Bible Strands
Nehemiah 13:19
When the evening shadows began to fall on the gates of Jerusalem, just before the Sabbath, I ordered that the gates be shut and not opened until after the Sabbath. I posted some of my servants at the gates so that no load could enter on the Sabbath day.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Nehemiah addresses the residents and officials of Jerusalem as dusk approaches on the eve of the Sabbath. He acts directly at the city gates to halt commercial activity before the holy day begins.
The words — צָֽלֲלוּ (tza.la.Lu) literally means "they became dark," marking the onset of the Sabbath period. שַׁבָּת (sha.Bat) denotes the sacred rest day that triggers the immediate closure order.
The thread — The evening transition into Sabbath rest aligns with Leviticus 23:32, while the gate enforcement mirrors Jeremiah 17:19. The restriction against carrying loads on the Sabbath echoes the holiness mandate in Exodus 31:14.
Why it lands — The text requires physical barriers to separate sacred time from economic activity. Readers must implement deliberate, preemptive measures to protect rest rather than relying on voluntary compliance.
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
And it came to pass, that when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut, and charged that they should not be opened till after the sabbath: and some of my servants set I at the gates, that there should no burden be brought in on the sabbath day.
Cross-references
- Leviticus 23:32 It will be a Sabbath of complete rest for you, and you shall humble yourselves. From the evening of the ninth day of the month until the following evening you are to keep your Sabbath.”
- Exodus 31:14 Keep the Sabbath, for it is holy to you. Anyone who profanes it must surely be put to death. Whoever does any work on that day must be cut off from among his people.
- Jeremiah 17:19 This is what the LORD said to me: “Go and stand at the gate of the people, through which the kings of Judah go in and out; and stand at all the other gates of Jerusalem.
- Leviticus 23:22 When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap all the way to the edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the foreign resident. I am the LORD your God.’”
- Nehemiah 7:3 And I told them, “Do not open the gates of Jerusalem until the sun is hot. While the guards are on duty, keep the doors shut and securely fastened. And appoint the residents of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some at their own homes.”