Nehemiah 9:24

24 "¹So their sons entered and possessed the land. And ²You subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, And You gave them into their hand, with their kings and the peoples of the land, To do with them as they desired.

Nehemiah 9:24 Meaning and Commentary

Nehemiah 9:24

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 14:30-33 )

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 12:9-24 ) .

Nehemiah 9:24 In-Context

22 "You also gave them kingdoms and peoples, And allotted them to them as a boundary. They took possession of the land of Sihon the king of Heshbon And the land of Og the king of Bashan.

23 "You made their sons numerous as the stars of heaven, And You brought them into the land Which You had told their fathers to enter and possess.

24 "So their sons entered and possessed the land. And You subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, And You gave them into their hand, with their kings and the peoples of the land, To do with them as they desired.

25 "They captured fortified cities and a fertile land. They took possession of houses full of every good thing, Hewn cisterns, vineyards, olive groves, Fruit trees in abundance. So they ate, were filled and grew fat, And reveled in Your great goodness.

26 "But they became disobedient and rebelled against You, And cast Your law behind their backs And killed Your prophets who had admonished them So that they might return to You, And they committed great blasphemies.

Cross References

• 1. Joshua 11:23; Joshua 21:43
• 2. Joshua 18:1

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "according to their desire"