Nehemiah 13 · Verse 22

Nehemiah 13:22

And I commanded the Levites that they should cleanse themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to sanctify the sabbath day. Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy.
Nehemiah 13:22, King James Version

Nehemiah 13:22 in other translations

BSBThen I instructed the Levites to purify themselves and guard the gates in order to keep the Sabbath day holy. Remember me for this as well, O my God, and show me mercy according to Your abundant loving devotion.
WEBI commanded the Levites that they should purify themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to sanctify the Sabbath day. Remember me for this also, my God, and spare me according to the greatness of your loving kindness.
ASVAnd I commanded the Levites that they should purify themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to sanctify the sabbath day. Remember unto me, O my God, this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy lovingkindness.
YLTAnd I say to the Levites, that they be cleansed, and, coming in, keeping the gates, to sanctify the sabbath-day. Also, this, remember for me, O my God, and have pity on me, according to the abundance of Thy kindness.
DARBYAnd I commanded the Levites that they should purify themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to hallow the sabbath day. Remember this also for me, my God, and spare me according to thy great loving-kindness!
BBEAnd I gave the Levites orders to make themselves clean and come and keep the doors and make the Sabbath holy. Keep this in mind to my credit, O my God, and have mercy on me, for great is your mercy.
WebsterAnd I commanded the Levites, that they should cleanse themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to sanctify the sabbath day. Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy.

What does Nehemiah 13:22 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Nehemiah 13:15-22

Ne 13:15-31. The Violation of the Sabbath. 15-22. In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine-presses on the sabbath--The cessation of the temple services had been necessarily followed by a public profanation of the Sabbath, and this had gone so far that labor was carried on in the fields, and fish brought to the markets on the sacred day. Nehemiah took the decisive step of ordering the city gates to be shut…

Read the full comment on Nehemiah 13:15-22 →

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 22 Spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy - By some Nehemiah has been thought to deal with God too much on the principle of merit. That he wished God to remember him for good, is sufficiently evident; and who does not wish the same? But that he expected heaven because of his good deeds, does not appear. Indeed, the concluding clause of this verse proves the contrary, and shows that he expected nothing from God but through the greatness of his mercy. Shame on those who, with this evidence before them, brand this good man with the epithet of workmonger! a man who, in inward holiness, outward usefulness, and genuine love to God and man, was worth ten score of such self-called believers.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Nehemiah 13:15-22

The keeping holy the Lord's day forms an important object for their attention who would promote true godliness. Religion never prospers while sabbaths are trodden under foot. No wonder there was a general decay of religion, and corruption of manners among the Jews, when they forsook the sanctuary and profaned the sabbath. Those little consider what an evil they do, who profane the sabbath. We must answer for the…

Read the full comment on Nehemiah 13:15-22 →

Nehemiah 13:22 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וָאֹמְרָ֣הva.'o.me.Rahand I said !H559
לַלְוִיִּ֗םlal.vi.Yimto the LevitesH3881
אֲשֶׁ֨ר'a.SherthatH834
יִֽהְי֤וּyih.Yuthey will beH1961
מִֽטַּהֲרִים֙mi.ta.ha.Rimpurifying themselvesH2891
וּבָאִים֙u.va.'Imand comingH935
שֹׁמְרִ֣יםsho.me.RimguardingH8104
הַשְּׁעָרִ֔יםha.she.'a.Rimthe gatesH8179
לְקַדֵּ֖שׁle.ka.Deshto keep holyH6942
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
י֣וֹםYom[the] day ofH3117
הַשַּׁבָּ֑תha.sha.Batthe sabbathH7676
גַּם\־gam-alsoH1571
זֹאת֙zoTthisH2063
זָכְרָה\־za.khe.rah-remember !H2142
לִּ֣יlito me
אֱלֹהַ֔י'e.lo.HaiO God myH430
וְח֥וּסָהve.Chu.sahand have mercy !H2347
עָלַ֖י'a.Laion meH5921
כְּרֹ֥בke.Roaccording to [the] greatness ofH7230
חַסְדֶּֽךָ\׃\ \פchas.De.khacovenant loyalty yourH2617

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Nehemiah 13:22

  • Nehemiah 12:30

    And the priests and the Levites purified themselves, and purified the people, and the gates, and the wall.

  • Nehemiah 13:14

    Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and wipe not out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God, and for the offices thereof.

  • Nehemiah 13:31

    And for the wood offering, at times appointed, and for the firstfruits. Remember me, O my God, for good.

  • Psalms 130:3-4

    If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.

  • Isaiah 38:3

    And said, Remember now, O Lord, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.

  • Nehemiah 7:64-65

    These sought their register among those that were reckoned by genealogy, but it was not found: therefore were they, as polluted, put from the priesthood. And the Tirshatha said unto them, that they should not eat of the most holy things, till there stood up a priest with Urim and Thummim.

  • Psalms 5:7

    But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple.

  • 2 Chronicles 29:24

    And the priests killed them, and they made reconciliation with their blood upon the altar, to make an atonement for all Israel: for the king commanded that the burnt offering and the sin offering should be made for all Israel.

  • 1 Chronicles 15:12-14

    And said unto them, Ye are the chief of the fathers of the Levites: sanctify yourselves, both ye and your brethren, that ye may bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel unto the place that I have prepared for it. For because ye did it not at the first, the Lord our God made a breach upon us, for that we sought him not after the due order. So the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel.

  • Psalms 132:1-5

    A Song of degrees. Lord, remember David, and all his afflictions: How he sware unto the Lord, and vowed unto the mighty God of Jacob; Surely I will not come into the tabernacle of my house, nor go up into my bed; I will not give sleep to mine eyes, or slumber to mine eyelids, …

  • Psalms 143:1-2

    A Psalm of David. Hear my prayer, O Lord, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness. And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified.

  • 2 Chronicles 29:4-5

    And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them together into the east street, And said unto them, Hear me, ye Levites, sanctify now yourselves, and sanctify the house of the Lord God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
I commanded.
7:64,65; 12:30; 2Ki 23:4; 1Ch 15:12-14; 2Ch 29:4,5,24,27,30
Isa 49:23
cleanse.
12:10
sanctify.
De 5:12
Remember.
14,31; 5:19; Ps 132:1-5; Isa 38:3; 2Co 1:12; 2Ti 4:7,8
spare me.
Ps 25:6,7; 51:1; 130:3,4,7; 143:1,2
greatness. or, multitude.
Ps 5:7; Isa 55:7

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Nehemiah 13:21

    Then I testified against them, and said unto them, Why lodge ye about the wall? if ye do so again, I will lay hands on you. From that time forth came they no more on the sabbath.

  • Nehemiah 13:22

    And I commanded the Levites that they should cleanse themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to sanctify the sabbath day. Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy.

  • Nehemiah 13:23

    In those days also saw I Jews that had married wives of Ashdod, of Ammon, and of Moab:

Read all of Nehemiah 13

Nehemiah 13:22 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y dije á los Levitas que se purificasen, y viniesen á guardar las puertas, para santificar el día del sábado. También por esto acuérdate de mí, Dios mío, y perdóname según la muchedumbre de tu misericordia.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et je dis aux lévites qu’ils aient à se purifier et à venir garder les portes pour sanctifier le jour du sabbat. Souviens-toi de cela aussi en ma faveur, ô mon Dieu, et aie compassion de moi selon la grandeur de ta bonté.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und ich befahl den Leviten, daß sie sich reinigen und kommen sollten, die Tore zu bewachen, um den Sabbathtag zu heiligen. Auch das gedenke mir, mein Gott, und schone meiner nach der Größe deiner Güte!
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Dixi quoque Levitis ut mundarentur, et venirent ad custodiendas portas, et sanctificandam diem sabbati: et pro hoc ergo memento mei, Deus meus, et parce mihi secundum multitudinem miserationum tuarum.