Nehemiah 9:1

1 On October 31 the people assembled again, and this time they fasted and dressed in burlap and sprinkled dust on their heads.

Nehemiah 9:1 Meaning and Commentary

Nehemiah 9:1

Now in the twenty fourth day of this month
The seventh month, the month Tisri or September, two days after the feast of tabernacles was ended:

the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with
sackclothes, and earth upon them;
which were all outward tokens of mourning and humiliation, see ( Joel 1:8 Joel 1:14 ) ( 1 Samuel 4:12 ) which they could not show during the festival; but that being over, they return to it, see ( Nehemiah 8:9 ) .

Nehemiah 9:1 In-Context

1 On October 31 the people assembled again, and this time they fasted and dressed in burlap and sprinkled dust on their heads.

2 Those of Israelite descent separated themselves from all foreigners as they confessed their own sins and the sins of their ancestors.

3 They remained standing in place for three hours while the Book of the Law of the LORD their God was read aloud to them. Then for three more hours they confessed their sins and worshiped the LORD their God.

4 The Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Kenani—stood on the stairway of the Levites and cried out to the LORD their God with loud voices.

5 Then the leaders of the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah—called out to the people: “Stand up and praise the LORD your God, for he lives from everlasting to everlasting!” Then they prayed: “May your glorious name be praised! May it be exalted above all blessing and praise!

Footnotes

• [a]. Hebrew On the twenty-fourth day of that same month, the seventh month of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar. This day was October 31, 445 ; also see notes on 1:1 and 8:2 .