Nehemiah 8:11 (DBY)

Passage

And the Levites quieted all the people, saying, Be still! for the day is holy; neither be grieved.

Nearby Context

Nehemiah 8:9 And Nehemiah, that is, the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that explained to the people, said to all the people, This day is holy to Jehovah your God: mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law.

Nehemiah 8:10 And he said to them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions to them for whom nothing is prepared; for the day is holy to our Lord; and be not grieved, for the joy of Jehovah is your strength.

Nehemiah 8:11 And the Levites quieted all the people, saying, Be still! for the day is holy; neither be grieved.

Nehemiah 8:12 And all the people went their way, to eat and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great rejoicing. For they had understood the words that were declared to them.

Nehemiah 8:13 And on the second day were gathered together the chief fathers of all the people, the priests, and the Levites, to Ezra the scribe, even to gain wisdom as to the words of the law.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "levites", "quieted", "people", "saying", "still", "holy", "neither", and "grieved". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "levites" and "quieted", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 10's "And he said to them Go your..." into verse 12's "And all the people went their way...", so "levites" and "quieted" belong inside that flow. In Nehemiah context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "levites" and "quieted" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.