Neh 8:10

“Then he said unto them,.... Nehemiah the Tirshatha or governor: go your way; to their own houses, and refresh themselves; it being noon, and they had stood many hours attentive to the reading and expounding of the law: eat the fat, and drink the sweet: not a common meal, but a feast, consisting of the richest provisions, the best of food and liquors and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared; for the poor, who had no food at home provided for them; the widow, fatherless, and stranger, who at festivals were to partake of the entertainment, Deu 16:11 for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be you sorry; confirming what the Levites had said and exhorted to, Neh 8:9 for the joy of the Lord is your strength; to rejoice, as the Lord commanded them on such days as these, was a means both of increasing their bodily strength and their inward strength, and of fitting them the more to perform their duty to God and men with cheerfulness, which sorrow and heaviness made unfit for; and the joy which has the Lord for its object, and comes from him, is the cause of renewing spiritual strength, so as to run and not be weary, walk and not faint, in the ways of God.”

“Eat the fat, and drink the sweet - Eat and drink the best that you have; and while ye are feeding yourselves in the fear of the Lord, remember those who cannot feast; and send portions to them, that the joy and the thanksgiving may be general. Let the poor have reason to rejoice as well as you. For the joy of the Lord is your strength - This is no gluttonous and drunken festival that enervates the body, and enfeebles the mind: from your religious feast your bodies will acquire strength and your minds power and fervor, so that you shall be able to Do His will, and to do it cheerfully. Religious joy, properly tempered with continual dependence on the help of God, meekness of mind, and self-diffidence, is a powerful means of strengthening the soul. In such a state every duty is practicable, and every duty delightful. In such a frame of mind no man an ever fell, and in such a state of mind the general health of the body is much improved; a cheerful heart is not only a continual feast, but also a continual medicine.”

“Wine. Hebrew and Septuagint, “things.” Syriac and Arabic have simply, “drink.” — Portions. The Greeks styled them, merides ; and the Latins, sportulæ. The custom prevailed not only among the Jews, (Esther ix. 19.) but also among Christians and pagans. Moses frequently exhorts the people to invite the poor; (Deuteronomy xvi. 14.) and St. Paul blames the rich Corinthians, for giving no part of their feast to them, 1 Corinthians xi. 21. — Strength. By this holy joy, we shall be encouraged to perform all our duties. (Calmet) — Septuagint, “Be not downcast, because he (the Lord) is our strength.” (Haydock)”