Nehemiah 13:4-14

Tobiah Expelled and the Temple Cleansed

4 Now prior to this, Eliashib the priest, ¹who was appointed over the chambers of the house of our God, being related to ²Tobiah,

5 had prepared a large room for him, where formerly they put the grain offerings, the frankincense, the utensils and the tithes of grain, wine and oil ³prescribed for the Levites, the singers and the gatekeepers, and the contributions for the priests.

6 But during all this time I was not in Jerusalem, for in ⁴the thirty-second * year of ⁵Artaxerxes king of Babylon I had gone to the king. After some time, however, I asked leave from the king,

7 and I came to Jerusalem and learned about the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, ⁶by preparing a room for him in the courts of the house of God.

8 It was very displeasing to me, so I ⁷threw all of Tobiah's household goods out of the room.

9 Then I gave an order and ⁸they cleansed the rooms; and I returned there the utensils of the house of God with the grain offerings and the frankincense.

Tithes Restored

10 I also discovered that ⁹the portions of the Levites had not been given them, so that the Levites and the singers who performed the service had gone away, ¹⁰each to his own field.

11 So I ¹¹reprimanded the officials and said, "¹²Why is the house of God forsaken?" Then I gathered them together and restored them to their posts.

12 All Judah then brought ¹³the tithe of the grain, wine and oil into the storehouses.

13 In charge of the storehouses I appointed Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah of the Levites, and in addition * to them was Hanan the son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah; for ¹⁴they were considered reliable, and it was their task to distribute to their kinsmen.

14 ¹⁵Remember me for this, O my God, and do not blot out my loyal deeds which I have performed for the house of my God and its services.

Nehemiah 13:4-14 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO NEHEMIAH 13

This chapter relates the reformation of various abuses crept in among the Jews by Nehemiah, who removed the Moabites and Ammonites, mixed with them, Ne 13:1-3, threw the household goods of Tobiah out of a chamber of the temple, and restored it to its former use, Ne 13:4-9, took care that the Levites had their portion given them which had been kept from them, Ne 13:10-14 prevented the profanation of the sabbath by selling goods on that day, Ne 13:15-22, and put a stop to the marrying of strange wives, which had prevailed again among them, Ne 13:23-31.

Cross References

• 1. Nehemiah 12:44
• 2. Nehemiah 2:10; Nehemiah 6:1, 17, 18
• 3. Numbers 18:21
• 4. Nehemiah 5:14
• 5. Ezra 6:22
• 6. Nehemiah 13:5
• 7. John 2:13-16
• 8. 2 Chr 29:5, 15, 16
• 9. Deuteronomy 12:19; Nehemiah 10:37
• 10. Nehemiah 12:28, 29
• 11. Nehemiah 13:17, 25
• 12. Nehemiah 10:39
• 13. Nehemiah 10:37; Nehemiah 12:44; Malachi 3:10
• 14. Nehemiah 7:2
• 15. Nehemiah 5:19; Nehemiah 13:22, 31

Footnotes

• [a] Lit "close to"
• [b] Or "chamber"
• [c] Lit "heave offerings"
• [d] Or "understood"
• [e] Or "chamber," and so in vv 8, 9
• [f] Or "knew"
• [g] Lit "fled"
• [h] Or "contended with"
• [i] Lit "on them to"
• [j] Lit "brothers"