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Those who sealed were: the governor Nehemiah son of Hakaliah, Zedekiah,
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Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah,
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Pashhur, Amariah, Malkijah,
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Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch,
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Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,
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Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch,
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Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,
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Maaziah, Bilgai, and Shemaiah. These were the priests.
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And of the Levites: Jeshua son of Azaniah, Binnui, one of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel.
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And their brothers: Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan,
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Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah,
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Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,
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Hodiah, Bani, and Beninu.
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And of the leaders of the people: Parosh, Pahath-Moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani,
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Bunni, Azgad, Bebai,
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Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin,
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Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur,
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Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai,
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Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai,
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Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir,
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Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua,
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Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah,
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Hosea, Hananiah, Hasshub,
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Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek,
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Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah,
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Ahiah, Hanan, Anan,
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Malluch, Harim, and Baanah.
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And the rest of the people: the priests and the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants, and all who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to follow the law of God, together with their wives, their sons, and their daughters, all who were able to understand,
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joined with their brothers, their nobles, and entered into a curse and an oath to walk in God’s law, which was given through Moses, the servant of God, and to keep and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord, and his ordinances and statutes.
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We will not give our daughters to the peoples of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons.
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And if the peoples of the land bring wares or any grain to sell on the Sabbath day, we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or on a holy day. And we will let the land lie fallow in the seventh year, and will not exact any debt.
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We also take upon ourselves the obligation to give yearly one-third of a shekel for the service of the house of our God, namely:
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for the bread of the Presence, for the regular grain offering, for the regular burnt offering, for the Sabbaths, the new moons, and the appointed feasts, for the holy gifts and the sin offerings, to make atonement for Israel, and for all the work of the house of our God.
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We, the priests, the Levites, and the people, cast lots concerning the supply of wood, to bring it to the house of our God by our fathers’ houses at appointed times each year, so that there may be fire on the altar of the LORD our God, as it is written in the law.
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Moreover, each year we will bring to the house of the LORD the firstfruits of our ground and the firstfruits of all fruit of every tree.
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We will also bring to the house of our God, to the priests who minister in the house of our God, the firstborn of our sons and of our cattle, as it is written in the law, and the firstborn of our herds and of our flocks.
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And the first of our dough, and our special offerings, and the fruit of every tree, and wine and oil we will bring to the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God; and to the Levites we will bring the tithes of our ground, for it is the Levites who collect the tithes in all the towns of our farming lands.
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A priest, a son of Aaron, shall be with the Levites when they collect the tithes. And the Levites shall bring up a tithe of the tithes to the house of our God, to the chambers of the storehouse.
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For the children of Israel and the children of Levi must bring the special offerings of the grain, the wine, and the oil to those chambers. There are the vessels of the sanctuary, and the priests who minister, the gatekeepers, and the singers. We will not forsake the house of our God.
📜✍️🤝 Summary of Nehemiah 10 – New Covenant: A Commitment to Obey God’s Law
Nehemiah 10 continues the spiritual renewal from the previous chapter. After the prayer of confession in Nehemiah 9, the people of Israel took a concrete step by signing a written covenant to live in obedience to the Lord. They declared their resolve not to follow the customs of the other nations, to keep the law, to guard the holiness of the Sabbath, and to support the house of God actively. This is an important chapter marking the restoration of the covenant between God and His people.
📌 1. The Leaders Sign the Covenant (verses 1–27)
➡️ Nehemiah, the priests, the Levites, and the leaders of the people set their signatures to the covenant
➡️ This signified a formal and public agreement that they would live according to God’s law
🎯 True repentance does not stop with tears, but moves to real commitment that can be seen.
📌 2. The Core of the People’s Commitment (verses 28–39)
The whole nation – priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers, servants of the temple, and all the people – promised to:
🔹 Not Marry Foreign Peoples (verse 30)
➡️ They promised not to give their daughters to foreigners or take daughters-in-law from other peoples
🎯 This is not about race, but about guarding the faith and pure worship of God
🔹 Keeping the Sabbath Day and the Sabbath Year (verse 31)
➡️ They would not trade or buy from foreign peoples on the Sabbath day
➡️ They would also let the land rest in the seventh year and cancel debts
🎯 Obedience to God’s social and economic law became a sign of total surrender.
🔹 Giving for the House of God (verses 32–39)
➡️ They promised to give:
- One-third of a shekel each year for the needs of the house of God
- Firstfruits offerings: the produce of the harvest, the firstborn of the livestock, and the dough
- A tithe of the produce of the land
➡️ They handed these offerings over to the priests and the Levites
➡️ An important declaration:
“We will not neglect the house of our God.” (verse 39)
🎯 True spiritual commitment always involves active support for the work of God.
📖 Main Teaching
- True repentance must be shown in commitment and concrete action
- Spiritual leaders need to lead by setting an example of commitment
- Marriage, the Sabbath day, and tithes are important aspects of holy life before God
- God’s people are collectively responsible for preserving the purity of worship and supporting the house of God
- The covenant with God must be lived out as something serious and sacred
✨ Spiritual Meaning (New Testament)
“Be doers of the word, and not hearers only.”
➡️ The people of Israel did not only hear, but signed and carried out the word
“Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers.”
➡️ The prohibition against marrying foreign nations is a safeguard for faith, not discrimination
“On the first day of every week, each of you should set something aside.”
➡️ As with Israel, giving for the work of the Lord is a sign of love and obedience
“Present your bodies as a living sacrifice…”
➡️ This covenant is a picture of a life wholly offered to the Lord
🕊️ “We bind ourselves by covenant and write it down…” – Nehemiah 10:29
🕊️ “We will not give our daughters to the foreign peoples…” – Nehemiah 10:30
🕊️ “We bring the firstfruits of our land…” – Nehemiah 10:35
🕊️ “We will not neglect the house of our God.” – Nehemiah 10:39
