Bible Strands
Nehemiah 10:29
hereby join with their noble brothers and commit themselves with a sworn oath to follow the Law of God given through His servant Moses and to obey carefully all the commandments, ordinances, and statutes of the LORD our Lord.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The remnant of Israel, including priests, Levites, and laypeople who have separated themselves from foreign influences, publicly binds themselves to God’s covenant following the reading of the Law. They address this commitment to God and the assembled community as they formalize their renewed obedience after the wall's completion.
The words — מַחֲזִיקִים (ma.cha.zi.kim) literally means "[are] holding," and אַדִּירֵיהֶם ('a.di.rei.hem) means "their noble ones." These terms describe the people taking hold of their covenant obligations alongside their community leaders.
The thread — This commitment to walk in God’s statutes echoes the promise in Ezekiel 36:27 and the vow in Psalm 119:106, while Jesus later redefines covenant faithfulness in John 15:14 as obedience to His commands.
Why it lands — The text demands a deliberate, sworn commitment to obey every commandment, ordinance, and statute given through Moses. It requires readers to align their daily conduct with explicit divine instruction rather than personal preference.
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.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
They 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;
Cross-references
- Ezekiel 36:27 And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and to carefully observe My ordinances.
- Psalms 119:106 I have sworn and confirmed that I will keep Your righteous judgments.
- John 15:14 You are My friends if you do what I command you.
- Titus 2:11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to everyone.
- 2 Kings 23:3 So the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the LORD to follow the LORD and to keep His commandments, decrees, and statutes with all his heart and all his soul, and to carry out the words of the covenant that were written in this book. And all the people entered into the covenant.
- 2 Chronicles 34:31 So the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the LORD to follow the LORD and to keep His commandments, decrees, and statutes with all his heart and all his soul, and to carry out the words of the covenant that were written in this book.
- Nehemiah 5:12 “We will restore it,” they replied, “and will require nothing more from them. We will do as you say.” So I summoned the priests and required of the nobles and officials an oath that they would do what they had promised.
- Romans 12:9 Love must be sincere. Detest what is evil; cling to what is good.
- Deuteronomy 5:1 Then Moses summoned all Israel and said to them: Hear, O Israel, the statutes and ordinances that I declare in your hearing this day. Learn them and observe them carefully.
- Deuteronomy 5:32 So be careful to do as the LORD your God has commanded you; you are not to turn aside to the right or to the left.