Nehemiah 1

1 The words of Nehemiah, the son of Hachaliah. And it was done in the month of Chisleu, that is, November, in the twentieth year, and I was in the castle of Susa (and I was in the capital city of Susa);

2 and Hanani, one of my brethren, came to me, he and men of Judah; and I asked them of the Jews, that were left, and were alive of the captivity, and of Jerusalem. (and Hanani, one of my brothers, came to me, he and some men from Judah; and I asked them about Jerusalem, and about the Jews who had remained there since the captivity/and about the Jews who had returned there from the captivity.)

3 And they said to me, They that be left of the captivity, and that dwelled there still in the province, be in great torment, and shame; and the wall of Jerusalem is destroyed, and the gates of it be burnt with fire. (And they said to me, They who survived the captivity, and had returned there to the province, be in great torment, and shame/They who had remained there in the province, and had not gone into captivity, be in great torment, and shame; and the wall of Jerusalem is broken in many places, and its gates be burned with fire.)

4 And when I had heard such words, I sat and wept, and mourned many days, and I fasted, and prayed before the face of (the) God of heaven;

5 and I said, I beseech thee, Lord God of heaven, that art strong, great, and fearedful, that keepest covenant and mercy with them that love thee, and keep thy behests; (and I said, I beseech thee, Lord God of heaven, who art strong, and great, and fearful, and who keepest covenant and mercy with those who love thee, and who keep thy commandments;)

6 thine ear be made harkening, and thine eyes opened, that thou hear the prayer of thy servant, by which prayer I pray before thee now, by night and day, for the sons of Israel, thy servants, and I acknowledge for the sins of the sons of Israel, by which they have sinned to thee; both I and the house of my father have sinned; (let thine ear harken, and thine eyes be opened, so that thou hear the prayer of thy servant, by which prayer I pray before thee now, by night and day, for thy servants the Israelites, and I confess the sins of the Israelites, which we have sinned against thee; both I and the house of my father have sinned;)

7 we were deceived by vanity, and we kept not thy commandment(s), and ceremonies, and dooms, which thou commandedest to Moses, thy servant. (we were deceptive and vain, that is, sinful and proud, and we kept not thy commandments, and statutes, and judgements, which thou commandedest to thy servant Moses.)

8 Have mind of the word (Remember the word), which thou commandedest to thy servant Moses, and saidest, When ye have trespassed, I shall scatter you into (the) peoples;

9 and if ye turn again to me, that ye keep my behests, and do those, yea, though ye be led away to the furthest things of heaven, from thence I shall gather you together, and I shall bring you into the place, that I have chosen, that my name should dwell there. (but if ye return to me, and ye keep my commandments, and do them, yea, though ye be led away to the farthest reaches of the heavens, that is, unto the ends of the earth, I shall gather you together from there, and I shall bring you into the place which I have chosen, that my name should be there.)

10 And we be thy servants, and thy people, which thou hast again-bought in thy great strength, and in thy strong hand. (And we be thy servants, and thy people, whom thou hast bought back, that is, redeemed, or rescued, with thy great strength, and with thy strong hand.)

11 Lord, I beseech thee, thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, that will dread thy name; and direct thy servant to day, and give thou mercy to him before this man, that is, Artaxerxes, (the) king. For I was the bottler of the king. (Lord, I beseech thee, let thy ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayers of thy servants, who desire to revere thy name; and give thy servant success today, and give thou mercy to him before this man, that is, King Artaxerxes. For I was the king's butler.)

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.

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.