And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law.
He read from it in the open area in front of the Water Gate from early morning until noon, reading to the men and women and everyone who was old enough to understand. All the people listened carefully to the Book of the Law.
The writer is describing how Ezra read God's Law aloud to a large, eager crowd for several hours, and everyone paid close attention.
📚 Historical Context
This took place around 445 BC when the Jewish people had returned from exile in Babylon and were rebuilding their community in Jerusalem. Ezra the scribe was reading from the Torah (the first five books of the Bible) to people who had been separated from their religious heritage for generations. Many of the listeners had likely never heard these scriptures read in their entirety before.
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