The Bible Says
Nehemiah 10:32-33 Meaning

As the people of Jerusalem renewed their covenant of faithfulness, they declared, We also placed ourselves under obligation to contribute yearly one third of a shekel for the service of the house of our God, (v. 32). These words reveal their collective promise to support the ongoing needs of the temple in Jerusalem, the sacred city in the region of Judah. Jerusalem had been devastated by the Babylonian conquest in 586 BC, and its temple was later rebuilt under the supervision of leaders such as Zerubbabel, with the work culminating around 516 BC. By the time of Nehemiah, in the mid-fifth century BC, the community had returned to the land and was determined to uphold God’s commands, including maintaining the temple’s worship services.

This mention of a set contribution of one third of a shekel every year underscores the practical commitment of God’s people. Funds were needed for the temple’s daily operations, ensuring that sacrifices, festivals, and rituals could continue. Their resolve harkens back to the instructions given in the Law, where each individual was expected to help sustain the community’s worship (Exodus 30:13). Viewed alongside New Testament teaching on faithful stewardship, this act of sharing resources anticipates the idea of believers supporting the work of God together (2 Corinthians 9:7).

Next, the needs of the temple are listed explicitly: for the showbread, for the continual grain offering, for the continual burnt offering, the sabbaths, the new moon, for the appointed times, for the holy things and for the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, and all the work of the house of our God. (v. 33). In ancient Jerusalem, the showbread was placed weekly before the Lord within the temple, reminding worshipers that God constantly provides. The command for the showbread  was given in Leviticus 24:5-7. The continual grain offerings (given in Leviticus 2) and burnt offerings (given in Leviticus 1) were also integral parts of daily worship, symbolizing devotion and thankfulness.

Additionally, the people acknowledged the importance of God's appointed times (Leviticus 23:1) such as the sabbaths, the new moon celebrations, and other appointed feasts like Passover and the Feast of Booths. Each occasion was grounded in remembering the Lord’s covenant with His people, pointing ultimately to Christ as the perfect atonement, fulfilling the sacrificial system laid out in the Old Testament (Hebrews 10:12). Their detailed vow to supply the resources for these ceremonies signals a desire to keep Israel’s covenant relationship with God at the center of public life.