Nehemiah 1:7

We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses.

We have dealt very {H2254} corruptly {H2254} against thee, and have not kept {H8104} the commandments {H4687}, nor the statutes {H2706}, nor the judgments {H4941}, which thou commandedst {H6680} thy servant {H5650} Moses {H4872}.

We have deeply offended you. We haven't observed the mitzvot, laws or rulings you ordered your servant Moshe.

We have behaved corruptly against You and have not kept the commandments, statutes, and ordinances that You gave Your servant Moses.

we have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses.

Nehemiah 1:7 is a powerful verse from Nehemiah's prayer, where he identifies with the sins of his people, the Israelites, confessing their collective failure to obey God's laws. This verse serves as a profound acknowledgment of national guilt and the deep spiritual brokenness that led to their suffering.

Context

This verse is part of Nehemiah's heartfelt prayer to God, offered after he receives devastating news about the state of Jerusalem's walls and gates, which lay in ruins (Nehemiah 1:3). Though Nehemiah himself was a faithful man serving as cupbearer to King Artaxerxes I in Susa, he deeply identifies with the sins of his ancestors and contemporaries. His prayer is a model of intercession, beginning with praise for God's character and moving swiftly into a profound confession of sin. The Jewish people had faced years of exile in Babylon and Persia as a direct consequence of their disobedience, and even after some had returned to Judah, their spiritual condition remained compromised, and the city of Jerusalem was still vulnerable.

Key Themes

  • Corporate Confession and Identification: Nehemiah uses "We have dealt," demonstrating his solidarity with his people's historical and present failures. This isn't an accusation but a shared burden of guilt, acknowledging that the entire nation, including its leaders, had strayed. This mirrors other intercessory prayers like that of Daniel in Daniel 9:5.
  • Profound Disobedience: The phrase "dealt very corruptly" emphasizes the severity and depth of their rebellion against God. It signifies a fundamental moral and spiritual decay, not just isolated incidents.
  • Violation of God's Law: The specific mention of "commandments, statutes, nor the judgments" refers to the comprehensive body of the Mosaic Law given through God's servant Moses. This highlights that their sin was not arbitrary but a direct breach of the covenant God had established with Israel. Their failure to uphold these divine decrees led to the very curses outlined in the Law, such as exile (Deuteronomy 28:15).

Linguistic Insights

The Hebrew word for "corruptly" (root: šāḥaṯ) used here implies acting ruinously, spoiling, or destroying. It conveys a sense of deep moral depravity and a deliberate act of damaging the relationship with God through unfaithfulness. It's a strong term indicating not just a mistake, but a destructive course of action that has dire consequences.

Practical Application

Nehemiah 1:7 offers timeless lessons for believers today:

  • The Necessity of Confession: True repentance begins with acknowledging sin, both individually and corporately. Nehemiah's example shows that even righteous individuals can confess on behalf of a group or nation, recognizing shared responsibility for spiritual decline.
  • Respect for God's Word: The verse underscores the enduring importance of God's commandments, statutes, and judgments. Disregarding divine principles always leads to negative outcomes, while obedience brings blessing.
  • Prayer as Foundation for Action: Nehemiah's subsequent actions to rebuild Jerusalem were rooted in this deeply repentant and intercessory prayer. Confession and seeking God's face are essential precursors to effective spiritual work and transformation.
Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • Daniel 9:5

    We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments:

  • Daniel 9:6

    Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.

  • Daniel 9:11

    Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that [is] written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him.

  • Daniel 9:13

    As [it is] written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth.

  • Psalms 106:6

    ¶ We have sinned with our fathers, we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly.

  • 2 Chronicles 27:2

    And he did [that which was] right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Uzziah did: howbeit he entered not into the temple of the LORD. And the people did yet corruptly.

  • Nehemiah 9:29

    And testifiedst against them, that thou mightest bring them again unto thy law: yet they dealt proudly, and hearkened not unto thy commandments, but sinned against thy judgments, (which if a man do, he shall live in them;) and withdrew the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear.

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