Nehemiah 9:26

26 But they turned, and revolted from thee, and cast thy law behind their backs; and they slew thy prophets, who testified against them to turn them back to thee, and they wrought great provocations.

Nehemiah 9:26 Meaning and Commentary

Nehemiah 9:26

Nevertheless, they were disobedient, and rebelled against
thee
Notwithstanding all these favours and mercies bestowed upon them, which was great ingratitude:

and cast thy law behind their backs;
as of no account, and unworthy of their regard; that which they should have had continually before their eyes, as the rule and guide of their actions, they cast behind them, not caring to look into it, and read it:

and slew thy prophets, which testified against them to turn them to
thee;
the prophets that bore a testimony against their sins, admonished them of them, called heaven and earth to record against them should they continue in them, and all to turn them from them by repentance to the Lord; those they were so wroth with on this account as to slay them, see ( Matthew 23:37 ) ( Acts 7:52 ) ,

and they wrought great provocations;
serving Baalim and Ashtaroth, and other gods of the nations, than which nothing was more provoking to the Lord.

Nehemiah 9:26 In-Context

24 And they inherited it: and thou didst destroy from before them the dwellers in the land of the Chananites, and thou gavest into their hands them and their kings, and the nations of the land, to do unto them as it pleased them.
25 And they took lofty cities, and inherited houses full of all good things, wells dug, vineyards, and oliveyards, and every fruit tree in abundance: so they ate, and were filled, and grew fat, and rioted in thy great goodness.
26 But they turned, and revolted from thee, and cast thy law behind their backs; and they slew thy prophets, who testified against them to turn them back to thee, and they wrought great provocations.
27 Then thou gavest them into the hand of them that afflicted them, and they did afflict them: and they cried to thee in the time of their affliction, and thou didst hear them from thy heaven, and in thy great compassions gavest them deliverers, and didst save them from the hand of them that afflicted them.
28 But when they rested, they did evil again before thee: so thou leftest them in the hands of their enemies, and they ruled over them: and they cried again to thee, and thou heardest from heaven, and didst deliver them in thy great compassions.

The Brenton translation of the Septuagint is in the public domain.