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Nehemiah 13:21

Old Testament Historical ASV (1901)

What does Nehemiah 13:21 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Then I testified against them, and said unto them, Why lodge ye about the wall? if ye do so again, I will lay hands on you. From that time forth came they no more on the sabbath.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Then I testified against them, and said unto them, Why lodge ye about the wall? if ye do so again, I will lay hands on you. From that time forth came they no more on the sabbath.
Nehemiah 13:21 — American Standard Version

Context — Nehemiah 13

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
18Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath.
19And it came to pass that, when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut, and commanded that they should not be opened till after the sabbath: and some of my servants set I over the gates, that there should no burden be brought in on the sabbath day.
20So the merchants and sellers of all kind of wares lodged without Jerusalem once or twice.
21Then I testified against them, and said unto them, Why lodge ye about the wall? if ye do so again, I will lay hands on you. From that time forth came they no more on the sabbath.
22And I commanded the Levites that they should purify themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to sanctify the sabbath day. Remember unto me, O my God, this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy lovingkindness.
23In those days also saw I the Jews that had married women of Ashdod, of Ammon, [and] of Moab:
24and their children spake half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak in the Jews` language, but according to the language of each people.
← Nehemiah 13:20Nehemiah 13:22 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“Then I testified against them, etc.] Against their continuance there, and threatened them, and called heaven and earth to witness what he would do to them, if they did not depart: why lodge ye about the wall? of the city, waiting an opportunity to get in, and tempting the Jews to come out and buy their ware: if ye do so again, I will lay hands on you; beat them, or slay them, at least imprison them: from that time forth came they no more on the sabbath; finding there was no likelihood of getting into the city, and that they were liable to be taken up and punished.”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“The lodging of the merchants with their merchandise just outside Jerusalem during the Sabbath, marked their impatience for the moment when they might bring their wares in. This was thought by Nehemiah to be unseemly, and to have an irreligious tendency. return to 'Top of Page'”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“I testified: Neh 13:15 about the wall: Heb. before the wall I will lay: Ezr 7:26; Rom 13:3, Rom 13:4; Pe1 2:14 Nehemiah 13:22”
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Related study paths

Read Nehemiah 13 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification