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.
Then I warned them sternly and said to them, 'Why are you camping out by the wall? If you do this again, I will arrest you.' From that time on, they stopped coming on the Sabbath.
Nehemiah is firmly warning merchants to stop trying to do business on the Sabbath, threatening arrest if they continue, which successfully stops their violations.
📚 Historical Context
This occurs during Nehemiah's second term as governor of Jerusalem, around 430 BC. Foreign merchants had been gathering outside the city walls on the Sabbath, hoping to sell goods to the Jews despite the gates being closed. Nehemiah was working to restore proper observance of God's laws after the exile, including keeping the Sabbath holy as commanded in the Torah.
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