Nehemiah 10


Nehemiah 10 is the tenth chapter of the Book of Nehemiah in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible, or the 20th chapter of the book of Ezra-Nehemiah in the Hebrew Bible, which treats the book of Ezra and the book of Nehemiah as one book. Jewish tradition states that Ezra is the author of Ezra-Nehemiah as well as the Books of Chronicles, but modern scholars generally accept that a compiler from the 5th century BCE known as The Chronicler is the final author of these books. The chapter contains the list of signatories to the people's pledge and the later part deals with intermarriage with the non-Jews among the "people of the land" punctuated with the pledge to separate from "foreigners".

Text

The original text of this chapter is in Hebrew language. In English Bible texts this chapter is divided into 39 verses, but 40 verses in Hebrew Bible, due to a different verse numbering as follows:
This article generally follows the common numbering in Christian English Bible versions, with notes to the numbering in Hebrew Bible versions.

Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text, which includes Codex Leningradensis.
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus, Codex Sinaiticus, and Codex Alexandrinus.

The leaders set their seal to the pledge (10:1–27)

After the first seal from Nehemiah the governor, the record is carefully ordered with three lists of signatories: the priests, the Levites and the chiefs of the people. Ezra the priest, who has played a leading part in the narrative on chapters 8 and 9, is not mentioned in this chapter.

Verse 1

Verse 3

Verse 5

Verse 7

Verse 8

Stipulations of the pledge (10:28–39)

The pledge contains the general affirmation involving the whole community and particular obligations 'which they lay upon themselves', in relation to intermarriage, to the Sabbath and sabbatical year, and to the provision for the upkeep of the Temple and clergy. The wording can be traced to the Book of Deuteronomy, such as "to walk in God's law" and "to observe and do all the commandments".

Verse 29

The "curse" is the penalty which they invoked if they were faithless to the covenant, the "oath" is the solemn obligation of a duty which they vowed to perform: the oath recalls the wording of, enter into covenant with the Lord your God, and into His oath, which the Lord your God makes with you today.

Verse 32

  • "Made ordinances for us": Hebrew "cause to stand on us," NET Bible: "accept responsibility for fulfilling the commands".
  • "To charge ourselves": Hebrew MT reads "to give upon us", but the term עָלֵינוּ is not found in a few medieval Hebrew mss, the Syriac Peshitta, and the Vulgate; NET Bible: "to give".
  • "Shekel": was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams.
  • "House" : refers to the "temple".