Bible Strands
Nehemiah 8:11
And the Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be still, since today is holy. Do not grieve.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The Levites address the assembled Israelites immediately after the public reading of the Law, instructing them to halt their mourning on a day consecrated to the Lord (Nehemiah 8:10–12).
The words — The Hebrew מַחְשִׁים (machshim) denotes "making quiet," and the imperative הַסּוּ (hasu) commands "be still" or "hush." These terms establish the day's holiness and explicitly forbid grief.
The thread — The directive to quiet the crowd echoes Caleb’s intervention in Numbers 13:30, where he calms the people before Moses to urge immediate action rather than despair.
Why it lands — The text commands the cessation of mourning because the day is holy, directing the community to replace sorrow with the practical observance and joy that follow understanding the Law.
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
So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, Hold your peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved.
Cross-references
- Numbers 13:30 Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “We must go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly conquer it!”