Nehemiah 8:1 (YLT)

Passage

And all the people are gathered as one man unto the broad place that <FI>is<Fi> before the water-gate, and they say to Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, that Jehovah commanded Israel.

Nearby Context

Nehemiah 8:1 And all the people are gathered as one man unto the broad place that <FI>is<Fi> before the water-gate, and they say to Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, that Jehovah commanded Israel.

Nehemiah 8:2 And Ezra the priest bringeth the law before the assembly, both of men and women, and every one intelligent to hear, on the first day of the seventh month,

Nehemiah 8:3 and he readeth in it before the broad place that <FI>is<Fi> before the water-gate, from the light till the middle of the day, over-against the men, and the women, and those intelligent, and the ears of all the people <FI>are<Fi> unto the book of the law.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "people", "gathered", "broad", "place", "before", "water-gate", "ezra", and "scribe". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "people" and "gathered", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The next verse adds "And Ezra the priest bringeth the law...", so "people" and "gathered" should be read forward into that movement. In Nehemiah context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

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