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Nehemiah 13:9

in Nehemiah 13

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.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

Then I commanded, and they cleansed the chambers: and thither brought I again the vessels of the house of God, with the meal-offerings and the frankincense.

KJV

Then I commanded, and they cleansed the chambers: and thither brought I again the vessels of the house of God, with the meat offering and the frankincense.

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This verse in Nehemiah 13

Commentary

5 notes on this verse
Then I commanded, and they cleansed the chambers,.... By which it appears there were more than one, or that several were thrown into one; which was done not only by washing them, but as this was a ceremonial uncleanness, contracted by the habitation of an Heathen in them, their purification might be by the water of separation, Num 19:9 and thither brought I again the vessels of the house of God, with the meat offering and the frankincense; replaced them where they were before.

This site's exposition

Tobiah’s household goods

on Nehemiah 13:8-9

Nehemiah "was greatly displeased," and his response is physical: he "threw all of Tobiah’s household goods out of the room." He orders the rooms purified and restores "the articles of the house of God" (13:9). What one priest gave to an enemy, Nehemiah takes back for God.

This site's exposition

I ordered that the rooms be purified

Gill notes the plural rooms, which suggests Tobiah's chamber had been made from several. He thinks the cleansing used the water of purification of Numbers 19:9, the rite for uncleanness contracted from a heathen's dwelling. Then the articles and offerings went back in.

The record, by era

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

How long [Nehemiah] remained there is not expressly said, but "after certain days," which is a Scripture phraseology for a year or a number of years, he obtained leave to resume the government of Jerusalem; to his deep mortification and regret, he found matters in the neglected and disorderly state here described.
The chambers - The “great chamber” assigned to Tobiah Neh 13:5 contained, it would seem, more than one apartment.

The words behind it

11 Hebrew words

Every Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

  • וָאֹ֣מְרָ֔הand I said !

    vaomerahH559 →5305 times

  • וַֽיְטַהֲר֖וּand people purified

    vaytaharuH2891 →94 times

  • הַלְּשָׁכ֑וֹתthe store-rooms

    haleshakhotH3957 →47 times

  • וָאָשִׁ֣יבָהand I brought back !

    vaashivahH7725 →1056 times

  • שָּׁ֗םthere

    shamH8033 →834 times

  • כְּלֵי֙[the] utensils of

    keleiH3627 →325 times

  • בֵּ֣ית[the] house of

    beitH1004 →2046 times

  • הָאֱלֹהִ֔ים<the> God

    haelohimH430 →2601 times

  • אֶת־<obj.>

    ʾet-H853 →10935 times

  • הַמִּנְחָ֖הthe grain offering

    haminchahH4503 →211 times

  • וְהַלְּבוֹנָֽה׃ פand the frankincense

    vehalevonahH3828 →

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

7 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

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.4 works1 Chronicles 23:28but their duty was to assist the descendants of Aaron with the service of the house of the LORD, being responsible for the courts and chambers, the purification of all the holy things, and the work of the service of the house of God,3 worksNehemiah 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.3 works2 Chronicles 29:15–19When 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.2 worksNehemiah 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.2 works2 Chronicles 14:4He commanded the people of Judah to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, and to observe the law and the commandments.2 works
The other 1 cross-references, with their words ▾
Ezekiel 40:29Its gate chambers, side pillars, and portico had the same measurements as the others. Both the gateway and its portico had windows all around; it was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide.2 works

The walk

8 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    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.

    it leads to

    • 2 Chronicles 35:6

      Slaughter the Passover lambs, consecrate yourselves, and make preparations for your fellow countrymen to carry out the word of the LORD given by Moses.”

    • 1 Corinthians 3:16–17

      Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?

    • Ezekiel 8:9–18

      Then He said to me, “Go in and see the wicked abominations they are committing here.”

    • 2 Chronicles 34:3–8

      In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, Josiah began to seek the God of his father David, and in the twelfth year he began to cleanse Judah and Jerusalem…

    • 1 Chronicles 15:12

      And he said to them, “You are the heads of the Levitical families. You and your relatives must consecrate yourselves so that you may bring the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel,…

  • Through

    Nehemiah 12:45

    They 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.

    it leads to

    • 1 Chronicles 25:1–26

      Additionally, David and the commanders of the army set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun to prophesy with the accompaniment of lyres, harps, and cymbals. The following is the list…

    • 1 Chronicles 23:28

      but their duty was to assist the descendants of Aaron with the service of the house of the LORD, being responsible for the courts and chambers, the purification of all the holy things, and…

    • 2 Chronicles 23:6

      No one is to enter the house of the LORD except the priests and those Levites who serve; they may enter because they are consecrated, but all the people are to obey the requirement…

Where this verse is studied

About Nehemiah

Nehemiah Views the Ruins of Jerusalem's Walls, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
Nehemiah Views the Ruins of Jerusalem's Walls, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
Nehemiah: the study guide →Read Nehemiah 13 →

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament.

Read on in Nehemiah 13 →