John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 4. And before this , etc.] Before the above law was read, and observed and acted upon: Eliashib the priest ; whom some take to be a common priest; so Bishop Usher f81 ; but he seems rather to be the high priest, by comparing it with ( Nehemiah 13:28), having the oversight of the chamber of the house of our God ; which has led some to the notion of his being a common priest; but chamber may be put for chambers, and those for the whole house or temple, which the high priest had the greatest concern in, and oversight of: was allied to Tobiah ; the servant and Ammonite, an inveterate enemy of the Jews, ( Nehemiah 2:10,20), having married a daughter of Shecaniah, and his son a daughter of Meshullam, who were both priests, and so as it seems related to Eliashib, ( Nehemiah 6:18).
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-9 - Israel was a peculiar people, and not to mingle with the nations. Se the benefit of publicly reading the word of God; when it is dul attended to, it discovers to us sin and duty, good and evil, and show wherein we have erred. We profit, when we are thus wrought upon to separate from evil. Those that would drive sin out of their hearts, the living temples, must throw out its household stuff, and all the provision made for it; and take away all the things that are the foo and fuel of lust; this is really to mortify it. When sin is cast out of the heart by repentance, let the blood of Christ be applied to it by faith, then let it be furnished with the graces of God's Spirit, for every good work.
Original Hebrew ולפני6440 מזה2088 אלישׁיב475 הכהן3548 נתון5414 בלשׁכת3957 בית1004 אלהינו430 קרוב7138 לטוביה׃2900
