And the Tirshatha said unto them, that they should not eat of the most holy things, till there stood up a priest with Urim and Thummim.
The governor told them that they could not eat the most sacred food until a priest could consult the Urim and Thummim to determine God's will.
The writer is showing how the returned exiles were careful to follow proper religious procedures, even when it meant waiting for divine guidance through the priest's sacred objects.
📚 Historical Context
In the book of Nehemiah, which describes the rebuilding of Jerusalem after the Jewish exile in Babylon, the people were registering their families and verifying priestly lineages to maintain the purity of worship. The Tirshatha, a title for the governor likely referring to Nehemiah, prohibited certain priests from eating the most holy foods until their ancestry could be confirmed through the Urim and Thummim, ancient tools used for seeking divine guidance. This ensured that only those ritually pure could handle sacred duties in the restored temple.
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