Nehemiah 1

Nehemiah's Grief for the Exiles

1 The words of ¹Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it happened in ²the month Chislev, ³in the twentieth year, while I was in ⁴Susa the ^[a]capitol,

2 that ⁵Hanani, one of my brothers, and ^[b]some men from Judah came; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped and had survived the captivity, and about Jerusalem.

3 They said to me, "The remnant there in the ⁶province who survived the captivity are in great distress and ⁷reproach, and ⁸the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and ⁹its gates are burned with fire."

4 When I heard these words, ¹⁰I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before ¹¹the God of heaven.

5 I said, "I beseech You, O LORD God of heaven, ¹²the great and awesome God, ¹³who preserves the covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments,

6 ¹⁴let Your ear now be attentive and Your eyes open to hear the prayer of Your servant which I am praying before You now, day and night, on behalf of the sons of Israel Your servants, ¹⁵confessing the sins of the sons of Israel which we have sinned against You; ¹⁶I and my father's house have sinned.

7 "¹⁷We have acted very corruptly against You and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances ¹⁸which You commanded Your servant Moses.

8 "Remember the word which You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, '¹⁹If you are unfaithful I will scatter you among the peoples;

9 ²⁰but if you return to Me and keep My commandments and do them, though those of you who have been scattered were in the most remote part of the heavens, I ²¹will gather them from there and will bring them ²²to the place where * I have chosen to cause My name to dwell.'

10 "²³They are Your servants and Your people whom You redeemed by Your great power and by Your strong hand.

11 "O Lord, I beseech You, ²⁴may Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and the prayer of Your servants who delight to ^[c]revere Your name, and make Your servant successful today and grant him compassion before this man." Now I was the ²⁵cupbearer to the king.

PREVIOUS Ezra 10 NEXT Nehemiah 2

Images for Nehemiah 1

Videos for Nehemiah 1

What are the Old Testament Historical Books?

What Are the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah All About?

What's the Book of Nehemiah All About?

Nehemiah 1 Commentary

Chapter 1

The Old Testament history closes with the book of Nehemiah, wherein is recorded the workings of his heart, in the management of public affairs; with many devout reflections.

Nehemiah's distress for the misery of Jerusalem, His prayer.

- Nehemiah was the Persian king's cup-bearer. When God has work to do, he will never want instruments to do it with. Nehemiah lived at ease, and in honour, but does not forget that he is an Israelite, and that his brethren are in distress. He was ready to do them all the good offices he could; and that he might know how best to do them a kindness, he makes inquiries about them. We should inquire especially concerning the state of the church and religion. Every Jerusalem on this side the heavenly one will have some defect, which will require the help and services of its friends. Nehemiah's first application was to God, that he might have the fuller confidence in his application to the king. Our best pleas in prayer are taken from the promise of God, the word on which he has caused us to hope. Other means must be used, but the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails most. Communion with God will best prepare us for our dealings with men. When we have intrusted our concerns to God, the mind is set at liberty; it feels satisfaction and composure, and difficulties vanish. We know that if the affair be hurtful, he can easily hinder it; and if it be good for us, he can as easily forward it.

Taken from Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (Concise)

Cross References 25

1. Nehemiah 10:1
2. Zechariah 7:1
3. Nehemiah 2:1
4. Esther 1:2; Daniel 8:2
5. Nehemiah 7:2
6. Nehemiah 7:6
7. Nehemiah 2:17
8. Nehemiah 2:17
9. Nehemiah 2:3
10. Ezra 9:3; Ezra 10:1
11. Nehemiah 2:4
12. Nehemiah 4:14; Nehemiah 9:32; Daniel 9:4
13. Exodus 20:6; Psalms 89:2, 3
14. Daniel 9:17
15. Ezra 10:1; Daniel 9:20
16. 2 Chronicles 29:6
17. Daniel 9:5
18. Deuteronomy 28:14
19. Leviticus 26:33
20. Deuteronomy 30:2, 3
21. Deuteronomy 30:4
22. Deuteronomy 12:5
23. Exodus 32:11; Deuteronomy 9:29
24. Nehemiah 1:6
25. Genesis 40:21; Nehemiah 2:1

Footnotes 3

[a]. Or "palace" or" citadel"
[b]. Lit "he and some"
[c]. Or "fear"

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF NEHEMIAH

This book is, by the authors of the Vulgate Latin and Arabic versions, called the "Second" Book of Ezra, it being a continuation of the same history, and was by the Jews reckoned as one book with Ezra; Kimchi on Isa 9:7, calls it Ezra, so the Talmud {a}; and it has been quoted by Christian writers under his name; see the argument of the book of Ezra; but not as if it was written by him; for it is a clear case it was written by Nehemiah, whose name it bears, as appears from Ne 1:1 and throughout Nehemiah speaks of himself under the first person; and the style also is very different from that of Ezra, being plainer and easier than his. It has always had a place in the canon of Scriptures, both with Jews and Christians; and is of use to show the fulfilment of the prophecy of Zechariah, and especially of Daniel concerning the building of the wall of Jerusalem in troublesome times; to carry on the history of the Jews, and describe the state of the church in those times, what opposition was made to it, and what enemies it had, and what must be expected when any work of God is set about; it is the last of the historical books that was written, as is thought, and contains an history of the space of about twelve years, from the twentieth of Artaxerxes to the thirty second of his reign, see \Ne 1:1 2:1 13:6\.

{a} T. Bab. Succah, fol. 37. 1. & Gloss. in ib. fol. 12. 1.

\\INTRODUCTION NEHEMIAH 1\\

This chapter relates how that Nehemiah, being at Shushan in Persia, and meeting with some Jews, inquired of the state of Jerusalem, of which having a melancholy account, he betook to mourning, fasting, and prayer, Ne 1:1-4, and his prayer is recorded, Ne 1:5-11.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible