Nehemiah 9 Footnotes

9:10-11 Many people today question whether or not the miracles recorded in the Bible actually occurred. These Jews, who had suffered so long in captivity and were now restored to their homeland, did not question them. They believed their God had performed these miracles in their distant past.

9:30 Recently scholars have attempted to equate Israel’s prophets with similar figures in contemporary near eastern cultures. They believe prophets constituted a unique social institution of ancient Near Eastern cultures, speaking to their communities about their social and religious responsibilities. While it is evident that these other cultures had their own so-called prophets, they were not speaking on behalf of the Lord, but rather on behalf of their own gods. God warned the people not to listen to these other prophets (Dt 18:9-22). Even some of Israel’s own prophets were false (Dt 13:1-5; Jr 23:9-40).