1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace,

2 That Hanani, one of my brothers, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.

3 And they said to me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.

4 And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,

5 And said, I beseech you, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keeps covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments:

6 Let your ear now be attentive, and your eyes open, that you may hear the prayer of your servant, which I pray before you now, day and night, for the children of Israel your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against you: both I and my father's house have sinned.

7 We have dealt very corruptly against you, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which you commanded your servant Moses.

8 Remember, I beseech you, the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, If you transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations:

9 But if you turn to me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out to the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from there, and will bring them to the place that I have chosen to set my name there.

10 Now these are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power, and by your strong hand.

11 O LORD, I beseech you, let now your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants, who desire to fear your name: and prosper, I pray you, your servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king's cupbearer.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: NEHEMIAH 1:1a 1The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah.

1:1 Nehemiah This brief phrase is a title for the whole book. His name (BDB 637) means, YHWH comforts. He was a close counselor ( cup bearer ) to Artaxerxes I, who reigned from 464 to 423 B.C. By request he was sent to Judah to establish order, stability, and protection.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: NEHEMIAH 1:4-11 4When I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven. 5I said, I beseech You, O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who preserves the covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, 6let Your ear now be attentive and Your eyes open to hear the prayer of Your servant which I am praying before You now, day and night, on behalf of the sons of Israel Your servants, confessing the sins of the sons of Israel which we have sinned against You; I and my father's house have sinned. 7We have acted very corruptly against You and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses. 8Remember the word which You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, 'If you are unfaithful I will scatter you among the peoples; 9but if you return to Me and keep My commandments and do them, though those of you who have been scattered were in the most remote part of the heavens, I will gather them from there and will bring them to the place where I have chosen to cause My name to dwell.' 10They are Your servants and Your people whom You redeemed by Your great power and by Your strong hand. 11O Lord, I beseech You, may Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and the prayer of Your servants who delight to revere Your name, and make Your servant successful today and grant him compassion before this man.

1:4 sat down and wept and mourned. . .fasting and praying These were four signs of intense mourning in the ancient Near East.

▣ for days Nehemiah's mourning, fasting, and praying went on for days. He was a man of prayer.

His lengthy prayer here is to be compared to his very brief prayer of Neh. 2:4. There is a time for prolonged prayer and a time for brief prayer. Prayer is a way for humans to show their faith and trust in the faithful, trustworthy God. Prayer is the outward manifestation of a biblical world view and faith!

▣ the God of heaven This was the Persian Zoroastrian title for Ahura Mazda, but the Jews had taken it and applied it to YHWH. See note at Ezra 1:2. Notice the covenant name in Neh. 1:5.

SPECIAL TOPIC: The Names for Deity

1:5 I said Nehemiah's prayer is similar to Ezra's in Neh. 9:5-15 and Dan. 9:4-19. These prayers focus on God's character and His people's sin. God's people's hope is in

1. the character of God

2. the eternal redemptive purposes of God

3. the promises/covenants of God

NASB I beseech Thee NKJV, NRSV O TEV, NJB----------

This Hebrew INTERJECTION (BDB 58) introduces strong pleas for help and forgiveness (cf. Neh. 1:5, 11; Gen. 50:17; Exod. 32:31; 2 Kgs. 20:3; Ps. 116:4; 118:25; Dan. 9:4; Jonah 1:14; 4:2).

▣ the great and awesome God The first ADJECTIVE (BDB 152) originally meant to make a strong cord by twisting several cords together. It came to mean make strong. The Hebrew root is used of God in Neh. 8:6; 9:32; Deut. 3:24; 5:24; 9:26; 11:2; 32:3, which reflects Moses' words in Deut. 1:10; 4:14.

The second term (BDB 431, KB 432, Niphal PARTICIPLE) is from the VERB to fear or to revere. It is a characteristic of YHWH Himself or His redemptive actions, often translated awesome (cf. Neh. 1:5; 4:18; 9:32; Deut. 7:21; 10:17; Neh. 1:5; 4:14; 9:32; Dan. 9:4).

▣ who preserves the covenant and lovingkindness The first VERB (BDB1036, KB 1581, Qal ACTIVE PARTICIPLE) means to keep, ro watch, to preserve. The etymology is uncertain, but from cognates it may have originally referred to

1. a watchman (Phoenician)

2. an overseer (Canaanite)

3. wakeful alertness (Aramaic)

The second term hesed (BDB 338, see Special Topic: Lovingkindness [Hesed]) is another way of stating the same truth. God is faithful to His covenant promises (cf. Ezra 3:11). See Special Topic: Hesed at Neh. 13:14. His unchanging character is Israel's hope (cf. Mal. 3:6). However, the Jews had become uncertain about this truth because of the exiles, so Nehemiah reaffirms his confidence that God is faithful to His word. The exile was caused by Jews' unfaithfulness to His word. There is a covenant requirement of obedience! See Special Topic: COVENANT.

These two terms appear together in Deut. 7:2, 9, 12; 1 Kgs. 8:23; 2 Chr. 6:14; Neh. 1:5; 9:32; Ps. 89:28, 33; Dan. 9:4. They are linked theologically. These are significant and dependable aspects of YHWH's character!

▣ to those who love Him and keep His commandments Notice the conditional element (i.e., if. . .then ), human response is required (cf. Exod. 20:6; Deut. 5:10; 7:6-9; 10:12-13; 11:1, 22; 13:3; 19:9; 30:15-16, 19-20; Jos. 22:5; Jdg. 5:31; 1 Kgs. 3:2, 3; 2 Chr. 20:7; Ps. 5:11; 69:36; 103:17-18; 119:132; 145:20; Jer. 2:2, 33; Dan. 9:2-3, 4; John 14:15, 21, 23; 15:10; 1 John 5:3). Divine love involves covenant performance. Love is a choice and an action as well as an emotion (cf. Neh. 1:8-9). See Special Topic: COVENANT.

1:6 Let Your ear. . .Your eyes The first VERB (BDB 224, KB 243) is a Qal JUSSIVE (command, cf. Neh. 1:11). The second (BDB 834 KB 986) is a Qal PASSIVE PARTICIPLE. This anthropomorphic language is very common in the Bible (cf. Neh. 1:11). From the Bible we know that God is spirit. He has no physical body. However, the only vocabulary we have is physical. We speak of God as if He were a human person, but He is not. He is personal, but not physical. Be careful of literalism in reading these human, earthly, temporal passages about the eternal, spiritual God!

▣ Your servant This is an honorific title used for Moses, Joshua, and David. Notice the play between the SINGULAR (Nehemiah) and the PLURAL (the people, cf. Neh. 1:10, 11). It is this interplay that allows confessional corporate prayers. It is this interplay that allows one sinless servant to die on behalf of the whole ( Isaiah 53).

▣ I am praying. . .day and night Persistence in prayer is highlighted here (cf. Matt.7:7-8; Luke 18:2-8). Neh. 2:1 shows he prayed almost three months.

▣ confessing sins. . .I and my fathers house Confession is an important element of prayer (cf. 1 John 1:9). We are responsible for our individual sins and the sins of our society (cf. 2 Chr. 29:6; 30:7-9; Isa. 6:5). The term confessing (BDB 392) is used of acknowledging sin (cf. Neh. 1:6; 9:2-3; Ezra 10:1; Dan. 9:2-3). Nehemiah identified himself with his people's sin, as did Ezra (9:5-15). This prayer is much like Moses' in Exod. 32:30-33 or Daniel's in Dan. 9:4-19.

1:7

NASB, NKJV We have acted very corruptly NRSV We have offended you deeply TEV We have acted wickedly against you NJB We have acted very wickedly toward you

This is literally to act wickedly, we acted wickedly toward you (BDB 287 II, KB 285, Qal INFINITIVE CONSTRUCT with Qal PERFECT of the same VERB). This form intensifies the meaning of the VERB to wound, to injure and thereby to ruin or to corrupt. See the same VERB in Pual in Mic. 2:10. What these returnees did should have destroyed the covenant, but God is faithful and forgiving.

▣ the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances These terms all refer to God's word through Moses (cf. Neh. 1:5, 7, 9). A good place to see all the terms used to describe God's law is Ps. 19:7-9 and even more extensively in Ps. 119. See Special Topic: Terms for God's Revelation.

1:8 Remember Nehemiah is entreating God to remember (BDB 269, KB 269, Qal IMPERATIVE, cf. Neh. 4:8; 5:19; 6:14; 13:14, 22, 29, 31) His words to Moses. Moses also called on YHWH to remember His promises to the Patriarchs (e.g., Exod. 32:13; Deut. 9:27). Mankind's hope is in God's character, promises, covenants, and word!

▣ if you are unfaithful The if is implied, but is not in the MT. This VERB (BDB 591, KB 612, Qal IMPERFECT) implies that they will be unfaithful. There is no if in the MT (the assured conditional if is present in Neh. 1:9). Human disobedience deserves a divine response (cf. Lev. 26:27-45; Deut. 30:1-10). Miracle of miracles, the response is love and forgiveness, not wrath and judgment. The New Covenant of Jer. 31:31-34 and Ezek. 36:22-38 changes the basis of covenant requirements.

▣ I will scatter you The VERB (BDB 806, KB 718, Hiphil IMPERFECT) was used to describe exile (cf. Deut. 4:27; 28:64; 29:28). The judgment (cf. Lev. 26:33) we now see in a way for God's word to be spread among the nations so that they may know and turn to YHWH.

Often the terms scatter and gather are used together to describe YHWH's justice and love (cf. Neh. 1:8-9; Isa. 11:12; Jer. 23:1-3; Ezek. 11:17; 20:34, 41; 28:25; 29:13; 34:12-13).

1:9 if you return to Me This is the VERB (BDB 996, KB 1427, Qal PERFECT) which denotes repentance. Notice that repentance is from sin and to God.

SPECIAL TOPIC: Repentance in the Old Testament

▣ and keep My commandments Notice repentance is clearly seen in a change of actions, as well as a change of mind, (cf. Neh. 1:5). Obedience is evidence of true repentance.

▣ in the most remote part of the heavens This is a metaphor for those Jews who were exiled to the farthest place (cf. Deut. 30:4). The heavens here would refer to the rising and setting of the sun (i.e., one end of the earth to the other, cf. Ps. 19:6).

▣ I will gather them This is the opposite of exile (cf. Deut. 30:4; Isa. 43:6; 48:20; 62:11).

▣ the place where I have chosen to cause My name to dwell This is a Deuteronomic phrase. It refers to Jerusalem for the site for the temple (e.g., Deut. 12:5, 11, 14, 21; 14:23, 24; 16:2, 6, 11; 26:2). The Ark of the covenant was where YHWH dwelt between the wings of the cherubim.

1:10 redeem The VERB padah (BDB 804, KB 911, Qal PERFECT) means to purchase, to redeem (cf. Hos. 7:13; Micah 6:4). This is a reference to the Egyptian deliverance (cf. Deut. 7:8; 9:26; 13:5; 15:15; 21:8; Micah 6:4).

SPECIAL TOPIC: Ransom/Redeem

▣ by Thy great power and Thy strong hand This phrase is also used of YHWH's deliverance of His people from Egypt (cf. Deut. 3:24; 5:24; 9:26, 29; 11:2). This deliverance from Egypt and the conquest of Canaan was prophesied in Gen. 15:12-21. For Thy strong hand see note at Neh. 1:6.

1:11 O Lord This is the Hebrew word adon (BDB 10), which denotes owner, master, husband, or lord. See Special Topic: NAMES FOR DEITY.

▣ Your ears See Special Topic: God Described As Human (anthropomorphism).

▣ who delights to revere Your name Delight (BDB 343) denotes have pleasure in (cf. Mal. 3:1). It describes a valid covenantal response and a true follower of YHWH in 1 Chr. 28:9 ( and with a willing mind, BDB 343). It basically describes the direction of the heart. It shows the object of personal desire.

The term revere (BDB 431, KB 432, Qal INFINITIVE CONSTRUCT) means reverential awe and respect (cf. Exod. 18:21; 20:20; Deut. 4:10; Jos. 4:24; Isa. 29:13). This respect for God is lived out in covenant obedience and worship.

▣ Your name In Hebrew thought and theology the name represents the character of the person, so too, God's names. See Special Topic: The Name of YHWH.

▣ grant him compassion The VERB (BDB, 733, KB 678) is a Qal IMPERATIVE used as an entreaty for God's actions. The term compassion (BDB 933) is used here in a specialized sense of God working on a socially superior person (here Artaxerxes I) to grant the request of a servant (here Nehemiah, cf. Ps. 146:46; Dan. 1:9).

▣ this man This refers to Artaxerxes I, who Nehemiah served.

1:11b cupbearer This title (BDB 1052 I) means close servant, like a butler. Originally it referred to one who tasted the wine (BDB 1052 II) and food so as to assure it was not poisoned (cf. Xenophon, Cyropaedia 1.3.9), but like eunuch, it became a general term for close servant (cf. Gen. 40:1, 2, 9, 20, 23; 41:9; 1 Kgs. 10:5; 2 Chr. 9:4). The Septuagint translates this term as eunuch.