Annotations upon the remaining historicall part of the Old Testament. The second part. to wit, the books of Joshua, Judges, the two books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles, and the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther : wherein first, all such passages in the text are explained as were thought likely to be questioned by any reader of ordinary capacity : secondly, in many clauses those things are discovered which are needfull and usefull to be known ... and thirdly, many places that might at first seem to contradict one another are reconciled ... / by Arthur Jackson.

CHAP. VIII.

Vers. 1. ANd all the people gathered themselves together as one man, &c.] To wit, on the first day of the seventh moneth, vers. 2. which was the feast of trumpets, Levit. 23.24. and not many dayes after the wall was finished, which was on the twentie fifth day of the sixth moneth, chap. 6.15. Some Expositours conceive that this is but onely a more full and large relation of those things which were done long since at Zerubbabels first coming into Judea, and which were be∣fore more breifly related by Ezra, Ezra 3.1. &c. and that, first, because as the se∣cond chapter of Ezra ends, and the third begins, so with the same words in effect doth the seventh chapter of Nehemiah end and the eighth begin: and secondly, be∣cause it is not likely that Ezra, being sent to instruct the people in the Law of God, would suffer them so long, to wit, till Nehemiahs coming, to be ignorant of the main duties of Gods worship and service, as it seems now they were, vers. 14. And they found written in the Law which the Lord had commanded by Moses, that the chil∣dren of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh moneth, &c. But these reasons are too weak to winne us to admit of such a confusion in the order of the hi∣story: rather therefore I conceive, that what is here related was done in Nehemiahs time, after the wall was finished, as is above related. The place where they met to∣gether was, as is here added, the street that was before the water-gate; a gate mentioned before, chap. 3.26. and in the street hereof it seems the people were as∣sembled, because the court of the Temple could not contain such a multitude.

And they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the Law of Moses, &c.] See the note Ezra 7.1. and 6.

Vers. 4. And beside him stood Mattithiah, &c.] To wit, as witnesses ready to approve and maintain the truth of that which from the Law of God should be deli∣vered to them, and in their turn also to perform the work.

Vers. 7. Also Joshua, and Bani, &c.] That is, not onely Ezra did thus expound the Law unto the people, but others also of the priests and Levites caused the peo∣ple to understand the Law, because they could not all conveniently heare Ezra, they were divided into severall companies, and in each of them there were pulpits or scaf∣folds erected, as may be gathered, chap 9.4, from whence they read and expounded the Law unto them, there being severall teachers in each place that might successive∣ly discharge that work.

And the people stood in their place.] To wit, some in one company, and some in another, according to their divisions.

So they read in the book, in the Law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.] It is a weak conceit of some popish Expo∣sitours, that they did reade onely that in the Syriak tongue to the people, which in the originall book was written in Hebrew, and that because the people, since their return out of Babylon, did neither speak, nor perfectly understand the Hebrew tongue, but the Syriak onely; for the words do plainly import that they expounded that which they read to them.

Vers. 9. And Nehemiah which is the Tirshatha.] See Ezra 2.63.

This day is holy unto the Lord your God, mourn not nor weep.] That is, this day

the Lord hath appointed to be consecrated to him, as a holy day of spirituall rejoyce∣ing and feasting together, Numb. 10.10. In the day of your gladnesse, and in your solemne dayes, and in the beginnings of your moneths ye shall blow the trumpet, &c. and therefore be comforted and chear up your hearts with the assurance of Gods mercy, and make not your selves unfit for the service of this day by your excessive and unseasonable mourning.

For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law.] Because they they perceived by that they had heard from their teachers, how many wayes they had broken the Law of their God, and had by that means provoked the Lord to poure forth those judgements upon them, which they saw he had long since threatned against those which did not obey his commandments.

Vers. 10. Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, &c.] This is meant of their feasting together with their peace-offerings, to which he addes, and send portions unto them, for whom nothing is prepared, that is, to the poore, the fatherlesse, and widows; which was according to the Law, Deut. 16.14. Thou shalt rejoyce in thy feast, thou, and thy sonne, and thy daughter, &c. and the Le∣vite, the stranger, the fatherlesse, and the widow, &c.

For the joy of the Lord is your strength.] That is, your rejoycing in the Lord his love and favour and manifold mercies, which he hath of late conferred upon you, and doth still continue to you, is that whereby you must be strengthened both in the outward and inward man.

Vers. 13. And on the secend day were gathered together the chief, &c. even to understand the words of the Law.] That is, to advise with him concerning some par∣ticular passages, which happely they had observed the day before in the expounding of the Law; amongst which I conceive one main thing was, concerning the keep∣ing of the feast of Tabernacles, whereof happely Ezra the day before had purposely spoken to instruct the people, because that feast was now nigh at hand; for so much seems to be implyed, vers. 14. And the found written in the Law which the Lord had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh moneth.

Vers. 16. And in the street of the water-gate, and in the street of the gate of Ephraim.] That is, the gate whereat they went out that were to go to the tribe of Ephraim, the meaning is, that they built them booths all over the citie, from the one end of the citie to the other, or in all the streets that were near to the Temple.

Vers. 17. For since the dayes of Joshua the sonne of Nun, unto that day, had not the children of Israel done so.] That is, from Joshuas time till then they had not kept this feast in such a solemne manner, with such celebration and devotion, as it was kept now. Joshuas time is mentioned, not the time of Moses, because happely till Joshua brought them into the land of Canaan they kept not this feast: it was a me∣moriall of their dwelling in booths, as they passed through the wildernesse out of Egypt. See Levit. 23.42, 43. and therefore till they were come into Canaan, and had left dwelling in tabernacles and booths, there needed no memoriall of it: but now that this feast so expressely commanded by God should be utterly disused and neglected from Joshua till then, a matter of a thousand years, in the times of so ma∣ny godly princes and priests, is methinks altogether improbable; besides, it is ma∣nifest

that in Zerubbabels time at the peoples first coming out of Babylon, which was long before this, they kept this feast, Ezra 3.4. They kept also the feast of ta∣bernacles, &c. and therefore the meaning of these words must needs be this onely; that from the dayes of Joshua till then they had not kept this feast so, that is, with such devotion and solemnitie. Wherein the difference was it is hard to say, yet one particular seems to be that which is expressed in the following verse; namely, that all the seven dayes, day after day, the prople met together and had the Law read and expounded to them; whereas formerly, because the first and last dayes were onely appointed to be more solemne convocations and great holy dayes, whereon they might do no work, Levit. 23.35, 36. their manner it seems had been to assemble the people, and reade the word onely on the first and last dayes, which was now re∣formed and the word was reade all the seven dayes, though the first and last were kept more solemnely, as the great holy dayes of the feast, as one of them is called, John 7.37. The last and great day of the feast: so much seems implyed, vers. 18. Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the Law of God: and they kept the feast seven dayes, &c. and to this some adde also, that they had never before built themselves booths upon the tops of their homes, as now they had done, as is expressely noted before, vers. 16.