Nehemiah 9:30

Neh 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.

Ver. 30. Yet many years didst thou forbear them] Heb. Protract over them; or, draw out thy lovingkindness toward them to the utmost.

And testifiedst against them] As Neh 9:29. They wanted not for warnings or wooings, with, Woe unto thee, O Jerusalem! wilt thou not be made clean? when shall it once be?

Yet would they not hear] But as sea monsters or catadupes, or men born in a mill, or as one that is running a race; give him never so good counsel, he cannot stay to hear it.

Therefore gavest thou them] As uncounselable incorrigible.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Neh 9:30. Many years didst thou forbear them — Thou didst delay to bring upon them those judgments which thou hadst threatened, and they had deserved, and didst wait for their repentance. And testifiedst against them by thy Spirit in thy prophets — Who spake to them by thy divine inspiration, whom therefore they ought to have obeyed. Yet would they not give ear — That is, would not obey them, or even vouchsafe so much as to hear them. Therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the people of the lands — At last God delivered them into the hands of the Chaldeans, who are called the people of the lands, because they got possession of all the neighbouring countries, which God put under their power, as he had other countries beyond the Euphrates.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Hebrew, thou didst prolong upon them many years.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Verse 30. Many years didst thou forbear] It is supposed that Nehemiah refers here principally to the ten tribes. And many years did God bear with them; not less than two hundred and fifty-four years from their separation from the house of David, till their captivity and utter dispersion under Shalmaneser; during the whole of which time God invariably warned them by his prophets; or, as it is here said, by thy Spirit in thy prophets, which gives us the true notion of Divine inspiration. God's Spirit was given to the prophets; and they testified to the people, according as they were taught and influenced by this Spirit.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

30, 31. The long-suffering of Jehovah

30. forbear them] R.V. bear with them. The ‘many years’ here spoken of contain the brief reference to the earlier monarchic period. ‘Bear with;’ literally ‘protract,’ ‘extend’ (LXX. ἥλκυσας. Vulg. ‘protraxisti’), as perhaps Jer_31:3, marg. ‘Have I continued loving-kindness unto thee.’

by thy spirit in thy prophets] Cf. Zec_7:12, ‘The words which the Lord of hosts had sent by his spirit by the hand of the former prophets.’ The words do not affirm the Personality of the Divine Spirit, but the Divine revelation to the mind of man, which was spiritual. The Spirit is the agent, the prophets are the channels of Divine communication. Cf. 1Ki_22:24; 1Pe_1:10-11; 2Pe_1:21.

the people of the lands] R.V. the peoples of the lands. i.e. the heathen, Ezr_9:1.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Yet many years didst thou forbear them,.... Throughout the reigns of several kings, such was God's longsuffering towards them: or, "thou didst draw upon them"; that is, his mercy, as Jarchi interprets it; he drew it out of his heart, and prolonged it towards them:

and testifiedst against them by thy Spirit in thy prophets; who reproved and admonished them, as they were moved by the Holy Spirit of God in them, who spoke in his name, and what he suggested to them:

yet they would not give ear; to what the prophets said, and the Spirit of God in them:

therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the people of the lands: people that were lords of many countries, as the Assyrians and Chaldeans.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Years, 254; during which time God had not ceased to recall his people to a sense of their duty, but all in vain.

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Didst thou forbear them, i.e. thou didst delay to bring upon them those judgments which thou hadst threatened, and they had deserved, and didst wait for their repentance.

By thy spirit in thy prophets; by thy prophets, who shake to them by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, whom therefore they should have obeyed.

Yet would they not give ear, i.e. would not obey them, nor would they vouchsafe so much as to hear them.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

30. Forbear them — Margin, protract over them. An elliptical expression for prolonging one’s mercy or kindness. Compare the fuller form in Psa_36:10; Psa_109:12; Jer_31:3.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Many years didst thou forbear them. The ten tribes for 260 years from the revolt of Jeroboam, the remaining two tribes for 135 years longer. Testifiedst against them by thy Spirit in thy prophets. Compare 2Ki_17:13, where the phrase used is nearly the same, and see also 2Ch_36:15, 2Ch_36:16. There was a continual succession of prophets from the time of Solomon to, and through, the captivity. Besides those whose writings have come down to us, we find mention of Ahijah the Shilonite, Iddo the seer, Shemaiah the prophet, Hanani, Jehu the son of Hanani, Elijah, Elisha, Micaiah the son of Imlah, Zechariah the son of Jehoiada, Huldah, and (perhaps) Hosai. The guilt of the Jewish people was enormously increased by the fact that they would not give ear to the exhortations constantly addressed to them by the messengers of God. Therefore they were delivered into the hands of the heathen, or people of the lands.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Connecting Statement:

In these verses, the Levites continue to praise Yahweh in the presence of the people of Israel.

you gave them into the hand of the neighboring peoples

Here "hand" represents power or control. See how you translated these words in Nehemiah 9:27. AT: "you allowed the neighboring peoples to defeat them" (See: Metonymy)

you gave

Yahweh gave

you did not make a complete end of them

"you did not destroy them"

translationWords

Holy Spirit

prophet

neighbor

people group

mercy

forsake

grace

God

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

But You extended upon them You extended mercy upon them not to destroy them.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.