Nehemiah 8:7 - Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible

Caused the people to understand the law; as well the words, which being Hebrew, now needed to be translated into the Chaldee or Syriac language, which was now and henceforth the common language of that people, who together with their religion had also in a great part lost their language; as also the sense and meaning of them; they expounded the mind and will of God in what they read, and applied it to the people's present condition, as they saw fit, as the manner of the prophets generally was. And hence the people were so deeply affected with it. The people stood in their place, i.e. in their several places and stations into which the company seems to have been distributed for conveniency of hearing; it not being likely that so vast a congregation could distinctly hear one man's voice. Or, by their stations, i.e. by the several stations of the Levites and persons last named; who seem to have had several scaffolds, by comparing this with Nehemiah 9:4, upon which they stood, as Ezra did upon his pulpit, Nehemiah 8:4.