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Texts -- Nehemiah 9:24-38 (NET)

Context
9:24 Their descendants entered and possessed the land . You subdued before them the Canaanites who were the inhabitants of the land . You delivered them into their hand , together with their kings and the peoples of the land , to deal with as they pleased . 9:25 They captured fortified cities and fertile land . They took possession of houses full of all sorts of good things – wells previously dug , vineyards , olive trees , and fruit trees in abundance . They ate until they were full and grew fat . They enjoyed to the full your great goodness . 9:26 “Nonetheless they grew disobedient and rebelled against you; they disregarded your law . They killed your prophets who had solemnly admonished them in order to cause them to return to you. They committed atrocious blasphemies . 9:27 Therefore you delivered them into the hand of their adversaries , who oppressed them. But in the time of their distress they called to you, and you heard from heaven . In your abundant compassion you provided them with deliverers to rescue them from their adversaries . 9:28 “Then, when they were at rest again, they went back to doing evil before you. Then you abandoned them to their enemies , and they gained dominion over them. When they again cried out to you , in your compassion you heard from heaven and rescued them time and again . 9:29 And you solemnly admonished them in order to return them to your law , but they behaved presumptuously and did not obey your commandments . They sinned against your ordinances – those by which an individual , if he obeys them, will live . They boldly turned from you; they rebelled and did not obey . 9:30 You prolonged your kindness with them for many years , and you solemnly admonished them by your Spirit through your prophets . Still they paid no attention , so you delivered them into the hands of the neighboring peoples . 9:31 However, due to your abundant mercy you did not do away with them altogether ; you did not abandon them. For you are a merciful and compassionate God . 9:32 “So now , our God – the great , powerful , and awesome God , who keeps covenant fidelity – do not regard as inconsequential all the hardship that has befallen us– our kings , our leaders , our priests , our prophets , our ancestors , and all your people – from the days of the kings of Assyria until this very day ! 9:33 You are righteous with regard to all that has happened to us, for you have acted faithfully . It is we who have been in the wrong ! 9:34 Our kings , our leaders , our priests , and our ancestors have not kept your law . They have not paid attention to your commandments or your testimonies by which you have solemnly admonished them. 9:35 Even when they were in their kingdom and benefiting from your incredible goodness that you had lavished on them in the spacious and fertile land you had set before them, they did not serve you, nor did they turn from their evil practices . 9:36 “So today we are slaves ! In the very land you gave to our ancestors to eat its fruit and to enjoy its good things – we are slaves ! 9:37 Its abundant produce goes to the kings you have placed over us due to our sins . They rule over our bodies and our livestock as they see fit , and we are in great distress !
The People Pledge to be Faithful
9:38 “Because of all of this we are entering into a binding covenant in written form; our leaders , our Levites , and our priests have affixed their names on the sealed document.”

Pericope

NET

Bible Dictionary

  • TAX; TAXING

    [isbe] TAX; TAXING - taks, taks'-ing: I. INTRODUCTION 1. General Considerations 2. Limits of the Discussion II. TAXES IN ISRAEL UNDER SELF-GOVERNMENT 1. In the Earliest Period 2. Under the Theocracy; in the Period of the Judges 3. ...

  • SABBATICAL YEAR

    [isbe] SABBATICAL YEAR - sa-bat'-ik-al, shenath shabbathon; eniautos anapauseos, "a year of solemn rest"; or shabbath shabbathon; sabbata anapausis, "a sabbath of solemn rest" (Lev 25:4); or shehath ha-shemittah; etos tes apheseos,...

  • REVELATION, 3-4

    [isbe] REVELATION, 3-4 - III. The Modes of Revelation. 1. Modes of Revelation: Theophany may be taken as the typical form of "external manifestation"; but by its side may be ranged all of those mighty works by which God makes Himse...

  • PRINCE

    [isbe] PRINCE - prins: This word occurs quite frequently in our English Bible, mostly in the Old Testament. While it is never used to denote royal parentage (compare 1 Ch 29:24), it often indicates actual royal or ruling power, tog...

  • PLEASURE

    [isbe] PLEASURE - plezh'-ur (chephets, ratson; eudokia, hedone: "Pleasure" is the translation of various Hebrew words, chiefly of chephets, "inclination," hence, "pleasure," "delight" (Job 21:21, "What pleasure hath he in his house...

  • PAHATH-MOAB

    [isbe] PAHATH-MOAB - pa'-hath-mo'-ab (pachath mo'abh, "sheik of Moab"; in I Esdras 5:11; 8:31, "Phaath Moab"): A Jewish clan probably named after an ancestor of the above title. Part of the clan returned with Zerubbabel (Ezr 2:6; c...

  • Nehemiah

    [nave] NEHEMIAH 1. Son of Hachaliah, Neh. 1:1. Cupbearer of Artaxerxes, Neh. 1:11; 2:1. Is grieved over the desolation of his country, Neh. 1. Is sent by the king to rebuild Jerusalem, Neh. 2:1-8. Register of the people whom he...

  • NECK

    [isbe] NECK - nek (tsawwar, tsawwa'r, tsawwaron, tsawwa'rah, Aramaic tsawwar (Dan 5:7,16,29), `oreph, miphreqeth (1 Sam 4:18); nostos, "back" (Baruch 2:33); occasionally the words garon (Isa 3:16; Ezek 16:11), and gargeroth, plural...

  • MANIFOLD

    [isbe] MANIFOLD - man'-i-fold (rabh; poikilos): "Manifold," which occurs only a few times, is in the Old Testament the translation of rabh, "many," "abundant" (Neh 9:19,27; Am 5:12, where it is equivalent to "many"), and of rabhabh...

  • Israel

    [nave] ISRAEL 1. A name given to Jacob, Gen. 32:24-32; 2 Kin. 17:34; Hos. 12:3, 4. 2. A name of the Christ in prophecy, Isa. 49:3. 3. A name given to the descendants of Jacob, a nation. Called also Israelites, and Hebrews, Gen. 4...

  • INTERCESSION

    [isbe] INTERCESSION - in-ter-sesh'-un (pagha`, "to make intercession"; originally "to strike upon," or "against"; then in a good sense, "to assail anyone with petitions," "to urge," and when on behalf of another, "to intercede" (Ru...

  • GOODS

    [isbe] GOODS - goodz (rekhush, Tubh; ta huparchonta): In the Old Testament rekhush ("substance") is most frequently translated "goods," as in Gen 14:11,12,16,21, etc.; Tubh is also 3 times so translated in the King James Version (G...

  • FORBEAR

    [isbe] FORBEAR - for-bar' (chadhal; anechomai): In the Old Testament chadhal, "to leave off," is the word most frequently translated "forbear" (Ex 23:5, etc.); damam, "to be silent," chasakh, "to keep back," mashakh, "to draw or st...

  • FENCE

    [isbe] FENCE - fens (batsar, mibhtsar): Commonly used in the King James Version in the description of fortified places, as the translation of batsar, "to cut off," "to separate," "to fortify" (and forms) (Dt 3:5; 9:1; 28:52, etc.);...

  • DISOBEDIENCE; DISOBEDIENT

    [isbe] DISOBEDIENCE; DISOBEDIENT - dis-o-be'-di-ens, (marah; apeitheo, parakouo): The word used chiefly in the New Testament has the general meaning of a lack of regard for authority or rulership. The stronger meaning of actual stu...

  • CONSUME

    [isbe] CONSUME - kon-sum' (akhal, kalah, tamam; analisko): In Old Testament 'akhal ("to eat," "devour") occurs very frequently, and is translated "consumed" (Gen 31:40; Ex 15:7; Ps 78:63, etc.); kalah ("to finish") is also frequent...

  • CISTERN; WELL; POOL; AQUEDUCT

    [isbe] CISTERN; WELL; POOL; AQUEDUCT - sis'-tern: Use of Terms 1. General 2. Wells or Cylindrical Cisterns 3. Private Cisterns 4. Public Cisterns 5. Pools and Aqueducts 6. Figurative Uses LITERATURE Several words are rendered by "c...

  • BODY

    [isbe] BODY - bod'-i: I. PHILOLOGICAL: Generally speaking, the Old Testament language employs no fixed term for the human body as an entire organism in exact opposition to "soul" or "spirit." Various terms were employed, each of wh...

  • BACK, BACK PARTS

    [isbe] BACK, BACK PARTS - (1) 'achar, "back side" as in the King James Version): "He led the flock to the back of the wilderness" (Ex 3:1), i.e. "to the pasture-lands on the other side of the desert from the Midianite encampments."...

  • Afflictions and Adversities

    [nave] AFFLICTIONS AND ADVERSITIES. List of Sub-Topics Miscellany of Minor Sub-Topics; Unclassified Scriptures Relating to; Benefits of; Benefits of, Illustrated; Consolation in; Deliverance from; Design of; Despondency in; Dispe...

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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • The Book of Samuel covers the period of Israel's history bracketed by Samuel's conception and the end of David's reign. David turned the kingdom over to Solomon in 971 B.C.3David reigned for 40 and one-half years (2 Sam. 2:11...
  • Compared with the dedication of the first temple this one was very modest. Solomon had offered more than 200 times as many animals.96The Jews offered one sin offering, which involved slaying a goat, for each of the 12 tribes ...
  • The priests presented the evening offering (v. 5) between 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. in Jesus' day.130Ezra's prayer contains four primary characteristics: solidarity, confession, readiness to change, and faith in God's mercy.131In hi...
  • The years of history the book covers are 445-431 B.C. or perhaps a few years after that.In 445 B.C. (the twentieth year of Artaxerxes' reign, 1:1) Nehemiah learned of the conditions in Jerusalem that led him to request permis...
  • For many years, believers regarded Ezra and Nehemiah as twin books. They called them 1 and 2 Ezra (or Esdras, the Greek transliteration of Ezra). Jerome, who lived in the fourth century A.D., gave 2 Ezra the name Nehemiah. Th...
  • I. The fortification of Jerusalem chs. 1-7A. The return under Nehemiah chs. 1-21. The news concerning Jerusalem 1:1-32. The response of Nehemiah 1:4-113. The request of Nehemiah 2:1-84. The return to Jerusalem 2:9-20B. The re...
  • One writer viewed chapters 8-13 (really 7:73-13:37) as the third part of the tripartite structure of Ezra-Nehemiah. Ezra 1:1-4 deals with "potentiality,"the decree to the community to build God's house. Ezra 1:5--Nehemiah 7:7...
  • "The reading of Scripture (Neh 8) and the act of prayer (Neh 9) followed by community commitment (Neh 10) is a model for worshiping communities."62This was another instance in Israel's history of a covenant renewal accompanyi...
  • A second group of seven Levites (v. 5) led the people in the prayer of praise that Nehemiah included in this book perhaps on a different day than the prayer he wrote about in verses 1-4."The prayer is intended to instruct the...
  • Nehemiah explained the agreement he previously referred to in 9:38 in this chapter. Conviction of sin (ch. 8) led to confession of sin (ch. 9) and resulted in a covenant with God (ch. 10)."Nehemiah 10, despite its forbidding ...
  • This portion of the book resumes the historical narrative in chronological order from 11:2 where it stopped. Probably the dedication took place soon after the covenant renewal ceremonies (chs. 8-10)....
  • The Book of Nehemiah records the fortification of Jerusalem and the restoration of the Jews, two essential steps that were necessary to reestablish God's people in His will and in their land.Nehemiah continued the good work t...
  • Israel deserved judgment, and this pericope shows why. Jeremiah presented a series of pictures of the nation's irresponsibility and corruption.2:29 The Lord wanted to know why His people were angry with Him. The difficulties ...
  • The prayer begins with a long ascription of praise to Yahweh (vv. 17-23) and concludes by expressing incredulity that the Lord had commanded His servant to buy the land in Anathoth (vv. 24-25; cf. Neh. 9:6-37; Dan. 9:4-19).42...
  • 11:14-15 The Lord then replied that many of the Jews in Jerusalem were saying that the Judahites who had gone into captivity were the ones that God was judging. They believed that the Jews left in Jerusalem were the remnant t...
  • 6:10 The new decree did not deter Daniel from continuing to pray for the welfare of the city where God had sent them into exile and for the Jews' return from exile. That this was the subject of his praying, among other things...
  • This final section of the book is also in the form of a lament (cf. vv. 1-7). While Micah spoke as an individual, he spoke for the faithful remnant of Israelites in his day. His sentiments would have been theirs. Thus the lam...
  • Having referred to the words of the former prophets (v. 7), Zechariah now summarized them as an exhortation to his own generation of Israelites.7:8-10 Zechariah received another message from the Lord related to this inquiry. ...
  • Another comment triggered teaching of a similar nature. The continuing theme is the messianic kingdom.13:31 This incident followed the former one chronologically. Therefore it is probable that Jesus' words about Jews not ente...
  • Stephen concluded his defense by indicting his accusers. They had brought charges against him, but now he brought more serious charges against them.In his first speech to the Sanhedrin, Peter had been quite brief and forthrig...
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