Neh 8:7-9 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Neh 8:7-9: 8:7-9 The Levites always had the role of teaching people God’s word (Deut 33:10 ; Mal 2:5-6 ). In this case, they probably explained the meaning of the Hebrew Scriptures to smaller groups of people in Aramaic. Most of the people spoke Aramaic, the language of Babylon, rather than Hebrew as their first language. Jewish leaders eventually translated large portions of the Hebrew Bible into Aramaic, allowing people to hear and study the Bible in a language they understood.

bDeut 33:10►

cMal 2:5-6►

d8:9-10►

eEzek 9:4►

fLuke 6:21►

gNum 29:1-6►

‏ Nehemiah 8:7-9

Summary for Neh 8:7-9: 8:7-9 ^a The Levites always had the role of teaching people God’s word (Deut 33:10 ^b; Mal 2:5-6 ^c). In this case, they probably explained the meaning of the Hebrew Scriptures to smaller groups of people in Aramaic. Most of the people spoke Aramaic, the language of Babylon, rather than Hebrew as their first language. Jewish leaders eventually translated large portions of the Hebrew Bible into Aramaic, allowing people to hear and study the Bible in a language they understood.
Summary for Neh 8:9-10: 8:9-10 ^d Ezra the priest and scribe: See study note on Ezra 7:6.

• Don’t mourn or weep ... today is a sacred day: God touched the people’s hearts, prompting them to regret their failures to keep God’s laws. While weeping is an appropriate response to sin (see Ezek 9:4 ^e; Luke 6:21 ^f), Ezra and Nehemiah encouraged the people to rejoice at what God had done. Because this New Year’s festival was to be a time of joy (Num 29:1-6 ^g), weeping would have destroyed the spirit of the day.