Глава 13

1–3. Separation from foreigners. 4–9. Exile of Tobiah 10–14. Measures taken by Nehemiah to provide for the maintenance of the clergy. 15–22. Preserving the Sabbath rest. 23–28. Measures against marriages with foreigners. 29–31. Nehemiah's other orders. Nehemiah 13:1. On that day the book of Moses was read in the hearing of the people, and something written in it was found: An Ammonite and a Moabite cannot enter into the congregation of God forever. The separation from foreigners that Ezra sought to achieve (1Ezra 9:12) turned out to be only short-lived. Marriages with foreign women again became commonplace in the Jewish community (vv. 4, 23, etc.), and Nehemiah had to fight against them. – “In that day” is a remark that, as in (Neh. 12:44), has the meaning of uncertainty. It seems to indicate the time between the first and second arrival of Nehemiah (cf. vv. 4-6). It was read from the book of Moses: from what follows it is clear that the writer has in mind a place (Deut. 23:3–6), which he does not cite in full. Nehemiah 13:3. Hearing this law, they separated all foreigners from Israel. “When they heard this law, they separated all foreigners from Israel.” What exactly the separation of the foreigners consisted of this time is not indicated: it was either the release of the wives of foreigners (Robinson), or the exclusion of foreigners from participation in cults and festivities (Reiss). Nehemiah 13:4. And before that, the priest Eliashib, assigned to the rooms at the house of our God, a close relative of Tobiah, Under mentioned in Art. 4 “the priest om Eliashib” must be understood as the high priest Eliashib (Neh. 3:1, 12:10–22), who, in addition to his usual duties, also had supervision over the rooms at the church. Using his authority, Eliashib provided a large room, or, as can be concluded from v. 9, a number of rooms to his relative Tobiah - no doubt, Tobiah the Ammonite, one of Nehemiah’s enemies. The writer does not indicate how Tobiah was a relative of Eliashib. From (Neh. 6:18) it is clear that Tobiah’s son Johanan was married to the daughter of Meshullam, the son of Berechiah. One can think that the latter (Neh. 3:30) was related to Eliashib, which is where Eliashib’s relationship with Tobiah arose. Nehemiah 13:6. When all this happened, I was not in Jerusalem, because in the thirty-second year of the Babylonian king Artaxerxes I went to the king, and after several days I again asked the king. The above fact occurred during Nehemiah's absence from Jerusalem, when Nehemiah departed for the court of the Persian king. Nehemiah's absence began in the year 32 of Artaxerxes 1st. The writer does not indicate exactly the duration of this absence. But from a remark after several days they conclude that Nehemiah’s stay at the court of the Persian king was short-lived, and that he returned to Jerusalem under the same Artaxerxes, and probably in the same year 433-432. Artaxerxes in st. 6 is called the king of Babylon, as the ruler of the once conquered Babylonian kingdom. Nehemiah 13:8 . Then I felt very unpleasant, and I threw all Toviina’s household things out of the room Nehemiah 13:9. and he said that the rooms should be cleansed, and ordered that the vessels of the house of God, the grain offering, and the incense should be brought there again. From Art. On the 8th it is clear that the room in the church courtyard served as a residence for Tobiah, perhaps during his visit to Jerusalem. After the room was cleared, she was given her previous assignment. Nehemiah 13:10. I also learned that parts were not given to the Levites, and that the Levites and singers, who were doing their work, fled, each to his own field. Nehemiah 13:11. I reprimanded the authorities for this and said: why have we abandoned the house of God? And I gathered them and put them in their place. Nehemiah 13:12. And all the Jews began to bring tithes of bread, wine and oil into the storehouses. Nehemiah 13:13. And I appointed Shelemiah the priest and Zadok the scribe and Pedaiah the Levites, and with them Hanan the son of Zachur the son of Mattaniah, to the storerooms, because they were considered faithful. And they are entrusted with distributing portions to their brothers. Nehemiah 13:14. Remember me for this, my God, and do not blot out my zealous deeds that I have done for the house of my God and for serving in it! In Art. 10–14 describe Nehemiah's concerns about providing the Levites with the means of maintenance specified by the law. Nehemiah 13:15. In those days I saw in Judea that on the Sabbath they trampled winepresses, carried sheaves, and loaded donkeys with wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of cargo, and carried them to Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. And I sternly reprimanded them on the same day when they were selling food. Nehemiah 13:16. And the Tyrians lived in Judea and brought fish and all kinds of goods and sold them on the Sabbath to the inhabitants of Judea and Jerusalem. Nehemiah 13:17. And I reprimanded the noblest of the Jews and said to them: Why do you do such evil and desecrate the Sabbath day? Nehemiah 13:18. Didn’t your fathers do the same, and for this reason our God brought all this disaster upon us and on this city? And you increase His wrath against Israel by desecrating the Sabbath. Nehemiah 13:19. After this, when it was getting dark at the gates of Jerusalem, before the Sabbath, I ordered the doors to be locked and said that they should not be opened until the morning after the Sabbath. And I stationed my servants at the gates, so that no burden should pass through on the Sabbath day. Nehemiah's concerns about preserving the Sabbath rest. The Sabbath peace was disrupted by field work and trade carried out by the Tyrians living in Judea. After reprimanding the nobles, whose duties were to maintain order, Nehemiah took strict measures to prevent violation of the Sabbath. He gave orders to lock the city gates on the evening before the Sabbath and not open them until the morning after the Sabbath. And since exit from the city was still allowed, guards were posted near them to ensure that no burden was carried through the gates. Nehemiah 13:20. And the merchants and sellers of all kinds of goods spent the night outside Jerusalem once or twice. Nehemiah 13:21. But I reprimanded them sternly and told them: why are you spending the night near the wall? If you do this another time, I will lay my hand on you. From that time on they did not come on Saturday. “And the merchants and sellers of all kinds of goods spent the night outside Jerusalem once and twice.” Obviously, the sellers, expelled from the city, began to stop on Saturdays near the walls and trade continued to be carried out here. This only stopped after Nehemiah threatened to lay his hand on them, i.e. use force against them. Nehemiah 13:22. And I told the Levites that they should purify themselves and come and keep guard at the gate to keep the Sabbath day holy. And for this, remember me, my God, and have mercy on me according to Your great mercy! “And I told the Levites that they should purify themselves and come and keep guard at the gate, to keep the Sabbath day holy.” It is difficult to say what Nehemiah's last command was to protect the holiness of the Sabbath. It is believed (Keil) that on the eve of the Sabbath, the usual gate guards were strengthened by guards from the Levites, who were supposed to be at the gates throughout the Sabbath. By this strengthening of the guard by those serving at the church, Nehemiah could have meant to clearly indicate the high significance and sacred nature of the Sabbath, and at the same time to encourage the inhabitants of Jerusalem to observe the Sabbath law. Nehemiah 13:23. Even in those days I saw the Jews taking wives from among the Azothites, the Ammonites, and the Moabites; Nehemiah 13:24. and that is why their sons speak half the language of Azoth, or the language of other nations, and do not know how to speak Jewish. Nehemiah 13:25. I reprimanded them for this and cursed them, and beat some of the husbands, tore out their hair and cursed them with God so that they would not give their daughters for their sons and not take their daughters for their sons and for themselves. Nehemiah 13:26. Was it not because of them, I said, that Solomon, the king of Israel, sinned? Many nations did not have a king like him. He was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel; and yet the foreign wives led him into sin too. Nehemiah 13:27. And is it possible for us to hear about you, that you are doing all this great evil, sinning before our God, taking foreign wives into cohabitation? Nehemiah 13:28. And of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the great priest, one was the son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite. I drove him away from me. Nehemiah's fight against mixed marriages. “Even in those days I saw the Jews.” Standing at the word of the Jews in Hebrew. t. member indicates that we are not talking about randomly encountered persons, but about those that Nehemiah knew about and whom he was looking for. “Their sons half speak Azotian,” i.e. in Philistine, or the language of other peoples - probably the Ammonites and Moabites, with whom the Jews entered into kinship alliances. The languages ​​of the named peoples were close to the Hebrew language, representing only its dialect. Wed. (1 Kings 3:12–14, 2:1–3; 2 Chronicles 1:12). Strict measures taken against all those who entered into mixed marriages were applied to one of the sons of the first priest. Joiada, who was married to the daughter of Sanballat (Neh. 2:10). Since the son of Joiada apparently did not agree to obey Nehemiah’s demand and let his wife go, he was expelled from Jerusalem. Along with this message, Prince. Nehemiah we have the news of I. Flavius ​​that the name of the son of Joiadas was Manasseh, and the very fact of his removal from Jerusalem occurred under Darius Kodoman (331), and at the same time the Church of Gerizim was built, in which Manasseh was installed as a priest (Jude. Ancient. XI, 7, 2; VIII, 2, 5). Thus, the event relating, according to the book. Nehemiah, to the reign of Artaxerxes I, according to I. Flavius, took place 100 years later, under Darius Kodoman. However, due to the admitted inaccuracy of the news of I. Flavius ​​dating back to the 5th century. BC, testimony of the book. Nehemiah should be preferred (cf. Rybinsky, Essays on the history of the Samaritans. Proceedings of K. D. Ak. 1895). Nehemiah 13:29. Remind them, my God, that they defamed the priesthood and the priestly and Levitical covenant! “They defamed the priesthood”: of course, defamation by marriages with foreigners. Priestly and Levitical covenant”, i.e. the covenant that God made with the tribe of Levi, choosing this tribe to serve Himself (Ex. 28:1; Mal. 2:8). Nehemiah 13:31. and delivery of firewood at the appointed times and firstfruits. Remember me, my God, for my good! “Remember me, my God, for my good.” This prayer, repeated several times (cf. Nehemiah 13:22, 5:19) reveals the piety of Nehemiah. The book ends with prayer. We have no information in the Bible about the further fate of Nehemiah. Josephus reports that Nehemiah died in old age. The memory of him lived for a long time in Jerusalem (Sir. 49:15). The respect for him was so great that tradition accorded him the restoration of the church and altar (2 Mac. 1:18), as well as the collection of the canon of sacred books (2 Mac. 2:13). You might be interested in: