Focused Passage

Nehemiah 13:4-9

Nehemiah Returns to Confront Compromise and Restore Covenant Faithfulness

After the Law exposes the need for separation, Nehemiah returns and confronts temple compromise, restores Levite support, enforces Sabbath holiness, rebukes intermarriage, purifies the priesthood, and repeatedly appeals to God to remember him.

Berean Standard Bible, Public Domain - Translation notes - Reference sources

4 Now before this, Eliashib the priest, a relative of Tobiah, had been put in charge of the storerooms of the house of our God

5 and had prepared for Tobiah a large room where they had previously stored the grain offerings, the frankincense, the temple articles, and the tithes of grain, new wine, and oil prescribed for the Levites, singers, and gatekeepers, along with the contributions for the priests.

6 While all this was happening, I was not in Jerusalem, because I had returned to Artaxerxes king of Babylon in the thirty-second year of his reign. Some time later I obtained leave from the king

7 to return to Jerusalem. Then I discovered the evil that Eliashib had done on behalf of Tobiah by providing him a room in the courts of the house of God.

8 And I was greatly displeased and threw all of Tobiah’s household goods out of the room.

9 Then I ordered that the rooms be purified, and I had the articles of the house of God restored to them, along with the grain offerings and frankincense.

Study Helps

References and Original Words

Verse 4

Original words

Now before וְלִפְנֵ֣י H6440 Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l | Noun - common plural construct this מִזֶּ֔ה H2088 Preposition-m | Pronoun - masculine singular Eliashib אֶלְיָשִׁיב֙ H475 Noun - proper - masculine singular the priest הַכֹּהֵ֔ן H3548 Article | Noun - masculine singular a relative קָר֖וֹב H7138 Adjective - masculine singular of Tobiah לְטוֹבִיָּֽה׃ H2900 Preposition-l | Noun - proper - masculine singular had been put in charge of נָת֖וּן H5414 Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - masculine singular the storerooms בְּלִשְׁכַּ֣ת H3957 Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct of the house בֵּית־ H1004 Noun - masculine singular construct of our God אֱלֹהֵ֑ינוּ H430 Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common plural
Verse 5

Original words

and had prepared וַיַּ֨עַשׂ H6213 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular for [Tobiah] ל֜וֹ Preposition | third person masculine singular a large גְדוֹלָ֗ה H1419 Adjective - feminine singular room לִשְׁכָּ֣ה H3957 Noun - feminine singular where וְשָׁ֣ם H8033 Conjunctive waw | Adverb . . . הָי֪וּ H1961 Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural they had previously לְפָנִ֟ים H6440 Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural stored נֹ֠תְנִים H5414 Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural - אֶת־ H853 Direct object marker the grain offerings הַמִּנְחָ֨ה H4503 Article | Noun - feminine singular the frankincense הַלְּבוֹנָ֜ה H3828 Article | Noun - feminine singular the [temple] articles וְהַכֵּלִ֗ים H3627 Conjunctive waw, Article | Noun - masculine plural and the tithes וּמַעְשַׂ֤ר H4643 Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct of grain הַדָּגָן֙ H1715 Article | Noun - masculine singular new wine הַתִּיר֣וֹשׁ H8492 Article | Noun - masculine singular and oil וְהַיִּצְהָ֔ר H3323 Conjunctive waw, Article | Noun - masculine singular prescribed מִצְוַת֙ H4687 Noun - feminine singular construct for the Levites הַלְוִיִּ֔ם H3881 Article | Noun - proper - masculine plural singers וְהַמְשֹׁרְרִ֖ים H7891 Conjunctive waw, Article | Verb - Piel - Participle - masculine plural and gatekeepers וְהַשֹּׁעֲרִ֑ים H7778 Conjunctive waw, Article | Noun - masculine plural along with the contributions וּתְרוּמַ֖ת H8641 Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular construct for the priests הַכֹּהֲנִֽים׃ H3548 Article | Noun - masculine plural
Verse 6

Original words

While all וּבְכָל־ H3605 Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct this זֶ֕ה H2088 Pronoun - masculine singular was happening הָיִ֖יתִי H1961 Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular I was not לֹ֥א H3808 Adverb - Negative particle in Jerusalem בִּֽירוּשָׁלִָ֑ם H3389 Preposition-b | Noun - proper - feminine singular because כִּ֡י H3588 Conjunction I had returned בָּ֣אתִי H935 Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular to אֶל־ H413 Preposition Artaxerxes לְאַרְתַּחְשַׁ֤סְתְּא H783 Preposition-l | Noun - proper - masculine singular king מֶֽלֶךְ־ H4428 Noun - masculine singular construct of Babylon בָּבֶל֙ H894 Noun - proper - feminine singular in the thirty-second שְׁלֹשִׁ֨ים H7970 Number - common plural . . . וּשְׁתַּ֜יִם H8147 Conjunctive waw | Number - fd year בִּשְׁנַת֩ H8141 Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct of his reign הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ H4428 Article | Noun - masculine singular Some time later וּלְקֵ֥ץ H7093 Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct . . . יָמִ֖ים H3117 Noun - masculine plural I obtained leave נִשְׁאַ֥לְתִּי H7592 Verb - Nifal - Perfect - first person common singular from מִן־ H4480 Preposition the king הַמֶּֽלֶךְ׃ H4428 Article | Noun - masculine singular

BSB notes

  • Artaxerxes king of Persia is identified here as the king of Babylon because Persia had conquered the Babylonian Empire.
Verse 7

Original words

to return וָאָב֖וֹא H935 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - first person common singular to Jerusalem לִֽירוּשָׁלִָ֑ם H3389 Preposition-l | Noun - proper - feminine singular Then I discovered וָאָבִ֣ינָה H995 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - first person common singular | third person feminine singular the evil בָרָעָ֗ה H7451 Preposition-b, Article | Adjective - feminine singular that אֲשֶׁ֨ר H834 Pronoun - relative Eliashib אֶלְיָשִׁיב֙ H475 Noun - proper - masculine singular had done עָשָׂ֤ה H6213 Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular on behalf of Tobiah לְט֣וֹבִיָּ֔ה H2900 Preposition-l | Noun - proper - masculine singular by providing לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת H6213 Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct him לוֹ֙ Preposition | third person masculine singular a room נִשְׁכָּ֔ה H5393 Noun - feminine singular in the courts בְּחַצְרֵ֖י H2691 Preposition-b | Noun - common plural construct of the house בֵּ֥ית H1004 Noun - masculine singular construct of God הָאֱלֹהִֽים׃ H430 Article | Noun - masculine plural
Verse 8

Original words

And I was greatly מְאֹ֑ד H3966 Adverb displeased וַיֵּ֥רַֽע H7489 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular and threw וָֽאַשְׁלִ֜יכָה H7993 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - first person common singular | third person feminine singular - אֶֽת־ H853 Direct object marker all כָּל־ H3605 Noun - masculine singular construct of Tobiah’s טוֹבִיָּ֛ה H2900 Noun - proper - masculine singular household בֵית־ H1004 Noun - masculine singular construct goods כְּלֵ֧י H3627 Noun - masculine plural construct out הַח֖וּץ H2351 Article | Noun - masculine singular of מִן־ H4480 Preposition the room הַלִּשְׁכָּֽה׃ H3957 Article | Noun - feminine singular
Verse 9

Original words

Then I ordered וָאֹ֣מְרָ֔ה H559 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - first person common singular | third person feminine singular that the rooms הַלְּשָׁכ֑וֹת H3957 Article | Noun - feminine plural be purified וַֽיְטַהֲר֖וּ H2891 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural and I had the articles כְּלֵי֙ H3627 Noun - masculine plural construct of the house בֵּ֣ית H1004 Noun - masculine singular construct of God הָאֱלֹהִ֔ים H430 Article | Noun - masculine plural - אֶת־ H853 Preposition restored וָאָשִׁ֣יבָה H7725 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - first person common singular | third person feminine singular to them שָּׁ֗ם H8033 Adverb along with the grain offerings הַמִּנְחָ֖ה H4503 Article | Noun - feminine singular and frankincense וְהַלְּבוֹנָֽה׃פ H3828 Conjunctive waw, Article | Noun - feminine singular

Berean Standard Bible (BSB): CC0 Public Domain Scripture text. Focused passages are drawn from the same reader contract as the full chapter. Reference sources explains external study-link sources.