Nehemiah 8:10

10 And he said to them, Go ye, and eat ye fat things, and drink ye wine made sweet with honey, and send ye parts to them, that made not ready to themselves, for it is an holy day of the Lord; do not ye be sorry, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. (And he said to them, Now go ye, and eat ye rich food, and drink ye mead, and send ye portions to those who cannot provide for themselves, for this day is holy to the Lord; do not ye be sorrowful, or sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.)

Nehemiah 8:10 Meaning and Commentary

Nehemiah 8:10

Then he said unto them
Nehemiah the Tirshatha or governor:

go your way;
to their own houses, and refresh themselves; it being noon, and they had stood many hours attentive to the reading and expounding of the law:

eat the fat, and drink the sweet:
not a common meal, but a feast, consisting of the richest provisions, the best of food and liquors

and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared;
for the poor, who had no food at home provided for them; the widow, fatherless, and stranger, who at festivals were to partake of the entertainment, ( Deuteronomy 16:11 )

for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be you sorry;
confirming what the Levites had said and exhorted to, ( Nehemiah 8:9 )

for the joy of the Lord is your strength;
to rejoice, as the Lord commanded them on such days as these, was a means both of increasing their bodily strength and their inward strength, and of fitting them the more to perform their duty to God and men with cheerfulness, which sorrow and heaviness made unfit for; and the joy which has the Lord for its object, and comes from him, is the cause of renewing spiritual strength, so as to run and not be weary, walk and not faint, in the ways of God.

Nehemiah 8:10 In-Context

8 And they read in the book of God's law distinctly, and openly, to understand it; and they understood, when it was read. (And they read from The Book of God's Law openly, and distinctly, and then expounded, or explained, it; and when it was read to the people in this way, they could understand it.)

9 Forsooth Nehemiah said, he is (the) Tirshatha, and Ezra, the priest and writer, and the deacons, expounding to all the people, This is a day hallowed to the Lord our God; do not ye mourn, and do not ye weep. For all the people wept, when it heard the words of the law. (And Nehemiah, he was the governor, and Ezra, the priest and writer/the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Levites, expounding the Law to all the people, said to them, This day is holy to the Lord our God; do not ye mourn, and do not ye weep. For all the people had wept, when they had heard the words of the Law.)

10 And he said to them, Go ye, and eat ye fat things, and drink ye wine made sweet with honey, and send ye parts to them, that made not ready to themselves, for it is an holy day of the Lord; do not ye be sorry, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. (And he said to them, Now go ye, and eat ye rich food, and drink ye mead, and send ye portions to those who cannot provide for themselves, for this day is holy to the Lord; do not ye be sorrowful, or sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.)

11 And the deacons made silence in all the people, and said, Be ye still, for this is an holy day, and make ye no sorrow. (And the Levites silenced all the people, and said, Be ye quiet, for this day is holy, and so do not ye be sad.)

12 Therefore all the people went for to eat, and (to) drink, and to send parts (and to send portions to the needy), and to make great gladness; for they understood the words, which he had taught them.