And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of the LORD their God one fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and worshipped the LORD their God.
Read in the book of the law. Their extraordinary zeal led them to continue this as before.
One fourth part of the day - i:e., for three hours, twelve hours being the acknowledged length of the Jewish day (John 11:9), so that this solemn diet of worship, which probably commenced at the morning sacrifice, was continued for six hours - i:e., until the time of the evening sacrifice. The worship which they gave to the Lord their God, at this season of solemn national humiliation, consisted in acknowledging and adoring His great mercy in the forgiveness of their great and multiplied offences, in delivering them from the merited judgments which they had already experienced or which they had reason to apprehend, in continuing among them the light and blessings of His word and worship, and in supplicating the extension of His grace and protection.