Nehemiah 9:9-19

9 And thou hast seen the torment of our fathers in Egypt, and thou heardest the cry of them upon the Red Sea. (And thou saw the torment of our forefathers in Egypt, and thou heardest their cries at the Red Sea, or the Sea of Reeds.)
10 And thou hast given signs and great wonders in Pharaoh, and in all his servants, and in all the people of that land; for thou knowest, that they did proudly against our fathers; and thou madest to thee a name, as also (it is) in this day. (And thou gavest signs and great wonders against Pharaoh, and against all his servants, and against all the people of that land; for thou knewest, that they did proudly against our forefathers; and thou madest a name for thyself, as it is unto this day.)
11 And thou partedest the sea before them, and they passed through the midst of the sea in the dry place; and thou castedest down the pursuers of them into the depth, as a stone in strong waters. (And thou partedest the Red Sea before them, and they passed through the middle of it on dry land; and thou threwest down their pursuers into the depths, like a stone thrown into mighty waters.)
12 And in a pillar of cloud thou were the leader of them by day, and in a pillar of fire by night, that the way, by which they entered, should appear to them. (And thou wast their leader by a pillar of cloud in the day, and by a pillar of fire in the night, so that the way by which they should go, was clear to them.)
13 Also thou camest down at the hill of Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and thou gavest to them rightful dooms, and the law of truth, ceremonies, and good commandments. (And thou camest down upon Mount Sinai, and spokest with them from heaven, and thou gavest them right judgements, and true laws, and good statutes, and commandments.)
14 And thou showedest to them an hallowed sabbath; and thou commandedest to them commandments, and ceremonies, and law, in the hand of Moses, thy servant. (And thou toldest them of thy holy Sabbath; and thou commandedest to them commandments, and statutes, and laws, through thy servant Moses.)
15 And thou gavest to them bread from heaven in their hunger; and thou leddest out of the stone water to them (who were) thirsting; and thou saidest to them, that they should enter, and have in possession the land, upon the which land thou raisedest up thine hand, that thou shouldest give it to them. (And thou gavest them bread, or manna, from heaven for their hunger; and thou leddest out water from the stone for those who were thirsting; and thou saidest to them, that they should go in, and take possession of the land, on which land thou raisedest up thy hand, and swore, that thou would give it to them.)
16 But they and our fathers did proudly, and made hard their nolls, and heard not thy commandments. (But they, our forefathers, did proudly, and were stiff-necked, or stubborn, and would not obey thy commandments.)
17 And they would not hear; and they had not mind of thy marvels, which thou haddest done to them; and they made hard their nolls; and they gave the head, that they were all-turned to their servage as by strife; but thou art God (who is) helpful, meek, and merciful, abiding long, either patient, and of much merciful doing, and forsookest not them; (Yea, they would not obey; and they did not remember thy marvels, which thou didest for them; and they stiffened their necks, and were stubborn; and they rebelled, and ordained a leader to take them back to their servitude, or their slavery; but thou art a helpful God, meek, and merciful, long abiding, or patient, and of great mercy, and thou didest not abandon them;)
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.)

Nehemiah 9:9-19 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.