Nehemiah 8:13

THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES, Nehemiah 8:13-18.

13. The second day The second day of the month, the next day after the feast of the new moon. So interested had the people become in the reading of the law, that on the very next day after the feast the chief of the fathers, the principal elders and representatives of the nation, met again to continue the study of the law. There were manifest inconveniences in assembling the entire population, men, women, and children, as on the previous day, (Nehemiah 8:2,) and so only the chief representatives came together on the second day. Along with the principal fathers came also the priests and the Levites, for it was important that all of these should know the law. Bertheau and Keil construe the words the priests and the Levites with all the people, as genitive, (with ל ,) after chief of the fathers; that is, chief fathers of the priests and of the Levites, as well as of all the people. According to this construction, not all the priests and Levites came, but only their chief elders or representatives. We prefer, however, to construe the words priests and Levites as subjects to the verb were gathered, and to understand that the priests and Levites assembled with the rest, not merely by their principal leaders, but in a body. It need not follow that all the priests and Levites were present, but rather the principal part of them.

Unto Ezra the scribe Who was profoundly versed in the law, and so capable of instructing all classes of the people.

Even to understand This states the purpose for which they came to Ezra. The vav, ( ו ,) translated even, denotes that what follows is an additional and explanatory clause. Its force may be given thus: and (their coming to Ezra was) for the purpose of giving thoughtful attention ( השׂכיל ) to the words of the law.