Nehemiah 9:35

Neh 9:35 For they have not served thee in their kingdom, and in thy great goodness that thou gavest them, and in the large and fat land which thou gavest before them, neither turned they from their wicked works.

Ver. 35. For they have not served thee in their kingdom] As David did, who held it his highest honour to be the servant of the Lord, Psa 36:1-12; and as those three famous Christian emperors, Constantine, Valentinian, and Theodosius, who styled themselves The vassals of Jesus Christ (Socrat.).

And in thy great goodness that thou gavest them] In the abundance of all things, Deu 28:47, they should have considered, the more wages the more work; and that thus to requite the Lord was to come under the censure of a foolish people and unwise, Deu 32:6, yea, of idle and evil servants, Mat 25:26.

And in the large and fat land] "But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked"; fulness bred forgetfulness; saturity, security, Deu 32:15; therefore he was worthily pent up and pined in a strange land, where he had liberty little enough, and prisoner’s pittance.

Neither turned they from their wicked works] They quarrel not with their faults, but with their friends that reprove them; they turn not to him from whom they had deeply revolted. Their impenitence maketh their sins mortal, says St John, 1Jn 5:16; immortal, saith St Paul, Rom 2:5; they die in their sins, as did those Jews in the Gospel, and perish for ever, Joh 8:21.

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 9:35. For they served thee not in the land which thou gavest them — That is, which thou didst lay open to their view and possession; removing their enemies, and all impediments, out of the way. Neither turned they from their wicked works — They not only all acted wickedly, from the highest to the lowest, but would not be reclaimed. Thus they acknowledge the justice of God in all the punishments he had inflicted on them, though heavy and of long continuance.

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

Verse 35. For they have not served thee in their kingdom] Instead of במלכותם bemalcutham, "in THEIR kingdom," במלכותך bemalcuthecha, in THY kingdom," is the reading of two of Kennicott's MSS.; as also of the Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic. This is most likely to be the true reading.

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

35. they] emphatic, i.e. the kings and princes; as distinguished from ‘thou’ and ‘we,’ used emphatically in Neh_9:33.

in their kingdom] Perhaps with a slight touch of irony, since ‘their kingdom’ was itself God’s gift to Israel. The use of the word shows that the ‘kings’ and ‘princes’ of Neh_9:34 are especially referred to.

goodness] Material blessings generally as in Neh_9:25.

fat land] Cf. Neh_9:25.

wicked works] The word so translated is used with especial reference to idolatry. Cf. Jer_35:15, ‘Amend your doings,’ Zec_1:6, ‘According to our doings, so hath he dealt with us.’

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.

For they have not served thee in their kingdom,.... When in it, whether of Israel or of Judah, and when in the most flourishing circumstances:

and in thy great goodness that thou gavest them; amidst all the prosperity and affluence of good things they enjoyed, which was an obligation upon them to serve the Lord:

and in the large and fat land which thou gavest before them; the land of Canaan, a land flowing with milk, which lay open for them, their enemies being driven out before them, see Neh 9:25,

neither turned they from their wicked works; their idolatries more especially.

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

Which thou gavest before them, i.e. which thou didst lay open to their view and possession, removing their enemies and all impediments out of the way.

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

They have not served thee in their kingdom. There is no need of altering the reading here. "In their kingdom" means, "while they had a kingdom of their own, and were not subjects, as now, to a foreign power." Thy great goodness. See above, ver. 25. The large and fat land. Compare Exo_3:8. Although the limits of Palestine are narrow, yet the land which God flare to his people, extending as it did from the Euphrates to the river of Egypt, (Gen_15:18) might well he termed a "large" or "broad" land.

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

הם are the fathers who were not brought to repentance by God's goodness. בּמלכוּתם, in their independent kingdom. הרב טוּבך, Thy much good, i.e., the fulness of Thy goodness, or "in the midst of Thy great blessing" (Bertheau). The predicate הרחבה, the wide, extensive country, is derived from Exo 3:8. In Neh 9:36., the prayer that God would not lightly regard the trouble of His people, is supported by a statement of the need and affliction in which they still are. They are bondmen in the land which God gave to their fathers as a free people, bondmen of the Persian monarchs; and the increase of the land which God appointed for His people belongs to the kings who rule over them. The rulers of the land dispose of their bodies and their cattle, by carrying off both men and cattle for their use, e.g., for military service. כּרצונם like Neh 9:24.

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

Connecting Statement:

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

while they enjoyed your great goodness to them

"while they enjoyed the good things you gave them"

they did not serve you

"they were not obedient to your law or teaching"

translationWords

kingdom

good

servant

turn

evil

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