And the people went out, brought back branches, and made booths on their own rooftops, in their courtyards, in the court of the house of God, and in the squares by the Water Gate and by the Gate of Ephraim. And the people went outThis phrase signifies the collective action and obedience of the Israelites. The Hebrew root for "went out" is "yatsa," which often implies a purposeful departure. Historically, this reflects the communal spirit and unity among the Israelites as they responded to the reading of the Law. It underscores the importance of community in worship and obedience to God's commands. and brought back branches
The act of gathering branches is rooted in the commandment found in Leviticus 23:40, where the Israelites are instructed to gather specific types of branches for the Feast of Tabernacles. The Hebrew word for "branches" is "anaf," which can refer to boughs or foliage. This action symbolizes the people's willingness to adhere to God's instructions and their desire to reconnect with their heritage and traditions. and made booths for themselves
The construction of booths, or "sukkot" in Hebrew, is a direct fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles, a time to remember the Israelites' journey through the wilderness. The booths are temporary structures, symbolizing the transient nature of life and the reliance on God's provision. This act of making booths is a physical manifestation of faith and obedience, reminding the people of God's past faithfulness and their dependence on Him. on their own roofs
In ancient Israel, flat roofs were common and often used as additional living space. Building booths on their roofs indicates personal commitment and individual participation in the communal celebration. It highlights the integration of faith into daily life, as each family takes responsibility for their own observance of the feast. in their courtyards
Courtyards were central spaces in homes and communities, often used for gatherings and activities. Constructing booths in courtyards emphasizes the communal aspect of the celebration, as families and neighbors come together to observe the feast. It reflects the importance of community in worship and the shared experience of God's people. in the courts of the house of God
The courts of the temple were sacred spaces designated for worship and religious activities. Building booths here signifies the centrality of God in the celebration and the acknowledgment of His presence among His people. It underscores the connection between the physical act of building booths and the spiritual act of worship. in the square by the Water Gate
The Water Gate was one of the gates of Jerusalem, likely located near a water source. The square by the Water Gate would have been a public space, accessible to many. Constructing booths here indicates the openness and inclusivity of the celebration, inviting all to participate in the remembrance of God's provision. and in the square by the Gate of Ephraim
The Gate of Ephraim was another significant location in Jerusalem, named after one of the tribes of Israel. Building booths in this square highlights the unity of the tribes and the collective identity of the Israelites as God's chosen people. It serves as a reminder of their shared history and covenant with God. Persons / Places / Events 1. The People of IsraelThe Israelites who returned from exile and are now participating in the Feast of Booths as instructed by the Law. 2. Ezra the ScribeAlthough not mentioned in this specific verse, Ezra plays a crucial role in reading the Law to the people, which leads to the observance of the feast. 3. The Feast of Booths (Sukkot)A Jewish festival commemorating the Israelites' journey through the wilderness, living in temporary shelters. 4. The Water GateA location in Jerusalem where part of the assembly took place, significant for its proximity to the temple and its role in the communal life of the city. 5. The Gate of EphraimAnother location in Jerusalem, indicating the widespread observance of the feast throughout the city. Teaching Points Obedience to God's WordThe Israelites' response to Ezra's reading of the Law demonstrates the importance of obedience to God's commands. We are called to respond to God's Word with action. Community and WorshipThe communal aspect of the Feast of Booths highlights the importance of gathering together in worship and celebration. Christians are encouraged to foster community within the church. Remembrance and ThanksgivingThe feast serves as a reminder of God's provision and faithfulness. We should regularly remember and give thanks for God's work in our lives. Living as PilgrimsThe temporary nature of the booths reminds believers that our time on earth is temporary, and we are to live with an eternal perspective. Joy in ObedienceThe celebration of the feast was marked by joy, showing that obedience to God leads to true joy and fulfillment. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the observance of the Feast of Booths in Nehemiah 8:16 reflect the Israelites' commitment to God's Word, and how can we apply this commitment in our daily lives? 2. In what ways does the communal celebration of the Feast of Booths encourage us to prioritize community and fellowship within our own church or faith community? 3. How can the practice of remembrance and thanksgiving, as seen in the Feast of Booths, be incorporated into our personal spiritual disciplines? 4. What does the temporary nature of the booths teach us about our own lives as Christians, and how can this perspective influence our priorities and decisions? 5. How can we find joy in obedience to God's commands, and what are some practical ways to cultivate this joy in our spiritual journey? Connections to Other Scriptures Leviticus 23:33-43This passage provides the original instructions for the Feast of Booths, highlighting its significance as a time of remembrance and thanksgiving. Deuteronomy 16:13-15Offers additional details on the celebration of the Feast of Booths, emphasizing joy and community. John 7:2References the Feast of Booths during Jesus' time, showing its continued observance and importance in Jewish life. Zechariah 14:16-19Prophecies about the nations celebrating the Feast of Booths in the future, indicating its eschatological significance. People Akkub, Anaiah, Azariah, Bani, Ezra, Hanan, Hashbadana, Hashum, Hilkiah, Hodiah, Hodijah, Israelites, Jamin, Jeshua, Joshua, Jozabad, Kelita, Levites, Maaseiah, Malchiah, Malchijah, Mattithiah, Meshullam, Mishael, Nehemiah, Nun, Pedaiah, Pelaiah, Shabbethai, Shema, Sherebiah, Uriah, UrijahPlaces Gate of Ephraim, Jerusalem, Water GateTopics Booths, Bring, Broad, Built, Courts, Courtyards, Doorway, Ephraim, E'phraim, Forth, Gate, Got, Open, Roof, Roofs, Space, Spaces, Square, Squares, Street, Tents, Themselves, Water-doorway, Water-gate, WideDictionary of Bible Themes Nehemiah 8:16 5271 courtyard
5340 house
5506 roof
7382 house of God Nehemiah 8:1-18 1640 Book of the Law
7464 teachers of the law Nehemiah 8:14-16 4416 branch Library January 29. "Send Portions unto them for whom Nothing is Prepared" (Neh. viii. 10).
"Send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared" (Neh. viii. 10). That was a fine picture in the days of Nehemiah, when they were celebrating their glorious Feast of Tabernacles. "Neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength. Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions to them for whom nothing is prepared." How many there are on every side for whom nothing is prepared! Let us find out some sad and needy heart for whom there is no one else to think or care. …
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth The Joy of the Lord
'The joy of the Lord is your strength.'--Neh. viii. 10. Judaism, in its formal and ceremonial aspect, was a religion of gladness. The feast was the great act of worship. It is not to be wondered at, that Christianity, the perfecting of that ancient system, has been less markedly felt to be a religion of joy; for it brings with it far deeper and more solemn views about man in his nature, condition, responsibilities, destinies, than ever prevailed before, under any system of worship. And yet all deep …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Reading the Law with Tears and Joy
'And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel. 2. 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. 3. And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate, from the morning until midday, before …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture The Joy of the Lord, the Strength of his People
LAST Sabbath day in the morning I spoke of the birth of our Saviour as being full of joy to the people of God, and, indeed, to all nations. We then looked at the joy from a distance; we will now in contemplation draw nearer to it, and perhaps as we consider it, and remark the multiplied reasons for its existence, some of those reasons may operate upon our own hearts, and we may go out of this house of prayer ourselves partakers of the exceeding great joy. We shall count it to have been a successful …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 17: 1871 The Original Text and Its History.
1. The original language of the Old Testament is Hebrew, with the exception of certain portions of Ezra and Daniel and a single verse of Jeremiah, (Ezra 4:8-6:18; 7:12-26; Dan. 2:4, from the middle of the verse to end of chap. 7; Jer. 10:11,) which are written in the cognate Chaldee language. The Hebrew belongs to a stock of related languages commonly called Shemitic, because spoken mainly by the descendants of Shem. Its main divisions are: (1,) the Arabic, having its original seat in the …
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible Twenty-First Day. Holiness and Happiness.
The kingdom of God is joy in the Holy Ghost.'--Rom. xiv. 17. 'The disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Ghost.'--Acts xiii. 52. 'Then Nehemiah said, This day is holy unto the Lord: neither be ye sorry, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. So the Levites stilled the people, saying, Hold your peace; for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved. And all the people went their way to make great mirth, because they had understood the words.'--Neh. viii. 10-12. The deep significance of …
Andrew Murray—Holy in Christ John's First Testimony to Jesus.
(Bethany Beyond Jordan, February, a.d. 27.) ^D John I. 19-34. ^d 19 And this is the witness of John [John had been sent to testify, "and" this is the matter of his testimony], when the Jews [The term "Jews" is used seventy times by John to describe the ruling classes of Judæa] sent unto him [In thus sending an embassy they honored John more than they ever honored Christ. They looked upon John as a priest and Judæan, but upon Jesus as a carpenter and Galilæan. It is probable that …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel Healing a Demoniac in a Synagogue.
(at Capernaum.) ^B Mark I. 21-28; ^C Luke . IV. 31-37. ^b 21 And they [Jesus and the four fishermen whom he called] go into { ^c he came down to} Capernaum, a city of Galilee. [Luke has just spoken of Nazareth, and he uses the expression "down to Capernaum" because the latter was on the lake shore while Nazareth was up in the mountains.] And ^b straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue and taught. { ^c was teaching them} ^b 22 And they were astonished at his teaching: for he taught …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel The Scattering of the People
[Illustration: (drop cap A) The Fish-god of Assyria and Babylonia] At last the full punishment for their many sins fell upon God's chosen people. The words of warning written in the fifth book of Moses had told them plainly that if they turned aside and worshipped the wicked idol-gods of Canaan, the Lord would take their country from them and drive them out into strange lands. Yet again and again they had yielded to temptation. And now the day of reckoning had come. Nebuchadnezzar, the great king …
Mildred Duff—The Bible in its Making The Last Days of the Old Eastern World
The Median wars--The last native dynasties of Egypt--The Eastern world on the eve of the Macedonian conquest. [Drawn by Boudier, from one of the sarcophagi of Sidon, now in the Museum of St. Irene. The vignette, which is by Faucher-Gudin, represents the sitting cyno-cephalus of Nectanebo I., now in the Egyptian Museum at the Vatican.] Darius appears to have formed this project of conquest immediately after his first victories, when his initial attempts to institute satrapies had taught him not …
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 9 Its Effects.
Among the effects and benefits which in this life accompany and flow from being filled with the Holy Ghost, may be mentioned the following:-- 1. Courage. "Oh, I could not do so and so--I have not the courage," is a reply frequently made by Christian people when asked to undertake some piece of service or other for the Master. The first point to be settled is, "Is that the Master's will for me?" If so, lack of courage is a confession to the lack of the "Fullness of the Holy Ghost." The Spirit-filled …
John MacNeil—The Spirit-Filled Life The Old Testament Canon from Its Beginning to Its Close.
The first important part of the Old Testament put together as a whole was the Pentateuch, or rather, the five books of Moses and Joshua. This was preceded by smaller documents, which one or more redactors embodied in it. The earliest things committed to writing were probably the ten words proceeding from Moses himself, afterwards enlarged into the ten commandments which exist at present in two recensions (Exod. xx., Deut. v.) It is true that we have the oldest form of the decalogue from the Jehovist …
Samuel Davidson—The Canon of the Bible Of the Public Fast.
A public fast is when, by the authority of the magistrate (Jonah iii. 7; 2 Chron. xx. 3; Ezra viii. 21), either the whole church within his dominion, or some special congregation, whom it concerneth, assemble themselves together, to perform the fore-mentioned duties of humiliation; either for the removing of some public calamity threatened or already inflicted upon them, as the sword, invasion, famine, pestilence, or other fearful sickness (1 Sam. vii. 5, 6; Joel ii. 15; 2 Chron. xx.; Jonah iii. …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety Joy
'The fruit of the Spirit is joy.' Gal 5:52. The third fruit of justification, adoption, and sanctification, is joy in the Holy Ghost. Joy is setting the soul upon the top of a pinnacle - it is the cream of the sincere milk of the word. Spiritual joy is a sweet and delightful passion, arising from the apprehension and feeling of some good, whereby the soul is supported under present troubles, and fenced against future fear. I. It is a delightful passion. It is contrary to sorrow, which is a perturbation …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity Assurance
Q-xxxvi: WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS WHICH FLOW FROM SANCTIFICATION? A: Assurance of God's love, peace of conscience, joy in the Holy Ghost, increase of grace, and perseverance therein to the end. The first benefit flowing from sanctification is assurance of God's love. 'Give diligence to make your calling and election sure.' 2 Pet 1:10. Sanctification is the seed, assurance is the flower which grows out of it: assurance is a consequent of sanctification. The saints of old had it. We know that we know …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity Man's Chief End
Q-I: WHAT IS THE CHIEF END OF MAN? A: Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever. Here are two ends of life specified. 1: The glorifying of God. 2: The enjoying of God. I. The glorifying of God, I Pet 4:4: That God in all things may be glorified.' The glory of God is a silver thread which must run through all our actions. I Cor 10:01. Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.' Everything works to some end in things natural and artificial; …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity Ezra-Nehemiah
Some of the most complicated problems in Hebrew history as well as in the literary criticism of the Old Testament gather about the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. Apart from these books, all that we know of the origin and early history of Judaism is inferential. They are our only historical sources for that period; and if in them we have, as we seem to have, authentic memoirs, fragmentary though they be, written by the two men who, more than any other, gave permanent shape and direction to Judaism, then …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Nehemiah 8:16 NIVNehemiah 8:16 NLTNehemiah 8:16 ESVNehemiah 8:16 NASBNehemiah 8:16 KJV
Nehemiah 8:16 Commentaries
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