Nehemiah 8:18

Day after day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God. The Israelites kept the feast for seven days, and on the eighth day they held an assembly, according to the ordinance.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Ezra reads from the Book of the Law to the assembled Israelites during the Feast of Tabernacles, immediately following their seven-day celebration of dwelling in temporary shelters. This public reading occurs after the return from exile, directly extending the festival schedule described in the preceding verse.

The words — The Hebrew verb וַיִּקְרָא (va-yiqrā’) means “and he read aloud,” paired with בְּסֵפֶר תּוֹרַת הָאֱלֹהִים (be-sefer torat ha-Elohim), literally “in the scroll of the law of God.” This phrasing emphasizes the continuous, public proclamation of Scripture throughout the festival period.

The thread — The seven-day feast and eighth-day assembly follow the festival regulations in Leviticus 23:36 and Numbers 29:35 regarding the sacred gathering and cessation of work. The pattern of public law reading also echoes the seventh-year proclamation commanded in Deuteronomy 31:10.

Why it lands — The text records a daily, uninterrupted reading of Scripture alongside a prescribed festival observance, establishing a concrete pattern of communal engagement with the law. A reader must account for the sustained public exposure to the text as the foundation for the assembly's obedience and the festival's completion.

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The Hebrew words

King James Version

Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according unto the manner.

Cross-references

Leviticus 23:36 For seven days you are to present a food offering to the LORD. On the eighth day you are to hold a sacred assembly and present a food offering to the LORD. It is a solemn assembly; you must not do any regular work.
Numbers 29:35 On the eighth day you are to hold a solemn assembly; you must not do any regular work.
Deuteronomy 31:10 Then Moses commanded them, “At the end of every seven years, at the appointed time in the year of remission of debt, during the Feast of Tabernacles,
John 7:37 On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and called out in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.