Nehemiah 9:1–37
9 Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the people of Israel were assembled with fasting and in sackcloth, and with earth on their heads. 2 And the Israelites1 separated themselves from all foreigners and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. 3 And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a quarter of the day; for another quarter of it they made confession and worshiped the Lord their God. 4 On the stairs of the Levites stood Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani; and they cried with a loud voice to the Lord their God. 5 Then the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, “Stand up and bless the Lord your God from everlasting to everlasting. Blessed be your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise.
6 2 “You are the Lord, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you. 7 You are the Lord, the God who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and gave him the name Abraham. 8 You found his heart faithful before you, and made with him the covenant to give to his offspring the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite, and the Girgashite. And you have kept your promise, for you are righteous.
9 “And you saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt and heard their cry at the Red Sea, 10 and performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh and all his servants and all the people of his land, for you knew that they acted arrogantly against our fathers. And you made a name for yourself, as it is to this day. 11 And you divided the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on dry land, and you cast their pursuers into the depths, as a stone into mighty waters. 12 By a pillar of cloud you led them in the day, and by a pillar of fire in the night to light for them the way in which they should go. 13 You came down on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven and gave them right rules and true laws, good statutes and commandments, 14 and you made known to them your holy Sabbath and commanded them commandments and statutes and a law by Moses your servant. 15 You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger and brought water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and you told them to go in to possess the land that you had sworn to give them.
16 “But they and our fathers acted presumptuously and stiffened their neck and did not obey your commandments. 17 They refused to obey and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them, but they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt.3 But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them. 18 Even when they had made for themselves a golden4 calf and said, ‘This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt,’ and had committed great blasphemies, 19 you in your great mercies did not forsake them in the wilderness. The pillar of cloud to lead them in the way did not depart from them by day, nor the pillar of fire by night to light for them the way by which they should go. 20 You gave your good Spirit to instruct them and did not withhold your manna from their mouth and gave them water for their thirst. 21 Forty years you sustained them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell.
22 “And you gave them kingdoms and peoples and allotted to them every corner. So they took possession of the land of Sihon king of Heshbon and the land of Og king of Bashan. 23 You multiplied their children as the stars of heaven, and you brought them into the land that you had told their fathers to enter and possess. 24 So the descendants went in and possessed the land, and you subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gave them into their hand, with their kings and the peoples of the land, that they might do with them as they would. 25 And they captured fortified cities and a rich land, and took possession of houses full of all good things, cisterns already hewn, vineyards, olive orchards and fruit trees in abundance. So they ate and were filled and became fat and delighted themselves in your great goodness.
26 “Nevertheless, they were disobedient and rebelled against you and cast your law behind their back and killed your prophets, who had warned them in order to turn them back to you, and they committed great blasphemies. 27 Therefore you gave them into the hand of their enemies, who made them suffer. And in the time of their suffering they cried out to you and you heard them from heaven, and according to your great mercies you gave them saviors who saved them from the hand of their enemies. 28 But after they had rest they did evil again before you, and you abandoned them to the hand of their enemies, so that they had dominion over them. Yet when they turned and cried to you, you heard from heaven, and many times you delivered them according to your mercies. 29 And you warned them in order to turn them back to your law. Yet they acted presumptuously and did not obey your commandments, but sinned against your rules, which if a person does them, he shall live by them, and they turned a stubborn shoulder and stiffened their neck and would not obey. 30 Many years you bore with them and warned them by your Spirit through your prophets. Yet they would not give ear. Therefore you gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands. 31 Nevertheless, in your great mercies you did not make an end of them or forsake them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.
32 “Now, therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love, let not all the hardship seem little to you that has come upon us, upon our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, our fathers, and all your people, since the time of the kings of Assyria until this day. 33 Yet you have been righteous in all that has come upon us, for you have dealt faithfully and we have acted wickedly. 34 Our kings, our princes, our priests, and our fathers have not kept your law or paid attention to your commandments and your warnings that you gave them. 35 Even in their own kingdom, and amid your great goodness that you gave them, and in the large and rich land that you set before them, they did not serve you or turn from their wicked works. 36 Behold, we are slaves this day; in the land that you gave to our fathers to enjoy its fruit and its good gifts, behold, we are slaves. 37 And its rich yield goes to the kings whom you have set over us because of our sins. They rule over our bodies and over our livestock as they please, and we are in great distress.
1 Hebrew the offspring of Israel 2 Septuagint adds And Ezra said 3 Some Hebrew manuscripts; many Hebrew manuscripts and in their rebellion appointed a leader to return to their slavery 4 Hebrew metal
Section Overview
The covenant renewal of Nehemiah 7:73b–10:39 is the first of four major units in the final section of Nehemiah (7:73b–13:31). As this unit begins, the Law is twice read and explained on the first two days of the seventh month. The community responds with weeping, rejoicing, and celebration of the neglected Feast of Booths (8:18).
The current chapter (9:1–37) follows this renewed attention to the Law with worship and confession as the core of covenant renewal. For a third time the people assemble under Levitical instruction to hear the Law read (v. 1; cf. 8:1, 13). This results in a call to prayer (9:1–5). The prayer includes praise, repentance, and a lengthy confession reciting God’s unrelenting faithfulness, especially in giving the land, and the people’s consistent failure to love him (vv. 6–31). The confession is structured as a redemptive-historical summary, the most complete review of the biblical story in the entire OT. Its epochs are nicely indicated in the ESV by five paragraphs: creation to the call of Abraham (vv. 6–8); exodus to Sinai (vv. 9–15); rebellion and the wilderness (vv. 16–21); possession of the land (vv. 22–25 [Joshua]); cycles of disobedience, mercy, and prophetic warning (vv. 26–31 [Judges to Kings]). The final paragraph, with a shift marked by “Now,” brings the history up to the current moment. It functions as both a concluding confession and lament and an implicit petition for God’s deliverance (vv. 32–37).
Section Outline
III.A.2. Redemptive-Historical Covenant Confession (9:1–37)
a. Assembly with Reading, Confession, and a Call to Prayer (9:1–5)
b. Creation to Abrahamic Covenant (9:6–8)
c. Exodus and the Red Sea Crossing to Mount Sinai (9:9–15)
d. Rebellion and the Forty-Year Wilderness Period (9:16–21)
e. The Land as an Expression of the Lord’s Goodness (9:22–25)
f. Cycles of Sin, Subjugation, Supplication, and Salvation (9:26–31)
g. Petition and Lament in Light of the Lord’s “Great Goodness” (9:32–37)
Response
This prayer is the confession and cry of an entire community. It takes the form of a redemptive-historical summary that moves chronologically from creation to the postexilic present. The story retells the front end of Israel’s gospel, the good news of a covenantal relationship established by the Lord. We must also remember that it is the front end of our story, as the early church did by weaving it into the preaching of the gospel fulfilled ultimately in Jesus Christ (Acts 7:2–53; 13:17–41). Since the people already know their story, what is the point of retelling it in a confession? Stated differently, what good does it do to pray their past?
Praying their story helps to shape their identity and spiritually reform the postexilic community. It defines and situates them as the people of God. Renewed interest in the goodness of God’s law (Neh. 9:3, 13) had been further revived by the prior instruction from Ezra and the Levites (8:2–3, 13). In its light, they remember the indissoluble link with their forefathers as they lament both prior chastisements and their current situation as “slaves this day” (9:33, 36). All this is justified “because of our sins” (v. 37). Their entire history illustrates a refusal to heed God’s Word, a refusal to return to him in spite of repeated prophetic warnings, and a refusal to live faithfully in gratitude for his gifts, especially the land (vv. 8, 15, 22–25, 35–37). In light of the story, their need to repent becomes crystal clear.
In praying their story, they also bear witness to the God who keeps his promise. These promises that end in Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 1:20) begin with the Lord, the creator and sustainer of all things (Neh. 9:6, 32) who had also chosen and covenanted with Abraham and his descendants (vv. 7–8), promising he would bring blessing to the nations through them (Gen. 12:3). Thus while confession of sin is important, it is not Israel’s primary vocation. Rather, they are first called to testify to the glory of God, to praise his “glorious name” and “great goodness” (Neh. 9:5, 25, 35), and thereby bless the nations by making God known to them (cf. Acts 26:16–18). The core of this testimony is their ongoing recitation of his mighty acts in delivering them from their bondage in Egypt (Neh. 9:9–11; Ps. 96:2–3). Moreover, by obeying his good commandments, they would form a new humanity placed in the midst of the nations (Neh. 9:13–14, 22–25). In their current “great distress” they therefore remember that God is righteous and faithful and has kept his promises in the past (vv. 8, 33); surely he will do so again in the future.
This in turn gives them hope in the God of “great mercies” (vv. 19, 27, 31). In praying their story, the postexilic community remembers that because of the Lord’s mercies they still have a chance to play the part he has called them to play in his story. Indeed, the grave sins of the wilderness period were met with God’s self-identification as “gracious and merciful” (vv. 17, 31). Repeatedly he had shown himself to be a God of inexhaustible patience, ever ready to forgive their ongoing disobedience and save them when they cried out (v. 27). So now they are crying out to God again (v. 4). In contrast to their past contempt for God’s instruction, they have returned to God, ready to embrace his law once more. They prepare to “make a firm covenant” (v. 38), seeking once more to be agents of divine blessing in their own day.
Today, Jew and Gentile in Christ continue as members of this people God has created, elected, ransomed, blessed, forgiven, and restored. Indeed, he did not “make an end of them” (v. 31). This is the front end of the gospel story, culminating in the coming of Jesus the Messiah (Acts 7:52–53; 13:16–33)—a story that molds our identity. Likewise, with the postexilic community we may cry out in our own individual and corporate distress (Neh. 9:37) with confidence that the same Lord is our God, still gracious, merciful, and ready to forgive (v. 17b). In recounting these great deeds of the Lord and embracing his good law (v. 13) we testify to the goodness of his care for his people. Finally, in remembering his mercies and the sins of our fathers we are prompted to repent where necessary and to play our part in the mission to declare his glory among the nations.
Hebrew the offspring of Israel
Septuagint adds And Ezra said
Some Hebrew manuscripts; many Hebrew manuscripts and in their rebellion appointed a leader to return to their slavery
Hebrew metal
9:1–5 As in the prior chapter, here the description of setting and persons involved (vv. 1–3) is followed by the actions of the Levites in leading worship (vv. 4–5). The text does not state where this assembly takes place. Mentions of “this month” refer to the seventh month (8:2, 13). Action on the twenty-fourth day means it follows soon after the prior “solemn assembly” of the twenty-second day (8:18). That day was the eighth following the seven days of the Feast of Booths (Lev. 23:33–36).
In spite of the shift from rejoicing to penitence, the current actions are consistent with the previous chapter. The response of weeping and mourning has revealed the prior impact of the reading of the Law (Neh. 8:9–12). This is now expressed through fasting (cf. Ezra 8:21–23; 10:6), sackcloth, and earth upon the people’s heads (Est. 4:1; Jonah 3:5–6; Dan. 9:3). These are outward forms of mourning and repentance, death and burial. The people (lit., “seed of Israel”; cf. Neh. 9:2 ESV mg.) remain the major focus throughout. Their “separation” from foreigners is not marital (cf. Ezra 9:1–2; 10:1–2); it is a separation in order to come before their God and applies to the entire confessing community (Neh. 10:28; cf. Ezra 6:21). They again stand and read (Neh. 9:3–5; 8:4–5), followed now by confession and worship. This occurs over a significant part of one day (9:3; cf. 8:3). Certainly, it is surprising that Ezra is not named (though cf. 9:6 ESV mg.). However, the Levites again play their part (v. 4), as they did in the previous chapter (8:7), again confirming the compatibility of chapters 8 and 9.
The “stairs [lit., “the ascent”] of the Levites” (9:4) may refer to the steps of an otherwise unknown structure used to elevate the Levites before the people on such occasions. Two sets of eight Levites are mentioned, with five names shared in common. It appears that one set begins by crying out publicly for deliverance (“cried with a loud voice”; v. 4b; cf. 1 Sam. 28:12; 2 Sam. 19:4; Est. 4:1; Ezek. 11:13). The second group then issues the invitation to praise (“stand up and bless the Lord”; Neh. 9:5b) and puts the general cry of distress into words with the prayer of confession that follows (cf. v. 37). The doxology heading the prayer begins like a hymn of praise, exalting the “glorious name” of their covenant-keeping Lord (v. 5b). The whole confession that follows is intended to bless God’s name.
9:6 The doxology (v. 5b) leads to a simple but profound proclamation: “You are the Lord.” There is only one incomparable God worthy of that name (2 Kings 19:15). Like Genesis 1 the prayer moves from heaven to earth, naming the Lord as the sole Creator and Preserver of all (four times) creation. The whole prayer is dominated by the works of God (“you made,” “you chose,” etc.). The worshiping “host of heaven” may refer to angelic servants (1 Kings 22:19; Ps. 8:5) or to all of the heavenly bodies (cf. Gen. 2:1). Ironically, the Israelites had exchanged worship of the creator for worship of the “host of heaven” he had made. Such worship was a prominent expression of covenantal disobedience and had led to exile (Deut. 4:19–20; 2 Kings 17:16; 21:3–5; 23:4; Jer. 8:2; 19:13).
9:7–8 The phrase “You are the Lord” ties verses 6–7 together. The God who created all things (v. 6) also chose Abram in particular (v. 7). The God who created Adam and placed him in the garden (Gen. 2:7–9, 15) also chose Abram and brought him from Mesopotamia to the land of promise (Gen. 11:28, 31; Deut. 10:15). Through Abram’s offspring God purposed to redeem and recreate all things. The rebellions of Genesis 3–11 would be healed.
By renaming Abram as Abraham (“father of a multitude”) the Lord summarized the promises of the everlasting covenant made with Abraham (Gen. 17:1–5; 22:17–18). That covenant included the giving of the “land of the Canaanite,” of descendants to inhabit that fruitful land, and of blessing—especially the promise to be Abraham’s God and the God of his children (Gen. 12:1–3; 15:18–21; 17:6–8; 26:3; Ex. 6:7; Jer. 7:23). The verb “to give” (Hb. natan) is a key word throughout the confession, where God is the primary subject.
God not only covenants with Abraham; he also evaluates his heart. Abraham demonstrated an ongoing intention to walk after God by faith (Gen. 15:6). Sometimes this is called a “circumcised heart” (Deut. 10:16; 30:6; Rom. 2:28–29; 4:9–12). All of this is relevant to a postexilic people who, like Abraham, have also journeyed from Mesopotamia. They are bolstered by the faith expressed by Abraham their father. More importantly, they are comforted that God remains true to his word and keeps his promises (Neh. 9:8). They still exist as Abraham’s offspring, and the Lord is still their God. Most importantly, in context, the Lord has remained faithful to return them to the land.
9:9–11 The language of these verses clearly evokes Exodus 1–15. Seeing their miserable state (Ex. 2:23–25; 3:7), God performed “signs and wonders.” These mighty acts were accomplished to deliver his people from slavery (Ex. 7:3–4; Deut. 6:22; 26:8; 34:11). Hearing “their cry at the Red Sea” (Neh. 9:9; Ex. 14:10–15), God divided the waters. His people passed through, but their enemies were cast like “a stone into mighty waters” (Neh. 9:11; Ex. 15:5, 10; Isa. 43:15–17). These themes of slavery and freedom, judgment and deliverance are relevant to the postexilic praying audience. God will also hear their cry for help in their slavery (Neh. 9:4, 36).
The purpose of this deliverance was that the Lord’s glory as savior might spread abroad as it was “to this day” (v. 10b; cf. v. 5b). In mistreating their forebears, the Egyptians “acted arrogantly,” behavior already known by Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law (Ex. 18:11). But when Jethro learned of the mighty ways in which the Lord had rescued his people, he came to the same conclusion as the postexilic community: “Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods” (Ex. 18:10–11; cf. Neh. 9:32 and also Ex. 14:17–18).
9:12–15 These verses abridge the travel to Sinai and the giving of the Law there (Exodus 13–31). The pillar of cloud and fire and the fact that “you came down” signal God’s presence, deliverance, guidance, and protection (Ex. 13:21–22; 14:19; cf. Ex. 3:8). However, the Lord also met their physical needs with “bread from heaven” and water in the wilderness, clear references to events in Exodus 16–17 (esp. 16:4; 17:6).
More importantly, the Lord again kept his covenant promises. He had promised Abraham that the families of the earth would be blessed in him (Gen. 12:3). But how? One important way was through the Lord’s descending to speak to Moses his instructions for his newly delivered people (Neh. 9:13–14; Ex. 19:20). Especially singled out is the “holy Sabbath” (Neh. 9:14; Ex. 20:8–11; 31:13–17; Neh. 13:15–22). Along with receiving God’s law, taking possession of the land, sworn as a gracious gift, is once more stressed (9:8, 15; Ex. 6:8). Here God would plant them as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Ex. 19:5–6). In short, by obeying these commandments in that place, the Lord would shape a new humanity, a people of grace and justice and blessing to all the nations (Neh. 9:8, 15; cf. Ex. 19:5–6; Deut. 4:1–8).
9:16–17a, 18 The bleak evaluation piles up. Like the Egyptians, they had “acted presumptuously” (vv. 16, 29; cf. note 173). They had “stiffened their neck” (cf. v. 29), which parallels hardening one’s heart (2 Chron. 36:13). Comparable language characterizes them after the golden calf incident (Ex. 32:9; 33:3, 5; 34:9). The idiom is nearly synonymous with unbelief (Deut. 10:16; 2 Kings 17:14ff.; 2 Chron. 30:8–9; Prov. 29:1) and is likened to a refusal to listen to God’s Word (Jer. 7:26; 17:23; 19:15). Here the latter sense is prominent. They refused to “obey” (lit., “hear”; Neh. 9:16, 17) the good teaching received (vv. 13–14). They forgot (“were not mindful”) of the signs and wonders of their deliverance (vv. 9–11). Perhaps most dramatically, by their idolatry they “committed great blasphemies” (v. 18), showing contempt for the things of God.
Two significant examples are referenced. First, the desire for other leadership following the report of the spies (Numbers 13–14; esp. 14:4). This revealed their ingratitude and rejection of Moses’ authority in order to “return to their slavery in Egypt” (Neh. 9:17). More importantly, it showed a refusal to embrace God’s gift of the land. Second, the golden calf incident (v. 18; Exodus 32–34; esp. 32:4, 8) provided the paradigm of idolatry (Ex. 20:3–4).
9:17b, 19–21 “But you” (v. 17b) and “Even when” (v. 18a) reveal the Lord’s response. Every mention of their “great blasphemies” (vv. 18, 26) is answered with his “great mercies” (vv. 19, 27). Indeed, the entire rebellious recitation is framed by the “gracious and merciful” Lord (vv. 17, 31). These terms head the list of God’s benevolent characteristics, including forgiveness, patience, and an unrelenting faithfulness (v. 17b), wedged between the two examples of rebellion (vv. 16–17a, 18). Beginning with the golden calf incident, this description of the Lord forms a consistent thread of testimony throughout the OT (Ex. 34:6; Pss. 86:15; 103:8; 145:8; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2).
Practically, this meant that, in spite of their rejection of him, the Lord “did not forsake them” (Neh. 9:17, 19, 31). This is evidenced in the fact that even after the description of these rebellions (vv. 16–18), God’s mercies persisted through his presence in the guiding pillars (v. 19; cf. v. 12), his instruction (v. 20a; cf. vv. 13–14), physical sustenance (vv. 20b–21; cf. v. 15a) and his giving of the land (vv. 22–25, 15b). In all this time “they lacked nothing” (v. 21; Deut. 2:7; 8:9). This is truly amazing grace!
9:22–25 The land promise now receives full attention. The key words “possession,” “land,” and “gave” from verse 15b are carried forward. Attention to the land reveals its importance to the postexilic community (vv. 36–37). No mention is made of failure, sin, or rebellion. Instead, obedience is stressed in the repetition of “took possession” as the grateful response of faith to God’s actions:
- You (= “Lord”) gave, allotted//they took possession (v. 22; Num. 21:21–31, 33–35; Deut. 2:24–3:11);
- You multiplied their children (cf. Neh. 9:8), brought them (i.e., led), told them to enter and to possess (v. 23; cf. Deut. 7:1–2)//they entered and took possession (Neh. 9:24);
- You subdued and gave over the Canaanites (v. 24)//they captured and took possession (v. 25; Joshua 1–12).
The climactic verse, Nehemiah 9:25, summarizes the overflowing grace of God. These underserved items, repeating Deuteronomy 6:10–11, indicate security (fortified cities), fertility (rich = “fat” land), shelter (houses), water (cisterns already hewn), and food (vineyards, etc.). The final verbs lead to the summary: “[they] delighted themselves in your great goodness.” God had placed his people in a new Eden.
9:26 “Nevertheless” marks the contrast between God’s “great goodness” (v. 25) and their disobedience (Deut. 6:10–12; 8:7–20). Rejection or embrace of the Lord’s law (Hb. torah) meant rejection or embrace of Lord himself (Neh. 9:26, 29). This was evident particularly in the sometimes violent rejection of the prophetic warnings (1 Kings 18–19; 2 Kings 6:31; 17:13–20; 2 Chron. 24:20–22; Jer. 26:20–23; Matt. 23:30, 37). The people’s refusal to repent and obey (cf. Neh. 9:16–17) is again described as “great blasphemies” (cf. v. 18), which suggests ongoing idolatry (cf. 1 Kings 12:28; 2 Kings 17:16; Hos. 13:2). But once more their sin was met with God’s “great mercies” (Neh. 9:26–27; cf. 18–19).
9:27–28 The cycle described above is repeated in each verse. The Lord now chastises his people for their incessant sin (vv. 26, 28) by empowering enemies over them (vv. 27, 28). As in Egypt (v. 9), the people again “cried out” (Neh. 9:27, 28; cf. Judg. 2:18) and “you heard” (vv. 27, 28). The Lord countered oppressors who oppress with “saviors who saved” (cf. Judg. 2:16; 3:9, 15). The repetitions of the cycle are indicated in the final clause, “many times you delivered them” (Neh. 9:28; cf. v. 30).
9:29–31 Only sin and subjugation are present in the third presentation of the cycle (though see further at v. 31). Again prophets warn in order to motivate repentance (v. 29; 2 Kings 17:13, 15; Amos 4:6–13; Zech. 1:1–4). This was a matter of life and death (cf. Lev. 18:5; Deut. 30:15–20). Obedience as an embrace of life was always set before Israel, not as a means of earning God’s favor but as way of loving the one who had already redeemed them. Covenantal faithfulness maintained fellowship with God and kept them under the canopy of his favor (Deut. 4:1; 5:33; 8:1; Amos 5:14; John 14:21).
They again rejected the prophetic message. As in the wilderness period they “acted presumptuously” and “did not obey” (Neh. 9:29; cf. vv. 16–17). Rather than embrace God’s good instruction (v. 13), they “sinned against your rules” (v. 29). Whereas God gave them many good gifts, they gave him only rejection. This is once again expressed in the metaphor of a stiffened neck (vv. 16–17) and stubborn shoulder—an animal refusing its yoke. The Spirit who had instructed them (v. 20) was also the Spirit who warned them through the prophets (Zech. 7:11–14; cf. 2 Chron. 24:19; Jer. 6:10; 11:7; 2 Pet. 1:21). The long-suffering of the Lord lasted over “many years,” likely a reference to the entire era of kingship. The result was that they “would not give ear” (i.e., did not pay attention or heed instruction). Jeremiah equated this to having “uncircumcised” ears (Jer. 6:10; Acts 28:25–27).
As in the days of the judges (Neh. 9:27), they became subject to the “peoples of the lands,” here a reference to Assyrian and Babylonian exile. However, judgment is never the end for the Lord’s people. Ultimately, the existence of Ezra-Nehemiah as a book and this very prayer of the restored community confirms God’s preservation of a remnant. So while supplication and salvation are not explicitly mentioned here, the mention of the Lord’s “great mercies” and his identification as a “gracious and merciful” God (vv. 17, 31) form the basis of the supplication about to come.
9:32–35 In other narrative summaries, “and now” marks a shift from a review of the past to a challenge for the people in the present (Deut. 4:1; Josh. 24:14; 1 Sam. 12:13, 16). In the current confession it marks the main petition from the present generation, asking God not to minimize the accumulated “hardship . . . upon us.”
Their supplication is grounded in God’s omnipotent but compassionate character. He is “our God,” who is far above all things (Deut. 10:17). Yet he is also the Lord who comes close to his people in covenant faithfulness (Neh. 9:17, 32; cf. 1:4–5; Jer. 32:18). Joined to the entire preexilic community, they agree that God’s chastisements were deserved. Assyria and Babylonia had oppressed them from the eighth to fifth centuries, culminating in their current status under the Persians. Even in this God has been righteous and faithful in all his dealings with Israel (Neh. 9:33; cf. v. 8b).
Verses 34–35 summarize their primary transgressions. They have rejected God’s Word and worshiped idols. The latter is inferred by the language “serve” and “wicked works” often associated with the worship (i.e. service) of foreign gods (Judg. 2:19; Ps. 106:28–29; Jer. 2:26–27; 11:9–17). This is even more reprehensible given the Lord’s “great goodness” and especially the bounteous land (“rich land”; cf. Neh. 9:25).
9:36–37 The concluding lament of “great distress” (v. 37) repeats the key word-group from verse 27 (oppress, oppressors, etc.). Not only their fathers’ sins but “our sins” have brought about this state of affairs. The twofold “Behold, we are slaves” (v. 36; cf. Jer. 2:14) surrounds the central reminder of the land’s abounding gifts. The blessings of Nehemiah 9:22–25 are now inverted. Rather than exerting their will over the “peoples of the lands,” they are now subjugated to the kings God has set (i.e., “given”) over them. They no longer control the land’s produce or even their own bodies—the latter likely referring to forced labor or military service (Lev. 26:17; Deut. 28:30b–31, 39–40, 48). They leave to God’s mercy their unspoken need for salvation. Having confessed their past and present covenantal unfaithfulness, they are ready to renew the covenant (Nehemiah 10).