What is the definition of Nehemiah 10:31?

And [if] the people of the land bring ware or any victuals on the sabbath day to sell, [that] we would not buy it of them on the sabbath, or on the holy day: and [that] we would leave the seventh year, and the exaction of every debt.

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Explanation: Okay, let’s break down this verse from Nehemiah 10:31. It's a really important rule set up for how Jewish communities were to handle money and debts during their time in exile – essentially, before the return to Jerusalem after the Babylonian Exile. Here’s what it means in simpler terms:
The Core Idea:
This verse is about
protecting the Sabbath from being exploited.
It's saying that if people brought goods or food on the Sabbath day (a holy day), the Jewish community 💎didn't💎 want to buy them. They wanted to keep the Sabbath sacred and avoid being taken advantage of.
Let’s unpack it piece by piece:
💎
“And [if] the people of the land bring ware or any victuals on the sabbath day to sell…”
: This means if people brought things – food, goods, money – to be sold on the Sabbath, it's a problem. 💎
“…to sell”
: They were allowed to buy these items, but they weren’t allowed to 💎profit💎 from them. 💎
“that we would not buy it of them on the sabbath, or on the holy day…”
: This is the crucial part – the community didn't want to pay for these goods while the Sabbath was in effect. They wanted to keep the Sabbath free from being exploited. 💎
“…and [that] we would leave the seventh year, and the exaction of every debt.”
: This is where it gets really important. The Sabbath was a time for rest and worship – a time 💎not💎 to be dealing with debts or payments. The community wanted to: 💎
Leave the Seventh Year:
They were to stay off the regular business cycle of the year, which included paying debts (the “exaction of every debt”). 💎
Stop the Debt Collection:
They intended to simply 💎not💎 collect money during the Sabbath.
In a nutshell:
This verse establishes a clear boundary – the community would not allow anyone to profit from or exploit the Sabbath day for payment. It was a way to maintain the sanctity and peace of the Sabbath as a time for rest and worship.
Why is this important?
This rule was a practical measure to help the Jewish people survive in exile. Without these protections, they would have been vulnerable to being exploited by merchants and lenders. --- Do you want me to: 💎 Explain it further with an analogy? 💎 Discuss its historical context?