Neville Goddard on Nehemiah 8:3-6 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Nehemiah 8 in context

Scripture Focus

3And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law.

4And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Urijah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchiah, and Hashum, and Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam.

5And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up:

6And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD with their faces to the ground.

Nehemiah 8:3-6

Biblical Context

Ezra reads the Law aloud to a gathered people; the people listen intently, respond Amen, raise their hands, and bow in worship.

Neville's Inner Vision

To Neville readers: In Nehemiah 8:3-6, the ancient scene is not merely a ritual; it is the dramatization of consciousness. The street before the water gate becomes the field of awareness where the I AM stands, attentive and awake. Ezra, elevated on a pulpit of wood, is your disciplined imagination, the part of you that reads the inner law with authority. The people’s standing, Amening, lifting hands, and bowing their heads symbolize the surrender of doubt, the alignment of feeling with truth. When Ezra opens the Book, the sight of a revealed word triggers a contraction of old, limited self-concepts; the moment the book is opened, all are receptive, the heart becomes still, and worship rises as the natural expression of inner alignment. This is the inner worship that Neville teaches: you do not beg for God to come; you become the state of awareness that God already is. The Law is read; you listen; your inner chorus—Amen—confirms the truth; and the great God within is worshiped as your I AM, here and now, filling the ground of your being with unshakable reality.