Nehemiah 8:8 (DBY)

Passage

And they read in the law of God distinctly out of the book, and gave the sense, and caused [them] to understand the reading.

Nearby Context

Nehemiah 8:6 And Ezra blessed Jehovah, the great God; and all the people answered, Amen, Amen! with lifting up of their hands; and they bowed their heads, and worshipped Jehovah with their faces to the ground.

Nehemiah 8:7 And Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law; and the people [stood] in their place.

Nehemiah 8:8 And they read in the law of God distinctly out of the book, and gave the sense, and caused [them] to understand the reading.

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.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "read", "distinctly", "book", "gave", "sense", "caused", "understand", and "reading". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "read" and "distinctly", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "And Jeshua and Bani and Sherebiah Jamin..." into verse 9's "And Nehemiah that is the Tirshatha and...", so "read" and "distinctly" 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 "read" and "distinctly" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.