Nehemiah 8:7

Also Jeshua&c. Of the 13 names here mentioned we find four, i.e. Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Hodiah, mentioned among the Levites in chap. Nehemiah 9:5, and seven, i.e. Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Kelita, Hanan, Pelaiah, among the Levites in chap. Nehemiah 10:9-14. Perhaps these sevenwere representative of Levitical houses, whose names they bore; if so, the remaining sixmentioned here, whose names do not occur again, possibly represented branches of some other Levitical families mentioned under different collective names in chaps. 10 and 12. The LXX. here only gives the first three names.

Hodijah R.V. Hodiah.

and the Levites So the LXX. But 1 Esdr. οἱ Λευῖαι, Vulg. -Levitæ," omitting the copula which gives the better rendering. The -copula" if the text is correct, must define the list of names just given in the sense of -even." The writer adds that they were Levites. The rendering -And the Levites" in the sense of -And all the rest of the Levites" would give a scene of confusion. For the use of the copula = -even," cf. Nehemiah 8:13. But very possibly the words have been interpolated.

caused the people … the law i.e. they expounded what Ezra read. We must suppose that only short passages were read at a time.

stood in their place Literally, -And the people wereupon their standing." LXX. καὶ ὁ λαὸς ἐν τῇ στάσει αὐτοῦ. Cf. 2 Chronicles 30:16, -And they stood in their place," 2 Chronicles 35:10. It will be noticed that in this passage the Levites share with the priests the duty of instructing the people out of the Law; and we are led to infer that this was customary from the Chronicler's statements in 2 Chronicles 15:3; 2 Chronicles 17:8-9; 2 Chronicles 35:3. In the Levitical law we only find the priests entrusted with this duty (Leviticus 10:10-11).