Nehemiah 8:2

Nehemiah 8:2 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month.
• New International Version (NIV)So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand.
• English Standard Version (ESV)So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the seventh month.
• New King James Version (NKJV)So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men and women and all who could hear with understanding on the first day of the seventh month.

Context of Nehemiah 8:2

1All the people met together in the open place near the Water Gate. They asked Ezra to bring the book of the Law of Moses. The Lord had given those laws to the Israelites so that they would obey them. On the first day of the seventh month, Ezra brought the book of the Law to the people. In the crowd, there were men and women, as well as children who were old enough to understand. 3Ezra read aloud while he stood there, in the open place near the Water Gate. He read to all the men, women and children from dawn until noon. Everyone listened carefully to Ezra while he read the book of the Law. 4Ezra stood on a tall tower to speak to the people. They had built it from wood so that they could hear him. Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah and Maaseiah stood at his right side. Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and Meshullam stood at his left side.

Nehemiah 8:2 word by word

וַיָּבִ֣יא עֶזְרָ֣א הַ֠כֹּהֵן אֶֽת־הַתּוֹרָ֞ה לִפְנֵ֤י הַקָּהָל֙ מֵאִ֣ישׁ וְעַד־אִשָּׁ֔ה וְכֹ֖ל מֵבִ֣ין לִשְׁמֹ֑עַ בְּי֥וֹם אֶחָ֖ד לַחֹ֥דֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִֽי׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And Ezraעֶזְרָא‛ezrâ' · EzraH5830
• the priestכֹּהֵןkôhên · priestH3548
• broughtבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): bringH935
• the lawתּוֹרָהtôrâh tôrâh · instructionH8451
• beforeפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
• the congregationקָהָלqâhâl · assemblyH6951
• both of menאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
• and womenאִשָּׁה'ishshâh nâshîym · womanH802
• and all that could hearשָׁמַעshâma‛ · to hear: hearH8085
• with understandingבִּיןbîyn · to understandH995
• upon the firstאֶחָד'echâd · oneH259
• dayיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
• of the seventhשְׁבִיעִיshebîy‛îy shebi‛îy · seventhH7637
• monthחֹ֫דֶשׁchôdesh · monthH2320

Cross-references for Nehemiah 8:2

• Deuteronomy 17:18When anyone starts to rule as king, he must copy this Law of God on a scroll. The scroll will be a copy of the one that belongs to the Levite priests.
• Deuteronomy 31:9Moses wrote down all the rules of God's Law. He gave them to the Levite priests who carry the Lord's Covenant Box. He also gave them to the leaders of the Israelites.
• Malachi 2:7Priests should help people to know the truth about God. People should ask the priests to teach them, because the Lord Almighty has chosen priests to speak his message.
• 2 Chronicles 17:7In the third year that Jehoshaphat ruled Judah as king, he sent his officers to teach people in all Judah's towns. The names of those officers were Ben-Hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel and Micaiah.
• Acts 15:21These rules are important, because people have known the Law of Moses for a very long time. On every Jewish day of rest, someone teaches us about the Law in our Jewish meeting places in every city.’
• Isaiah 28:9They say, ‘Why does the Lord try to teach us like that? Who does he think that we are? He speaks to us as if we are babies! He thinks that we have just left our mother's breast!
• Leviticus 23:24‘Tell Israel's people this. On the first day of the seventh month, they must rest. It is a special day. They must worship together with the sound of trumpets.
• Numbers 29:1On the first day of the seventh month, all the people must come together for a holy meeting. You must not work at your jobs. It is a day for you to make music with your trumpets.

Commentaries on Nehemiah 8:2

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2All that could hear with understanding - Infants, idiots, and children not likely to receive instruction, were not permitted to attend this meeting; nor should any such, in any place, be ever brought to the house of God, if it can be avoided: yet, rather than a poor mother should be deprived of the ordinances of God, let her come with her child in her arms; and although it be inconvenient to the congregation, and to some ministers, to hear a child cry, it…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2Upon the first day of the seventh month - The day of the “Feast of Trumpets” (see the margin reference note). The gathering together of the people, spoken of in Nehemiah 8:1, was probably to observe this feast.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2On the first day of the seventh month: The people gathered to celebrate the Feast of Trumpets (Leviticus 23:24–25), marking the start of a new year in the calendar from after the exile in Babylon.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-81. all the people gathered themselves together as one man--The occasion was the celebration of the feast of the seventh month (Ne 7:73). The beginning of every month was ushered in as a sacred festival; but this, the commencement of the seventh month, was kept with distinguished honor as "the feast of trumpets," which extended over two days. It was the first day of the seventh ecclesiastical year, and the new year's day of the Jewish civil year, on which…Read the comment

Topics related to Nehemiah 8:2

• Children
• Commandments
• Feasts
• Law
• Repentance
• Synagogue
• Trumpets
• Word of God
• Worship

In the dictionaries

• Ezra
• Read
• Synagogue
• Atonement, Day of
• Bible, the
• Criticism of the Bible
• Israel, History of
• Leviticus
• Synagogue, the Great
• Teach; Teacher; Teaching

Commentaries on Nehemiah 8

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings