Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah (chapters 23–37)
Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah
continued
Chapter 23
Sanaballat and his associates attempt to pull Nehemiah away from the building of the wall by hiring domestic intrigues against him; but, having discovered these, the wall of the city is completed to perfection. (Nehemiah VI.) [Nehemiah 6:1] -- Now it happened that when Sanaballat and Tobiah heard, etc. The enemies of the holy city urge Nehemiah to descend to the plains and enter into a covenant of peace with them, with calves slain together as a testimony of the contracted covenant. However, he, to avoid neglecting the religious work, perseveres in the mountains. Similarly, heretics and false Catholics seek to have the companionship of peace with true Catholics on the condition that the true Catholics do not consent to ascend to the stronghold of ecclesiastical faith or operation, but rather force those who dwell in the heights of virtues to descend from the depths of wicked works or doctrines. And it is well that they wish to make a pact with Nehemiah in one field; because undoubtedly they desire to release all those whom they can seduce into the same liberty of a more luxurious life, which they themselves follow. It is fitting that they wish to make the same pact with him with calves slain together because false brothers eagerly offer sacrifices of their prayer or action with true Catholics to God so that, being truly believed as faithful themselves, they can corrupt the same true Catholics through the proximity of communion. However, Nehemiah representing the role of faithful teachers, senses neither to descend to the profane nor to be tainted by their sacrifices, but devoutly persists in the conceived works of virtues; and the more ferociously the enemies tried to frighten him, the more he strives to become formidable to the same enemies by doing good works. Hence it is also said in the following.
Nehemiah 6:9
But all these terrify us, etc. Therefore, in the spiritual structure, because the cunning enemy always tries to hinder our hands, let us always strive to strengthen them in good action with divine help. [Nehemiah 6:10] -- And I entered the house of Shemaiah, etc. Assaulted by the treacheries of enemies, Nehemiah entered the house of Shemaiah as though of a friend and brother; but he also found him to be a traitor and enemy, since he had been corrupted by the gifts and friendship of outsiders; for the chosen always have battles without, fears within; not only apostles, but also prophets, lived lives beset by dangers from their kind, dangers from their demands, dangers from false brothers.
Nehemiah 6:15
Now the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, etc. The month Elul, according to the Hebrews, is the sixth month of the year, which the Romans call September. And rightly is the wall of the holy city completed in the sixth month of the year, so that the perfect action of the faithful, whether penitents or innocents, is also designated in this ultimate time. For the number six usually signifies the perfection of good works; either because the Lord completed the creation of the world on the sixth day, and on the seventh He rested; or because we are to labor in good works in the six ages of this present world, and to hope for the Sabbath of souls in the seventh age, which is in the life to come. Rightly is it completed on the twenty-fifth day of the same month, on account of the five senses of the body, by the ministry of which good works are to be performed externally. For as the simple number five usually signifies these senses, so when it is multiplied by itself and brought to twenty-five, it demonstrates these same senses with greater perfection. Thus we complete the wall of Jerusalem on the twenty-fifth day of the sixth month, when diligently consecrating all the senses of our body to divine services, we bring the endeavors of virtues begun to a firm end, and faithfully complete with the help of the Lord what we have begun to do for the strengthening of Catholic peace.
This wall is also rightly said to have been completed in fifty-two days; for the fiftieth psalm is the psalm of penitence and forgiveness, in which also the Prophet specifically prays about the building of this city, saying: "Deal favorably, O Lord, in Thy good will with Zion, that the walls of Jerusalem may be built" (Psalm 51). On the fiftieth day of the Lord's resurrection, the Holy Spirit came to the primitive Church, through whom the devotion of repentance is infused in us, and the gift of pardon is granted to penitents. Moreover, there are two precepts of charity, namely the love of God and the love of neighbor, through which, granted to us by the Holy Spirit, the forgiveness of sins is given, and we are commanded to labor for the attainment of eternal life. Therefore, most fittingly, the citizens rebuilding the wall of the holy city, which had been destroyed by enemies, restore it in fifty-two days, because this indeed is the perfection of the just in this life, that through the grace of divine inspiration, they punish whatever they have sinned by repenting, and henceforth adorn themselves with good works in the love of God and neighbor.
Chapter 24
The gentiles are terrified by the deeds of the city of Jerusalem; and Nehemiah lists the singers and assigns guards to the gates. [Nehemiah 6:16] -- It happened... that all the nations feared, etc. Those who previously sought to terrify the builders of the holy city, to delay them from working, now fear themselves with the construction of the same city completed, and they are disheartened, recognizing that this building was begun and completed by the authoring of God. Thus also in the holy Church, when a firm structure of charity, continence, peace, and other virtues has risen, the unclean spirits fear, and the temptation of their strength is repelled by our forces, and rather promotes our victory. This can also be received concerning heretics as well as false Catholics; who, by the constant faith of the good working through love, either are corrected and amended, or being exposed are guarded against and expelled from the boundaries of the Church.
Nehemiah 7:1
But after the wall was built, etc. And in a spiritual sense, wherever the wall of the Church may be built, gathering new peoples to the faith, or correcting those who have strayed, immediately the gates of regular discipline should be set up, so that the ancient enemy, who goes about like a roaring lion (I Peter V), may not anywhere break into the fold of the faithful. The gatekeepers, singers, and Levites must be reviewed, who guard the same gates; it is clear that the role of these pertains to all holy teachers. For gatekeepers are those who have received the keys of the kingdom of heaven, so that they may admit the worthy and humble, but keep out the proud and impure from entering the heavenly city, saying: 'You have no part or share in this matter; for your heart is not right before God' (Acts VIII). Singers are those who proclaim with a devout voice the sweetness of the same heavenly homeland to their listeners. Levites are those who always watch over the service of divine worship. Nehemiah commanded that the gates of Jerusalem not be opened until the heat of the sun, that is, throughout the entire night, so that neither the enemy covered by darkness might break in, nor any incautious citizen going out be captured and perish by the enemy.
Which also the guardians of souls ought to diligently do throughout the whole night of this age, lest, neglecting the observance of a pious conversation, the devil either enter to disturb the company of the faithful or seize and destroy any of their number among the faithful. However, when the Sun of righteousness appears and the light of future blessedness shines forth, there will no longer be need for the cloisters of continence; for the adversaries will no longer be given the power to attack or tempt the faithful, since they and their prince will be condemned to eternal retribution. Wherefore John in his Apocalypse says of the future glory of the same holy city: 'And its gates will never be shut by day, for there will be no night there' (Rev. XXI)."
Nehemiah 7:3
And I appointed watchmen from the inhabitants of Jerusalem, etc. The watchmen of souls are not from the neophytes, nor from the common crowd, but they are to be established from those who, having been liberated by the grace of God from the struggle with vices, have accustomed their minds to Jerusalem, that is, to the vision of tranquil peace, who can say with the Apostle: “But our conversation is in heaven” (Philippians 3). Of whom it is well said that He has appointed each in his own turn; so that, after completing their course, being withdrawn from this light, others immediately are preferred in their place for the governance of the faithful. Nor at any time are there lacking those who strive to keep vigil for the peace of the holy Church on account of night terrors, while the truth of the prophetic word always runs to the end of the age, in which it is said to the same Church: “Instead of your fathers, sons are born to you” (Psalm 45). It is also well added, “And each against his own house.” For in this way the guardianship of the holy Church is rightly perfected, if each one carries the concern of all the faithful in such a way that he is especially placed over them, to whom, by the authority of God, he devotes more diligent care.
Chapter 25
Nehemiah, in order to find worthy inhabitants for the city, reviewed the book of the census of those who first ascended from Babylon to Judea. [Nehemiah 7:5] -- The city, however, was very wide and large, etc. These things suit that time typically. When the word of God, sown far and wide by the apostles, the whole world received the new seed of faith, and the Church buildings not yet constructed, but only by hearing and the sacraments of the word, the people were still being trained while still unpolished. [Nehemiah 7:5] -- Moreover, God put it into my heart, etc. Therefore, having convened not only the nobles and magistrates but also all the common people, he carefully took care to review their number so that he could discern the complete total of all, who should inhabit the city of Jerusalem itself, and who indeed should dwell in other cities.
Chapter 26
In the seventh month, the people are gathered in Jerusalem, and Ezra reading the law of Moses, they attentively listen. (Nehemiah VIII.)
Nehemiah 8:2
And the seventh month came, etc. When Nehemiah sought to provide and arrange who should dwell in the city they had built, the seventh month arrived; for they were far away. For since the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the sixth month, no more than five days remained until the beginning of the seventh month. This seventh month, from its first day to the twenty-second, was entirely consecrated to legitimate ceremonies; and after these were duly celebrated, he returned with the leaders and the people to arrange the residents of the built city. Here, the devotion and concord of the people are to be noted, who, as if one man, that is, with one and the same faith and love, gathered at the temple of the Lord; and they asked their priest to bring the book and repeat the commands of the law they should follow, so that with the city built, the structure of work pleasing to God might also rise, lest, as before, due to the negligence of religion, the ruin of the city should follow. And it was well that in the sixth month the city was built, and in the seventh, the people were gathered into it to listen to the law; indeed, the sixth day is for working in the law, the seventh is for resting.
And this is our most beloved and acceptable rest to the Lord after our good work, that abstaining from servile work, that is, sin, we may more diligently give attention to hearing and fulfilling His commands. Hence, at the beginning of the same seventh month, the solemnity of the trumpets was appointed, by the sound of which the people, amidst prayers and sacrifices, might be more fervently awakened to the memory of the divine law. And now too, by spiritual understanding, after the holy city is built, the divine reading must follow, and the trumpets sound more frequently; for indeed, it is necessary that the people initiated in the heavenly sacraments, also from time to time, be more diligently instructed by sacred speeches on how they ought to live. But when it is said the people are gathered at the square before the Water Gate; I think the Water Gate refers to the court of the priests, by which the temple was surrounded on every side by a quadrangle, most especially on the eastern side of the temple, where the bronze sea was for washing the hands and feet of those entering the temple, and where the ten bronze lavers for washing sacrifices were; where also the altar of burnt offering was, between which and the temple Zacharias, the son of Barachias, was stoned (Matthew XXIII). However, the people did not have the permission to enter within this gate of the court, but only the priests, the ministers of the Lord.
The people, however, stood outside this gate, and mostly in the square which was on its eastern side, to listen to the word or to pray. Therefore, the people were rightly gathered before the Water Gate, who by their priest were to be spiritually watered with the flowing Scriptures.
Nehemiah 8:4
Ezra the scribe stood upon a wooden platform, etc. This place seems to be remembered in the Scripture of Chronicles, where it is said: Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord, facing the multitude of Israel, and stretched out his hands. For Solomon had made a bronze platform and had placed it in the middle of the basilica, measuring five cubits in length, five cubits in width, and three cubits in height, and he stood upon it (II Chronicles VI). Indeed, in the middle of the basilica, in the middle of the priests' courtyard, where the main basilica was surrounded on all sides by the outer courtyards of the temple. About these it is also written earlier in the same book: He also made the courtyard of the priests and a great basilica (II Chronicles IV). However, Solomon, as a king, made a bronze platform; while Ezra, as of lesser authority, set up a wooden platform to speak from, much like Solomon or Moses made a bronze altar for holocausts, for which the sons of the captivity replaced with stone. But it should not be thought that a wooden platform has a lesser degree of perfection than a bronze base. For it has often been said, as bronze endures through the passage of time or through the sweetness of sound, divine sacraments never fail through the passage of ages, and their sound goes out into all the earth;
thus also wood is very fittingly appropriate for them, especially on account of the trophy of the Lord's passion. Therefore, the high priest stands above the entire people when he who takes the position of a teacher, by the merit of a more perfect life, surpasses the actions of the crowd. He stands on a wooden platform made to speak from, when by the singular imitation of the Lord's passion, he makes himself loftier than the others. Hence, he worthily gained the confidence to freely preach the word of God. For he who scorns to imitate the Lord’s passion according to his own measure has not yet ascended the wooden platform from which he can stand above the weak. Therefore, such a scribe must either tremble or blush to preach the commandments of God, fearing or being ashamed to propose for others to do what he himself has not done. Hence it aptly follows in the subsequent paragraphs:
Nehemiah 8:5
The people stood in their place. For when leaders strive as much to excel their subjects in good works as they do in honor, then these same subjects, incited by their good examples, already follow the course of their own lives devotedly; admonished by their pious exhortations, they delight in frequently shedding tears for their admitted errors, or even for the desires of the heavenly homeland. Hence it is fittingly added here: [Nehemiah 8:9] -- "But all the people wept when they heard the words of the law." For the same holy teachers, who stir the minds of their hearers to tears with sacred readings and devout exhortations, also console those tears by promising them the eternal joys to come. Rightly it is added:
Nehemiah 8:10
"And he said to them: Go, eat rich foods, etc." For the day of the Lord is holy to us when we strive to hear and fulfill his words. On which day, although suffering external tribulations, we ought to be rejoicing in hope, according to the Apostle's saying: "As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing" (2 Cor. 6). On this day we are also commanded to eat rich foods and drink sweet wine; that is, to rejoice in the abundance of good action divinely bestowed upon us and in the sweetness of hearing the word of God. For sweet wine is wine sweetened with honey, hence it is called Oinomeli in Greek. But we are also instructed to send portions to those who have not prepared themselves, from these same most wholesome mental feasts, so that we may also strengthen the consciences of our weaker neighbors either by the example of pious action or by the sweetness of devout exhortation, so that their souls, according to the Psalmist, may be filled as with marrow and fatness from the abundance of heavenly generosity, and with joyful lips may praise the name of the Lord (Psalm 62). We ought to imitate this literally as well; so that, on feast days, after prayer, readings, and the completion of the singing of psalms, when we plan to care for the refreshment of the flesh, we also remember to give a portion to the poor and to strangers.
Chapter 27
They celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles, with Ezra reading the law of God to them every day.
Nehemiah 8:14
And they found written in the law that the Lord commanded, etc. These things are more fully written in Leviticus, and that they were ordered to be remembered for that long journey during which the Lord, bringing His people out of Egypt, made them dwell in tabernacles in the desert for forty years, daily teaching them the precepts of His law through Moses (Leviticus 23). The erection of tabernacles was commanded, which in Greek is called Scenopegia, for seven days every year, that is, from the fifteenth day of the same seventh month to the twenty-second. The sacrament of this observance must be diligently examined by us with spiritual inquiry, especially since the Lord deigned to be present at this feast in the Gospel (John 7) and dedicated it with His sacrosanct words while addressing the gathered people. Therefore, our fathers were also freed from Egyptian servitude by the blood of the Lamb, and led through the desert for forty years to reach the promised land, just as through the Lord’s passion, the world was freed from servitude to the devil, and the early Church was gathered by the apostles, which, as if led through a desert for forty years, was brought to the promised heavenly country. Imitating the forty-day fast, which Moses, Elijah, and the Lord Himself completed, it used to lead a life in great continence, always thirsting for the eternal homeland; and fully separated from all the allurements of this world, it conducted a nearly secluded life in daily meditation on the divine law.
For remembrance of this, at the same time, we must also dwell in tabernacles, leaving our dwellings, that is, abandoning secular delights, confessing that we are pilgrims in this life and that our homeland is in heaven; and to desire to reach it sooner. And this on the solemn day in the seventh month, that is, in the light of heavenly joy, when our heart is filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit, which the prophet praised as sevenfold. In these tabernacles, indeed, we are commanded to stay for seven days; for throughout the duration of our lives, which revolves through so many days, we must keep in mind that we are sojourners with God on earth and strangers like all our fathers.
Nehemiah 8:15
Go forth, he says, to the mountain, etc. And let us also go forth from a dwelling of general thoughts, to the height of the holy Scriptures to be frequently meditated upon; and let us bring from there, as if olive branches, the fruits of mercy, with which by refreshing the poor, we may simultaneously shade ourselves from the heat of tempting vices; and branches of the most beautiful wood, which the Jews call cedar, indeed, the fruits of charity, which is amongst all virtues the most beautiful and illustrious, through which our Lord ascended the wood of the cross for our salvation. As we imitate His passion to the extent that it is possible, we are certainly protected by the branches of the most beautiful wood. Let us also bring branches of myrtle, in the mortification of desires and all vices. For even the magi, offering myrrh to the Lord, taught typologically that those who belong to Jesus Christ ought to crucify their flesh with its vices and lusts. Likewise, whoever can say: 'For we are the good fragrance of Christ to God, in every place' (II Cor. II), brings myrtle branches to make a shelter for themselves. Let us also bring palm branches, the ornament of the victorious hand, so that we may always carry a mind victorious over gluttony, wrath, greed, and other vices, and always strive to be stronger than all enemies; so that in the future we may be worthy to be consorts of those about whom John speaks in his Apocalypse: 'They stood before the throne in the presence of the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and with palms in their hands' (Rev. VII). Also, branches of woody trees, that is, the adornments of other virtues; with all these we make mystic tabernacles for ourselves, as by being delighted with good works, we draw our entire mind away from worldly enticements.
Nehemiah 8:17
And the people went out, and brought back, etc. On the house-top, he says, on the roof of the houses. For in Palestine they do not have gabled roofs on the houses, but the tops of all the houses are flat, with beams and boards laid over them. Hence, in the law, it is commanded that when someone builds a new house, they shall make a parapet around the roof, so that no one may fall from it and incur the danger of death (Deut. XXII). In the same way, each of us goes out and makes tabernacles on the house-top, that is, on the roof of his house, when, transcending the dwelling of his flesh with his mind, he diligently tramples upon its harmful desires with meditations of heavenly light and freedom. This same thing we do in our courtyards when, with our mind burning towards heavenly things, we stand as if outside the world, whose dwelling we desire to leave behind more swiftly. We also do this in the courtyards of the house of God, when, even if it is not yet permitted to enter the hall of the heavenly dwelling, we place all the memory and residence of our thoughts in its vicinity. We also do this in the street of the water gate, when, with our heart expanded on the path of God's commandments, just as the servant desires at the fountains of water, so our soul desires the living God (Psalm XLI). We also do this in the street of the Ephraim gate, that is, of the fruitful or growing, when in the same ample freedom of heart we advance in such a way that the gate of righteousness is opened to us by the Lord, and we may always grow in Him for salvation, and may merit to abound in greater fruits of good action day by day.
Nehemiah 8:18
He read from the book of the law of God, etc. As far as the meaning of the text goes, the Feast of Tabernacles was typically celebrated for seven days, that is, from the fifteenth day of the seventh month of the moon, up to the twenty-first. Then on the eighth day, that is, the twenty-second of the month, a gathering of the people took place once more, marked by a greater festivity. For it is written in Leviticus: On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered all the fruits of your land, you shall celebrate the Lord's feast for seven days. The first day and the eighth day shall be a Sabbath, that is, a rest. And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of beautiful trees, etc. (Leviticus 23). So Ezra read to the people in the book of the law of God during the seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles; because this truly is our genuine solemnity of mind in this life, that through each day, that is, through all the good works by which we are enlightened by the Lord, we may devote our attentive hearts to reading, hearing, and doing His words. This solemnity begins on the fifteenth day of the month, when the moon is at its fullest at night, whereupon all the shadows of our mind are resolved by the most brilliant light of Christ. And it follows with the eighth day of the Sabbath, that is, of rest, obviously at the time of the resurrection in the future life; the joys of which we are uplifted by hope for now, and then we will fully enjoy in reality, when that most longed-for gathering—the entire assembly of saints, both angels and men—rejoices together in the presence of their Creator, never to be separated.
Chapter 28
After the completion of the Feast of Tabernacles, they convene again to confess, read, and pray to the Lord. (Nehemiah 9.) [Nehemiah 9:1] -- The children of Israel assembled in fasting and sackcloth, etc. The devotion of the people corrected after captivity is noteworthy, for once the solemnity mandated by the law of the Lord was duly completed, and after just one day of interval, they themselves willingly gathered in fasting and penance, diligently carrying out what they had heard during the days of holy readings and rejoicing, by separating themselves both in mind and body from the company of those who were proved to be estranged from the Lord and His worship, lest through the association and examples of the wicked they should again fall into the evils of captivity and distress; evils which they scarcely perceived themselves to have escaped even after long periods or centuries. And what might we mystically take from these things for ourselves, except that following such examples, whatever we have understood should be done in the public assembly or audience, we should again discuss mutually among ourselves, and diligently seek by thorough inquiry how we might be able to fulfill each of these with the correction of our hearts and bodies. The great diligence of their more correct life is evident as it is stated:
Nehemiah 9:3
"And they rose to stand, and read, etc." For who would not marvel that the people had such an extraordinary care for piety, that four times a day, that is, at dawn, the third hour, the sixth, and the ninth, at times when they were to be dedicated to prayer or psalmody, they would commit themselves to hearing the divine law, so that with their minds renewed in God, they might return purer and more devout to implore His mercy; and also at night, four times, shaking off the lethargy of sleep, they would rise to confess their sins and seek forgiveness. I believe it is by this example that the custom has grown in the Church, that at every hour of the daytime psalmody a reading from either the Old or New Testament is said from memory before all the listeners; and thus strengthened by the apostolic or prophetic words, they bend their knees in prayer immediately. And also at night, when they cease from their labors, their ears are directed to the listening of divine readings.
Chapter 29
The prayer or confession of Ezra, in which he entreats the Lord to remember the covenant that He made with their fathers. [Nehemiah 9:6] -- And Ezra said: You alone, Lord, etc. What was previously stated, Because they confessed their sins and the sins of their fathers; is shown in more detail with Ezra beseeching how it was done. Moreover, in the conclusion he says, Therefore over all these, we ourselves make and write a covenant; and our princes, our Levites, and our priests sign; and so forth. It is more clearly shown how, with great grace of devotion, all their persons made a new assembly after the Feast of Booths, so that they might unite themselves with the divine covenant, having been thoroughly cleansed from the contamination of sins, and confirm the condition of the holy covenant both by word and by writing. As if separated from the company of the impious, they might more securely fulfill the work which they had long ago begun; that is, they would appoint suitable citizens of the reestablished city from the number of the pious.
Chapter 30
The leaders together with the people make a covenant, and write it to keep all the commandments of the Lord, and to aid the ceremonies of His house. (II Esdras X.) [Nehemiah 10:1] -- But the signatories were Nehemiah the Tirshatha, etc. Another translation has, Nehemiah, who is the Tirshatha; for Nehemiah had two names. Hence it is uniquely added, the son of Hacaliah; which is more clearly indicated above, where it is said: But Nehemiah said, he is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the scribe, and the Levites interpreting to all the people, This day is holy to the Lord our God (Neh. VIII). [Nehemiah 10:31] -- The peoples of the land, who bring goods for sale, etc. And for us, the Sabbath is always to be kept spiritually, always to abstain from servile work, that is, from sin, always to be free and to see that the Lord himself is God, so that after such a Sabbath, freed from the sins of conscience, we may reach the Sabbath of future glory in the heavens. But the peoples of the land seek to profane our Sabbath by bringing goods for sale to us on the sanctified day; because unclean spirits strive to defile the purity of our hearts, and by the price of our consent, to introduce the temptations of vices to us, so that they may pollute the day of the greatest sanctification; that is, to obscure the light of our pious thought or action with errors that are introduced. But we should avoid such a market, having enclosed ourselves within the walls of our city, which is the custody of a more perfect life.
Nehemiah 10:32
And we shall set upon us the precepts, etc. All these things contained in this chapter pertain to the care of the house of the Lord and its ministers and ministries. And the best order of religious conversation, to be spiritually imitated now for us too, is that first the children of the transmigration chastise themselves from the defilements of the nations; then, by the observance of the Sabbath, which stood out among the foremost commandments of the law, they are sanctified; and thus henceforth they turn all care of acting to the service of divine worship. For first it is necessary for us to be cleansed from evils, and thus to be adorned with good acts. However, it is long enough to discuss each of these allegorically, in what order we should spiritually act towards the worship of the Lord, and this more so in the very volume of the law.
The leaders from the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Levi live in Jerusalem, along with a tenth part of the remaining people.
Nehemiah 11:1
Now the leaders of the people lived in Jerusalem. etc. The arrangement that had been begun right after the rebuilding of the city is now complete; but up to this time, it could not be finished before the numbering of the people and the completion of the solemnities of the seventh month, so that it might be determined who should live in the holy city itself and who in the other towns. It is fitting regarding the figures of the sacraments that the leaders of the people are said to have lived in Jerusalem. For it is proper that the prelates of the holy Church should surpass the people as much in the merits of their life as they surpass them in the height of their power. Indeed, the other cities of Israel signify the devout conversation of God's people. But the habitation of the people of Jerusalem especially represents the deeds of those who, having overcome the struggle against vices, approach the vision of supreme peace with a free mind, according to that verse of the Psalmist: "The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob" (Psalm 87). Hence, subsequently, a tenth part of the people was chosen by lot to receive habitation in Jerusalem, while the other nine parts resided in their own towns;
because it is indeed the privilege of the perfect—those who fully keep the precepts of the Decalogue in the love of God and neighbor—to approach the heavenly secrets with their minds and to imitate, if I may say so, the peace of supreme blessedness amid the turmoil of a fleeting life. Although the gate to eternal life is open to those who keep God's general commandments, as the Lord declares to the rich man who questioned Him in the Gospel. Such people dwell, as it were, in the cities given to them by the Lord, because they vigilantly guard themselves against the snares of the ancient enemy by adhering to the divine law. But those who wish to be perfect, having sold all that they have and distributed it to the poor, and thus follow the Lord, these dwell, as it were, in the citadel of Jerusalem, close to the temple of God and the ark of the covenant, because they approach more intimately the grace of their Creator. It is well said that their habitation in the holy city was not due to human choice, but by the casting of lots, just as the possession of other cities was given by lot to the children of Israel in the time of Joshua; because indeed both small and great blessings are received not by the freedom or effort of one's own will but by the gift of the hidden Judge and Giver.
Nehemiah 11:2
The people blessed all the men, etc. And we must make the exalted life of the elect, which we cannot follow by imitation, our own by rejoicing and venerating it. It should be noted, according to the faith of sacred History, that those who are said to have dwelled in Jerusalem were none other than from the tribe of Judah and Benjamin, and the Levites. For it clearly follows: [Nehemiah 11:3] -- Each one dwelt in his own possession, etc. By these words, it is plainly taught that all of Israel, that is, the ten tribes, lived in their cities, in which even the priests and Levites held their portion decreed by law. However, from the tribe of Judah and Benjamin, whoever was chosen by lot dwelled in Jerusalem; along with those from the priestly and Levitical tribes. For the tribe of Benjamin had been dwelling there from ancient times, as that city had fallen to them by lot. The tribe of Judah entered there in the times of David, when he made it the metropolis of the entire Israelite kingdom. The tribe of Levi was added when the ark of the covenant was brought there, and the altar and temple of God were built. For, see the following passages of this book and you will find that inhabitants of Jerusalem are counted only from these three tribes, and their total is carefully tallied; once their catalog is completed, Scripture still goes on to add in which cities the rest of these tribes lived. For it follows:
Nehemiah 11:25
Of the sons of Judah, they dwelled in Kiriath-arba, etc. For Beer-sheba was the boundary of Judah to the south, and the Valley of the Sons of Hinnom to the north next to Jerusalem to the east. Then the cities of the sons of Benjamin are recounted in a similar order. After listing these, it is added: [Nehemiah 11:36] -- And concerning the Levites, portions of Judah and Benjamin, it indicates that the Levites received their share in the possession of the children of Judah and Benjamin according to the decree of the law. Let these few words be said about the history. Concerning all these things, if we also wish to hear an allegorical sense that fits our actions, Judah is interpreted as confessing, Benjamin as the son of the right hand, Levi as taken up. Tribes of all these partly live in Jerusalem, and partly in subordinate cities given to them by God, because the gains of the faithful are many and diverse, for which there are also many mansions in the house of the Father in the heavens, as we taught above. Some are content to keep the general commandments of God: not to kill, not to commit adultery, not to steal, not to bear false witness against their neighbor; to honor father and mother, and to love neighbors as themselves. Others try to take a stricter way of a perfect life, yet all praise and confess the grace of their Creator according to their calling and are children of the eternal kingdom, which is at His right hand; and they are taken up by Him into life, when the time of that judgment comes, in which two will be in the field, one will be taken, two women grinding at the mill, one will be taken, and one left (Matthew XXIV).
Nehemiah 12:1
These are the priests and Levites, etc. Here the chief priests are described together with their brothers, that is the lesser priests, and the Levites, those who went up from the captivity of Babylon with Zerubbabel and Joshua the son of Jozadak. After explaining these, those who succeeded each other in the chief priesthood from that time up to the beginning of the kingdom of the Macedonians are also included. For it follows:
Chapter 32
The progeny of Joshua the high priest, and those who were leaders of the priests and Levites at that time, is expounded. [Nehemiah 12:10] -- Now Joshua begot Joakim, etc. Finally, Jeddua, who is placed last among these, Josephus writes (Antiquities II, 8) was the high priest in the times of Alexander the Great, and humbly and honorably received by him when he met him with his brothers. Indeed, he names him Jaddus, and says that he was the father of Onias the high priest, of whom it is written in the book of the Maccabees; not that Nehemiah, the author of this book, could have lived in the flesh until those times, but because he knew his infancy, who yet could have reached the grade of priesthood after a long time following his death. For at the end of this little book, there is also mention of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliasib, that one of them was the son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite, although the name of this son-in-law is indeed omitted. But because Joiada is the same grandfather of Jeddua, it is clear that the son-in-law spoken of is either the actual father of this Jeddua, or his uncle; therefore, he could have been born while Nehemiah was still alive.
Nehemiah 12:12
In the days of Joachim there were priests, etc. However, after providing the succession of chief priests, a catalogue of the lesser priests and Levites who existed during their times is also added, so that we might know that, when the number of citizens in Jerusalem increased abundantly, the group of priests and Levites was also distinguished and noble, sufficient for the ministries of the temple and altar, for confessing and praising God, for the guardianship of the same temple and city, and for instructing the people. Nor was it done without the understanding of a holier mystery, that the rebuilt city of Jerusalem deserved such a great number of citizens in every rank and order, as it is never read to have lost so many even while the enemy was pressing and destroying. For just so, the holy Church often received greater increases from its losses, when many, frightened by the example of one who lapsed into sin through negligence, became more cautious about persevering in the chastity of faith. Often the very ones who sinned, after performing penance, began to bear greater fruits of good works than those they were accustomed to bear before the incursion of sin. Often the Church, devastated by heretics, after receiving the light of truth through the diligence of Catholic doctors, generated more children of the same truth, recovering many to know and defend reason.
For blessed Fathers Athanasius, Ambrose, Hilary, Augustine, and others like them would never have composed so many and such magnificent treatises on the holy Scripture if not for the multifarious errors of heretics against the correct faith. But while the heretics were trying to support their lies with testimonies of Scriptures, they were forced contrariwise to refute them with the authority of the same Scriptures and to explain how their statements should rightly be understood. Reading these writings today, we receive them as more vigilant guards at the gates and entrances of the holy city and temple, and as more copious ministers for the office of the altar and the sacrifices of the Lord; for through their words we are instructed to more intently serve under the divine gaze of majesty, in the custody of faith, and in good action. This can also mystically be understood of the persecution by the pagans, by which the holy Church was very frequently shaken; it seemed indeed to be completely destroyed on the occasion of the martyrs, but it was better constructed as they were crowned in secret. With their miracles shining forth after their deaths, a greater people flocked to the confession of faith, until the very pinnacle of worldly power consented to submit its neck to the sweetest yoke of Christ, so that the state of the holy city, which is the Church of Christ, long attacked by unbelieving kings, was again helped and propagated by the efforts of believing kings and princes of the age;
just as the city of Jerusalem was indeed overthrown by the kings of the Chaldeans, who are interpreted as fierce or like demons, but was restored and exalted with the due honor by the kings of the Persians, who are said to be interpreted as tempted, through friendly provision.
Chapter 33
The city of Jerusalem is dedicated with solemn joy, and guardians are appointed over the treasury houses for the offerings of the saints. [Nehemiah 12:27] -- At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, etc. The city had already been built for some time, but it was not fitting to dedicate it until inhabitants were gathered, appropriate ministers for the temple were assigned, and guards were appointed for the gates and vestibules. Once the holy city is established, it is dedicated when, at the end of the age, the number of the elect is completed and the Universal Church is brought into heaven to behold its Creator. Whenever we are uplifted in this life with the desires for that life, we rejoice as if at the dedication of our figurative city. Thus, this same dedication can be understood in two ways signification-wise: at one time, in the hope of those desiring and purifying the eyes of their heart, by which they may be able to see God; and then in the actual enjoyment of the divine vision by blessed people in spiritual bodies among the angelic host of spirits.
Nehemiah 12:27
They sought out the Levites from all their dwellings, etc. Spiritual Levites, that is, those chosen for the lot of the kingdom, are also sought from all their places, when the Son of Man shall send His angels, and gather His elect from the four winds, from the highest part of the earth to the highest part of the heavens. And they make dedication with joy, song, thanksgiving; and with various musical instruments, for in the perception of eternal life they will rejoice together, giving thanks to Him by whose gift they have deserved to enter that city. Moreover, cymbals, psalteries, and lyres can be understood as the bodies of the saints, now immortal, rendering the sweetest sounds of their praise to the Lord. But in the present life, the Levites are gathered in Jerusalem when the faithful, inflamed by the memory of supernal peace, place their whole mind's delight in it, and of that eternal inheritance in the heavens which they hope to receive; and if they cannot yet see it, at least they rejoice in the hope, according to the words of the Psalmist: Rejoice, you just, in the Lord, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness (Ps. XCVI). For they make dedication in song and thanksgiving, receiving with a mind rejoicing in the Lord whatever occurs in the world, whether adversity or prosperity. They also make it in cymbals, psalteries, and lyres, when they cause the grateful sounds of good works to ascend to the ears of their Creator, and also kindle the hearts of their neighbors to the love of the same Creator and Savior.
Nehemiah 12:28
So the sons of the singers gathered, etc. The sons of the singers are imitators of those who have striven to serve the Lord with a devout and cheerful mind, or even to sound forth His word by preaching to others; who build for themselves villages around Jerusalem, when they dwell in the vicinity of the heavenly homeland with a lofty heart, saying: "For our conversation is in heaven" (Philippians III). And they build these same villages in the plains around Jerusalem, when they humble themselves the more with a heart expanded in God, as much as they sweetly taste and touch the glory of His loftiness; who, indeed, all being gathered now and with the progress of good works, to the heavenly homeland of virtues, and in the very time of dedication - that is, of eternal reward - are found there together.
Nehemiah 12:30
And the priests and Levites purified themselves, etc. It is a wholly just order that those teachers and prelates who wish to purify the people should first be purified themselves; first, they should chastise their own body and bring it into servitude, lest perhaps, while preaching to others, they themselves should be found reprobate (I Cor. IX). The priests and Levites were purified by prayers and by the offerings of sacrifices, and also by abstaining from wives, they purified the people by preaching the same continence. They also purified the gates and the wall with trumpets and the songs of psalms, with the people accompanying them by encircling. Together they purified with themselves the people, the gates, and the wall, offering great sacrifices after completing the circuit for the state of the citizens and the city. But also now, those who preside over the people with holy leadership, and have been taken by the Lord into spiritual ministry, carry with greater seriousness the memory of our dedication, which is in the future resurrection; thus, they strive the more earnestly to purify and sanctify both themselves and those entrusted to them; lest perhaps anyone, found in a defiled state of mind, be cast outside from the common joy of the holy solemnity and be bound hand and foot and cast into the outer darkness.
Nehemiah 12:31
And I caused the leaders of Judah to ascend upon the wall, etc. The leaders of Judah, that is, of confession or praise, are indeed the more advanced teachers of the holy Church, who ascend upon the wall in the dedication of the city; because when the time of recompense shall appear, they will be shown to have transcended the general conduct of the holy Church by living more loftily. These are of whom the Lord promises to the same Church through the prophet, saying: "I have appointed watchmen upon your walls" (Isaiah XXVI). Hence it is just that those who are now elevated as the wall of the holy Church in the capacity of watchmen, should then also surpass the others in the glory of their reward. Where two large choirs of praisers are established, because from both peoples, namely, the Jews and the Gentiles, who praise God in the heavenly homeland, they come. What also anyone learned recognizes to happen daily in this life. These choirs indeed go to the right upon the wall, because the just, by living rightly, hasten to eternal life both now in the present, and will reach it in the future. They go to the gate of the dung heap, indeed in the present to purge the filth of sins from the Church by living rightly and correcting those who err. In the future, however, so that they may expel by judicial power from the city of the Lord, that is, from the entrance to the heavenly homeland, those who were unwilling to be corrected. Or certainly, the choirs of praisers go to the right upon the wall to the gate of the dung heap, while they proclaim the worthy of praise, who took care to eliminate all uncleanness from the Church by preaching, reproving, excommunicating, anathematizing.
Nehemiah 12:35
And of the sons of the priests with trumpets, Zechariah, etc. Indeed, in this life, the sons of the priests play the trumpets at the dedication of the city of God, because they inflame the hearts of the listeners with the memory of the heavenly homeland by preaching, and this is in the vessels of the song of David, the man of God, when, relying not on their own sense or desires, but following in all things the life of the fathers and prophets, they insist on doctrine, the word of preaching. Ezra, the scribe of the law of God, precedes them to the gate of the fountain, as in all that they do, they keep the words of the sacred Scripture before their eyes, by which they may be led to the entrance of eternal life. About this, the Psalmist says to the Lord: They will be filled from the abundance of your house, and you will give them drink from the torrent of your pleasure, for with you is the fountain of life (Psalm 36).
Nehemiah 12:37
And they went up against them on the steps of the city of David, etc. Above, when the city was being built, it was said: Those who built the gate of the fountain continued their measure of work up to the steps descending from the city of David (Neh. III). There, therefore, is the descent of the steps during the building; here, however, during the dedication of the city, is the ascent mentioned; just as there labor and conflict with the enemy is conducted, here the joy of the enemy having been defeated is celebrated, because indeed all the saints, who now are humbled under the mighty hand of God, will be exalted by Him in the future. Those who now build the walls of the Church on earth from living stones, namely holy souls, in affliction and dangers, in many vigils, then with the completion of the same building, and when it has been raised in the kingdom of heaven, they, rejoicing, ascend to contemplate its glory. However, the house of David, that is, by the strong and desirable hand, are all the just, who by the grace of their Creator are filled and inhabited by Him. And the sons of priests ascend upon the house of David, when holy preachers, or martyrs, as they now pass through the general life of the just, either through the ministry of the word or the struggle of martyrdom; in this way, then, the general rewards of them precede the higher gifts of remuneration.
To whom the parable of the faithful servants aptly fits, of which one says, Lord, your mina has made ten minas; the same Lord says, Well done, good servant, because you have been faithful in a little, you will have authority over ten cities. To another saying the same, Lord, your mina has made five minas; and He says, You be over five cities (Luke XIX). For as many as one now instructs to life by his word or example, to such an extent he will then be honored, appearing more glorious in the perception of life. The priests also come to the water gate towards the east, when those who in this life, just as the deer longs for the fountains of water, so desired to appear before the face of God, they reach the affection of this desire, and merit to see the rise of the Sun of righteousness without setting. But it is said, And they went up against them; it does not signify the contrariety of distance, but the encounter of harmony, by which the elect both in this life once kindle each other to the love of their Creator, and in the next life more perfectly rejoicing in each other's happiness, always without weariness they praise Him, in accordance with the example of the seraphim, who, as the prophet testifies, calling to one another, celebrate the holy Trinity with associated exultation (Isa. VI).
Nehemiah 12:38
And a second chorus of those giving thanks went opposite, etc. It is long to discuss each gate or tower in particular; it suffices to say that those who completed the gates, towers, and wall of the city in great labor, hardship, hunger, cold, daily and nightly watchfulness, against an indefatigable and insidious enemy, then, with the enemy repelled and confounded, walking through the gates, towers, and buildings of the same city, rejoice together in songs and hymns, with psalteries, cymbals, lyres, trumpets, and thanksgiving, together with those who were the makers of the work and the teachers of God's law. It is doubtful to none that this also happens in the same manner in a spiritual edifice. When the time of ultimate retribution comes, as if by the long-desired dedication of the city of God, everlasting faith receives rewards for its works; when, like Nehemiah and Ezra, and the other priests and Levites, each presenting their laborers, all the teachers of the faithful people introduce those whom they have brought to the Lord to the walls of the heavenly homeland. Then, among other things, in the holy walls of the city, even upon the tower of the ovens, in whose structure they had labored before, Nehemiah advances with a chorus of praisers, while the teachers of truth rejoice in the sublime rewards of those they have taught. For if the breads of the ovens, which are baked in secret, signify the inner devotion of the faithful mind, confirmed by the fire of love;
whence such breads are commanded by law to be offered as a sacrifice to the Lord (Leviticus II), which are more aptly figured by the ovens in which those same breads are baked than by their own hearts, which are always to burn with the flame of intimate love, and tend to produce acts and words of virtues. About which the prophet beautifully says: "Your Lord is a fire in Zion, and a furnace in Jerusalem" (Isaiah XXXI). And Luke himself about himself: "Was not our heart burning within us, while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us? (Luke XXIV). And against, the hearts of the reprobate also burn, but with the fire of sins. Hence another prophet about them: "All of them are adulterers, like a heated oven" (Hosea VII). Therefore, the builders of the holy city build a tower of ovens among others, when the teachers establish the hearts of their hearers in faith and in the work of truth, so that they may be worthy to receive greater gifts of the Spirit, and daily new feasts of virtues to be brought forth in the joy of the people of God. Rejoicing, and singing praise to the Lord, they advance upon the tower of the ovens on the day of the dedication of Jerusalem, when in the time of future retribution, they rejoice in the eternal beatitude for the glory of those whom they have instructed with the teachings of life.
Therefore, the ovens are the hearts of the elect, in which love is poured out by the Holy Spirit, who has been given to them. And the tower of the ovens is the height and guard of good works; which same hearts, lest they may be harmed by evil spirits, lest the flame of virtues be able to be inflated or disturbed by the wind of pride, always need to be fortified with careful and anxious vigilance.
Nehemiah 12:40
And two choirs of those praising stood in the house of God, etc. Walking before the walls and gardens of the city, in a song of joy, and with musical instruments, they return to the temple of the Lord; so that there also standing, they may render praise to the Lord with sounding trumpets, and fulfill the vows of dedication with the offered sacrifices. But that same homeland of the future life mystically signifies the house of the Lord, which both the city of the Lord also indicates, just as the present Church is customarily called in the Scriptures both the house of Christ and the city. However, there is a distinction, as the buildings of the city sing the praises with songs of gratitude and instruments; but in the house of God standing, they are reported to have praised and sung clearly. For the chosen ascend the walls of the city, which they made with the joy of the heavenly country, which they themselves made with the diligence of good works, they enter. They perceive the diversity of the gates, and the height of the towers and buildings, when entering into the house of the Father, they contemplate the difference of many mansions there according to the diverse merits of men. But they stand in the house of God, and sing more clearly, when each received into their own mansions, they remain in stable habitation in the perpetual vision of their Creator, and celebrate His praises in the age of God with an undivided voice.
Where two choirs of those praising will be, either from both peoples, as we interpreted above, joined, and coupled into one modulation of divine praise; or made of angels and men, fulfilling the Lord's promise, where it is said, that men will be equal to the angels of God (Mark XII). But also in this life the just ascend into the city of the Lord with hymns of dedication, when longing with all their heart for the memory of future reward, they daily progress more and more in good works, according to that of the Psalmist: He has set ascensions in his heart in the valley of tears (Ps. LXXXIII). And again: Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord (Ps. CXVIII). For behold he also calls the undefiled those walking in the way in the law of the Lord, because they thus indeed hold the accepted innocence of heart and work, so that moreover they strive to grow in the merits of virtues to higher things. But they stand in the house of the Lord with praises, because in the very pursuit of good works they persevere indefatigably, according to that of blessed Elijah: The Lord lives, in whose sight I stand (III Kings XVII), that is, in whose will to be completed I remain with an indefatigable mind. But aptly it follows:
Nehemiah 12:43
And they sacrificed great victims on that day, etc. On that day of perpetual light (about which Zachariah said: And there shall be one day which is known to the Lord, not day nor night: that is, removed from the experience of passing times) the chosen sacrifice great victims to the Lord, namely those which the Psalmist, tasting in the hope of future things, said: You have broken my bonds, I will offer to you the sacrifice of praise (Psalm 115). He also rightly shows where he hoped to sacrifice this victim, when he immediately adds: I will pay my vows to the Lord in the courts of the house of the Lord, in the presence of all his people, in the midst of you, Jerusalem. For in the midst of Jerusalem we render our vows to God in the presence of all his people, when in the heavenly homeland with the entire assembly of saints gathered, we offer him those praises for which we now groan and which we daily long for with a desire for grace.
Nehemiah 12:43
For God had made them rejoice with great joy, etc. These things truly pertain to the edification of that holy city which is in the future, in which God is the king who gladdens His citizens with His presence, indeed with great joy; hence, when the king was born in the flesh, the angel appearing to the shepherds said: Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which will be to all people (Luke 2). This is in clear distinction from human joy, which is both small and transient; and therefore, the wise should consider it of little value. However, in that joy which God grants to His city, it is well mentioned that the wives of the citizens, together with their children, also rejoiced; because at the time of the resurrection, not only those who had either preached the word or steadfastly endured in the works of faith will receive the great reward of their great labors, but also the weaker ones, those who shared the same faith, will rejoice together with them in the same reception of eternal life. For the Lord blessed all those who feared Him, the small together with the great (Psalm 115). This dedication can also be understood in this life metaphorically, in some chosen ones, who, having purified the eye of the heart, are worthy to contemplate part of the joys which the whole Church will fully receive in the future, like Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and the other prophets; like the apostles (Matthew 17), who rejoiced to see the Lord glorified on the holy mountain; like Paul (2 Corinthians 12), who was worthy to be caught up into paradise and the third heaven; like John in the Apocalypse, who, the higher they ascended into the lofty heights of the heavenly city, the more clearly they took care to sing the praises of the Lord and always to offer Him the greatest sacrifices of good works.
Nehemiah 12:44
They also appointed men over the storerooms of the treasury on that day, etc. While all rejoiced in the building and dedication of the city, every effort was made to ensure that the worship of religion, which was established through ceremonies, especially the teaching and duties of priests, Levites, singers, and gatekeepers, was maintained and grew. Therefore, diligent men were appointed to carefully gather and guard the money contributed by the people in the temple treasury, for the use of those same ministers of the temple and altar; to also carefully preserve the first fruits of the crops, tithes, wine, and libations brought to the temple; so that, with an abundance of things either to be offered to the Lord or from which the ministers of the Lord themselves could live, the multitude of those same ministers would more willingly agree to make their dwelling in Jerusalem, from whom the gathered crowd of people should be taught and at the same time sanctified.
Nehemiah 12:44
Because Judah rejoiced in the priests and Levites who stood by, etc. This was the reason why the people chose to have the priests and Levites, and the other ministers of the saints to dwell in Jerusalem; because they rejoiced in their good works, through whose devoted diligence to God, the people themselves were corrected from their errors, and the city was constructed and dedicated with great praise and joy. We have an allegorical exposition of this chapter prepared for us; because the Lord decided that those who proclaim the Gospel should live from the Gospel (1 Cor. 9). But woe to those priests and ministers of the saints, who indeed delight in joyfully receiving the rightful stipends from the people, but do not strive to labor for the salvation of the same people, neither to provide them with any guidance in holy living, nor to sing to them anything sweet about the sweetness of the heavenly kingdom, nor to open for them the gate of the heavenly city by having citizenship in heaven, but rather by acting perversely they are found to close it. In whose works the people cannot in any way trust, nor praise the Lord, but rather are much more compelled to be afflicted. Note well indeed that Judah, who previously spoke as one despairing in the construction of the city: "The strength of those bearing the burdens is weakened, and there is much dirt, and we are unable to build the wall" (Neh 4), and the rest of that place;
now had regained strength of mind and body to carry away the dirt which hindered the building of the wall that had fallen, to overcome the lurking enemies who were threatening. Therefore, with good reason, he rejoices in the priests and Levites, singers and gatekeepers, whose labor and exhortation enabled him to escape such a great danger of affliction, and found such great glory of regained prosperity. And you, therefore, if your heart is weighed down by the dirt of vices, so that you are unable to build in it a city worthy of divine habitation, if you see the evil enemy intending to draw you back from purging the rubble of vices, from building the walls of virtues, listen to the consolation and advice of the priests; be constant in listening to and keeping the divine readings; and thus you will stand, so that the habitation of your praetorium, with the snares of demons driven out, will have God as the victor enter, about to sanctify it as his city, and to make his dwelling with you.
Nehemiah 12:47
And they sanctified the Levites, etc. The people sanctified the Levites by giving them tithes, as if to the holy ones of God; and the Levites themselves sanctified the priests by offering them a tenth part, as if giving from their own tithes to those higher than themselves.
Nehemiah 13:1
On that day, it was read from the book of Moses, etc. It is evident that the Moabites and Ammonites, because they were born of incest, hold the figure of the heretics, whose founders, while they corrupt the doctrine of the fathers, from which they themselves were taught, by misunderstanding it, use it as if the daughters of Lot secretly and in the dark used their father's seed, and not lawfully: therefore the progeny of such, that is, the followers of heresies, can never have any part in the Church of the Lord. For whoever are corrected from this, will no longer be the offspring of the same origin. However, they met the children of Israel coming out of Egypt with bread and water, if they, living well, and dwelling in Catholic peace, would offer the solace of the word of God to those who have recently been rescued from the service of sins by the water of baptism and the waves of the sea, aspiring to the freedom of the heavenly homeland; just as Barzillai the Gileadite did (2 Samuel 19), who met David and his army fleeing from Absalom with provisions, so that by refreshing them, he rendered them stronger against the new tyranny of the king's son; clearly signifying those who strengthen the church scattered by heretics with the help of the heavenly word, and take care to encourage them to conquer their madness.
But while these same heretics strive to destroy neophytes with their leaders and by the shown examples of others, or with malignant words, like a people born of incest attacking the exodus of Israel from Egypt with their arms, and Balaam the soothsayer, who is interpreted as the vanity of the cursed people, and with wicked plots. But God turned the curse of Balaam into a blessing for His people, and protected them from the arms of hostile nations; for all things work together for good to those who love God (Romans 8).
Chapter 34
All foreigners are separated from Israel, and the portions of the Levites and the firstfruits of the priests are placed in the treasury of the house of the Lord. [Nehemiah 13:3] -- Now it came to pass when they heard the law, etc. Hearing the law about the two enemy nations to be anathematized, the faithful people immediately separated all foreigners from themselves; because it is necessary for us to attend to the hearing of the truth in such a way that when we are prohibited by divine reading from any single vice, we immediately purge not only that particular vice concerning which the discourse may have occurred, but also everything whatsoever of vice we find soiling us, both from our actions and our conscience. [Nehemiah 13:5] -- He made for himself a large treasury, etc. This statement, where Nehemiah writes that he was not in Jerusalem, does not seem to pertain to the matters narrated above up to this point, but only to the present location; for the previous matters were seen to have been done or spoken at the time when the city was built and dedicated, when Nehemiah was still residing in Jerusalem; with those things diligently completed, he returned to the king, and while he was absent, Eliashib made a large treasury in which were stored those things necessary either for the ministry of the house of the Lord or for the use of the ministers. He was not afraid to place certain unlawful things in the treasury of the house of the Lord; because when Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem, he immediately strove to disrupt those things. For it follows:
Chapter 35
Nehemiah, having returned from Babylon to Jerusalem, again cleanses the treasuries of the vessels of the Gentiles and places there those things appropriate for the house of the Lord. [Nehemiah 13:7] -- And I came to Jerusalem and understood the evil, etc. We read above that Tobiah was an Ammonite servant, an enemy of the people of God; therefore, Eliashib the priest acted very wrongfully; for he made a treasury in the vestibules of the house of God for this man, even though he was closely related to him by kinship, in which he placed his vessels, having ejected the vessels of the house of God, and the other things required for its ministry; for what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? What accord has Christ with Belial? What agreement does the temple of God have with idols? What communion have heretics and schismatics with the orthodox and peaceful children of God? (II Cor. VI)
Nehemiah 13:8
And I cast out the vessels of the house of Tobiah outside, etc. And you, whatever of infidelity and impurity you find among the faithful, immediately cast it out, so that from the hearts of the believers, which are the treasuries of the Lord, when they have been filled with the riches of virtues, the vessels of the Lord may be brought in; that is, those very hearts which shortly before had been vessels of error through fault may again become vessels of the Lord through correction; and there the sacrifice of good works and the incense of pure prayer may be found, where formerly was the den of thieves. But those also who cast out the vessels of Tobiah the Ammonite from the treasury of the temple, and replace there the vessels of the house of God, and the sacrifice and incense, are those who, excommunicating or anathematizing heretics or false Catholics and expelling them from the Church, appoint in their place the servants of Christ who serve Him with faithful deeds and prayers. Certainly, this too should be compared to Nehemiah, with the zeal of the Lord the Savior, when finding those selling and buying in the temple, he made a whip of cords and drove them all out (Mark XII, Luke XIX); and Nehemiah, aptly as in his other acts, thus in this also carried the type of the true comforter and cleaner of God.
Chapter 36
Nehemiah diligently strives to prevent the Sabbath rest from being violated by the Gentiles' market.
Nehemiah 13:15
In those days I saw in Judah men treading wine presses on the Sabbath, etc. By law, we are commanded to work for six days on necessary things, and on the seventh, we are to rest; the general mystery of this command is clear, that all the elect in this world, which is measured by six ages, ought to labor for eternal rest; but on the future day, as on the seventh day, they hope to receive perpetual rest from the Lord. And according to tropology, that is, the moral sense, the elect also in this life keep a Sabbath dedicated to the Lord, when they separate themselves temporarily from the cares of this world, devote themselves to prayer, and lift their purified minds to the contemplation of heavenly things. For when we carry out the demands of the flesh with a sincere heart, and not in desires contrary to the Apostle's command, we labor as if in six days on necessary things; since we are occupied with things needed for this world. Furthermore, the Sabbath of our prayers and devotion, in which we are freed from temporal activities, so that we may sweetly taste the joys of eternity, is rightly assigned to the seventh day; because it imitates the future rest of life and blessed praise; but the Gentiles seek to profane the Sabbath day when earthly thoughts inopportunely disturb us during our time of prayer and try to draw us away from deep love through memory or delight in temporal things.
They load wine, grapes, and figs onto donkeys, and all kinds of burdens, and bring them into Jerusalem, when they seek to burden the foolish movements of our spirit with carnal pleasures, attempting through these and similar temptations to violate the rest of our hearts devoted to God. But Nehemiah opposes these tumults of improper thoughts so that they do not disturb our Sabbath, when with strict diligence, aided by the Lord, we exclude useless and inept imaginations from our hearts during prayer. He exhorts them to sell such merchandise on the days when it is lawful to do so, when the devout heart imposes a boundary on its thoughts, so that during prayer, it abstains from the cares of passing things. Yet at other times, when opportunity dictates, let them not completely turn away from efforts concerning food and clothing; but let them dispense these with appropriate moderation when necessity demands.
Nehemiah 13:16
And the Tyrians lived in it, bringing in fish, etc. Just as the good fish represents pious faith, which when one asks from the Lord, one does not receive the serpent of unbelief; similarly, the wicked fish represents base thoughts, which by their very nature tend to immerse themselves excessively in worldly cares; these the Tyrians, who are interpreted as the constrained, seek to sell to us on the Sabbath, when impure spirits improperly attempt to overwhelm the rest of our pious life with deep worldly concerns. However, for such commerce Nehemiah rebukes and chastises the leaders of Judah, when divine inspiration mercifully purges those who strive to serve the profession of piety from such thoughts. [Nehemiah 13:19] -- Therefore, it happened, when the gates of Jerusalem rested on the Sabbath day, etc. If our conscience, when purified from vices, rejoices in the indwelling of God, it can rightly be called Jerusalem. What are these gates of Jerusalem, but the senses of our body, namely, sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch? through which the things done outside reach the knowledge of our mind, as if entering through them; which we are commanded to close on the Sabbath day, so that when we seek to occupy ourselves with psalms or prayers to God, everything external is expelled from the mind, and we pray and praise only our judge in secret with a free mind. And because no one becomes supreme suddenly, but ought to reach this perfection and peace of mind, of which we speak, through long progress in holy living with the aid of Christ's grace, it is fittingly added and said of these things:
Nehemiah 13:22
He also said to the Levites that they should be purified, etc. For it is necessary that they be purified from the daily exercise of good works, who desire to guard the gates of their senses from any incursion of turbulent thoughts. And whoever wishes to sanctify the Sabbath day, that is, to make useful to oneself the leisure of prayers, psalmody, holy reading, and tears, it is necessary to cleanse one’s conscience with great diligence, so that one may be able to bring to completion the intent of good action well. This can also be rightly interpreted in an allegorical sense concerning the teachers of the faithful. For whoever desires to guard the gates of the holy Church, that is, the faith and works of their hearers, through which alone one enters the Church, from the contagion of heretics and vice knocking, ought first to purify their own heart and actions from every stain of errors.
Chapter 37
Nehemiah cleanses the Jews from foreign wives and establishes the orders of priests and Levites, each in his service; and finally recommends himself to the memory of God for good. [Nehemiah 13:30] -- But in those days I also saw Jews who had married women of Ashdod, etc. And now in the holy Church they marry foreign wives, whoever tarnishes his conscience with the pleasures of crimes, which properly belong to the pagans. And the children born from these do not know how to speak Jewish, as the deeds which arose from a corrupted mind reveal nothing of pious profession; but rather sound like pagan folly than ecclesiastical chastity. For Ashdod, which is called Asdod in Hebrew, is interpreted as "word of fire." Therefore, according to the allegorical sense, the sons of foreign wives speak Ashdodite, when deeds begotten through wantonness expect the retribution of eternal combustion. Hence, rightfully, the parents of such are not only rebuked and cursed by Nehemiah, but some are also beaten; because it is necessary for the erring to be more severely restrained by teachers of the truth, so that they may learn to be happily transferred from the word of avenging fire to the word of divine praise. But also heretics, when they devote themselves more to the studies of gentile philosophy, dialectics, and rhetoric than to ecclesiastical simplicity, it is not surprising if their listeners speak according to the tongue of the people, and the people indeed speak, turning over the holy scriptures with their mouth, but interpreting these with erratic and pagan sense.
Nehemiah 13:30
Therefore, I cleansed them from all foreigners, etc. An apt and fitting end in all respects for the edification of the holy city and the temple of the Lord, so that with the citizens cleansed of every stain of foreign and alien pollution from God, the orders of priests and Levites might rightly be preserved in their ministry; so that the institution of the master of the Church, royally established, may remain and grow in goodness, encouraging the people disciplined from all sin; for indeed this people, among other things, offers wood to the Lord to sustain the fire of the altar, as they perform works of virtues surely worthy of divine consecration. For if wood did not sometimes signify something good, the prophet would not say: "Then shall all the trees of the forest rejoice before the Lord" (Psalm 95). But wood burns and is consumed on the altar of holocausts, when works of justice in the hearts of teachers are perfected by the flame of charity. Rightly then does such a founder and dedicant of the city, after many labors of his devotion, commend himself to the memory of his Creator and the Giver of all good things. And You, supreme Father of lights, from whom every good gift and every perfect gift descends; who have bestowed upon me, most humble of your servants, both the love and the help to consider the wonders of your law; who in the treasury of the prophetic volume has granted me the grace not only to embrace the old things, but also to find new gifts by the uplifting of the old, and to bring them forth for the use of my fellow servants, remember me, my God, for good (James 1).