Nehemiah 8:1

“And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the watergate, etc.] A large and commodious street for such a company of people, which led to the water gate, of which (see <160326>Nehemiah 3:26) hither the people gathered with great unanimity, zeal, and affection: and they spoke unto Ezra the scribe; the same who is called Ezra the priest, and scribe of the law of God, and said to be a ready one, (<150706>Ezra 7:6,11,12), who came to Jerusalem thirteen years before this time; but very probably returned to Babylon again, and was lately come from thence: to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel; to observe what was…”

“RELIGIOUS MANNER OF READING AND HEARING THE LAW. (Neh 8:1-8) all the people gathered themselves together as one man--The occasion was the celebration of the feast of the seventh month (Neh 7:73). The beginning of every month was ushered in as a sacred festival; but this, the commencement of the seventh month, was kept with distinguished honor as "the feast of trumpets," which extended over two days. It was the first day of the seventh ecclesiastical year, and the new year's day of the Jewish civil year, on which account it was held as "a great day." The place where the general concourse of people was held was "at the water gate," on the south rampart. Through that gate the Nethinims or…”

“The street - Rather, “the square” or “court.” So in Nehemiah 8:16 (compare Ezra 10:9). The court seems to have been one between the eastern gate of the temple and the watergate in the city-wall. It would thus lie within the modern Haram area. Ezra the scribe - This is the first mention of Ezra in the present book, and the first proof we have had that he was contemporary with Nehemiah. Probably he returned to the court of Artaxerxes soon after effecting the reforms which he relates in Ezra 10:0, and did not revisit Jerusalem until about the time when the walls were completed, or after an absence of more than ten years. It was natural for the people to request him to resume the work of…”

“8:1 The Water Gate was located toward the middle of the eastern wall of Jerusalem, south of the Temple and east of the palace ruins (3:26; 12:37). There was plenty of open space so no one would be excluded.”

“am 3559, bc 445 all the people: Ezr 3:1-13 as one man: Jdg 20:1, Jdg 20:8 before: Neh 8:16, Neh 3:26, Neh 12:37 Ezra: Neh 8:4-9; Ezr 7:6, Ezr 7:11; Jer 8:8, Jer 8:9; Mat 13:52, Mat 23:2, Mat 23:13, Mat 23:34 bring: Ch2 34:15; Isa 8:20; Mal 4:4 Nehemiah 8:2”

“Neh 8:1-2. The public reading of the law. - Neh 8:1-3. The introduction to this narrative (Neh 7:73b-8:1a) is identical with Ezr 3:1. The same matter, the assembling of the people on the approach of the seventh month, is described in the same words. But the object of this assembling of the people was a different one from that mentioned in Ezr 3:1-13. Then they met to restore the altar of burnt-offering and the sacrificial worship; now, on the contrary, for the due solemnization of the seventh month, the festal month of the year. For this purpose the people came from the cities and villages of Judah to Jerusalem, and assembled "in the open space before the water-gate," i.e., to the south-east…”