The Meaning of Nehemiah 13:18 Explained

Nehemiah 13:18

KJV: Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath.

YLT: Thus did not your fathers do? and our God bringeth in on us all this evil, and on this city, and ye are adding fierceness on Israel, to pollute the sabbath.'

Darby: Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us and upon this city? And ye will bring more wrath against Israel by profaning the sabbath.

ASV: Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Did  not your fathers  thus, and did  not our God  bring  all this evil  upon us, and upon this city?  yet ye bring  more  wrath  upon Israel  by profaning  the sabbath. 

What does Nehemiah 13:18 Mean?

Context Summary

Nehemiah 13:15-31 - A Disobedient And Gainsaying People
Let us remember to keep perpetual Sabbath in the heart, whatever be our outward life. In this life there is a Sabbath rest for the people of God, Hebrews 4:9, but we must labor to enter into it, and must set God's angel of peace to keep the door against all intruders, Philippians 4:7. Twenty years before, Ezra had dismissed the strange wives, but the evil had risen again. Alas, how sadly do children expose the inconsistencies of their parents, and betray the evil of unequal marriages! We see plenty of this around us; and where there is such a union, the balance is almost certain to turn in favor of the world and against vital godliness, Deuteronomy 7:4; 2 Corinthians 6:14. Nehemiah did not hesitate to add strong acts to strong words. Josephus says that this expelled priest was Manasseh, and that he went to his father-in-law, Sanballat, who built for him a temple on Mount Gerizim like that at Jerusalem, and that this was the origin of the religious rivalry and hatred between Samaritans and Jews, John 4:20. The faithful servant and the dying thief join in the same petition, Nehemiah 13:31. To be remembered by Jesus Christ is enough reward for any of us [source]

Chapter Summary: Nehemiah 13

1  Upon the reading of the law, separation is made from the mixed multitude
4  Nehemiah, at his return, causes the chambers to be cleansed
10  He reforms the offices in the house of God;
15  the violation of the Sabbath;
23  and the marriages with the strange wives

What do the individual words in Nehemiah 13:18 mean?

did not thus do your fathers and not did bring our God on us - all disaster this and on city this and yet you bring added wrath on Israel by profaning - the Sabbath -
הֲל֨וֹא כֹ֤ה עָשׂוּ֙ אֲבֹ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם וַיָּבֵ֨א אֱלֹהֵ֜ינוּ עָלֵ֗ינוּ אֵ֚ת כָּל־ הָרָעָ֣ה הַזֹּ֔את וְעַ֖ל ؟ הָעִ֣יר הַזֹּ֑את וְאַתֶּ֞ם מוֹסִיפִ֤ים חָרוֹן֙ עַל־ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל לְחַלֵּ֖ל אֶת־ הַשַּׁבָּֽת פ

הֲל֨וֹא  did  not 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
כֹ֤ה  thus 
Parse: Adverb
Root: כֹּה  
Sense: thus, here, in this manner.
אֲבֹ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם  your  fathers 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine plural
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.
וַיָּבֵ֨א  and  not  did  bring 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
אֱלֹהֵ֜ינוּ  our  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
עָלֵ֗ינוּ  on  us 
Parse: Preposition, first person common plural
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
אֵ֚ת  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
הָרָעָ֣ה  disaster 
Parse: Article, Adjective, feminine singular
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.
הַזֹּ֔את  this 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, feminine singular
Root: זׄאת  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, such.
וְעַ֖ל  and  on 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
؟ הָעִ֣יר  city 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: עִיר 
Sense: excitement, anguish.
הַזֹּ֑את  this 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, feminine singular
Root: זׄאת  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, such.
וְאַתֶּ֞ם  and  yet  you 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, second person masculine plural
Root: אַתְּ 
Sense: you (second pers.
מוֹסִיפִ֤ים  bring  added 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Participle, masculine plural
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
חָרוֹן֙  wrath 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: חָרֹון  
Sense: anger, heat, burning (of anger).
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
לְחַלֵּ֖ל  by  profaning 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Piel, Infinitive construct
Root: חָלַל 
Sense: to profane, defile, pollute, desecrate, begin.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
הַשַּׁבָּֽת  the  Sabbath 
Parse: Article, Noun, common singular
Root: שַׁבָּת  
Sense: Sabbath.
פ  - 
Parse: Punctuation