Nehemiah 9 34

Nehemiah 9:34 kjv

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.

Nehemiah 9:34 nkjv

Neither our kings nor our princes, Our priests nor our fathers, Have kept Your law, Nor heeded Your commandments and Your testimonies, With which You testified against them.

Nehemiah 9:34 niv

Our kings, our leaders, our priests and our ancestors did not follow your law; they did not pay attention to your commands or the statutes you warned them to keep.

Nehemiah 9:34 esv

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.

Nehemiah 9:34 nlt

Our kings, leaders, priests, and ancestors did not obey your Law or listen to the warnings in your commands and laws.

Nehemiah 9 verses

Nehemiah 9 34 Meaning

Nehemiah 9:34 is a profound confession of Israel's sustained and widespread national disobedience, acknowledged as continuing "even to this day" among the post-exilic community. It declares that despite God's clear revelations through commandments and explicit warnings, the people, from their ancestors onwards, consistently failed to heed and obey His will. This verse encapsulates the core problem of human sin and rebellion against a righteous and faithful God.

Nehemiah 9 34 Context

Nehemiah chapter 9 records a lengthy and significant prayer of national confession and worship. Following the revival instigated by the public reading of the Law and the celebration of the Feast of Booths in chapter 8, the Israelites gathered for a solemn assembly. Dressed in sackcloth and with dust on their heads, they separated themselves from foreigners, confessed their sins, and listened to the Law again. The Levites then led this extended prayer, which meticulously reviews the history of God's dealings with Israel from creation through the wilderness, conquest, the time of the Judges, the monarchy, and finally the Babylonian exile and their present state under foreign rule. Throughout this historical recounting, a consistent theme emerges: God's unwavering faithfulness, mercy, and justice juxtaposed against Israel's persistent and stubborn rebellion. Verse 34 comes towards the end of this historical survey, acting as a crucial summary of their ancestors' and their own generation's continuous pattern of disobedience, serving as a sobering justification for their current subjugated status.

Nehemiah 9 34 Word analysis

• Even to this day: (Hebrew: 'ad hayyōm hazzeh - עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה). This temporal marker underscores the profound and ongoing nature of Israel's spiritual failure. It signifies that the confession is not merely about past generations but includes the present, post-exilic community. It highlights that the same sinful inclination persisted despite severe divine discipline like the exile, showing a deep-seated spiritual malady.
• we have not obeyed: (Hebrew: lo' shama'nu - לֹא שָׁמַעְנוּ). The Hebrew verb shama' means to hear, listen, and crucially, to heed or obey. The negative particle (lo') indicates a conscious and deliberate refusal to act in accordance with what was heard. This goes beyond mere oversight or ignorance; it denotes a stubborn defiance and unwillingness to submit to God's authority, indicating an active state of non-compliance.
• Your commandments: (Hebrew: mitz'voteka - מִצְוֹתֶיךָ). Refers to the explicit divine laws, statutes, and instructions given by God, especially through the Mosaic covenant. These are direct, positive commands defining righteous conduct and moral obligations for the covenant people. Their rejection signifies a disregard for God's declared will for their lives.
• nor Your testimonies: (Hebrew: v'edōteyka - וְעֵדוֹתֶיךָ). These are God's solemn declarations, warnings, or decrees. "Testimonies" often function as reminders of God's covenant expectations, and warnings about the consequences of neglecting them. The parallelism with "commandments" signifies a comprehensive rejection of both God's directives for how to live and His warnings about the outcomes of rebellion.
• which You testified against us: (Hebrew: 'asher he'adeta banu - אֲשֶׁר הֵעַדְתָּ בָנוּ). The verb "testified" (from 'ud) means to bear witness, warn, or solemnly admonish. The phrase emphasizes God's consistent and persistent communication to His people, holding them accountable for their choices. The addition "against us" highlights that these were not vague pronouncements but specific, binding declarations made to Israel, making their disobedience inexcusable and underscoring the justness of their present circumstances.

Words-group analysis:

• "Even to this day we have not obeyed": This powerful confession highlights the enduring human propensity to disobey God. It demonstrates a candid acknowledgment that even after God's faithfulness and disciplinary actions, the people retained a default posture of unfaithfulness. This indicates the depth of their self-awareness and sets the stage for genuine repentance, recognizing a continuous challenge, not just historical mistakes.
• "Your commandments, nor Your testimonies which You testified against us": This complete statement captures the full scope of God's revealed will and the nation's consistent failure. God provided clear positive guidance ("commandments") and also solemn warnings and consequences for disobedience ("testimonies"). The phrase "testified against us" emphasizes that God clearly communicated the terms of the covenant and the potential for divine judgment, thus removing any excuse for their continued rebellion.

Nehemiah 9 34 Bonus section

The confession "even to this day" reveals a profound theological insight within the Nehemiah 9 prayer: Israel's plight (subservience under foreign kings) was not a random misfortune, but a direct and continuous consequence of their national sin, a justice perfectly aligned with the warnings God had "testified against" them. This corporate confession stands in stark contrast to blame-shifting; instead, it is a model of national accountability, recognizing a deep-seated spiritual issue rather than superficial errors. This deep confession, extending to the present, serves as a vital preamble to their future commitment and dedication, emphasizing that true covenant renewal must first grasp the depth of humanity's sin and God's absolute holiness. This theological maturity prepares them to seek a God who is both just in judgment and gracious in mercy, which they also acknowledge extensively in Nehemiah 9.

Nehemiah 9 34 Commentary

Nehemiah 9:34 represents a pivotal point in Israel's national confession, embodying a raw and honest self-assessment of their spiritual state. It admits to centuries of consistent and profound disobedience, highlighting that despite countless divine interventions, warnings, and disciplines (including the traumatic exile), the core issue of human rebellion against God's direct and attested will persisted, reaching even their current generation. This acknowledgment of ongoing, deep-seated unfaithfulness serves as a crucial foundation for true repentance and the renewed covenant promises outlined in Nehemiah 10. It shows the community's humble acceptance of responsibility for their hardships, not blaming God, but recognizing their own continuous pattern of active rejection of His perfect, clear, and just authority. It implicitly suggests that without divine transformation, humanity's default setting is towards rebellion against its Creator.