The Pulpit Commentary — Nehemiah — Section 106

Ycrs. 9-13. -Jeahua., Binnui 1 a.nd Xa.d- of ~.l.1e ~eople in tho time of J osirth (2 Kings miel represen_t the three chief families of xxm. 3), ,vhen they are said to ha.ve "stood tetume~ Levites (see Ezra ii. 40 ; iii. 9 ; to the covenant." lltoaea the aerve.nt of ~eh. VII. 43, 44; ix. 4, 5, &c.). Dinnui, God. The epithet " scrvan t of God," or 1~ mar be remarked, he.s now supplanted "servant of the Lord," attaches to Moses in Kadm1el, a.nd stepped into the second place. a peculiar way. God called him (Num. xii. Of the remaining names, those of B:a.sha.bia.h 7) "my servant Moses, who is faithful in and Sherebia.h designate families which re- all my house ; " and henceforward "servo.nt turned with Ezra. (Ezra viii. 18, 19). The of God " was his epitheton usitatum (see remaining names are probably also those of Josh. i. 1; Tiii. 31, 33; 1 Chron. vi. 49; families. 2 Chron. xriv. 9 ; Dan. ix. 11 ; Heb. iii. 6 ; Vers. 14-27.-The chief of the )leople. Rev. xv. 3). St. Paul contrasts "Moses, Down to :Magpiash the names correspond to the servant" with "Christ, the Son" (Heb those of lav families which returned with iii. 1-6). ZerubbabeI°(Ezra ii. 3-30; Neh. vii 8-33), Ver. 30.-That we would not give our the first eighteen being personal, and the daughters, &c. On the recurrence of the last three no.mes of localities. Nebe.i is the mixed marriages so soon after the reform- same as" Nebo" (eh. vii. 33), and llita.gpiash ation of Ezra, see the comment on eh. xiii. 23. the same as Magbish (Ezra ii. 30). From Ver. 31.-If the people of the land bring 111:eshullam to Ba.anah (vers. 20-27) the ware .... on the se.bbe.th. If the he.a.then names seem to be a,,aain personal ; but they of this region will insist on bringing their are new, and therefore probably those of wares into our cities and offering them for indinduals v.ho were not authorised to re- immediate sale on the sabbath, we Jews bind present either clans 1Jr localities. In ver. 17, ourselves not to deal with them on that day. the two names Ater and B:izkijah should be Subsequently, Nehemiah carried out more united by a hyphen, since it is clear that stringent regulations (eh. xiii. 15-22). Or they represent the single family, Ater of on the holy day. Rather, "or on a holy Hezekiah, mentioned in Ezra ii 16 and day." The people bind themselves to ab- N eh. vii 21. "Hizkijah" and "Hezekiali" stain from trade not only on the sabbath, are in the original identical. but on any holy day. The.t we would leave Ver. 28.-The rest of the people. L e. the seventh year. By "lea-viWJ the seventh those ...-ho had not appended their seals, year," leaving the lands untilled every whether others had sealed for them or no. seventh or sabbatical year is meant. This The writer makes no exception, and thereby precept of the law had been frequently neg- indicates a very general, if not a universal, lected during the times of the monarchy, concurrence on the part of the nation. His and its neglect was one of the sins which the enumeration of classes is the same as Ezra's captivity was expressly intended to punish (Ezra ii 70). All they that had separated (2 Chron. mvi. 21). It now appears that themselves from the people of the lands unto after the return the precept had been again the law of God. Such proselytes from the disobeyed. The exaction of every debt. heathen as had joined themselves to the Literally, " the pledge of every hand." Jewish people since their return from the Compare eh. v. 2-13, and note that, not- captivity (comp. Ezra vi 21). Every one withstanding Nehemiah's curse and the having knowledge, and having under- people's assent to it (ver. 13), the practice of standing. All who were of age to under- lending upon pledge had recommenced. stand the nature of the covenant and what Ver. 32. -To charge ourselves yearly was meant by sealing to it-not a ,;pecially with the third part of a shekel. Hitherto "intelligent" or "learned" class, as Ewald the Jews had had no impost analogous to supposes (' Hist. of Israel,' voL v. p. 144, our "church-rate." The '' half-shekel of note 4). the sanctuary," as it is called, being only Ver. 29.-They clave to their brethren, payable on the rare, and forbidden, occasion their noble11. They gave their su_pport and of a census of the whole people (Exod. xxx. adherence to their more distingwshed bre- 13-16), could not possibly have served for thren who had attached their seals to the the ordinary support of the temple service; document, approving what they had done, but it was calculated to suggest to thought- and ratifying it. Entered into a curse, and ful minds the need of some reirular fund, e.nd into an 011.th, to we.lk in God's law. Some- the persons on whom the obligation lay to thing of this kind seems to have occurred in provide it. While the Jews were an inde- the wilderness, when God's law was first pendent nation, wit.h their own kings and given to his people (Dent. xxix. 12) ; and their own revenue, no difficulty had been felt therefoie, when renewals of the covenant in keeping up the service, since the kings were made, and the people were required to easily provided for it ; but in the existing ratify the act, it was natural to recur to the condition of affairs the case was different. old sanction. An oath waE prohahly taken A " governor" was not like e. king ; he was on. x. 1-39.) THE BOOK OF NEHEMIAH. 111