Nehemiah 13:9

Neh 13:9 Then I commanded, and they cleansed the chambers: and thither brought I again the vessels of the house of God, with the meat offering and the frankincense.

Ver. 9. Then I commanded] This was governor like: and blessed be he that hath a stomach for God, and will do his utmost for him, as occasion requireth. Of Nehemiah it might well be said, as Chrysostom doth of Peter, that he was like a man made all of fire, walking among stubble; or like Basil, who was said to be a pillar of fire; he was of such a masculine, disengaged, courageous disposition.

And they cleansed the chamber] The Levites did, with their legal rites and purifications, according to their office, which Nehemiah would not invade.

And thither brought I again] And so set things to rights, as our late reformers began happily to do; but Satan hath hitherto hindered them.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Neh 13:9. Then I commanded, and they cleansed the chambers — Which had been thus profaned, and restored them to their former sanctity, by the water of purification, and such other means and rites as were then usual in such cases. And thither brought I again the vessels of the house of God — Which had been cast out to make room for Tobiah. Thus when sin is cast out of the heart by repentance, and faith in the blood of Christ, let it be furnished with the graces of God’s Spirit, and such holy gifts and blessings as will thoroughly fit it for every good work.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

(9) Cleansed.—There was a formal purification. It is a note of minute accuracy that there is no mention of tithes being brought back as yet; the next verses show why.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

9. they cleansed the chambers] ‘they,’ impersonal. ‘The chambers,’ more than one had been desecrated for the purpose of supplying Tobiah with ‘a great chamber.’

the vessels … meat (R.V. meal-) offering … frankincense] Perhaps the typical items only are mentioned. But a comparison with the list, Neh_13:5, suggests the possibility that the withholding of the tithe from the Levites, which called for the fresh regulations in Neh_13:10-14, will account for the omission of the Levitical and priestly portions in this list.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And I perceived that the portion of the Levites had not been given them,.... The tithes, being removed to some other place, might be converted to another use; or the people, seeing what was done by Eliashib, neglected to bring them in, as judging they would not be properly disposed of; and besides, the Levites had deserted their station upon this:

for the Levites and the singers that did the work were fled everyone to his field; to look after their country farms, or to get their living by agriculture, since there was no care taken of them at Jerusalem; see Neh 12:28.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

The chambers - The “great chamber” assigned to Tobiah Neh 13:5 contained, it would seem, more than one apartment.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Storehouses, which had been profaned by the presence of a pagan. (Menochius) --- Sacrifice. Hebrew mincha, "offerings of flour, fruits, and liquors," which were kept in the storehouses, as well as frankincense. Eliasib had caused these things to be removed, to make place for Tobias. (Calmet)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

They cleansed the chambers, by such means and rites as were then usual in such cases. See Num 19:9.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

9. Cleansed the chambers — By carrying forth all the filthiness, and sanctifying them again to holy uses. Comp. 2Ch_29:5; 2Ch_29:15-16; 2Ch_29:18.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

I commanded, and they cleansed the chambers. Regarding the sacred place as polluted by its conversion to secular uses, Nehemiah had it purified, and so reconsecrated. He then ordered the restoration to their former place of the various stores which had been removed to make room for Tobiah"s furniture.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And I commanded I commanded to purify it, and they purified the chambers, etc.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.