ris3n's Apologetics Codex

Passage

Nehemiah 8.10

Book: Nehemiah · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

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ASV (ASV)

"8. And they read in the book, in the law of God, distinctly; and they gave the sense, so that they understood the reading. 9. And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto Jehovah your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law."

"10. Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto him for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye grieved; for the joy of Jehovah is your strength."

"11. So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, Hold your peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved. 12. And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great mirth, because they had understood the words that were declared unto them." (Nehemiah 8:8-12, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"8. They read in the book, in the law of God, distinctly; and they gave the sense, so that they understood the reading. 9. Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people, said to all the people, “Today is holy to Yahweh your God. Don’t mourn, nor weep.” For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law."

"10. Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to him for whom nothing is prepared, for today is holy to our Lord. Don’t be grieved, for the joy of Yahweh is your strength.”"

"11. So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Hold your peace, for the day is holy. Don’t be grieved.” 12. All the people went their way to eat, to drink, to send portions, and to celebrate, because they had understood the words that were declared to them." (Nehemiah 8:8-12, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"8. So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading. 9. And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the LORD your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law. the Tirshatha: or, the governor"

"10. Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength."

"11. So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, Hold your peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved. 12. And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great mirth, because they had understood the words that were declared unto them." (Nehemiah 8:8-12, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"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. 9. And Nehemiah, he [is] 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."

"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 [is] holy to our Lord, and be not grieved, for the joy of Jehovah is your strength.'"

"11. And the Levites are keeping all the people silent, saying, 'Be silent, for to-day [is] holy, and be not grieved.' 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." (Nehemiah 8:8-12, YLT)

Setting

  • Speaker: Nehemiah (1st-person sections) + narrator
  • Audience: post-exilic Jewish community
  • Location: Jerusalem
  • Time period: events c. 445-432 BC; composed c. 432-400 BC

Theological reading

Key words

Quoted in

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

  • ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
  • WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
  • KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
  • YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.