Nehemiah 9:1-6

1 Forsooth in the four and twentieth day of this month, the sons of Israel came together in fasting, and in sackcloths, and earth was on them. (Now on the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites came together in sackcloths, with earth on their heads, for a fast, to show remorse for their sins.)
2 And the seed of the sons of Israel was separated from each alien man. And they stood before the Lord, and acknowledged their sins, and the wickednesses of their fathers. (And the descendants of the Israelites separated themselves from every foreigner. And they stood before the Lord, and confessed their sins, and the wickednesses of their forefathers.)
3 And they rose together to stand; and they read in the book of the law of the Lord their God four times in the day, and four times in the night; they acknowledged, and praised the Lord their God. (And they stood up in their places; and The Book of the Law of the Lord their God was read to them for one fourth, or one quarter, of the day; and then for another fourth, or quarter, they confessed their sins, and praised the Lord their God.)
4 Forsooth they rised [up] on the degree, of (the) deacons, Jeshua, and Bani, Kadmiel, Bunni, Shebaniah, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani. And the deacons cried with great voice to their Lord God. (And then Jeshua, and Bani, Kadmiel, Bunni, Shebaniah, Sherebiah, another Bani, and Chenani stood on the platform built for the Levites. And they cried aloud to the Lord their God.)
5 And (the deacons,) Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, Rise ye (up), and bless ye the Lord your God, from without beginning and till into without end; and Lord, bless they the high name of thy glory in all blessing and praising. (And the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, Rise ye up, and bless ye the Lord your God, forever and ever; yea, Lord, bless they thy glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise.)
6 Thou thyself, Lord, art alone/Thou thyself, Lord, art alone God; thou madest heaven, and the heaven of heavens, and all the host of those heavens; thou madest the earth and all things that be therein; thou madest the seas and all things that be in them; and thou quickenest all these things; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee. (Thou thyself, art Lord alone/Thou thyself, Lord, art God alone; thou madest the heavens, yea, the highest heavens, and all the stars of the sky; thou madest the earth and all the things that be on it; thou madest the seas and all the things that be in them; and thou quickenest all these things; and the host of heaven, that is, the heavenly powers, worshippeth thee.)

Nehemiah 9:1-6 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO NEHEMIAH 9

In this chapter we have an account of a fast kept by the Jews, which was observed, as by outward acts of humiliation, so by confession of sin, reading the law, and worshipping the Lord, Ne 9:1-3 and of a long prayer that the Levites made, in which they celebrate the divine perfections, take notice of various instances of the goodness of God to the people of Israel, acknowledge their manifold transgressions, observe the Lord's correction of them for them, in which they own he was righteous, Ne 9:4-38.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.