Nehemiah 8:10

10 Then he told them, "Go, eat rich foods, drink sweet drinks, and send portions to those who cannot provide for themselves. Today is a holy day for the Lord. Don't be sad because the joy you have in the LORD is your strength."

Nehemiah 8:10 Meaning and Commentary

Nehemiah 8:10

Then he said unto them
Nehemiah the Tirshatha or governor:

go your way;
to their own houses, and refresh themselves; it being noon, and they had stood many hours attentive to the reading and expounding of the law:

eat the fat, and drink the sweet:
not a common meal, but a feast, consisting of the richest provisions, the best of food and liquors

and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared;
for the poor, who had no food at home provided for them; the widow, fatherless, and stranger, who at festivals were to partake of the entertainment, ( Deuteronomy 16:11 )

for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be you sorry;
confirming what the Levites had said and exhorted to, ( Nehemiah 8:9 )

for the joy of the Lord is your strength;
to rejoice, as the Lord commanded them on such days as these, was a means both of increasing their bodily strength and their inward strength, and of fitting them the more to perform their duty to God and men with cheerfulness, which sorrow and heaviness made unfit for; and the joy which has the Lord for its object, and comes from him, is the cause of renewing spiritual strength, so as to run and not be weary, walk and not faint, in the ways of God.

Nehemiah 8:10 In-Context

8 They read the Book of God's Teachings clearly and explained the meaning so that the people could understand what was read.

9 Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people told them, "This is a holy day for the LORD your God. Don't mourn or cry." All the people were crying as they listened to the reading of God's Teachings.

10 Then he told them, "Go, eat rich foods, drink sweet drinks, and send portions to those who cannot provide for themselves. Today is a holy day for the Lord. Don't be sad because the joy you have in the LORD is your strength."

11 So the Levites calmed all the people by saying, "Listen. Today is a holy day. Don't be sad."

12 Then all the people went to eat and drink and to send portions. They had a big, joyful celebration because they understood the words that had been explained to them.