Nehemiah Chapter 10
Israel’s Covenant with God
A. Roster of those who signed the covenant.
1. (Nehemiah 10:1–8) Nehemiah and the priests signed the covenant.
“Now those who placed their seal on the document were: Nehemiah the governor, the son of Hacaliah, and Zedekiah, Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah, Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah, Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch, Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch, Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin, Maaziah, Bilgai, and Shemaiah. These were the priests.” (Nehemiah 10:1–8, )
This section records the concrete follow through of the decision made at the end of Nehemiah chapter 9. The covenant was no longer theoretical or emotional. It became formal, written, and binding. Those who placed their seal on the document publicly identified themselves as accountable before God and the people. This was not a private vow but a national commitment led by recognized authorities.
Nehemiah’s name appears first, appropriately so. As governor, he did not delegate spiritual responsibility downward while remaining personally detached. He led by example. His willingness to place his seal on the covenant demonstrated that leadership in God’s work requires personal submission to God’s authority. Spiritual renewal always begins at the top if it is to endure.
The list that follows consists of priests, men whose calling was directly connected to the worship, instruction, and spiritual life of the nation. Their participation was essential. If the priests had refused to commit themselves, the covenant would have been hollow. The very men responsible for teaching the Law and ministering before the LORD were now binding themselves to live in obedience to it.
The phrase “those who placed their seal on the document” emphasizes individual responsibility. It was not enough for the nation to agree in principle that something needed to change. Individuals had to step forward and say, in effect, “I am accountable.” There were eighty four leaders in total who did so, men willing to put their names on the line before God.
This action echoes the language of Nehemiah 9:38, “And because of all this, We make a sure covenant, and write it; Our leaders, our Levites, and our priests seal it.” (Nehemiah 9:38, New King James Version). The covenant was literally written and sealed. In the ancient world, covenants were not merely made, they were cut. They involved cost, sacrifice, and seriousness. Entering into covenant with God always requires the surrender of something, pride, autonomy, comfort, or cherished sin. True obedience is never cost free.
These leaders understood the weight of covenant. They remembered that God made a covenant with Abraham, promising descendants and land, “And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant.” (Genesis 17:7, New King James Version). They remembered the covenant at Sinai, when God bound Israel to Himself through the Law, and the covenant with David, promising a perpetual royal line. Yet even with that history, they recognized that their own generation had to respond afresh. Past covenants did not excuse present obedience.
2. (Nehemiah 10:9–13) The Levites who signed the covenant.
“The Levites: Jeshua the son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel. Their brethren: Shebaniah, Hodijah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan, Micha, Rehob, Hashabiah, Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, Hodijah, Bani, and Beninu.” (Nehemiah 10:9–13, New King James Version)
The Levites are listed next, reinforcing the central role of spiritual leadership in covenant faithfulness. The Levites were responsible for assisting the priests, teaching the Law, and leading the people in worship. They had already played a prominent role in reading, explaining, and applying God’s Word in earlier chapters. Now they publicly bind themselves to live according to what they had proclaimed.
The inclusion of both named Levites and their brethren shows that this was not restricted to a small elite. It extended broadly within the tribe charged with spiritual oversight. Teaching God’s Word carries an inherent responsibility to obey it. The Levites’ participation underscored that the covenant was not about controlling others but about personal submission to God.
Their willingness to sign the covenant also served as a safeguard for the future. If those entrusted with instruction drifted into compromise, the people would follow. By sealing the covenant, the Levites committed themselves to guard both doctrine and conduct, ensuring that obedience would be reinforced through teaching and example.
3. (Nehemiah 10:14–27) The civic leaders who signed the covenant.
“The leaders of the people: Parosh, Pahath-Moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani, Bunni, Azgad, Bebai, Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin, Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur, Hodijah, Hashum, Bezai, Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai, Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir, Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua, Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah, Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub, Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek, Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah, Ahijah, Hanan, Anan, Malluch, Harim, and Baanah.” (Nehemiah 10:14–27, New King James Version)
The covenant extended beyond religious leadership to include civic leaders and heads of families. This is significant. Obedience to God was not viewed as a purely religious concern, limited to worship settings. It was understood to affect governance, daily life, economics, family structure, and social responsibility.
By signing the covenant, these leaders acknowledged that national stability and blessing were inseparable from faithfulness to God. Political authority was placed under divine authority. This public submission of civic leadership to God’s Law reinforced the truth that no area of life stands outside God’s rightful rule.
The breadth of names shows that this was a representative commitment. The covenant was not imposed by force, nor limited to a small group of reformers. It was embraced by leaders across the community, indicating a shared recognition that the nation’s previous failures demanded decisive change.
Together, priests, Levites, and civic leaders formed a unified front. Revival had moved from conviction to confession, from confession to commitment, and now from commitment to accountability. The written covenant ensured that this moment would not be forgotten or diluted. It stood as a witness against future compromise and as a reminder that obedience was a chosen path, not an accident.
B. The terms of the covenant.
1. (Nehemiah 10:28–29) The making of the covenant with God.
“Now the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the Nethinim, and all those who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the Law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, everyone who had knowledge and understanding, these joined with their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse and an oath to walk in God’s Law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord, and His ordinances and His statutes.” (Nehemiah 10:28–29, New King James Version)
The covenant did not remain limited to the leaders who sealed the document. The commitment expanded to include the rest of the people, encompassing priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers, the Nethinim, and all who had deliberately separated themselves from the surrounding peoples in order to live according to the Law of God. This was a comprehensive, national commitment that involved every segment of the covenant community.
The phrase “everyone who had knowledge and understanding” is important. The covenant was not imposed blindly or coercively. Those who entered into it did so knowingly and willingly. This highlights the moral responsibility attached to understanding God’s truth. Knowledge brings accountability. To know God’s Law is to be responsible for obeying it.
The inclusion of wives, sons, and daughters shows that covenant faithfulness was intended to shape family life, not merely individual devotion. Faithfulness to God was to be taught, modeled, and passed on within the household. This public commitment ensured that obedience was not an abstract idea but a lived reality within the community.
They entered into both a curse and an oath. This language reflects the seriousness of the covenant. By doing so, they acknowledged that obedience brings blessing, and disobedience brings discipline. They willingly accepted the possibility of God’s corrective judgment if they failed to walk in His ways. This was not fatalism, but humility. They recognized that God’s discipline was part of His covenant faithfulness, intended to restore rather than destroy.
Many believers express this same heart today, even if the language differs. When someone sincerely prays, “Lord, whatever it takes, I want to follow You,” they are effectively placing themselves under God’s loving discipline. Such a prayer recognizes that obedience may cost comfort, ease, or personal preference, yet it is still worth it.
The covenant was made publicly. Though its deepest meaning was between the individual and God, public commitment created accountability. Others would witness, remember, and help call one another back to faithfulness when temptation or complacency threatened obedience.
2. (Nehemiah 10:30) Their first area of decision, faithfulness to God in romantic relationships.
“We would not give our daughters as wives to the peoples of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons.” (Nehemiah 10:30, New King James Version)
The first specific commitment of the covenant addresses marriage. This reflects how central family and marriage are to spiritual health and covenant continuity. In the ancient world, parents arranged marriages, which is why this promise is framed as a parental responsibility. The concern was not ethnicity but faith. The peoples of the land followed other gods and other values, and intermarriage had repeatedly led Israel into idolatry and compromise.
If this covenant were expressed today, it would be directed primarily toward individuals rather than parents. The principle remains unchanged. Those who belong to God are called to unite themselves in marriage with those who share the same covenant loyalty to Him.
Experience and Scripture alike testify to the importance of this principle. Marriage profoundly shapes one’s spiritual direction. While many couples have unique and sometimes remarkable stories of how they came together, once married, God intends that union to be a place where both husband and wife grow closer to Him together. As each partner draws nearer to God, they also grow closer to one another, strengthened by shared devotion and purpose.
For those not yet married, this covenant remains highly relevant. If a person has given their life to serving the LORD, there will inevitably be tension if they bind themselves to someone devoted to a different master. God can and does work graciously in difficult situations, yet wisdom dictates that one should not knowingly choose a path that invites spiritual conflict from the beginning.
Marriage itself is a covenant. “Yet she is your companion, and your wife by covenant.” (Malachi 2:14, New King James Version). It is a binding promise between husband and wife, witnessed by others, and ultimately made before God. Understanding marriage as a covenant provides stability far greater than cultural expectations, emotional highs, or favorable circumstances.
When marriage is rooted in covenant faithfulness to God, it becomes anchored in something enduring. It is strengthened by commitment rather than convenience, sustained by obedience rather than emotion, and upheld by the faithfulness of God Himself. This is why the covenant renewal in Nehemiah begins with marriage. If covenant faithfulness is not protected in the home, it will not endure in the nation.
3. (Nehemiah 10:31) Second area of decision, faithfulness to God in business and economics.
“If the peoples of the land brought wares or any grain to sell on the Sabbath day, we would not buy it from them on the Sabbath, or on a holy day; and we would forego the seventh year’s produce and the exacting of every debt.” (Nehemiah 10:31, New King James Version)
This commitment addresses economic integrity and trust in God’s provision. Under the Mosaic Law, buying and selling on the Sabbath was forbidden because the Sabbath was set apart as a day of rest and trust in God. These citizens had previously violated that command, often under pressure from surrounding peoples who treated the Sabbath like any other business day.
The temptation was obvious. Doing business seven days a week meant increased profit. Refusing to buy or sell on the Sabbath required faith, discipline, and a willingness to accept less immediate gain for the sake of obedience. By covenanting not to purchase wares on the Sabbath, they were declaring that honoring God mattered more than maximizing income.
This principle extends beyond the Sabbath regulation itself. The people also committed to observe the sabbatical year, releasing debts and allowing the land to rest. Economically, this made little sense from a purely human perspective. Spiritually, it demonstrated deep trust in God’s promises. They were choosing obedience even when it appeared financially risky.
The heart issue is clear. They resolved to make money only in ways that honored God. This is a timeless challenge. Many forms of dishonesty, corner cutting, or moral compromise in business do not begin with deliberate rebellion. They begin subtly, justified by necessity, pressure, or opportunity. Bills must be paid, families must be supported, and the system seems to reward questionable practices. Yet Scripture consistently teaches that God is able to provide for those who trust Him.
Faithfulness in business requires refusing to trust cleverness, manipulation, or compromise more than God Himself. Obedience may limit certain opportunities, but it places one under God’s care. Trusting God with provision is an essential part of covenant faithfulness.
4. (Nehemiah 10:32–39) The third area of decision, faithfulness to God in supporting His work.
“Also we made ordinances for ourselves, to exact from ourselves yearly one-third of a shekel for the service of the house of our God: for the showbread, for the regular grain offering, for the regular burnt offering of the Sabbaths, the New Moons, and the set feasts; for the holy things, for the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, and all the work of the house of our God. We cast lots among the priests, the Levites, and the people, for bringing the wood offering into the house of our God, according to our fathers’ houses, at the appointed times year by year, to burn on the altar of the LORD our God as it is written in the Law. And we made ordinances to bring the firstfruits of our ground and the firstfruits of all fruit of all trees, year by year, to the house of the LORD; to bring the firstborn of our sons and our cattle, as it is written in the Law, and the firstborn of our herds and our flocks, to the house of our God, to the priests who minister in the house of our God; to bring the firstfruits of our dough, our offerings, the fruit from all kinds of trees, the new wine and oil, to the priests, to the storerooms of the house of our God; and to bring the tithes of our land to the Levites, for the Levites should receive the tithes in all our farming communities. And the priest, the descendant of Aaron, shall be with the Levites when the Levites receive tithes; and the Levites shall bring up a tenth of the tithes to the house of our God, to the rooms of the storehouse. For the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the offering of the grain, of the new wine and the oil, to the storerooms where the articles of the sanctuary are, where the priests who minister and the gatekeepers and the singers are; and we will not neglect the house of our God.” (Nehemiah 10:32–39, )
Here the covenant becomes highly practical and detailed. The people commit themselves to supporting the work of God financially and materially. They established a yearly contribution of one third of a shekel to fund the daily and seasonal operations of the temple. This included offerings, feasts, holy items, and all the regular functions required to maintain proper worship.
They also organized the wood offering, ensuring that the altar would never lack fuel. This shared responsibility prevented neglect and ensured continuity in worship. Additionally, they reaffirmed their obedience to God’s commands regarding firstfruits, firstborn offerings, and tithes. These provisions sustained the priests, Levites, gatekeepers, and singers who ministered in the house of God.
Two principles governed their giving. First, they committed to give what God had already commanded, the firstborn, firstfruits, and the tithe. Second, they committed to give according to special needs, the yearly tax and the wood offering. Their giving was both obedient and responsive.
Firstfruits and firstborn offerings required faith. Giving the first portion meant trusting God for what remained. A harvest might be uncertain. Livestock might not produce again. Yet God explicitly promised blessing for such faith. “Honor the LORD with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.” (Proverbs 3:9–10, New King James Version)
The covenant closes this section with a decisive statement, “We will not neglect the house of our God.” They committed not only to earn money righteously, but to spend money righteously, beginning with honoring God. Financial faithfulness was understood as an essential expression of covenant loyalty.
Scripture consistently teaches that giving shapes the heart. God does not need human resources, but He uses giving to free His people from bondage to materialism. Holding money too tightly reveals misplaced trust. God Himself is the greatest giver, and His people are called to reflect His generosity.
The New Testament reinforces these principles. Giving is to be regular, planned, and proportional, “On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper.” (1 Corinthians 16:2, New King James Version). It is also to be generous and cheerful, “So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:7, New King James Version).
Those who practice biblical giving consistently testify that it brings blessing, not loss. God does not promise that generosity will always return in financial terms, but He does promise that He will never be indebted to His people. The rewards of obedience often far exceed money, producing contentment, freedom, trust, and joy in God.
