Neh 13:10-22 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Neh 13:10-12: 13:10-12 With Tobiah using the storeroom, there had been no place to store tithes to feed the Levites and Temple singers (Num 18:21-24 ; see Neh 12:44 , 47 ). They had to farm outside of Jerusalem (12:28-29 ) to support themselves and could not serve in the Temple.

Summary for Neh 13:10-12: 13:10-12 ^a With Tobiah using the storeroom, there had been no place to store tithes to feed the Levites and Temple singers (Num 18:21-24 ^b; see Neh 12:44 ^c, 47 ^d). They had to farm outside of Jerusalem (12:28-29 ^e) to support themselves and could not serve in the Temple.
13:13 ^f These men had an excellent reputation: Cp. Acts 6:1-6 ^g.
13:14 ^h Because he stood up for God, Nehemiah asked God to remember his deeds and not abandon him in his time of need. Perhaps he experienced opposition from those he had corrected. See similar refrains in 13:22 ⁱ, 29 ^j, 31 ^k.
Summary for Neh 13:15-31: 13:15-31 ^l Nehemiah instituted two additional reforms to restore proper Sabbath observance (13:15-22 ^m) and proper marriage practices (13:23-31 ⁿ). These two sections have similar structures: Nehemiah discovered a problem, corrected the problem, and asked God for his blessing.
Summary for Neh 13:15-16: 13:15-16 ^o Normal work was to cease on the Sabbath in order to keep it holy (Exod 20:8-11 ^p; 31:14-17 ^q; 35:2-3 ^r; Jer 17:19-27 ^s).
13:19 ^t The Sabbath began at sunset on Friday evening and lasted until sunset on Saturday evening.
13:22 ^u Have compassion on me: Nehemiah’s prayer implies that he felt the pressure of this unpopular decision. He knew that God’s unfailing love, not his own popularity, would sustain him.