Bible Strands
Nehemiah 8:9
Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to all of them, “This day is holy to the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the Law.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the instructing Levites address the assembled people immediately after the public reading and explanation of the Law.
The words — The text records וַ/יֹּ֣אמֶר (va/i.Yo.mer, "and he said") introducing the leaders' declaration, alongside הַ/תִּרְשָׁ֡תָא (ha./tir.Sha.ta', "the governor") identifying Nehemiah's official capacity.
The thread — The command to reject mourning in favor of holy observance echoes the Deuteronomy 12:12 pattern of rejoicing before the Lord, while the leadership structure mirrors the administrative and priestly frameworks established in Nehemiah 7:65 and 7:70.
Why it lands — The passage requires readers to recognize that encountering the Law provokes a mandated response of holy restraint rather than uncontrolled grief, grounding the community's posture in divine authority rather than human emotion.
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 Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the Lord your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law.
Cross-references
- Deuteronomy 12:12 And you shall rejoice before the LORD your God—you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levite within your gates, since he has no portion or inheritance among you.
- Nehemiah 7:65 The governor ordered them not to eat the most holy things until there was a priest to consult the Urim and Thummim.
- Nehemiah 7:70 Some of the heads of the families contributed to the project. The governor gave to the treasury 1,000 darics of gold, 50 bowls, and 530 priestly garments.
- Deuteronomy 16:11 and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God in the place He will choose as a dwelling for His Name—you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levite within your gates, as well as the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widows among you.
- Nehemiah 8:2 On the first day of the seventh month, Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men and women and all who could listen and understand.
- Leviticus 23:24 “Speak to the Israelites and say, ‘On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of rest, a sacred assembly announced by trumpet blasts.
- Deuteronomy 12:7 There, in the presence of the LORD your God, you and your households shall eat and rejoice in all you do, because the LORD your God has blessed you.
- Deuteronomy 16:14 And you shall rejoice in your feast—you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levite, as well as the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widows among you.
- Ezra 2:63 The governor ordered them not to eat the most holy things until there was a priest to consult the Urim and Thummim.
- Ecclesiastes 3:4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,