Nehemiah 9:32

32 “And now, our God, the great and mighty and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of unfailing love, do not let all the hardships we have suffered seem insignificant to you. Great trouble has come upon us and upon our kings and leaders and priests and prophets and ancestors—all of your people—from the days when the kings of Assyria first triumphed over us until now.

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 In your love, you were patient with them for many years. You sent your Spirit, who warned them through the prophets. But still they wouldn’t listen! So once again you allowed the peoples of the land to conquer them.

31 But in your great mercy, you did not destroy them completely or abandon them forever. What a gracious and merciful God you are!

32 “And now, our God, the great and mighty and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of unfailing love, do not let all the hardships we have suffered seem insignificant to you. Great trouble has come upon us and upon our kings and leaders and priests and prophets and ancestors—all of your people—from the days when the kings of Assyria first triumphed over us until now.

33 Every time you punished us you were being just. We have sinned greatly, and you gave us only what we deserved.

34 Our kings, leaders, priests, and ancestors did not obey your Law or listen to the warnings in your commands and laws.