New English Translation
Nehemiah 8:15
15and that they should make a proclamation and disseminate this message in all their cities and in Jerusalem: “Go to the hill country and bring back olive branches and branches of wild olive trees, myrtle trees, date palms, and other leafy trees to construct temporary shelters, as it is written.”
Nehemiah 8:15 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities, and in Jerusalem, saying, Go forth unto the mount, and fetch olive branches, and pine branches, and myrtle branches, and palm branches, and branches of thick trees, to make booths, as it is written.
- New International Version (NIV)and that they should proclaim this word and spread it throughout their towns and in Jerusalem: “Go out into the hill country and bring back branches from olive and wild olive trees, and from myrtles, palms and shade trees, to make temporary shelters”—as it is written.
- English Standard Version (ESV)and that they should proclaim it and publish it in all their towns and in Jerusalem, "Go out to the hills and bring branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees to make booths, as it is written."
- New King James Version (NKJV)and that they should announce and proclaim in all their cities and in Jerusalem, saying, “Go out to the mountain, and bring olive branches, branches of oil trees, myrtle branches, palm branches, and branches of leafy trees, to make booths, as it is written.”
Context of Nehemiah 8:15
13On the second day of the month the family leaders met with Ezra the scribe, together with all the people, the priests, and the Levites, to consider the words of the law. 14They discovered written in the law that the lord had commanded through Moses that the Israelites should live in temporary shelters during the festival of the seventh month, and that they should make a proclamation and disseminate this message in all their cities and in Jerusalem: “Go to the hill country and bring back olive branches and branches of wild olive trees, myrtle trees, date palms, and other leafy trees to construct temporary shelters, as it is written.” 16So the people went out and brought these things back and constructed temporary shelters for themselves, each on his roof and in his courtyard and in the courtyards of the temple of God and in the plaza of the Water Gate and the plaza of the Ephraim Gate. 17So all the assembly which had returned from the exile constructed temporary shelters and lived in them. The Israelites had not done so from the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day. Everyone experienced very great joy.
Read all of Nehemiah 8Nehemiah 8:15 word by word
וַאֲשֶׁ֣ר יַשְׁמִ֗יעוּ וְיַעֲבִ֨ירוּ ק֥וֹל בְּכָל־עָרֵיהֶם֮ וּבִירוּשָׁלִַ֣ם לֵאמֹר֒ צְא֣וּ הָהָ֗ר וְהָבִ֙יאוּ֙ עֲלֵי־זַ֙יִת֙ וַעֲלֵי־עֵ֣ץ שֶׁ֔מֶן וַעֲלֵ֤י הֲדַס֙ וַעֲלֵ֣י תְמָרִ֔ים וַעֲלֵ֖י עֵ֣ץ עָבֹ֑ת לַעֲשֹׂ֥ת סֻכֹּ֖ת כַּכָּתֽוּב׃ פRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And that they should publishשָׁמַעshâma‛ · to hear: proclaimH8085
- and proclaimקוֹלqôl qôl · voice: messageH6963
- and proclaimעָבַר‛âbar · to passH5674
- in all their citiesעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
- and in Jerusalemיְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵםyerûshâlaim yerûshâlayim · JerusalemH3389
- sayingאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- Go forthיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: comeH3318
- unto the mountהַרhar · mountain: mountH2022
- and fetchבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): bringH935
- oliveזַ֫יִתzayith · oliveH2132
- branchesעָלֶה‛âleh · leafH5929
- and pineשֶׁ֫מֶןshemen · oilH8081
- branchesעֵץ‛êts · treeH6086
- and myrtleהֲדַסhădas · myrtleH1918
- and palmתָּמָרtâmâr · palmH8558
- of thickעָבוֹת‛âbôth ‛âbôth · leafyH5687
- to makeעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to makeH6213
- boothsסֻכָּהsûkkâh · boothH5521
- writtenכָּתַבkâthab · to writeH3789
Cross-references for Nehemiah 8:15
- Leviticus 23:4“‘These are the Lord’s appointed times, holy assemblies, which you must proclaim at their appointed time.
- Deuteronomy 16:16Three times a year all your males must appear before the Lord your God in the place he chooses for the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks, and the Festival of Temporary Shelters; and they must not appear before him empty-handed.
- Judges 9:48He and all his men went up on Mount Zalmon. He took an ax in his hand and cut off a tree branch. He put it on his shoulder and said to his men, “Quickly, do what you have just seen me do!”
- Matthew 21:1Now when they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples,
- Leviticus 23:40On the first day you must take for yourselves branches from majestic trees – palm branches, branches of leafy trees, and willows of the brook – and you must rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days.
- Genesis 8:11When the dove returned to him in the evening, there was a freshly plucked olive leaf in its beak! Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth.
- John 12:13So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him. They began to shout, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the king of Israel!”
- Revelation 7:9After these things I looked, and here was an enormous crowd that no one could count, made up of persons from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb dressed in long white robes, and with palm branches in their hands.
Commentaries on Nehemiah 8:15
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 15Fetch olive branches - For every thing concerning this feast of tabernacles, see the notes on Leviticus 23 (note), and the other places there referred to.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 15The mount - The “mount of Olives” is probably intended. Pine branches - Rather, “branches of the wild olive.” The actual trees named by the Law may have become scarce. It was probably considered that the spirit of the command was kept if branches of trees similar in general character to those named in Leviticus were employed.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 13-18Verses 13-18 They found written in the law about the feast of tabernacles. Those who diligently search the Scriptures, find things written there which they have forgotten. This feast of tabernacles was a representation of the believer's tabernacle state in this world, and a type of the holy joy of the gospel church. The conversion of the nations to the faith of Christ, is foretold under the figure of this feast, Zec 14:16. True religion will render us…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 15to make booths: The Feast of Tabernacles commemorated when the people of Israel lived in tents during their journey through the wilderness (Leviticus 23:33–43; see also Numbers 29:12–39; Deuteronomy 16:13–15).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 9-159-10. This day is holy unto the Lord ... mourn not, nor weep--A deep sense of their national sins, impressively brought to their remembrance by the reading of the law and its denunciations, affected the hearts of the people with penitential sorrow. But notwithstanding the painful remembrances of their national sins which the reading of the law awakened, the people were exhorted to cherish the feelings of joy and thankfulness associated with a sacred…Read the comment
Topics related to Nehemiah 8:15
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
New English Translation — © 1996-2016 Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C.
Commentaries