Nehemiah 8:10 (YLT)

Passage

And he saith to them, `Go, eat fat things, and drink sweet things, and sent portions to him for whom nothing is prepared, for to-day <FI>is<Fi> holy to our Lord, and be not grieved, for the joy of Jehovah is your strength.'

Nearby Context

Nehemiah 8:8 and they read in the book, in the law of God, explaining--so as to give the meaning, and they give understanding to the convocation.

Nehemiah 8:9 And Nehemiah--he <FI>is<Fi> the Tirshatha--saith (and Ezra the priest, the scribe, and the Levites who are instructing the people) to all the people, `To-day is holy to Jehovah your God, do not mourn, nor weep:' for all the people are weeping at their hearing the words of the law.

Nehemiah 8:10 And he saith to them, `Go, eat fat things, and drink sweet things, and sent portions to him for whom nothing is prepared, for to-day <FI>is<Fi> holy to our Lord, and be not grieved, for the joy of Jehovah is your strength.'

Nehemiah 8:11 And the Levites are keeping all the people silent, saying, `Be silent, for to-day <FI>is<Fi> holy, and be not grieved.'

Nehemiah 8:12 And all the people go to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great joy, because they have understood concerning the words that they made known to them.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "saith", "things", "drink", "sweet", "sent", "portions", and "nothing". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "saith" and "things", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 9's "And Nehemiah--he FI is Fi the Tirshatha--saith..." into verse 11's "And the Levites are keeping all the...", so "saith" and "things" 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 "saith" and "things" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.