God’s Word Translation
Nehemiah 8:2
2Then Ezra the priest brought the Teachings in front of the assembly. This included men, women, and any ⌞children⌟ who could understand what they heard. This took place on the first day of the seventh month.
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
1⌞When the seventh month came,⌟ all the people gathered together in the courtyard in front of Water Gate. They told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of Moses’ Teachings, which the Lord had commanded Israel ⌞to follow⌟. Then Ezra the priest brought the Teachings in front of the assembly. This included men, women, and any ⌞children⌟ who could understand what they heard. This took place on the first day of the seventh month. 3From daybreak until noon, he read from it in the courtyard in front of Water Gate to the men, women, and ⌞children⌟ who could understand it. All the people listened to the Book of Moses’ Teachings. 4Ezra the scribe stood on a raised wooden platform made for this occasion. Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah stood beside him on his right. Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchiah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam stood beside him on his left.
Read all of Nehemiah 8Nehemiah 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 he becomes king, he should have the Levitical priests make him a copy of these teachings on a scroll.
- Deuteronomy 31:9Moses wrote down these teachings and gave them to the Levitical priests who carried the ark of the Lord’s promise and to all the leaders of Israel.
- Malachi 2:7“A priest’s lips should preserve knowledge. Then, because he is the messenger for the Lord of Armies, people will seek instruction from his mouth.
- Deuteronomy 31:11all the Israelites will come into the presence of the Lord your God at the place he will choose. Read these teachings so that they can hear them.
- 2 Chronicles 17:7In the third year of his reign, he sent his officers Ben Hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah to teach in the cities of Judah.
- Acts 15:21After all, Moses’ words have been spread to every city for generations. His teachings are read in synagogues on every day of rest—a holy day.”
- Isaiah 28:9To whom will they make the message understood? To whom will they explain this message? To children just weaned from milk? To those just taken from their ⌞mother’s⌟ breasts?
- Leviticus 23:24“Tell the Israelites: On the first day of the seventh month hold a worship festival. It will be a memorial day, a holy assembly announced by the blowing of rams’ horns.
- Numbers 29:1⌞The Lord continued,⌟ “On the first day of the seventh month you must have a holy assembly. You must not do any regular work. It is a day for ⌞the trumpets to sound⌟ a fanfare.
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
In the dictionaries
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
Commentaries