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Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents
8:1-10:39 The Reading of the Law and Covenant Renewal. In this long section, the Book of the Law is solemnly read, the Feast of Booths is kept, and a great act of covenant renewal is performed. For the first time in this book, Ezra enters the narrative. This section shows the unity of his and Nehemiah's projects. With the walls securely in place, the centrality of the Mosaic law is once again made prominent, since it is not security alone that is essential to the life of the community, nor even the temple, but trust in God and obedience to God's Word as revealed through Moses. The whole passage has Leviticus 23 especially in mind.
8:1-8 The Law Is Read. Ezra reads the Book of the Law to all the people, and the Levites ensure that everyone has understood it.
8:1 The Water Gate. See note on 3:26. The people could have gathered either inside or outside the gate. the Book of the Law of Moses. The phrase presumably refers here to all or most of what is known as the Pentateuch, though in Deuteronomy similar expressions apparently refer to that book in particular (Deut. 28:58, 61; 31:9; see also 2 Kings 22:8).
8:2 priest. Ezra had authorization from Artaxerxes (Ezra 7:25-26), but more importantly, from the Mosaic law itself (Deut. 33:10). the assembly. The people of Israel gathered for worship. The inclusion of both men and women is stressed, since the strict keeping of the great Jerusalem feasts was expected of men only (Deut. 16:16-17). all who could understand. "Understanding" is a key theme in this chapter, since it was vital that all should be able to know and learn God's ways as revealed to Israel. The reading and teaching of the law may have been neglected in the generations since the first return from Babylon. The first day of the seventh month was a day of "solemn rest," like a Sabbath, in the month in which the Day of Atonement was kept and the Feast of Booths was celebrated (see Lev. 23:24-25, 27, 34). Remarkably, the Day of Atonement is apparently not observed on this occasion, or at least its observance is not recorded.
8:3 from early morning until midday. The book was lengthy, and there may have been frequent pauses for explanation of the text (see note on v. 7).
8:4 The platform, together with the group of leading men standing with Ezra, emphasized the solemnity of the reading, and allowed all the people to see and hear Ezra.
8:5 opened the book. The act of reading, in this carefully organized setting, is also a corporate act of worship.
8:7 The Levites presumably moved among the crowd, ensuring that all could understand what was being read. Such interpretation was one of their special tasks (see also Deut. 33:10; 2 Chron. 17:7-9). In order to facilitate this teaching, the law may have been read in manageable sections. The kind of understanding meant is primarily spiritual, though there could also have been problems with basic concepts and even language and audibility.
