2 And Ezra the priieft þ brought the law before the congregation, both of men and women, and all Þ that + Heb: could hear with undeiſtanding c, upon the firſt-day of 'hmir the ſeventh month. Rao
b Who came 1: or 13 years before Nehemiah to Jeruſalem ; and Nears either tarried there, or went back to Babylon, being forced to do ſo
fix
| by ths Kings command, or ine1penſible occ+fons.and then retur-
ned again with Nehemiah. ci,e. And ſuch children as were come to years of underanding
; And he read therein before the ſtreet that yas be- fore the water gate, + from themorning untill mid-day, 100 beiore the men and the women,and thoſe that could yy, ur derſtand : andthe ears of allthe people were attentive unto the book of the law.
4 And Fzra the fſciibe ſtood upon a ÞF pulpit of tHebaw.
wood, wiich they had made for the purpoſe, and be- 7 9. fide him ſtood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anajah, and Urijah, and Hiikiah, and Maaſeiah on his right hand, and on his left hand, Pedajah, and Miſhael,and Maichiah, and Harſhum, and Haſhbadana,Zechariah, and Mejhullam &.
d Partly to declare their conſent and concurrence with Exya in whar he jaid and did: and partly that they,or ſome of them might bear a part in the work.
5 And Ezra opened the book in the Þ ſight of ail the people ( for he was above all the people ) and when he openedir all the people ſtood up e.
e Either in reference to God's Word ; of which ſee Num. 12 32. Judges 3: 20.1Or that they might hear his words the more diſtin&ly; or rather,becauſe the obſerved that Ezra compoſed himſelf to pray- er or thankſgiving ; which is here generally decl:red, but doubt- leſs was more particularly and largely expreſſed in that Aſſembly, as appezrs by their anſwering Amen, 4men, to his prayer.
6 And Ezra blefled the LORD the great God : and all the peop'e anſwered, Amen, amen, with lifting up their hands : and they Bowed their heads, . and wor- (hipped the LORD with their faces to the ground.
7 Alſo Jeſhua,and Bani andSherebiah, Jamin,Akkub, Shabbethar, Hodijah, Maaſeiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites cauſed the people to underſtand the law f: and the people ſtood in their place g.
f As well the words, which being Hebrew, now needed to be tranſlate] into the Chaldee or Syriack Language, which was now,
tHeb.gu,
an + henceforth the common language of thar people, who togerher with their Religion, had alſo in a great part loſt their Janguage : as
it- g 7. e, In their ſeveral places and ſtations into which the compa=-
' ny ſeems to have been diſtributed for conveniency of hearing ; 1t
not being likely that ſo vaſt a Congregation could diſtin&ly hear one mans voice, Or,by their Fatzons i. 8. by the ſeveral ſtations of the Levites.and perſons laſt named ; who ſeem to have had ſeveral ſcat folds, by comparins this with chap.g,4. upon which they ſtood, as Ezra did upon his Puipit, v. 4;
8 50
w-
Chap, vin F h
t Or, z they m1: TR" MFWCE tree in Vhrd; of
Law,
. A
Heb,
it :
LI;
:7 6;
bi,
6 vin Fchap. VIII.
| Or, the
ex Ez F3ra2.63. Num.29- unto the ;. Dent. for all the people wept 9, when they heard the words
16.14, 15: of the law.
[ Or ; that they might miruc
8$ So they read h in the book of the law of God di- ſtintly, and gave the ſenſe ;, and cauſed thew to un- derſtand the reading k.
» To wit, Ezra and his Companions ſucceſſively or ſeverally : z. e. The meaning of the Hebrew words, which they expounded 1n the commcn language. &z. e. That which they read, to wit, the ho- ly Scripture the action being put for the objet, as viſion 1s -Oft pt for the thing ſeen, and hearing for the thing heard, and fear for the thing feared. So they gave them both a tranſlation of the Hebrew words into the Chaldee, and an expoſition of the things contained in them, and of the duty incumbent upon the people by virtue of them, the declaration whereof was a great part of the Priefts work, Mal. 2. 7. :
9 And Nehemiah, which is || the Tirſhatha, and
ra the prieſt, the Scribe, and the Levites that taught
the people, ſaid unto all the people, * This day js holy LOR D your God /Z, mourn not nor weep :
{ To wit, as a day of feaſting and thanksgiving to God, and re- joicing in his mercies : for otrerwiſe even faſting days were holy to God in the general, though not in the ſenſe heremeant. m Out of a deep ſenſe of their great guilt, and of their extream danger by
reaſon of it» ; 10 Then he ſaid unto them, Go your way, eat the
far, and drink the ſweet », and ſend portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared 0: for this day 15 holy untoour LOR D p, neither be ye ſorry, for the joy of the LOR D is your ſtrength 4.
» Feaſt before the Lord, as the duty of the day obligeth you to do. 0 for the relicf of your poor brethren, who elſe muſt mourn whilſt you rejoice: See of this duty and prattice, Dez. 16. 11. 14, E/th. 9. 19+ þ Being the Feaſt of Trumpets, Levit. 23. 24: and the beginning of this joyful month, wherein ſo many days of feaſting and thanksgiving were to be obſerved. q 7. e. Rejoicing in Godin the manner preſcribed in his word, or ſerving him with cheerfulnels, and thankfulneſs,which is your duty always, but now eſpecialiy,will give you that ſtrength borh of mind and body, which you greatly nccd, both to perform all the duties required of you, and to in- dure and oppoſe all thecraftyCounſels and malicious deſigns of your enemics againſt you : whereas this deje&ion of mind, and exccfſive oricf,if you induige it,will both offend God,and damp your ſpirits, and weaken your very bodies,and make you untir forGods lervice,or for your own neceflary occaſions, & ſo an eafie prey to your Enemies.
11 So the Levites ſiilled all the people r, faying;
Hold your peace 5s, for the day is holy, neither be ye
N EB H B M #48
þ
ed as the moſt eminent place, but with an uſual Synecdoche, this placei being pur for any place neareſt the ſeveral Cities of Judah, where theſe branches were ro be procured. b Of which fee on Lev. 23. 24: Deut. 16. 13:
16 So the people went forth, and brought them and made themſelves booths, every one upon the roof of his houſe c, and in their courts 4, and in the courts of che houſe of God, and in the ſtreet of the wWatcr- gate and in the ſtreet of the gate of Ephraim e. :
c For the Houles there were made flar ; of which ſee Devr. 22 8. d Bclonging ro their own Howults : for theſe might be an where in the open air. e 'Lhat gate of the City which led to wn. Tribe of Ephrainn.