Nehemiah 8:17 (YLT)

Passage

And they make--all the assembly of the captives of the captivity--booths, and they sit in booths; for the sons of Israel had not done, from the days of Jeshua son of Nun, so unto that day, and there is very great joy.

Nearby Context

Nehemiah 8:15 and that they proclaim and cause to pass over all their cities, (and in Jerusalem,) saying, `Go ye out to the mount, and bring leaves of the olive, and leaves of the oil tree, and leaves of the myrtle, and leaves of the palms, and leaves of thick trees, to make booths as it is written.'

Nehemiah 8:16 And the people go out, and bring in, and make for themselves booths, each on his roof, and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of God, and in the broad place of the water-gate, and in the broad place of the gate of Ephraim.

Nehemiah 8:17 And they make--all the assembly of the captives of the captivity--booths, and they sit in booths; for the sons of Israel had not done, from the days of Jeshua son of Nun, so unto that day, and there is very great joy.

Nehemiah 8:18 And he readeth in the book of the law of God day by day, from the first day till the last day, and they make a feast seven days, and on the eighth day a restraint, according to the ordinance.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "make--all", "assembly", "captives", "captivity--booths", "sons", "israel", and "done". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "make--all" and "assembly", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "And the people go out and bring..." into verse 18's "And he readeth in the book of...", so "make--all" and "assembly" 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 "make--all" and "assembly" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.