Nehemiah 13:17

17 And I rebuked the principal men of Judah, and I said to them, What is this evil thing that ye do, and make unholy the day of the sabbath? (And I rebuked the leaders of Judah, and I said to them, What is this evil thing that ye do, and make the Sabbath day unholy!)

Nehemiah 13:17 Meaning and Commentary

Nehemiah 13:17

Then I contended with the nobles
The rulers of the city, the civil magistrates, sharply reproved them for their neglect of duty:

and said unto them, what evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the
sabbath day?
by suffering servile works to be done in it, and things sold on it.

Nehemiah 13:17 In-Context

15 In those days I saw in Judah men treading pressers in the sabbath, men bringing (in) heaps, and charging on asses wine, and grapes, and figs, and all (other) burden(s), and bringing (them) into Jerusalem in the day of sabbath; and I witnessed to them, that they should sell in the day in which it was leaveful to sell. (And in those days I saw in Judah men treading winepresses on the Sabbath, and people bringing in heaps of produce, yea, loading up wine, and grapes, and figs, and all other loads onto donkeys, and bringing them into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day; and I witnessed to them, that they should only sell on the days in which it were lawful to sell.)
16 And men of Tyre dwelled in it, and brought in fishes, and all things set to sale, and they sold in the sabbaths to the sons of Judah, and of Jerusalem. (And some men of Tyre lived in Jerusalem, and brought in fish, and all kinds of other things to sell, and they sold them on the Sabbath to the sons of Judah, and of Jerusalem.)
17 And I rebuked the principal men of Judah, and I said to them, What is this evil thing that ye do, and make unholy the day of the sabbath? (And I rebuked the leaders of Judah, and I said to them, What is this evil thing that ye do, and make the Sabbath day unholy!)
18 Whether our fathers did not these things, and (then) our God brought on us all this evil, and on this city? and ye increase wrathfulness on Israel, in defouling the sabbath. (Did not our forefathers do all these things, and then our God brought down all this evil upon us, and upon this city? and now ye shall bring more of God's anger upon Israel by defiling the Sabbath!)
19 And it was done, when the gates of Jerusalem had rested in the day of sabbath, I said, Shut ye the gates; and they shutted the gates; and I commanded, that they should not open the gates till after the sabbath. And of my children, or servants, I ordained numbers on the gates to keep (them) shut, that no man should bring in a burden in the day of sabbath. (And so it was done, when the gates of Jerusalem were empty, early on the Sabbath day, that I said, Shut ye the gates; and so they shut the gates; and I commanded, that they should not open the gates until after the Sabbath. And I ordained a number of my servants there at the gates, to keep them shut, so that no one could bring in a load on the Sabbath day.)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.