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The Histories · Old Testament

Nehemiah 10

Nehemiah 10: the sealed covenant and its obligations

General context

The chapter names those who sealed the covenant, beginning with Nehemiah the Tirshatha, the son of Hachaliah, and Zidkijah, followed by twenty-one names from Seraiah to Shemaiah that the text marks as the priests, then Levites led by Jeshua the son of Azaniah, Binnui and Kadmiel, then forty-four chiefs of the people from Parosh to Baanah. The rest of the people, priests, Levites, porters, singers, Nethinims and all who have separated from the people of the lands to the law of God, with their wives, sons and daughters who have understanding, join their nobles in a curse and an oath to walk in God's law given by Moses. The text then lists what they undertake in the first person: not to give their daughters to the people of the land or take their daughters for their sons; not to buy from the people of the land on the sabbath or a holy day; to leave the seventh year and the exaction of every debt; to charge themselves a third of a shekel yearly for the service of the house, covering shewbread, continual offerings, sabbaths, new moons, set feasts, sin offerings and all the work of the house; to cast lots for the wood offering by fathers' houses at appointed times; to bring firstfruits of ground and trees, firstborn sons and cattle, the firstfruits of dough, fruit, wine and oil to the priests, and the tithes of the ground to the Levites, with a priest present when Levites take tithes and the Levites bringing a tithe of the tithes to the treasure chambers. The chapter closes with the pledge that they will not forsake the house of their God.

Cited passages: Nehemiah 10:1, Nehemiah 10:2, Nehemiah 10:8, Nehemiah 10:9, Nehemiah 10:14, Nehemiah 10:27, Nehemiah 10:28, Nehemiah 10:29, Nehemiah 10:30, Nehemiah 10:31, Nehemiah 10:32, Nehemiah 10:33, Nehemiah 10:34, Nehemiah 10:35, Nehemiah 10:36, Nehemiah 10:37, Nehemiah 10:38, Nehemiah 10:39

Nehemiah 10 (KJV)

1Now those that sealed were, Nehemiah, the Tirshatha, the son of Hachaliah, and Zidkijah,

2Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah,

3Pashur, Amariah, Malchijah,

4Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch,

5Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,

6Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch,

7Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,

8Maaziah, Bilgai, Shemaiah: these were the priests.

9And the Levites: both Jeshua the son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel;

10And their brethren, Shebaniah, Hodijah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan,

11Micha, Rehob, Hashabiah,

12Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,

13Hodijah, Bani, Beninu.

14The chief of the people; Parosh, Pahath-moab, Elam, Zatthu, Bani,

15Bunni, Azgad, Bebai,

16Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin,

17Ater, Hizkijah, Azzur,

18Hodijah, Hashum, Bezai,

19Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai,

20Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir,

21Meshezabeel, Zadok, Jaddua,

22Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah,

23Hoshea, Hananiah, Hashub,

24Hallohesh, Pileha, Shobek,

25Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah,

26And Ahijah, Hanan, Anan,

27Malluch, Harim, Baanah.

28And the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the porters, the singers, the Nethinims, and all they that had separated themselves from the people of the lands unto the law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, every one having knowledge, and having understanding;

29They clave to their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in God’s law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the Lord our Lord, and his judgments and his statutes;

30And that we would not give our daughters unto the people of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons:

31And if the people of the land bring ware or any victuals on the sabbath day to sell, that we would not buy it of them on the sabbath, or on the holy day: and that we would leave the seventh year, and the exaction of every debt.

32Also we made ordinances for us, to charge ourselves yearly with the third part of a shekel for the service of the house of our God;

33For the shewbread, and for the continual meat offering, and for the continual burnt offering, of the sabbaths, of the new moons, for the set feasts, and for the holy things, and for the sin offerings to make an atonement for Israel, and for all the work of the house of our God.

34And we cast the lots among the priests, the Levites, and the people, for the wood offering, to bring it into the house of our God, after the houses of our fathers, at times appointed year by year, to burn upon the altar of the Lord our God, as it is written in the law:

35And to bring the firstfruits of our ground, and the firstfruits of all fruit of all trees, year by year, unto the house of the Lord:

36Also the firstborn of our sons, and of our cattle, as it is written in the law, and the firstlings of our herds and of our flocks, to bring to the house of our God, unto the priests that minister in the house of our God:

37And that we should bring the firstfruits of our dough, and our offerings, and the fruit of all manner of trees, of wine and of oil, unto the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God; and the tithes of our ground unto the Levites, that the same Levites might have the tithes in all the cities of our tillage.

38And the priest the son of Aaron shall be with the Levites, when the Levites take tithes: and the Levites shall bring up the tithe of the tithes unto the house of our God, to the chambers, into the treasure house.

39For the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the offering of the corn, of the new wine, and the oil, unto the chambers, where are the vessels of the sanctuary, and the priests that minister, and the porters, and the singers: and we will not forsake the house of our God.

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Historical context

The first sealer is identified as Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah, which ties the Tirshatha of this list to the narrator of chapter 1. Ezra is not among the sealers, and the chapter does not say why. Many of the priestly names, such as Seraiah, Jeremiah, Amariah, Malluch, Hattush, Shebaniah, Harim and Meremoth, match the priestly houses listed in chapter 12 as having gone up with Zerubbabel, and many chiefs of the people, such as Parosh, Pahath-moab, Elam and Bani, match the family names of the register in chapter 7; the text does not say whether the sealers are individuals bearing those names or representatives of houses. The chapter switches from third-person listing to a first-person plural pledge at verse 30 without marking the change. The obligations correspond closely to the abuses Nehemiah later confronts in chapter 13, mixed marriage, sabbath trading, and neglected tithes and wood offering, and chapter 13 reports those failures without referring back to this covenant. The third part of a shekel is given as a self-imposed yearly charge, and the text does not cite a law for the amount, whereas the wood offering and the firstborn are said to be as it is written in the law. No date is attached to the sealing beyond its place after the twenty-fourth day of chapter 9.

Cited passages: Nehemiah 10:1, Nehemiah 1:1, Nehemiah 10:4, Nehemiah 12:2, Nehemiah 12:1, Nehemiah 10:14, Nehemiah 7:8, Nehemiah 10:30, Nehemiah 13:23, Nehemiah 13:15, Nehemiah 13:10, Nehemiah 10:32, Nehemiah 10:36, Nehemiah 9:38

Literary context

The chapter has two halves, names and terms. The names run in descending order of office, the governor first, then priests, Levites and lay chiefs, and the list then widens to include the whole community down to wives and children who can understand, which echoes the audience of the reading in chapter 8. The terms begin with what the people will refuse, marriages and sabbath purchases, and move to what they will give, with the verbs bring and give repeated for firstfruits, firstborn, dough, fruit, wine, oil and tithes. The obligations are ordered from the outside of life inward, from the people of the land to the sabbath to the fields to the chambers of the house, and the final sentence gathers everything into one negative promise, we will not forsake the house of our God. That promise is the standard against which chapter 13 measures the later neglect, where Nehemiah asks why the house of God is forsaken.

Cited passages: Nehemiah 10:1, Nehemiah 10:28, Nehemiah 8:2, Nehemiah 10:30, Nehemiah 10:31, Nehemiah 10:35, Nehemiah 10:37, Nehemiah 10:39, Nehemiah 13:11

Key moments

  1. Nehemiah seals first (Nehemiah 10:1). The Tirshatha, son of Hachaliah, heads the list of those who seal.
  2. The people enter an oath (Nehemiah 10:29). The rest of the community binds itself by curse and oath to walk in God's law.
  3. No mixed marriages (Nehemiah 10:30). They pledge not to give or take daughters in marriage with the people of the land.
  4. Sabbath and seventh year (Nehemiah 10:31). They refuse sabbath trade and commit to the seventh-year release of debts.
  5. A third of a shekel (Nehemiah 10:32). They charge themselves a yearly sum for the service of the house.
  6. Tithes for the Levites (Nehemiah 10:37). Tithes of the ground go to the Levites, with a tithe of tithes for the house.
  7. We will not forsake the house (Nehemiah 10:39). The covenant closes with a pledge not to abandon the house of God.

For reflection

The covenant ends with a single promise, not to forsake the house of God, after a long list of specific duties. What does the text suggest about the relation between one broad commitment and the many small obligations that make it real?

People in this chapter

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