The Pulpit Commentary on Nehemiah 8:3

The Pulpit Commentary · Joseph S. Exell and contributors · Public domain

From the morning until midday. Or, "from daylight." He began as soon as it was light enough, and read on (he and his assistants—Nehemiah 8:7) till noon, that is, for six hours or more. The reading appears to have been varied by occasional exposition (Nehemiah 8:7, Nehemiah 8:8).

The ears of all the people were attentive. Though there is no word in the Hebrew for "attentive," yet the meaning is quite correctly given: "the ears of all the people were to the book" Ñ fixed on that, and on nothing else.

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