men and pulled out their hair. Then I made them take an oath before God and said, “You must not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters as wives for your sons or for yourselves! 26 Did not King Solomon of Israel sin in matters like this? There was not a king like him among many nations, and he was loved by his God, who made him king over all Israel—yet foreign women drew him into sin. 27 Must we now hear that you too are doing all this terrible evil and acting unfaithfully against our God by marrying foreign women?” 28 Even one of the sons of Jehoiada son of Eliashib the high priest had become a son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite. Therefore I drove him away from me. 29 Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and of the Levites. 30 Thus I purified the priests and Levites from everything foreign, and I assigned specific duties to each of the priests and Levites. 31 I also arranged for contributions of wood at the appointed times, and for the firstfruits. Remember me, O my God, with favor.

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Chapter summary

The last chapter is every reform having to be made a second time.

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The last chapter is every reform having to be made a second time. Reading in the book of Moses, they separate the mixed multitude. Nehemiah had returned to the king; coming back, he finds that Eliashib had prepared Tobiah a great chamber in the very courts of the house of God: 'and it grieved me sore: therefore I cast forth all the household stuff of Tobiah out of the chamber.' The Levites' portions had gone unpaid and the singers had fled to their fields; he sets them again in their place. He shuts the gates against sabbath traffic, and contends with those who married women of Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab, whose children could not speak the Jews' language. 'Remember me, O my God, for good.'

Drawn from Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory, Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary and John Wesley, Notes on the Old Testament.

Context

History · Nehemiah — Nehemiah overview

A. 1–9 Tobiah's furniture thrown out of the temple chamber
B. 10–14 The Levites had fled to their fields: remember me, O my God
C. 15–22 Winepresses on the sabbath, and the gates shut at dusk
D. 23–31 Children who could not speak the Jews' language, and a priest chased away

Top cross-references8 chapters ▾

Nehemiah 139 verses
- Nehemiah 13:5and had prepared for Tobiah a large room where they had previously stored the grain offerings, the frankincense, the temple articles, and the tithes of grain, new wine, and oil prescribed for the Levites, singers, and gatekeepers, along with the contributions for the priests.
- Nehemiah 13:11So I rebuked the officials and asked, “Why has the house of God been neglected?” Then I gathered the Levites and singers together and stationed them at their posts,
- Nehemiah 13:14Remember me for this, O my God, and do not blot out my deeds of loving devotion for the house of my God and for its services.
- Nehemiah 13:17Then I rebuked the nobles of Judah and asked, “What is this evil you are doing—profaning the Sabbath day?
- Nehemiah 13:21but I warned them, “Why are you camping in front of the wall? If you do it again, I will lay hands on you.” From that time on, they did not return on the Sabbath.
- Nehemiah 13:22Then I instructed the Levites to purify themselves and guard the gates in order to keep the Sabbath day holy. Remember me for this as well, O my God, and show me mercy according to Your abundant loving devotion.
- Read Nehemiah 13: 3 more there →
Nehemiah 107 verses
- Nehemiah 10:28“The rest of the people—the priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers, temple servants, and all who had separated themselves from the people of the land to obey the Law of God—along with their wives and all their sons and daughters who are able to understand,
- Nehemiah 10:29hereby join with their noble brothers and commit themselves with a sworn oath to follow the Law of God given through His servant Moses and to carefully obey all the commandments, ordinances, and statutes of the LORD our Lord.
- Nehemiah 10:30We will not give our daughters in marriage to the people of the land, and we will not take their daughters for our sons.
- Nehemiah 10:31When the people of the land bring merchandise or any kind of grain to sell on the Sabbath day, we will not buy from them on a Sabbath or holy day. Every seventh year we will let the fields lie fallow, and will cancel every debt.
- Nehemiah 10:37Moreover, we will bring to the priests at the storerooms of the house of our God the firstfruits of our dough, of our grain offerings, of the fruit of all our trees, and of our new wine and oil. A tenth of our produce belongs to the Levites, so that they shall receive tithes in all the towns where we labor.
- Nehemiah 10:38A priest of Aaron’s line is to accompany the Levites when they collect the tenth, and the Levites are to bring a tenth of these tithes to the storerooms of the treasury in the house of our God.
- Read Nehemiah 10: 1 more there →
Nehemiah 125 verses
- Nehemiah 12:1Now these are the priests and Levites who went up with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and with Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,
- Nehemiah 12:22In the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua, during the reign of Darius the Persian, the heads of the families of the Levites and priests were recorded.
- Nehemiah 12:30After the priests and Levites had purified themselves, they purified the people, the gates, and the wall.
- Nehemiah 12:44And on that same day men were appointed over the rooms that housed the supplies, contributions, firstfruits, and tithes. The portions specified by the Law for the priests and Levites were gathered into these storerooms from the fields of the villages, because Judah rejoiced over the priests and Levites who were serving.
- Nehemiah 12:45They performed the service of their God and the service of purification, along with the singers and gatekeepers, as David and his son Solomon had prescribed.
- Read Nehemiah 12 →
Deuteronomy 232 verses
- Deuteronomy 23:3No Ammonite or Moabite or any of their descendants may enter the assembly of the LORD, even to the tenth generation.
- Deuteronomy 23:5Yet the LORD your God would not listen to Balaam, and the LORD your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the LORD your God loves you.
- Read Deuteronomy 23 →

4 more chapters this one speaks with

Nehemiah 92 verses
- Nehemiah 9:2Those of Israelite descent separated themselves from all the foreigners, and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.
- Nehemiah 9:3While they stood in their places, they read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for a quarter of the day, and they spent another quarter of the day in confession and worship of the LORD their God.
- Read Nehemiah 9 →
Nehemiah 62 verses
- Nehemiah 6:14O 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.
- Nehemiah 6:17Also in those days, the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah’s letters came back to them.
- Read Nehemiah 6 →
Ezra 92 verses
- Ezra 9:1After these things had been accomplished, the leaders approached me and said, “The people of Israel, including the priests and Levites, have not kept themselves separate from the surrounding peoples whose abominations are like those of the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites.
- Ezra 9:3When I heard this report, I tore my tunic and cloak, pulled out some hair from my head and beard, and sat down in horror.
- Read Ezra 9 →
2 Chronicles 292 verses
- 2 Chronicles 29:5“Listen to me, O Levites,” he said. “Consecrate yourselves now and consecrate the house of the LORD, the God of your fathers. Remove from the Holy Place every impurity.
- 2 Chronicles 29:15When they had assembled their brothers and consecrated themselves, they went in to cleanse the house of the LORD, according to the command of the king by the words of the LORD.
- Read 2 Chronicles 29 →

Cross-references from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and OpenBible.info.