The Pulpit Commentary — Nehemiah — Section 105

EXPOSITION. nations (ver. 30); 2. The command to hallow CHAPTER X. the sabbatb ; 3. The law concerning the sab- batical year (ver. 31); 4. The law of first- THE NAMES OF THOSE WHO SEALED, fruits (vers. 35-37) ; 5. The obligation to .AND THE 'I'ERMS OF THE COVENANT (eh. x.). pay tithes to the sacerdotal order (vers. The covenant which the Levites bad recom- 37, 38). Finally, they undertook certain mended, probably at the suggestion of Nehe- new obligations, not expressly contained in miah and Ezra, whose hand may perhaps be the law, but perhaps regarded a.s flowing from tro.ced in the long address of the preceding it by way of natural consequence, or else chapter (vers. 6-38), was at once accepted as desirable modes of carrying out its pro- by the beads of the nation in Church and visions. These were three in number, viz.- State, and was "sealed to" by N ebemiab, 1. The entire abolition of the custom which by bis secretary, by the heads of the bad grown up of lending money to their priestly and Levitical families, each sealing brethren upon pledge (see eh. v. 3-13); for his house, by the beads of varioug lay 2. The support of the temple service by an families or communities, and by a certain annual tax upon each adult male, which wa~ number of individual laymen, sealing (as it fixed for the present at the rate of one-third would seem) for themselves only. The rest pa.rt ofa shekel (ver. 32) ; and, 3. The supply of the people, those who did not actually of the wood requisite for keeping the fire seal, still "clave to their brethren," i. e. alight upon the great altar, and for con- agreed with them, and accepted the obli- suming the various offerings (ver. 34). It gations of the covenant as fully ae if they is remarkable that these two latter regula- had put their seals to it. There was no op- tions became permanent national institu- position, no dissentient voice, no party even tions, maintaining themselves into Roman which stood sullenly aloof. That sort of times, when we find them still continuing enthusiasm had come upon the nation which (see Matt. xvii 24; Joseph., 'Bell Jnd.,' carries everything before it, and ea.uses a ii. 17, § 6). whole multitude to become "as one man" for good or for evil. This time it was for Ver. 1.-Nehemiah, as Tirahatha, or civil good. The people bound themselves, first ruler, naturally appended his seal first of all. of all, in general terms, to keep the whole He was followed by Zidk:ijah, or Zadok, law, "to observe and do all the command- probably his secretary (eh. xiii. 13). Vers. 2-8.-Tbe heads of the priestly ments of the Lord their Lord, and his judg- houses attached their seals next ; and among ments and his statutes" (ver. 29) ; after these the high-priestly house of Seraiah which they went on to particularise carte.ii). had, very properly, the precedence. The special points of the law, recently infringed other names of this list recur for the most upon, which they bound themselves to ob- part in eh. xii. 1-6, where they designate "priests" (I:. e. priestly houses) "which went serve in future. These were chiefly the up with Zerubbabel." Eliasbib, the hi"h following: - 1. The prohibition of inter- priest of the time, probably appended the marriage with the neighbouring idolatrous sea.I of the house of Seraiah.  110 THE BOOK OF NEHEMIAH. [en. x. 1-119.