Nehemiah 9:18-28

18 and when they had made to them a molten calf, as by strife, and had said, This is thy God, Israel, that led thee out of Egypt, and they did great blasphemies to thy name. (even when they made for themselves a metal idol, yea, a calf, and said, Israel, this is thy god, that led thee out of Egypt, and they did great blasphemies to thy name.)
19 But thou, Lord, in thy many mercies leftest, or forsookest, not them in (the) desert; for a pillar of cloud went not away from them by the day, that it should lead them into the way whither they were to go; and the pillar of fire went not away from them by night, that it should show to them the way, by which they should enter. (Yet thou, Lord, in thy many mercies, did not leave, or forsake, them in the desert; for the pillar of cloud went not away from them in the day, so that it could lead them in the way that they should to go; and the pillar of fire went not away from them in the night, so that it could also show them the way that they should go.)
20 And thou gavest to them thy good Spirit, that taught them; and thou forbadest not thine angel's meat, (or thy manna,) from their mouth(s), and thou gavest to them water in their thirst (and thou gavest them water for their thirst).
21 Forty years thou feddest them in (the) desert, and nothing failed to them (and nothing failed for them); their clothes waxed not eld, and their feet were not hurt, (or swollen).
22 And thou gavest to them realms, and peoples; and thou partedest lots, either heritages, to them, and they had in possession the land of Sihon, and the land of the king of Heshbon, and the land of Og, king of Bashan. (And thou gavest kingdoms, and peoples to them; and thou partedest to them lots, or inheritances, and they took possession of the land of Sihon, the king of Heshbon, and the land of Og, the king of Bashan.)
23 And thou multipliedest the sons of them, as the stars of heaven/as the stars of the firmament; and thou broughtest them to the land, of which thou saidest to their fathers, that they should enter, and hold it in possession. (And thou multipliedest their sons, so that they be in number like the stars of the heavens/like the stars in the sky; and thou broughtest them to the land, of which thou saidest to their fathers, that they should enter, and take possession of it.)
24 And the sons of Israel came, and had the land in possession; and before them thou madest low the dwellers of the land, (the) Canaanites; and thou gavest them into the hands of the sons of Israel, and the kings of them, and the peoples of the land, that they did to them, as it pleased them. (And the Israelites came, and took possession of the land; and thou madest the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land, low before them; thou gavest them into the hands of the Israelites, yea, thou gavest them their kings, and the peoples of the land, and then Israel did to them, whatever it pleased them to do.)
25 And they took cities made strong, and (a) fat earth; and they had in possession houses full of all goods, cisterns made of other men, vineries, and places of olives, and many apple trees. And they ate, and were fulfilled, and were made fat; and had plenty of riches in thy great goodness. (And they took over fortified cities, and a fertile land; and they took possession of houses full of all kinds of goods, and cisterns made by other men, and vineyards, and olives groves, and many apple trees. And they ate, and were fulfilled, and made fat, and had plenty of riches by thy great goodness.)
26 And yet they stirred thee to wrathfulness, and went away from thee, and casted away thy law behind their backs; and they killed thy prophets, that witnessed to them, that they should turn again to thee; and they did great blasphemies. (And yet they stirred thee to great anger, and went away from thee, and threw away thy Law behind their backs; and they killed thy prophets, who witnessed to them, that they should return to thee; and they did great blasphemies.)
27 And thou gavest them into the hand(s) of their enemies; and they tormented them; and in the time of their tribulation they cried to thee; and thou heardest them from heaven, and by thy many merciful doings thou gavest them saviours, that saved them from the hand of their enemies (who saved them from the hands, or the power, of their enemies).
28 And when they had rested, they turned again to do evil in thy sight; and thou forsookest them in the hand of their enemies, and (their) enemies had them in possession; then they were turned again to thee, and cried to thee; and in thy mercy doing thou heardest them from heaven, and deliveredest them by many times. (And after they had rested, or had stopped for a while, again they turned to do evil before thee; and thou abandonedest them into the hands of their enemies, and their enemies subjugated them; then they turned again to thee, and cried to thee; and thou heardest them from heaven, and many times in thy mercy thou deliveredest them.)

Nehemiah 9:18-28 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.