Nehemiah 9:13

13 1You came down on Mount Sinai 2and spoke with them from heaven and gave them 3right rules and true laws, good statutes and commandments,

Nehemiah 9:13 Meaning and Commentary

Nehemiah 9:13

Thou camest down also upon Mount Sinai
By some visible tokens of his presence, as a cloud, fire, smoke which must be understood consistent with his omniscience, see ( Exodus 19:18 ) ,

and spakest with them from heaven;
the decalogue or ten commandments, ( Exodus 20:1-17 ) ,

and gavest them right judgments and true laws, good statutes and
commandments;
both judicial and ceremonial, which were of excellent use to them in their civil and ecclesiastical polity; these were not spoken to Israel, but given to Moses on the mount, to be delivered to them.

Nehemiah 9:13 In-Context

11 And you divided the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on dry land, and you cast their pursuers into the depths, as a stone into mighty waters.
12 By a pillar of cloud you led them in the day, and by a pillar of fire in the night to light for them the way in which they should go.
13 You came down on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven and gave them right rules and true laws, good statutes and commandments,
14 and you made known to them your holy Sabbath and commanded them commandments and statutes and a law by Moses your servant.
15 You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger and brought water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and you told them to go in to possess the land that you had sworn to give them.

Cross References 3

  • 1. Exodus 19:20
  • 2. See Exodus 20:1-17
  • 3. Psalms 19:8, 9; [Romans 7:12]; See Psalms 119
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.