Bible Strands
Nehemiah 8:7
The Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah—instructed the people in the Law as they stood in their places.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The Levites stand in their designated places to instruct the assembled people in the Law, occurring immediately after Ezra blesses the Lord and the crowd responds with affirmation and worship.
The words — וְ/יֵשׁ֡וּעַ (ve./ye.Shu.a') and וּ/בָנִ֡י (u./va.Ni) function as the opening conjunctions in a rolling list of Levitical leaders, literally meaning “and Jeshua” and “and Bani.” The text chains these names together to show the coordinated movement of the instructors as they assume their posts.
The thread — The Levites’ instructional role reappears on a raised platform in Nehemiah 9:4, while the mandate to teach statutes is stated in Leviticus 10:11 and the priestly lineage is echoed in Ezra 10:22.
Why it lands — The passage records the Levites’ systematic instruction of the Law without commentary, requiring the reader to accept that scriptural understanding is delivered through appointed teachers operating in their assigned order.
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
Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their place.
Cross-references
- Nehemiah 9:4 And the Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani—stood on the raised platform and cried out in a loud voice to the LORD their God.
- Leviticus 10:11 so that you may teach the Israelites all the statutes that the LORD has given them through Moses.”
- Ezra 10:22 From the descendants of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah.
- Nehemiah 3:23 Beyond them, Benjamin and Hasshub made repairs in front of their house, and next to them, Azariah son of Maaseiah, the son of Ananiah, made repairs beside his house.
- Malachi 2:7 For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, because he is the messenger of the LORD of Hosts.
- Deuteronomy 33:10 He will teach Your ordinances to Jacob and Your law to Israel; he will set incense before You and whole burnt offerings on Your altar.
- 2 Chronicles 17:7 In the third year of his reign, Jehoshaphat sent his officials Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah to teach in the cities of Judah,
- 2 Chronicles 30:22 And Hezekiah encouraged all the Levites who performed skillfully before the LORD. For seven days they ate their assigned portion, sacrificing peace offerings and giving thanks to the LORD, the God of their fathers.
- Ezra 8:18 And since the gracious hand of our God was upon us, they brought us Sherebiah—a man of insight from the descendants of Mahli son of Levi, the son of Israel—along with his sons and brothers, 18 men;
- Nehemiah 3:17 Next to him, the Levites made repairs under Rehum son of Bani, and next to him, Hashabiah, ruler of a half-district of Keilah, made repairs for his district.