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Nehemiah
Chapter Nine
New King James Version
(NKJV)
Nehemiah 9:1.
Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel
were assembled with fasting
in sackcloth
and with dust on their heads.[a]
YLT And in the twenty and
fourth day of this month have the sons of Israel been gathered
with fasting
and with sackcloth
and earth upon them;
Now in the
twenty fourth day of this month
....
The seventh month
the
month Tisri or September
two days after the feast of tabernacles was ended:
the children of
Israel were assembled with fasting
and with sackclothes
and earth upon them;
which were all outward
tokens of mourning and humiliation
see Joel 1:8 which they
could not show during the festival; but that being over
they return to it
see
Nehemiah 8:9.
Nehemiah 9:2.
Then those of Israelite lineage separated themselves from all
foreigners; and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their
fathers.
YLT and the seed of Israel
are separated from all sons of a stranger
and stand and confess concerning
their sins
and the iniquities of their fathers
And the seed of
Israel separated themselves from all strangers
....
Such as were genuine
Israelites
of the seed of Abraham
who had married wives of the Gentiles
strangers to the commonwealth of Israel
either before the reformation by Ezra
not being then discovered
or had fallen into this evil since; but now
on the
reading of the law
were convinced of it
and so separated themselves from such
wives
which was a proof of the truth of their repentance:
and stood and
confessed their sins
and the iniquities of their fathers:
particularly their taking
of strange wives
which their fathers had also done
and set them a bad
example
which they had followed; of standing and confessing
see Luke 18:13.
Nehemiah 9:3.
And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law
of the Lord
their God for one–fourth of the day; and for another fourth they
confessed and worshiped the Lord their God.
YLT and rise up on their
station
and read in the book of the law of Jehovah their God a fourth of the
day
and a fourth they are confessing and bowing themselves to Jehovah their
God.
And they stood
up in their place
....
In the outward court of
the temple
where men used to stand when they prayed and confessed their sins:
and read in the book of the law of the Lord their God; that they might the
better know the mind and will of God
and do their duty: this they did
one fourth part
of the day;
the space of three hours
from sun rising
or six o'clock in the morning
to the time of the morning
sacrifice
which was about nine o'clock:
and another
fourth part they confessed;
the goodness of God to
them
and the sins they had been guilty of:
and worshipped
the Lord their God;
bowed down before him in
prayer and supplication
and so spent three hours more
which reached to noon
or twelve o'clock; and from thence to three o'clock
about the time of the
evening sacrifice
and from thence to sun setting
or six o'clock
and so spent
the whole day in the above exercises alternately.
Nehemiah 9:4.
Then Jeshua
Bani
Kadmiel
Shebaniah
Bunni
Sherebiah
Bani
and
Chenani stood on the stairs of the Levites and cried out with a loud voice to
the Lord
their God.
YLT And there stand up on
the ascent
of the Levites
Jeshua
and Bani
Kadmiel
Shebaniah
Bunni
Sherebiah
Bani
Chenani
and they cry with a loud voice unto Jehovah their
God.
Then stood up
upon the stairs of the Levites
....
On an ascent; an elevated
place where the Levites used to stand when they sang at the time of sacrifice
and where they might be seen and heard by the people:
Jeshua and
Bani
Kadmiel
Shebaniah
Bunni
Sherebiah
Bani
and Chenani;
who seem to be all
Levites
see Nehemiah 8:7
and cried with
a loud voice unto the Lord their God;
praying with great
fervency
and making bitter lamentation for the sins of the people and their
own.
Nehemiah 9:5.
And the Levites
Jeshua
Kadmiel
Bani
Hashabniah
Sherebiah
Hodijah
Shebaniah
and Pethahiah
said: “Stand up and bless the Lord your God Forever
and ever! “Blessed be Your glorious name
Which is exalted above all blessing
and praise!
YLT And the Levites say
[even] Jeshua
and Kadmiel
Bani
Hashabniah
Sherebiah
Hodijah
Shebaniah
Pethahiah
`Rise
bless Jehovah your God
from
the age unto the age
and they bless the name of Thine honour that [is] exalted
above all blessing and praise.
Then the Levites
Jeshua
....
Or
then the Levites
even
Jeshua:
and Kadmiel
Bani
Hashabniah
Sherebiah
Hodijah
Shebaniah
and Pethahiah;
the same as before
with a
little variation of their names
and perhaps some of them might have two names:
and said;
to the men that stood and
confessed their sins
Nehemiah 9:2
stand up;
for though they are before
said to stand
yet
through shame and confusion of face
and awe of the Divine
Majesty
might be fallen on their faces to the ground:
and bless the
Lord your God for ever and ever;
for all the great and good
things he had done for them
notwithstanding their sins; and particularly for
his pardoning grace and mercy they had reason to hope for:
and blessed be
thy glorious name
which is exalted above all blessing and praise:
the glory of which name
nature
and perfections of his
cannot be set forth by the highest praises of
men
and the largest ascriptions of blessing and honour to him.
Nehemiah 9:6.
You alone are the Lord; You have made heaven
The
heaven of heavens
with all their host
The earth and everything on it
The seas
and all that is in them
And You preserve them all. The host of heaven worships You.
YLT Thou [art] He
O
Jehovah
Thyself -- Thou hast made the heavens
the heavens of the heavens
and
all their host
the earth and all that [are] on it
the seas and all that [are]
in them
and Thou art keeping all of them alive
and the host of the heavens to
Thee are bowing themselves.
Thou
even thou
art Lord alone
....
Whose name alone is
Jehovah
the one only true and living God:
thou hast made
heaven
the heaven of heavens
with all their host;
the airy and starry
heavens
and the sun
moon
and stars in them
and the third heaven
the seat
of God
angels
and saints:
the earth
and
all things that are therein;
men
beasts
trees
metals
minerals
&c.
the seas
and
all that is therein;
fishes
sea plants
&c. see Acts 4:24
and thou
preservest them all;
they consist in thee
and
are upheld in their being by thee
Hebrews 1:3
and the host of
heaven worshipped thee;
not the sun
moon
and
stars
only in their way
Psalm 148:2 but the
angels chiefly
Hebrews 1:6.
Nehemiah 9:7.
“You are the Lord God
Who chose Abram
And brought him out of Ur
of the Chaldeans
And
gave him the name Abraham;
YLT `Thou [art] He
O
Jehovah God
who didst fix on Abraham
and didst bring him out from Ur of the
Chaldeans
and didst make his name Abraham
Thou art the
Lord the God
who didst choose Abram
....
From among the Chaldeans
and out of his father's family:
and broughtest
him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees;
by calling him from
thence
of which see Genesis 11:28
to
which may be added what AmamaF24Anti-barbar. Biblic. l. 3. p. 652.
on that place observes; that some think that the sacred fire
which the
Chaldeans worshipped
was kept in this city
from whence it was called Ur
that
being worshipped by them and by the Assyrians under the name of UrF25Fortunati
Schaech. Elaeochrism. Myrothec. l. 1. c. 9. col. 44. :
and gavest him
the name of Abraham;
which was changed when the
covenant of circumcision was given him
Genesis 17:5.
Nehemiah 9:8.
You found his heart faithful before You
And made a covenant with
him To give the
land of the Canaanites
The
Hittites
the Amorites
The
Perizzites
the Jebusites
And
the Girgashites—To give it to his descendants. You have performed Your words
For You are
righteous.
YLT and didst find his heart
stedfast before Thee
so as to make with him the covenant
to give the land of
the Canaanite
the Hittite
the Amorite
and the Perizzite
and the Jebusite
and the Girgashite
to give [it] to his seed. `And Thou dost establish Thy
words
for Thou [art] righteous
And foundest
his heart faithful before thee
....
A true believer in his
word and promises
Genesis 15:6 and
closely attached to the fear of him
and observance of his commands
as
abundantly appeared in the trial of him
in offering up his son
Genesis 22:1
and madest a
covenant with him
to give the land of the Canaanites
the Hittites
the
Amorites
and the Perizzites
and the Jebusites
and the Girgashites
to give
it
I say
to his seed;
not to him personally
but
to his posterity
at least including and chiefly designing them; of which
covenant see Genesis 15:18
and hast
performed thy words
for thou art righteous; in
all his ways and works
faithful to his promise
a covenant keeping God
and
who kept and fulfilled this covenant
assisting Joshua to conquer the land of
Canaan
and put Israel into the possession of it.
Nehemiah 9:9.
“You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt
And heard their cry by the
Red Sea.
YLT and dost see the
affliction of our fathers in Egypt
and their cry hast heard by the sea of
Suph
And didst see
the affliction of our fathers in Egypt
....
The hard bondage in which
their lives were made bitter; and was not a mere spectator of it
but looked
upon them in it with pity and compassion
and sent them a deliverer
Exodus 2:23
and heardest
their cry by the Red sea;
which was before them
and
the rocks on both sides of them
and the host of Pharaoh behind
pressing upon
them
when he heard them
and wrought salvation for them
Exodus 14:10.
Nehemiah 9:10.
You showed signs and wonders against Pharaoh
Against
all his servants
And against all
the people of his land. For You knew
that they acted proudly against them. So
You made a name for Yourself
as it is this day.
YLT and dost give signs and
wonders on Pharaoh
and on all his servants
and on all the people of his land
for Thou hast known that they have acted proudly against them
and Thou makest
to Thee a name as [at] this day.
And shewedst
signs and wonders upon Pharaoh
and on all his servants
and on all the people
of his land
....
By inflicting the ten
plagues upon them:
for thou
knowest that they dealt proudly against them;
behaved haughtily to them
and despised them
see Exodus 18:11
so didst thou
get thee a name
as it is this day;
displayed his power on
Pharaoh
and his goodness to Israel
the fame of which reached all over the
world
and continued to that day
see Exodus 9:16.
Nehemiah 9:11.
And You divided the sea before them
So
that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; And
their persecutors You threw into the deep
As
a stone into the mighty waters.
YLT And the sea Thou hast
cleaved before them
and they pass over into the midst of the sea on the dry
land
and their pursuers Thou hast cast into the depths
as a stone
into the
strong waters.
And thou didst
divide the sea before them
so that they went through the midst of the sea on
dry land
....
That is
the Israelites
see Exodus 14:21
and their
persecutors thou threwest into the deeps;
with great ease
and with
indignation
meaning the Egyptians
that pursued hotly after them
and were
thrown into the sea:
as a stone into
the mighty waters;
where they sunk and
perished
see Exodus 15:4.
Nehemiah 9:12.
Moreover You led them by day with a cloudy pillar
And by night with a pillar
of fire
To
give them light on the road Which
they should travel.
YLT And by a pillar of cloud
Thou hast led them by day
and by a pillar of fire by night
to lighten to them
the way in which they go.
Moreover
thou
leddest them in the day by a cloudy pillar
....
The Israelites
to shelter
them from the heat of the sun in a dry and barren wilderness:
and in the
night by a pillar of fire
to give them light in the way wherein they should go;
through a trackless
desert
see Exodus 13:21.
Nehemiah 9:13.
“You came down also on Mount Sinai
And
spoke with them from heaven
And gave them
just ordinances and true laws
Good statutes
and commandments.
YLT `And on mount Sinai Thou
hast come down
even to speak with them from the heavens
and Thou dost give to
them right judgments
and true laws
good statutes and commands.
Thou camest
down also upon Mount Sinai
....
By some visible tokens of
his presence
as a cloud
fire
smoke
&c. which must be understood
consistent with his omniscience
see Exodus 19:18
and spakest
with them from heaven;
the decalogue or ten
commandments
Exodus 20:1
and gavest them
right judgments and true laws
good statutes and commandments;
both judicial and
ceremonial
which were of excellent use to them in their civil and
ecclesiastical polity; these were not spoken to Israel
but given to Moses on
the mount
to be delivered to them.
Nehemiah 9:14.
You made known to them Your holy Sabbath
And
commanded them precepts
statutes and laws
By
the hand of Moses Your servant.
YLT And Thy holy sabbath
Thou hast made known to them
and commands
and statutes
and law
Thou hast
commanded for them
by the hand of Moses Thy servant;
And madest
known unto them thy holy sabbath
....
Which was not made known
to others
and was peculiar to the Jewish nation
and a privilege granted to
them
to have rest corporeal and spiritual
typical of the rest in Christ:
and commandedst
them precepts
statutes
and laws
by the hand of Moses thy servant;
moral
ceremonial
and
judicial
such as other nations had not
Deuteronomy 4:8.
Nehemiah 9:15.
You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger
And brought them water out
of the rock for their thirst
And
told them to go in to possess the land Which You had sworn to give them.
YLT and bread from the
heavens Thou hast given to them for their hunger
and water from a rock hast
brought out to them for their thirst
and dost say to them to go in to possess
the land that Thou hast lifted up Thy hand to give to them.
And gavest them
bread from heaven for their hunger
....
To satisfy that
meaning
the manna
Exodus 16:3
and broughtest
forth water for them out of the rock
for their thirst;
to quench it; this was
done both quickly after they came out of the land of Egypt
and a little before
their entrance into the land of Canaan
see Exodus 17:6
and promisedst
them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst sworn to give
them;
which oath was made to
them and to their fathers also
see Numbers 14:30.
Nehemiah 9:16.
“But they and our fathers acted proudly
Hardened
their necks
And did not heed Your
commandments.
YLT `And they and our
fathers have acted proudly
and harden their neck
and have not hearkened unto
Thy commands
But they and
our fathers dealt proudly
....
Behaved in a haughty
manner towards God
their kind benefactor:
and hardened
their necks;
refused to take the yoke
of his law
as refractory oxen
that withdraw their necks from the yoke:
and hearkened
not to thy commandments;
to do them
though they
promised they would
Exodus 24:7.
Nehemiah 9:17.
They refused to obey
And they were not mindful of Your wonders That You did among them. But they hardened their
necks
And in their
rebellion[b] They appointed a leader To return to their
bondage. But
You are God
Ready
to pardon
Gracious
and merciful
Slow
to anger
Abundant
in kindness
And
did not forsake them.
YLT
yea
they refuse to
hearken
and have not remembered Thy wonders that Thou hast done with them
and
harden their neck and appoint a head
to turn back to their service
in their
rebellion; and Thou [art] a God of pardons
gracious
and merciful
long-suffering
and abundant in kindness
and hast not forsaken them.
And refused to
obey
....
Though exhorted
admonished
and threatened
such was their obstinacy:
neither were
mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them;
in delivering them at the
Red sea
in raining manna about them
and giving them water out of the rock:
but hardened
their necks;
see the preceding verse:
and in their
rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage;
they not only proposed it
but determined upon it
which is reckoned the same as if they had done it
see Numbers 14:4
but thou art a
God ready to pardon
gracious and merciful
slow to anger
and of great
kindness;
as he had proclaimed his
name before Moses
and as the whole of his conduct towards the people of Israel
abundantly shewed
see Exodus 34:6
and forsookest
them not;
when in the wilderness
where otherwise they must have perished
but still fed and protected them
notwithstanding their provocations.
Nehemiah 9:18.
“Even when they made a molded calf for themselves
And
said
‘This is your god That brought you up out of Egypt
’ And
worked great provocations
YLT `Also
when they have
made to themselves a molten calf
and say
this [is] thy god that brought thee
up out of Egypt
and do great despisings
Yea
when they
had made them a molten calf
....
In imitation of the Apis
or ox of the Egyptians:
and said
this
is thy god that brought thee out of Egypt;
or the image of thy god
as the Arabic version
see Exodus 32:4
and had wrought
great provocations;
of all which nothing was
greater than idolatry.
Nehemiah 9:19.
Yet in Your manifold mercies You
did not forsake them in the wilderness. The
pillar of the cloud did not depart from them by day
To
lead them on the road; Nor the pillar
of fire by night
To show them
light
And the way they should
go.
YLT and Thou
in Thine abundant
mercies
hast not forsaken them in the wilderness -- the pillar of the cloud
hath not turned aside from off them by day
to lead them in the way
and the
pillar of the fire by night
to give light to them and the way in which they
go.
Yet thou in thy
manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness
....
Where no supply could be
had
if he had cast them off
see Nehemiah 9:17
the pillar of
the cloud departed not from them by day
to lead them in the way;
which
if it had
they
would have been scorched by the heat of the sun:
neither the
pillar of fire by night
to show them light
and the way wherein they should go;
or otherwise they would
have lost their way
and not have known which way to have gone.
Nehemiah 9:20.
You also gave Your good Spirit to instruct them
And did not withhold Your
manna from their mouth
And
gave them water for their thirst.
YLT `And Thy good Spirit
Thou hast given
to cause them to act wisely; and Thy manna Thou hast not
withheld from their mouth
and water Thou hast given to them for their thirst
Thou gavest
also thy good spirit to instruct them
....
In the knowledge of the
laws delivered to them; the spirit of prophecy
according to Ben Melech
and
which Aben Ezra interprets of the spirit put upon the seventy elders
Numbers 11:17
and withheldest
not thy manna from their mouth;
all the while they were in
the wilderness
until they came to Canaan's land; called the Lord's manna
because prepared by him
and given by him to them; a part or portion and gift
from the Lord
as Ben Melech
from whence it had its name
see Exodus 16:15
and gavest them
water for their thirst;
which seems to have
respect to the last rock stricken for them
after their many provocations in
the wilderness
Numbers 20:11.
Nehemiah 9:21.
Forty years You sustained them in the wilderness; They lacked nothing; Their clothes did not wear
out[c] And their feet did not
swell.
YLT and forty years Thou
hast nourished them in a wilderness; they have not lacked; their garments have
not worn out
and their feet have not swelled.
Yea
forty
years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness
so that they lacked nothing
....
As not for food
so
neither for raiment
as follows:
their clothes
waxed not old
and their feet swelled not;
of which see Deuteronomy 8:4.
Nehemiah 9:22.
“Moreover You gave them kingdoms and nations
And divided them into
districts.[d] So they took possession of
the land of Sihon
The
land of[e] the king
of Heshbon
And
the land of Og king of Bashan.
YLT `And Thou givest to them
kingdoms
and peoples
and dost apportion them to the corner
and they possess
the land of Sihon
and the land of the king of Heshbon
and the land of Og king
of Bashan.
Moreover
thou
gavest them kingdoms and nations
....
The two kingdoms of Sihon
and Og
and the seven nations of Canaan:
and didst
divide them into corners;
or "corner";
into every corner of the land of Canaan
so that they possessed the whole of
it
a few cities excepted; Jarchi interprets it of one corner
that they might
not be mixed with the people of the land
but be all together in one place; but
Aben Ezra understands it of the Canaanites
of their being divided and
scattered into corners
when they fled from the Israelites; but the former
sense seems best:
so they
possessed the land of Sihon
and the land of the king of Heshbon;
or "eren"
or
"namely"F26So Piscator
Patrick
Rambachius.
"the
land of the king of Heshbon"; for Sihon was king of Heshbon
and so the
land the same:
and the land of
Og king of Bashan;
those lands both lay on
the other side Jordan
and were possessed by the tribes of Reuben and Gad
and
the half tribe of Manasseh.
Nehemiah 9:23.
You also multiplied their children as the stars of heaven
And brought them into the
land Which You had
told their fathers To
go in and possess.
YLT And their sons Thou hast
multiplied as the stars of the heavens
and bringest them in unto the land that
Thou hast said to their fathers to go in to possess.
Their children
also multipliedst thou as the stars of heaven
....
Fulfilling the promise
made to Abraham
Genesis 15:5 their
number when they came out of Egypt
and just before they entered into the land
of Canaan
being upwards of 600
000 men
besides women and children
Exodus 12:37
and broughtest
them into the land
concerning which thou hadst promised to their fathers
that
they should go in to possess it;
the land of Canaan
promised to Abraham
Isaac
and Jacob
and their seed
into which the Lord
brought them by Joshua; he was the instrument
but the thing was of God.
Nehemiah 9:24.
So the people went in And possessed the land; You subdued before them
the inhabitants of the land
The
Canaanites
And
gave them into their hands
With
their kings And
the people of the land
That
they might do with them as they wished.
YLT `And the sons come in
and possess the land
and Thou humblest before them the inhabitants of the
land
the Canaanites
and givest them into their hand
and their kings
and the
peoples of the land
to do with them according to their pleasure.
So the children
went in and possessed the land
....
Not the fathers of the
Israelites that came out of Egypt
they died in the wilderness
all excepting
two
but their children
which seems to be the reason of this manner of
expression
see Numbers 14:30
and thou
subduedst before them the inhabitants of the land
the Canaanites;
by means of Joshua
the
general of the armies of Israel; there is an elegant paronomania in the word
for "subdue"
and the Canaanites
which cannot be expressed in our
language:
and gavest them
into their hands
with their kings
and the people of the land
that they might
do with them as they would;
no less than thirty one
kings
see Joshua 12:9.
Nehemiah 9:25.
And they took strong cities and a rich land
And possessed houses full
of all goods
Cisterns
already dug
vineyards
olive groves
And fruit trees in abundance. So they ate and were
filled and grew fat
And
delighted themselves in Your great goodness.
YLT And they capture fenced
cities
and fat ground
and possess houses full of all good
digged-wells
vineyards
and olive-yards
and fruit-trees in abundance
and they eat
and are
satisfied
and become fat
and delight themselves in Thy great goodness.
And they took
strong cities
....
Such as
in an hyperbolical
way
are said to be walled up to heaven
Deuteronomy 1:28
and a fat land;
of a good and fruitful
soil
abounding with all good things
Deuteronomy 8:7
and possessed
houses full of all goods;
ready built and furnished
for them
both with good provisions and good furniture:
wells digged;
to supply them with water:
vineyards
and
olive yards
and fruit trees in abundance;
which they planted not:
and they did
eat
and were filled
and became fat;
in body
though in mind
became wanton and wicked; they made their hearts fat
or stupid
as Aben Ezra
interprets it
see Deuteronomy 32:15
and delighted
themselves in thy great goodness;
not in praising the Lord
for it
and using it to his honour and glory
but indulged themselves to luxury
and intemperance; though it may be understood of a lawful pleasure in the
enjoyment of the great affluence they were brought into
which last agrees with
what follows.
Nehemiah 9:26.
“Nevertheless they were disobedient And rebelled against You
Cast Your law behind their
backs And killed Your
prophets
who testified against them To turn them to Yourself; And they worked great
provocations.
YLT `And they are
disobedient
and rebel against Thee
and cast Thy law behind their back
and
Thy prophets they have slain
who testified against them
to bring them back
unto Thee
and they do great despisings
Nevertheless
they were disobedient
and rebelled against thee
....
Notwithstanding all these
favours and mercies bestowed upon them
which was great ingratitude:
and cast thy
law behind their backs;
as of no account
and
unworthy of their regard; that which they should have had continually before
their eyes
as the rule and guide of their actions
they cast behind them
not
caring to look into it
and read it:
and slew thy
prophets
which testified against them to turn them to thee;
the prophets that bore a
testimony against their sins
admonished them of them
called heaven and earth
to record against them should they continue in them
and all to turn them from
them by repentance to the Lord; those they were so wroth with on this account
as to slay them
see Matthew 23:37
and they
wrought great provocations;
serving Baalim and
Ashtaroth
and other gods of the nations
than which nothing was more provoking
to the Lord.
Nehemiah 9:27.
Therefore You delivered them into the hand of their enemies
Who oppressed them; And in the time of their
trouble
When
they cried to You
You
heard from heaven; And
according to Your abundant mercies You gave them deliverers who saved them From the hand of their
enemies.
YLT and Thou givest them
into the hand of their adversaries
and they distress them
and in the time of
their distress they cry unto Thee
and Thou
from the heavens
dost hear
and
according to Thine abundant mercies
dost give to them saviours
and they save
them out of the hand of their adversaries.
Therefore thou
deliveredst them into the hand of their enemies
who vexed them
....
As the kings of
Mesopotamia
Moab
Canaan
and others:
and in the time
of their trouble
when they cried unto thee;
as they usually did
Judges 3:9
thou heardest them
from heaven; and according to thy manifold mercies thou gavest them saviours
who saved them out of the hands of their enemies;
such were judges
Othniel
Ehud
Barak
Gideon
&c. and this was
done for them
not on account of
their merits
but the abundant unmerited mercy of the Lord towards them.
Nehemiah 9:28.
“But after they had rest
They again did evil before You. Therefore You left them in
the hand of their enemies
So
that they had dominion over them; Yet when they returned and cried out to You
You heard from heaven; And many times You
delivered them according to Your mercies
YLT `And when they have
rest
they turn back to do evil before Thee
and Thou dost leave them in the
hand of their enemies
and they rule over them; and they turn back
and call
Thee
and Thou from the heavens dost hear
and dost deliver them
according to
Thy mercies
many times
But after they
had rest
....
From their enemies
enjoyed their liberty
and were in prosperity:
they did evil
again before thee;
relapsed into idolatry:
therefore
leftest thou them in the hand of their enemies
so that they had the dominion
over them;
as the Philistines had for
the space of forty years
Judges 13:1
yet when they
returned and cried unto thee
thou heardest them from heaven
and many times
didst thou deliver them
according to thy mercies;
this was their case
frequently in the times of the judges; they sinned and fell into the hands of
their enemies
then they repented
and cried to God for help
and he had
compassion upon them
and saved them.
Nehemiah 9:29.
And testified against them
That You might bring them back to Your law. Yet they acted proudly
And did not heed Your
commandments
But
sinned against Your judgments
‘Which
if a man does
he shall live by them.’[f] And they shrugged their
shoulders
Stiffened
their necks
And
would not hear.
YLT and dost testify against
them
to bring them back unto Thy law; and they -- they have acted proudly
and
have not hearkened to Thy commands
and against Thy judgments have sinned
--
which man doth and hath lived in them -- and they give a refractory shoulder
and their neck have hardened
and have not hearkened.
And testifiedst
against them
....
By sending prophets to
them
to admonish them of their sins
and remind them of their duty:
that thou
mightest bring them again unto thy law;
to regard it
and walk
according it:
yet they dealt
proudly; with an haughty air rejected the counsel of God:
and hearkened
not unto thy commandments; yielded not obedience to them:
but sinned
against thy judgments;
transgressed his laws
which were so just
righteous
reasonable
and equitable:
which if a man
do
he shall live in them; or by them
in the land of Canaan
see Leviticus 18:5
and withdrew
the shoulder
and hardened their neck
and would not hear;
like oxen
that wriggle
and struggle
and draw back
and will not admit the yoke upon them.
Nehemiah 9:30.
Yet for many years You had patience with them
And testified against them
by Your Spirit in Your prophets. Yet they would not listen; Therefore You gave them
into the hand of the peoples of the lands.
YLT `And Thou drawest over
them many years
and testifiest against them by Thy Spirit
by the hand of Thy
prophets
and they have not given ear
and Thou dost give them into the hand of
peoples of the lands
Yet many years
didst thou forbear them
....
Throughout the reigns of
several kings
such was God's longsuffering towards them: or
"thou didst
draw upon them"; that is
his mercy
as Jarchi interprets it; he drew it
out of his heart
and prolonged it towards them:
and testifiedst
against them by thy Spirit in thy prophets;
who reproved and
admonished them
as they were moved by the Holy Spirit of God in them
who
spoke in his name
and what he suggested to them:
yet they would
not give ear; to what the prophets said
and the Spirit of God in them:
therefore
gavest thou them into the hand of the people of the lands:
people that were lords of
many countries
as the Assyrians and Chaldeans.
Nehemiah 9:31.
Nevertheless in Your great mercy You did not utterly consume them nor forsake
them; For You are
God
gracious and merciful.
YLT and in Thine abundant
mercies Thou hast not made them a consumption
nor hast forsaken them; for a
God
gracious and merciful
[art] Thou.
Nevertheless
for thy great mercies' sake
For the displaying of that
and the glorifying of it
which is so large and exceeding abundant:
thou didst not
utterly consume them
nor forsake them;
some were left in the
land
and those that were carried captive found favour in the eyes of those
that carried them away
and were suffered to live
and many of them now had
returned to their own land:
for thou art a
gracious and merciful God;
of which they had abundant
proof and evidence.
Nehemiah 9:32.
“Now therefore
our God
The great
the mighty
and awesome God
Who keeps covenant and
mercy: Do not let all
the trouble seem small before You That has come upon us
Our kings and our princes
Our priests and our
prophets
Our
fathers and on all Your people
From
the days of the kings of Assyria until this day.
YLT `And now
O our God --
God
the great
the mighty
and the fearful
keeping the covenant and the
kindness -- let not all the travail that hath found us be little before Thee
for our kings
for our heads
and for our priests
and for our prophets
and
for our fathers
and for all Thy people
from the days of the kings of Asshur
unto this day;
Now therefore
our God
the great
the mighty
and the terrible God
who keepest covenant and
mercy
....
The same titles Nehemiah
gives to the Lord
Nehemiah 1:5 and it
may be reasonably thought the whole prayer is his composure
which was delivered
by him to the Levites:
let not all the
trouble seem little before thee;
as if it was not enough;
let it be judged sufficient
and no more be added
but mercy shown; Aben Ezra
thinks the word "little" is not to be connected with
"trouble"
but with the nearest antecedent "mercy"
and so
GussetiusF26Ebr. Comment. p. 937. ; as if the sense was
let not thy
mercy be small with thee
but let it be largely extended along with all the
trouble
or at the time when trouble of every kind
comes upon us
on our kings
on our princes
and on our priests
and on our prophets
and on
our fathers
and on all thy people
since the times of the kings of Assyria
unto this day;
but this sense is not
clear
and makes it have respect to times to come; whereas it relates to time
past
and to all the trouble and affliction they had met with from the Assyrian
kings
from the time they invaded their land
and carried them captive
until
this very time.
Nehemiah 9:33.
However You are just in all that has befallen us; For You have dealt
faithfully
But
we have done wickedly.
YLT and Thou [art] righteous
concerning all that hath come upon us
for truth Thou hast done
and we have done
wickedly;
Howbeit
thou
art just in all that is brought upon us
....
They own the justice of
God
could not complain of any wrong done them; and had he shown them no mercy
at all
it was but what they deserved:
for thou hast
done right
but we have done wickedly;
he had done according to
the truth of his word of promise
he had faithfully kept it
but they had
transgressed his righteous law.
Nehemiah 9:34.
Neither our kings nor our princes
Our priests nor our fathers
Have kept Your law
Nor heeded Your
commandments and Your testimonies
With which You testified against them.
YLT and our kings
our
heads
our priests
and our fathers
have not done Thy law
nor attended unto
Thy commands
and to Thy testimonies
that Thou hast testified against them;
Neither have
our kings
our princes
our priests
nor our fathers
kept thy law
....
All ranks of men
from the
highest to the lowest
had shown no regard
nor yielded obedience to the holy
law of God:
nor hearkened
unto thy commandments
and thy testimonies
wherewith thou didst testify
against them;
moral and ceremonial
which were a testification of the will of God to them
and a testimony against
them if they observed them not.
Nehemiah 9:35.
For they have not served You in their kingdom
Or in the many good things
that You gave them
Or
in the large and rich land which You set before them; Nor did they turn from
their wicked works.
YLT and they
in their
kingdom
and in Thine abundant goodness
that Thou hast given to them
and in
the land
the large and the fat
that Thou hast set before them
have not served
Thee
nor turned back from their evil doings.
For they have
not served thee in their kingdom
....
When in it
whether of
Israel or of Judah
and when in the most flourishing circumstances:
and in thy
great goodness that thou gavest them;
amidst all the prosperity
and affluence of good things they enjoyed
which was an obligation upon them to
serve the Lord:
and in the
large and fat land which thou gavest before them;
the land of Canaan
a land
flowing with milk
which lay open for them
their enemies being driven out
before them
see Nehemiah 9:25
neither turned
they from their wicked works;
their idolatries more
especially.
Nehemiah 9:36.
“Here we are
servants today! And the land that You gave
to our fathers
To
eat its fruit and its bounty
Here
we are
servants in it!
YLT `Lo
we -- to-day --
[are] servants
and the land that Thou hast given to our fathers
to eat its
fruit and its good -- lo
we [are] servants on it
Behold
we are
servants this day
....
For though they had leave
to return to their land
and rebuild their city and temple
yet they were still
in subjection to the kings of Persia:
and for the
land thou gavest unto our fathers
to eat the fruit thereof
and the good
thereof
behold
we are servants in it;
though the rightful owners
and proprietors of it by the gift of God to their ancestors
to hold it and
enjoy the good of it
and yet were obliged to pay tribute for it to the kings
of Persia
all excepting priests and Levites; see Ezra 6:8.
Nehemiah 9:37.
And it yields much increase to the kings You have set over us
Because of our sins; Also they have dominion
over our bodies and our cattle At
their pleasure; And
we are in great distress.
YLT and its increase it is
multiplying to the kings whom Thou hast set over us in our sins; and over our
bodies they are ruling
and over our cattle
according to their pleasure
and
we [are] in great distress.
And it yieldeth
much increase unto the kings whom thou hast set over us
because of our sins
....
Though a very fruitful
land
and brought forth much
yet not for them
but for foreign kings
that had
the sovereignty over them
and enacted much toll
tribute
and custom from
them
which greatly lessened the profit of the earth to them:
also they have
dominion over our bodies;
and could oblige them to
work for them
and do any service they should command:
and over our
cattle
at their pleasure;
to carry burdens for them
or ride post with them:
and we are in
great distress;
being servants and
tributaries to a foreign power.
Nehemiah 9:38.
“And because of all this
We make a sure covenant and write it; Our leaders
our Levites
and
our priests seal it.”
YLT And for all this we are
making a stedfast covenant
and are writing
and over him who is sealed [are]
our heads
our Levites
our priests.'
And because of all
this
....
Of all this distress
and
that it might be removed
and be clear of it; or "in all this distress and
evil"
as Jarchi and Aben Ezra
in the midst of it all:
we make a sure
covenant;
or faithfully promise to
observe the law of God
and particularly put away strange wives
and not
intermarry with the people of the land:
and write it;
that it may remain and be
a testimony against them should they break it
being their own handwriting:
and our
princes
Levites
and priests
seal unto it;
as witnesses of it
and
thereby binding themselves to observe the same things; their names that sealed
are given in the next chapter.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)
a.
Nehemiah 9:1
Literally earth on them
b.
Nehemiah 9:17
Following Masoretic Text and Vulgate; Septuagint reads in Egypt.
c.Nehemiah 9:21
Compare Deuteronomy 29:5
d.
Nehemiah 9:22
Literally corners
e.
Nehemiah 9:22
Following Masoretic Text and Vulgate; Septuagint omits The land of.
f.
Nehemiah 9:29 Leviticus 18:5