Nehemiah 8:8

8. In the book in the law An emphatic intimation that the book from which they read was no other than the law of God. From the form of words here used we may infer that there were then extant other sacred books besides the book of the law.

Distinctly מפרשׁ , the word thus rendered is the Pual participle of פרשׁ , to spread out, and by most interpreters is understood to designate the clear and distinct manner the audible voice in which the law was read. Bertheau explains it as a distinct recitation which followed certain appointed rules, and accordingly required very special discipline. This thought may be partly involved, since to read intelligibly before so large and uncultivated an audience would require peculiar care and tact; but the reference is rather to the open, easily-apprehended style of the reading, “opposite (says Furst) to quick, hasty, indistinct, unintelligible.” Others (Pfeiffer, Keil) understand a running exposition or paraphrase of the reading, made by the readers themselves in the Hebrew language. But this would make what immediately follows superfluous and tautological. The Rabbins and some others understand a translation of the law into Aramaean, or the vulgar tongue. But the word פרשׁ seems not to be used in Hebrew in this sense, and were this the meaning, we should certainly have had the thought more clearly and fully expressed. Comp. Ezra 4:7. It is very probable that some of the auditors needed the law translated for them in order to comprehend its import, and this is implied in the next words, and gave the sense, which words would, as urged against the preceding exposition of Pfeiffer and Keil, be superfluous, if מפרשׁ here meant to translate or interpret. We accordingly adopt the rendering of the English version, which follows the Vulgate and Syriac.

Gave the sense Set forth the meaning; made it intelligible to all the people. To do this it might often have been necessary to explain the Hebrew Scriptures in the Chaldee language, which had so far come into use among the Jews at Babylon as to make it difficult for many of the people to understand the Hebrew.

Caused them to understand the reading This is but another way of expressing again what has been said in the previous sentence, and it is, therefore, better, with the Vulgate, Septuagint, Bertheau, Keil, and others, to render, and they (the people, the hearers) gave heed to the reading. They paid careful and reverent attention and understood the reading.