Nehemiah 9:29

29 And testifiedst against them, that thou mightest bring them again unto thy law: yet they dealt proudly , and hearkened not unto thy commandments, but sinned against thy judgments, (which if a man do , he shall live in them;) and withdrew * the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear .

Nehemiah 9:29 Meaning and Commentary

Nehemiah 9:29

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 9:29 In-Context

27 Therefore thou deliveredst them into the hand of their enemies, who vexed them: and in the time of their trouble, when they cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; and according to thy manifold mercies thou gavest them saviours , who saved them out of the hand of their enemies.

28 But after they had rest , they did evil again before thee: therefore leftest thou them in the hand of their enemies , so that they had the dominion over them: yet when they returned , and cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; and many times didst thou deliver them according to thy mercies;

29 And testifiedst against them, that thou mightest bring them again unto thy law: yet they dealt proudly , and hearkened not unto thy commandments, but sinned against thy judgments, (which if a man do , he shall live in them;) and withdrew the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear .

30 Yet many years didst thou forbear them, and testifiedst against them by thy spirit in thy prophets: yet would they not give ear : therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the people of the lands.

31 Nevertheless for thy great mercies' sake thou didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them; for thou art a gracious and merciful God.

Footnotes

• [a]. withdrew...: Heb. they gave a withdrawing shoulder