Nehemiah 8:4

4 And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Uriah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchijah, and Hashum, and Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, [and] Meshullam.

Nehemiah 8:4 Meaning and Commentary

Nehemiah 8:4

And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had
made for the purpose
Or to speak out of, as the Syriac and Arabic versions; this, in the Hebrew text, is called a "tower" ^F9, partly because of its height, and partly because in the form of one; and also for its largeness, considering the use it was for; for it was so large as to hold fourteen men, as appears by what follows: a pulpit of wood was made for the king in the court, to read the law from ^F11; though, according to Jacob Leo, it was a throne like an high tower, (See Gill on 2 Kings 11:14), the pulpits, in the Jewish synagogues, made after the same manner, as Aben Ezra observes, are called by the same ^F12 name:

and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah; and Urijah, and
Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand,
Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchiah, and Hashum, and Hashbadana,
Zechariah, and Meshullam;
in all thirteen; there were six on his right, and seven on his left, who stood here, not merely in honour to him, and as approvers and supporters of the truth of what he read, but to relieve him when weary.

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FOOTNOTES:

F9 (Ue ldgm le) "super turrem ligni", Montanus; so Dionysius is said, "concionari ex turri alta", Ciceron. Tuscul. Quaest. l. 5.
F11 Schulchan Aruch, par. 1. c. 141. sect. 7.
F12 Misn. Sotah, c. 7. sect. 8.

Nehemiah 8:4 In-Context

2 And Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly, both men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month.

3 And he read therein before the broad place that was before the water gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women, and of those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were [attentive] unto the book of the law.

4 And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Uriah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchijah, and Hashum, and Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, [and] Meshullam.

5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up:

6 and Ezra blessed Jehovah, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with the lifting up of their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped Jehovah with their faces to the ground.