King James Version:
(The Lord speaking is red text)
Neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers, kept thy law, nor hearkened unto thy commandments and thy testimonies, wherewith thou didst testify against them.
Complete Jewish Bible:
Our kings, our leaders, our cohanim and ancestors did not keep your Torah, pay attention to your mitzvot or heed the warnings you gave them.
Berean Standard Bible:
Our kings and leaders and priests and fathers did not obey Your law or listen to Your commandments and warnings that You gave them.
American Standard Version:
neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers, kept thy law, nor hearkened unto thy commandments and thy testimonies wherewith thou didst testify against them.
KJV with Strong’s Numbers:
Neither have our kings{H4428}, our princes{H8269}, our priests{H3548}, nor our fathers{H1}, kept{H6213} thy law{H8451}, nor hearkened{H7181} unto thy commandments{H4687} and thy testimonies{H5715}, wherewith thou didst testify{H5749} against them.
Cross-References (KJV):
Jeremiah 29:19
- Because they have not hearkened to my words, saith the LORD, which I sent unto them by my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending [them]; but ye would not hear, saith the LORD.
2 Kings 17:13
- Yet the LORD testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, [and by] all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments [and] my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets.
Deuteronomy 31:21
- And it shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles are befallen them, that this song shall testify against them as a witness; for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed: for I know their imagination which they go about, even now, before I have brought them into the land which I sware.
2 Kings 17:15
- And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that [were] round about them, [concerning] whom the LORD had charged them, that they should not do like them.
Nehemiah 9:30
- Yet many years didst thou forbear them, and testifiedst against them by thy spirit in thy prophets: yet would they not give ear: therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the people of the lands.
Explore This Verse Across Other Resources:
Commentary for Nehemiah 9:34
Nehemiah 9:34 is part of a lengthy prayer of confession offered by the Israelites after they had rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem under the leadership of Nehemiah. This prayer, which spans from Nehemiah 9:5 to 38, recounts the history of Israel, emphasizing God's faithfulness and the people's repeated disobedience. The historical context is set after the Babylonian exile, a period when the Jews were allowed to return to their homeland and reestablish their community and religious practices.
In verse 34, the speaker acknowledges a pattern of disobedience among the Israelites, including the leaders—kings, princes, priests—and the general populace, referred to as "our fathers." The verse specifically mentions the failure to keep God's law, to hearken to His commandments, and to adhere to His testimonies. These "testimonies" likely refer to the stipulations of the covenant that God made with Israel, which were designed to set them apart as a holy nation. The prayer reflects a corporate acknowledgment of sin and a recognition that their current state of hardship is a direct consequence of their forebears' failure to live according to God's instructions.
The themes of Nehemiah 9:34 include corporate responsibility, the importance of leadership in guiding the community's spiritual health, the necessity of obedience to God's law, and the acknowledgment of divine justice. The verse also touches on the idea of covenant faithfulness, with the expectation that God's people would be faithful in return. This public confession serves as a step towards repentance and renewal of the covenant relationship between God and His people, which is central to the theology of the Old Testament.
*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model
Strong's Numbers and Definitions:
Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)
- Strong's Number: H4428
There are 1922 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: מֶלֶךְ
Transliteration: melek
Pronunciation: meh'-lek
Description: from מָלַךְ; a king; king, royal. - Strong's Number: H8269
There are 368 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: שַׂר
Transliteration: sar
Pronunciation: sar
Description: from שָׂרַר; a head person (of any rank or class); captain (that had rule), chief (captain), general, governor, keeper, lord,(-task-)master, prince(-ipal), ruler, steward. - Strong's Number: H3548
There are 653 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: כֹּהֵן
Transliteration: kôhên
Pronunciation: ko-hane'
Description: active participle of כָּהַן; literally one officiating, a priest; also (by courtesy) an acting priest (although a layman); chief ruler, [idiom] own, priest, prince, principal officer. - Strong's Number: H1
There are 15773 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: אָב
Transliteration: ʼâb
Pronunciation: awb
Description: a primitive word; father, in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote application; chief, (fore-) father(-less), [idiom] patrimony, principal. Compare names in 'Abi-'. - Strong's Number: H6213
There are 2286 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: עָשָׂה
Transliteration: ʻâsâh
Pronunciation: aw-saw'
Description: a primitive root; to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application; accomplish, advance, appoint, apt, be at, become, bear, bestow, bring forth, bruise, be busy, [idiom] certainly, have the charge of, commit, deal (with), deck, [phrase] displease, do, (ready) dress(-ed), (put in) execute(-ion), exercise, fashion, [phrase] feast, (fight-) ing man, [phrase] finish, fit, fly, follow, fulfill, furnish, gather, get, go about, govern, grant, great, [phrase] hinder, hold (a feast), [idiom] indeed, [phrase] be industrious, [phrase] journey, keep, labour, maintain, make, be meet, observe, be occupied, offer, [phrase] officer, pare, bring (come) to pass, perform, pracise, prepare, procure, provide, put, requite, [idiom] sacrifice, serve, set, shew, [idiom] sin, spend, [idiom] surely, take, [idiom] thoroughly, trim, [idiom] very, [phrase] vex, be (warr-) ior, work(-man), yield, use. - Strong's Number: H8451
There are 213 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: תּוֹרָה
Transliteration: tôwrâh
Pronunciation: to-raw'
Description: or תֹּרָה; from יָרָה; a precept or statute, especially the Decalogue or Pentateuch; law. - Strong's Number: H7181
There are 45 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: קָשַׁב
Transliteration: qâshab
Pronunciation: kaw-shab'
Description: a primitive root; to prick up the ears, i.e. hearken; attend, (cause to) hear(-ken), give heed, incline, mark (well), regard. - Strong's Number: H4687
There are 177 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: מִצְוָה
Transliteration: mitsvâh
Pronunciation: mits-vaw'
Description: from צָוָה; a command, whether human or divine (collectively, the Law); (which was) commanded(-ment), law, ordinance, precept. - Strong's Number: H5715
There are 57 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: עֵדוּת
Transliteration: ʻêdûwth
Pronunciation: ay-dooth'
Description: feminine of עֵד; testimony; testimony, witness. - Strong's Number: H5749
There are 40 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: עוּד
Transliteration: ʻûwd
Pronunciation: ood
Description: a primitive root; to duplicate or repeat; by implication, to protest, testify (as by reiteration); intensively, to encompass, restore (as a sort of reduplication); admonish, charge, earnestly, lift up, protest, call (take) to record, relieve, rob, solemnly, stand upright, testify, give warning, (bear, call to, give, take to) witness.