33 for bread of the arrangement, and the continual present, and the continual burnt-offering of the sabbaths, of the new moons, for appointed seasons, and for holy things, and for sin-offerings, to make atonement for Israel, even all the work of the house of our God.
`And thou hast taken flour, and hast baked twelve cakes with it, two tenth deals are in the one cake, and thou hast set them two ranks (six in the rank) on the pure table before Jehovah,
And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying, `Command the sons of Israel, and thou hast said unto them, My offering, My bread for My fire-offerings, My sweet fragrance, ye take heed to bring near to Me in its appointed season. `And thou hast said to them, This `is' the fire-offering which ye bring near to Jehovah: two lambs, sons of a year, perfect ones, daily, a continual burnt-offering; the one lamb thou preparest in the morning, and the second lamb thou preparest between the evenings; and a tenth of the ephah of flour for a present, mixed with beaten oil, a fourth of the hin; a continual burnt-offering, which was made in mount Sinai, for sweet fragrance, a fire-offering to Jehovah; and its libation, a fourth of the hin for the one lamb; in the sanctuary cause thou a libation of strong drink to be poured out to Jehovah. `And the second lamb thou dost prepare between the evenings; as the present of the morning, and as its libation thou preparest -- a fire-offering, a sweet fragrance to Jehovah. `And on the sabbath-day, two lambs, sons of a year, perfect ones, and two-tenth deals of flour, a present, mixed with oil, and its libation; the burnt-offering of the sabbath in its sabbath, besides the continual burnt-offering and its libation. `And in the beginnings of your months ye bring near a burnt-offering to Jehovah: two bullocks, sons of the herd, and one ram, seven lambs, sons of a year, perfect ones; and three-tenth deals of flour, a present, mixed with oil, for the one bullock, and two-tenth deals of flour, a present, mixed with oil, for the one ram; and a several tenth deal of flour, a present, mixed with oil, for the one lamb; a burnt-offering, a sweet fragrance, a fire-offering to Jehovah; and their libations are a half of the hin to a bullock, and a third of the hin to a ram, and a fourth of the hin to a lamb, of wine; this `is' the burnt-offering of every month for the months of the year; and one kid of the goats for a sin-offering to Jehovah; besides the continual burnt-offering it is prepared, and its libation. `And in the first month, in the fourteenth day of the month, `is' the passover to Jehovah; and in the fifteenth day of this month `is' a festival, seven days unleavened food is eaten; in the first day `is' an holy convocation, ye do no servile work, and ye have brought near a fire-offering, a burnt-offering to Jehovah: two bullocks, sons of the herd, and one ram, and seven lambs, sons of a year, perfect ones they are for you; and their present, flour mixed with oil, three-tenth deals for a bullock, and two-tenth deals for a ram ye do prepare; a several tenth deal thou preparest for the one lamb, for the seven lambs, and one goat, a sin-offering, to make atonement for you. `Apart from the burnt-offering of the morning, which `is' for the continual burnt-offering, ye prepare these; according to these ye prepare daily, seven days, bread of a fire-offering, a sweet fragrance, to Jehovah; besides the continual burnt-offering it is prepared, and its libation; and on the seventh day a holy convocation ye have, ye do no servile work. `And in the day of the first-fruits, in your bringing near a new present to Jehovah, in your weeks, a holy convocation ye have; ye do no servile work; and ye have brought near a burnt-offering for sweet fragrance to Jehovah: two bullocks, sons of the herd, one ram, seven lambs, sons of a year, and their present, flour mixed with oil, three-tenth deals to the one bullock, two-tenth deals to the one ram, a several tenth deal to the one lamb, for the seven lambs;
and he gathereth the priests and the Levites, and saith to them, `Go out to the cities of Judah, and gather from all Israel money to strengthen the house of your God sufficiently year by year, and ye, ye do haste to the matter;' and the Levites have not hasted. And the king calleth for Jehoiada the head, and saith to him, `Wherefore hast thou not required of the Levites to bring in out of Judah and out of Jerusalem the tribute of Moses, servant of Jehovah, and of the assembly of Israel, for the tent of the testimony? for sons of Athaliah, the wicked one, have broken up the house of God, and also, all the holy things of the house of Jehovah they have prepared for Baalim.' And the king speaketh, and they make one chest, and put it at the gate of the house of Jehovah without, and give an intimation in Judah and in Jerusalem to bring in to Jehovah the tribute of Moses, servant of God, `laid' on Israel in the wilderness. And all the heads, and all the people rejoice, and they bring in, and cast into the chest, unto completion. And it cometh to pass, at the time one bringeth in the chest for the inspection of the king by the hand of the Levites, and at their seeing that the money `is' abundant, that a scribe of the king hath come in, and an officer of the head-priest, and they empty the chest, and take it up and turn it back unto its place; thus they have done day by day, and gather money in abundance. And the king and Jehoiada give it unto the doers of the work of the service of the house of Jehovah, and they are hiring hewers and artificers to renew the house of Jehovah, and also -- to artificers in iron and brass to strengthen the house of Jehovah. And those doing the business work, and there goeth up lengthening to the work by their hand, and they establish the house of God, by its proper measure, and strengthen it. And at their completing `it', they have brought in before the king and Jehoiada the rest of the money, and they make it vessels for the house of Jehovah, vessels of serving, and of offering up, and spoons, even vessels of gold and silver; and they are causing burnt-offerings to ascend in the house of Jehovah continually, all the days of Jehoiada.
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Commentary on Nehemiah 10 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 10
Ne 10:1-27. The Names of Those Who Sealed the Covenant.
1. Nehemiah, the Tirshatha—His name was placed first in the roll on account of his high official rank, as deputy of the Persian monarch. All classes were included in the subscription; but the people were represented by their elders (Ne 10:14), as it would have been impossible for every one in the country to have been admitted to the sealing.
Ne 10:28. The Rest of the People Bound Themselves to Observe It.
Those who were not present at the sealing ratified the covenant by giving their assent, either in words or by lifting up their hands, and bound themselves, by a solemn oath, to walk in God's law, imprecating a curse upon themselves in the event of their violating it.
Ne 10:29-39. Points of the Covenant.
29-37. to observe and do all the commandments, &c.—This national covenant, besides containing a solemn pledge of obedience to the divine law generally, specified their engagement to some particular duties, which the character and exigency of the times stamped with great urgency and importance, and which may be summed up under the following heads: that they abstain from contracting matrimonial alliances with the heathen; that they would rigidly observe the sabbath; that they would let the land enjoy rest and remit debts every seventh year; that they would contribute to the maintenance of the temple service, the necessary expenses of which had formerly been defrayed out of the treasury of the temple (1Ch 26:20), and when it was drained, given out from the king's privy purse (2Ch 31:3); and that they would make an orderly payment of the priests' dues. A minute and particular enumeration of the first-fruits was made, that all might be made fully aware of their obligations, and that none might excuse themselves on pretext of ignorance from withholding taxes which the poverty of many, and the irreligion of others, had made them exceedingly prone to evade.
32. the third part of a shekel for the service of the house of our God—The law required every individual above twenty years of age to pay half a shekel to the sanctuary. But in consequence of the general poverty of the people, occasioned by war and captivity, this tribute was reduced to a third part of a shekel.
34. we cast the lots … for the wood offering—The carrying of the wood had formerly been the work of the Nethinims. But few of them having returned, the duty was assigned as stated in the text. The practice afterwards rose into great importance, and Josephus speaks [The Wars of the Jews, 2.17, sect. 6] of the Xylophoria, or certain stated and solemn times at which the people brought up wood to the temple.
38. the priest the son of Aaron shall be with the Levites, when the Levites take tithes—This was a prudential arrangement. The presence of a dignified priest would ensure the peaceful delivery of the tithes; at least his superintendence and influence would tend to prevent the commission of any wrong in the transaction, by the people deceiving the Levites, or the Levites defrauding the priests.
the tithe of the tithes—The Levites, having received a tenth of all land produce, were required to give a tenth of this to the priests. The Levites were charged with the additional obligation to carry the tithes when received, and deposit them in the temple stores, for the use of the priests.
39. and we will not forsake the house of our God—This solemn pledge was repeated at the close of the covenant as an expression of the intense zeal by which the people at this time were animated for the glory and the worship of God. Under the pungent feelings of sorrow and repentance for their national sins, of which apostasy from the service of the true God was the chief, and under the yet fresh and painful remembrance of their protracted captivity, they vowed, and (feeling the impulse of ardent devotion as well as of gratitude for their restoration) flattered themselves they would never forget their vow, to be the Lord's.