Neville Goddard on Nehemiah 8:15-17 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Nehemiah 8 in context

Scripture Focus

15And that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities, and in Jerusalem, saying, Go forth unto the mount, and fetch olive branches, and pine branches, and myrtle branches, and palm branches, and branches of thick trees, to make booths, as it is written.

16So the people went forth, and brought them, and made themselves booths, every one upon the roof of his house, and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of God, and in the street of the water gate, and in the street of the gate of Ephraim.

17And all the congregation of them that were come again out of the captivity made booths, and sat under the booths: for since the days of Jeshua the son of Nun unto that day had not the children of Israel done so. And there was very great gladness.

Nehemiah 8:15-17

Biblical Context

Nehemiah 8:15-17 records a command to publish the festival and to gather branches to build booths. The people then sit under these shelters in great gladness, marking a renewal of worship after captivity.

Neville's Inner Vision

Let the scene be a mirror of your inner state. The command to publish and proclaim is an act of naming your assumption in the outer world; to declare the state you desire is to awaken it inwardly. The mount and the branches you fetch symbolize parts of your consciousness you assemble into a dwelling. Olive, pine, myrtle, palm—each represents a quality you wish to express: clarity, steadfastness, joy, and grace. To build booths upon the roof, in the courts, and by the gates, is to plant your new awareness in every corner of your life, so no room is left untouched by your assumed self. The congregation sitting under the booths is the inner unity that gathers when you acknowledge, "I am with God," and God remains within you as I AM. The phrase "since the days of Jeshua" signals an awakening long overdue; now your true worship—gratitude and trust in your I AM—breaks forth as great gladness. You are not changing history; you are shifting what you accept as real by the simple act of living from the end.

Practice This Now

Imaginative Act: Assume you are already dwelling in a Booth of awareness. Feel it real by gathering inner branches of calm, faith, and gratitude and placing them around you, so every room of your life is sheltered by your true I AM.