Nehemiah 10:20

Study note

Setting — Nehemiah 10:20 continues a formal roster of signatories to a post-exilic covenant in Jerusalem. The narrator records three names as part of a broader list of individuals who pledged to uphold the Law.

The words — מְשֻׁלָּ֖ם (meshullam) and חֵזִֽיר (hezir) appear as proper nouns within the sequence. These terms identify specific men who attached their names to the agreement without carrying additional descriptive meaning in this context.

The thread — This verse belongs to a continuous list of covenant signatories that spans Nehemiah 10:2–39. The chapter repeats this naming pattern to document community members who formally bound themselves to scriptural obligations.

Why it lands — The text requires a reader to acknowledge the concrete, collective responsibility of named individuals in upholding a communal covenant. It demands recognition that obedience is recorded and witnessed by specific people rather than remaining an abstract ideal.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.