Nehemiah 9:32

32 And now, O our God, the powerful, the great, the mighty, and the terrible, keeping thy covenant and thy mercy, let not all the trouble seem little in thy sight which has come upon us, and our kings, and our princes, and our priests, and our prophets, and our fathers, and upon all thy people, from the days of the kings of Assur even to this day.

Nehemiah 9:32 Meaning and Commentary

Nehemiah 9:32

Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the
terrible God, who keepest covenant and mercy
The same titles Nehemiah gives to the Lord, ( Nehemiah 1:5 ) and it may be reasonably thought the whole prayer is his composure, which was delivered by him to the Levites:

let not all the trouble seem little before thee;
as if it was not enough; let it be judged sufficient, and no more be added, but mercy shown; Aben Ezra thinks the word "little" is not to be connected with "trouble", but with the nearest antecedent "mercy", and so Gussetius {z}; as if the sense was, let not thy mercy be small with thee, but let it be largely extended along with all the trouble, or at the time when trouble of every kind

comes upon us, on our kings, on our princes, and on our priests, and on
our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all thy people, since the
times of the kings of Assyria unto this day;
but this sense is not clear, and makes it have respect to times to come; whereas it relates to time past, and to all the trouble and affliction they had met with from the Assyrian kings, from the time they invaded their land, and carried them captive, until this very time.

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FOOTNOTES:

F26 Ebr. Comment. p. 937.

Nehemiah 9:32 In-Context

30 Yet thou didst bear long with them many years, and didst testify to them by thy Spirit by the hand of thy prophets: but they hearkened not; so thou gavest them into the hand of the nations of the land.

31 But thou in thy many mercies didst not appoint them to destruction, and didst not forsake them; for thou art strong, and merciful, and pitiful.

32 And now, O our God, the powerful, the great, the mighty, and the terrible, keeping thy covenant and thy mercy, let not all the trouble seem little in thy sight which has come upon us, and our kings, and our princes, and our priests, and our prophets, and our fathers, and upon all thy people, from the days of the kings of Assur even to this day.

33 But thou righteous in all the things that come upon us; for thou hast wrought faithfully, but we have greatly sinned.

34 And our kings, and our princes, and our priests, and our fathers, have not performed thy law, and have not given heed to thy commandments, and thy testimonies which thou didst testify to them.