29 They joined with their brothers, their nobles, and entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in God's law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of Yahweh our Lord, and his ordinances and his statutes;
I have sworn, and have confirmed it, That I will obey your righteous ordinances.
Then said they, We will restore them, and will require nothing of them; so will we do, even as you say. Then I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they would do according to this promise. Also I shook out my lap, and said, So God shake out every man from his house, and from his labor, that doesn't perform this promise; even thus be he shaken out, and emptied. All the assembly said, Amen, and praised Yahweh. The people did according to this promise.
The king stood in his place, and made a covenant before Yahweh, to walk after Yahweh, and to keep his commandments, and his testimonies, and his statutes, with all his heart, and with all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant that were written in this book.
The king stood by the pillar, and made a covenant before Yahweh, to walk after Yahweh, and to keep his commandments, and his testimonies, and his statutes, with all [his] heart, and all [his] soul, to confirm the words of this covenant that were written in this book: and all the people stood to the covenant.
I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you shall keep my ordinances, and do them.
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to the intent that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we would live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world; looking for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify for himself a people for his own possession, zealous for good works.
Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor that which is evil. Cling to that which is good.
Therefore don't yield to them, for more than forty men lie in wait for him, who have bound themselves under a curse neither to eat nor to drink until they have killed him. Now they are ready, looking for the promise from you."
When it was day, some of the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul. There were more than forty people who had made this conspiracy. They came to the chief priests and the elders, and said, "We have bound ourselves under a great curse, to taste nothing until we have killed Paul. Now therefore, you with the council inform the commanding officer that he should bring him down to you tomorrow, as though you were going to judge his case more exactly. We are ready to kill him before he comes near."
But certain men joined with him, and believed, among whom also was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
who, when he had come, and had seen the grace of God, was glad. He exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they should remain near to the Lord.
Didn't Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keeps the law? Why do you seek to kill me?"
For the law was given through Moses. Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
Moses called to all Israel, and said to them, Hear, Israel, the statutes and the ordinances which I speak in your ears this day, that you may learn them, and observe to do them.
You shall tell them, Thus says Yahweh: If you will not listen to me, to walk in my law, which I have set before you,
That they might keep his statutes, And observe his laws. Praise Yah!
Yahweh, our Lord, How majestic is your name in all the earth!
I contended with them, and cursed them, and struck certain of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, [saying], You shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor take their daughters for your sons, or for yourselves.
and that whoever would not seek Yahweh, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman. They swore to Yahweh with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets.
Now therefore, Yahweh, the God of Israel, keep with your servant David my father that which you have promised him, saying, There shall not fail you a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your children take heed to their way, to walk in my law as you have walked before me.
But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of Yahweh, the God of Israel, with all his heart: he didn't depart from the sins of Jeroboam, with which he made Israel to sin.
Moses commanded us a law, An inheritance for the assembly of Jacob.
that you may enter into the covenant of Yahweh your God, and into his oath, which Yahweh your God makes with you this day; that he may establish you this day to himself for a people, and that he may be to you a God, as he spoke to you, and as he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. Neither with you only do I make this covenant and this oath,
Cursed be the man who makes an engraved or molten image, an abomination to Yahweh, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and sets it up in secret. All the people shall answer and say, Amen. Cursed be he who sets light by his father or his mother. All the people shall say, Amen. Cursed be he who removes his neighbor's landmark. All the people shall say, Amen. Cursed be he who makes the blind to wander out of the way. All the people shall say, Amen. Cursed be he who wrests the justice [due] to the foreigner, fatherless, and widow. All the people shall say, Amen. Cursed be he who lies with his father's wife, because he has uncovered his father's skirt. All the people shall say, Amen. Cursed be he who lies with any manner of animal. All the people shall say, Amen. Cursed be he who lies with his sister, the daughter of his father, or the daughter of his mother. All the people shall say, Amen. Cursed be he who lies with his mother-in-law. All the people shall say, Amen. Cursed be he who strikes his neighbor in secret. All the people shall say, Amen. Cursed be he who takes a bribe to kill an innocent person. All the people shall say, Amen. Cursed be he who doesn't confirm the words of this law to do them. All the people shall say, Amen.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Nehemiah 10
Commentary on Nehemiah 10 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 10
We have in this chapter a particular account of the covenant which in the close of the foregoing chapter was resolved upon; they struck while the iron was not, and immediately put that good resolve in execution, when they were in a good frame, lest, if it should be delayed, it might be dropped. Here we have,
Neh 10:1-31
When Israel was first brought into covenant with God it was done by sacrifice and the sprinkling of blood, Ex. 24. But here it was done by the more natural and common way of sealing and subscribing the written articles of the covenant, which bound them to no more than was already their duty. Now here we have,
Neh 10:32-39
Having covenanted against the sins they had been guilty of, they proceed in obliging themselves to revive and observe the duties they had neglected. We must not only cease to do evil, but learn to do well.