Nehemiah 10:28 Meaning and Explanation
“And the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the porters, the singers, the Nethinims, and all they that had separated themselves from the people of the lands unto the law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, every one having knowledge, and having understanding;”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The whole community, down to wives and children old enough to understand, joins those who sealed the covenant.
What Does Nehemiah 10:28 Mean?
Beyond the named leaders, the entire community now enters the covenant: gatekeepers, temple singers, temple servants, and all who had set themselves apart to the law of God, together with their families. The phrase having knowledge and understanding marks those old enough to grasp the commitment they were making.
This is no covenant of leaders only. Whole households, including children able to understand, bound themselves to the LORD. Faith is meant to be passed down and personally owned, not inherited as an empty form. Here a people teaches its young that belonging to God is a choice each must make with understanding.
Nehemiah 10:28 in the Original Language
nethinim (נְתִינִים), 'given ones' -- temple servants, literally those given to assist in the work of God's house.
Frequently Asked Questions About Nehemiah 10:28
What does Nehemiah 10:28 mean?
The whole community, down to wives and children old enough to understand, joins those who sealed the covenant.