English Standard Version
Nehemiah 13:22
22Then I commanded the Levites that they should purify themselves and come and guard the gates, to keep the Sabbath day holy. Remember this also in my favor, O my God, and spare me according to the greatness of your steadfast love.
Nehemiah 13:22 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And I commanded the Levites that they should cleanse themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to sanctify the sabbath day. Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy.
- New International Version (NIV)Then I commanded the Levites to purify themselves and go and guard the gates in order to keep the Sabbath day holy. Remember me for this also, my God, and show mercy to me according to your great love.
- New King James Version (NKJV)And I commanded the Levites that they should cleanse themselves, and that they should go and guard the gates, to sanctify the Sabbath day. Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of Your mercy!
- New Living Translation (NLT)Then I commanded the Levites to purify themselves and to guard the gates in order to preserve the holiness of the Sabbath. Remember this good deed also, O my God! Have compassion on me according to your great and unfailing love.
Context of Nehemiah 13:22
20Then the merchants and sellers of all kinds of wares lodged outside Jerusalem once or twice. 21But I warned them and said to them, "Why do you lodge outside the wall? If you do so again, I will lay hands on you." From that time on they did not come on the Sabbath. Then I commanded the Levites that they should purify themselves and come and guard the gates, to keep the Sabbath day holy. Remember this also in my favor, O my God, and spare me according to the greatness of your steadfast love. 23In those days also I saw the Jews who had married women of Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. 24And half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod, and they could not speak the language of Judah, but only the language of each people.
Read all of Nehemiah 13Nehemiah 13:22 word by word
וָאֹמְרָ֣ה לַלְוִיִּ֗ם אֲשֶׁ֨ר יִֽהְי֤וּ מִֽטַּהֲרִים֙ וּבָאִים֙ שֹׁמְרִ֣ים הַשְּׁעָרִ֔ים לְקַדֵּ֖שׁ אֶת־י֣וֹם הַשַּׁבָּ֑ת גַּם־זֹאת֙ זָכְרָה־לִּ֣י אֱלֹהַ֔י וְח֥וּסָה עָלַ֖י כְּרֹ֥ב חַסְדֶּֽךָ׃ פRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And I commandedאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- the Levitesלֵוִיlêvîyîy lêvîy · LeviH3881
- that they should cleanseטָהֵרţâhêr · be pureH2891
- they should comeבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
- keepשָׁמַרshâmar · to keep: guardH8104
- the gatesשַׁ֫עַרsha‛ar · gateH8179
- to sanctifyקָדַשׁqâdash · to consecrate: consecateH6942
- the sabbathשַׁבָּתshabbâth · SabbathH7676
- dayיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
- Rememberזָכַרzâkar · to rememberH2142
- me, O my Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- this also, and spareחוּסchûs · to pityH2347
- me according to the greatnessרֹבrôb · abundanceH7230
- of thy mercyחֶ֫סֶדchêsêd · kindnessH2617
Cross-references for Nehemiah 13:22
- Nehemiah 7:64These sought their registration among those enrolled in the genealogies, but it was not found there, so they were excluded from the priesthood as unclean.
- Nehemiah 12:30And the priests and the Levites purified themselves, and they purified the people and the gates and the wall.
- 2 Kings 23:4And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest and the priests of the second order and the keepers of the threshold to bring out of the temple of the Lord all the vessels made for Baal, for Asherah, and for all the host of heaven. He burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron and carried their ashes to Bethel.
- 1 Chronicles 15:12and said to them, "You are the heads of the fathers' houses of the Levites. Consecrate yourselves, you and your brothers, so that you may bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel, to the place that I have prepared for it.
- 2 Chronicles 29:4He brought in the priests and the Levites and assembled them in the square on the east
- Isaiah 49:23Kings shall be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. With their faces to the ground they shall bow down to you, and lick the dust of your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who wait for me shall not be put to shame."
- Nehemiah 12:10And Jeshua was the father of Joiakim, Joiakim the father of Eliashib, Eliashib the father of Joiada,
- Deuteronomy 5:12"'Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you.
- Nehemiah 13:14Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and do not wipe out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God and for his service.
- Nehemiah 5:19Remember for my good, O my God, all that I have done for this people.
- Psalms 132:1Remember, O Lord, in David's favor, all the hardships he endured,
- Isaiah 38:3and said, "Please, O Lord, remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight." And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
- 2 Corinthians 1:12For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you.
- 2 Timothy 4:7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
- Psalms 25:6Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old.
- Psalms 51:1Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
Commentaries on Nehemiah 13:22
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 22Spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy - By some Nehemiah has been thought to deal with God too much on the principle of merit. That he wished God to remember him for good, is sufficiently evident; and who does not wish the same? But that he expected heaven because of his good deeds, does not appear. Indeed, the concluding clause of this verse proves the contrary, and shows that he expected nothing from God but through the greatness of his…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 22I commanded the Levites - At first Nehemiah had employed his own retinue Nehemiah 13:19 in the work of keeping the gates. He now assigned the duty to the Levites, as one which properly belonged to them, since the object of the regulation was the due observance of the Sabbath.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 15-22Verses 15-22 The keeping holy the Lord's day forms an important object for their attention who would promote true godliness. Religion never prospers while sabbaths are trodden under foot. No wonder there was a general decay of religion, and corruption of manners among the Jews, when they forsook the sanctuary and profaned the sabbath. Those little consider what an evil they do, who profane the sabbath. We must answer for the sins others are led to commit…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 22show me mercy: Nehemiah's prayer suggests he felt the pressure of this unpopular decision. He knew God's unfailing love, not his popularity, would sustain him.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 15-3115-22. In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine-presses on the sabbath--The cessation of the temple services had been necessarily followed by a public profanation of the Sabbath, and this had gone so far that labor was carried on in the fields, and fish brought to the markets on the sacred day. Nehemiah took the decisive step of ordering the city gates to be shut, and not to be opened, till the Sabbath was past; and in order to ensure the faithful…Read the comment
Topics related to Nehemiah 13:22
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Nehemiah 13
- 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
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