1. On the twenty-fourth day after the Feast of Tabernacles, the Israelites gathered for a day of fasting, wearing sackcloth and putting dust on their heads in mourning. 2. They separated from foreigners and spent half the day reading from the Book of the Law and the other half confessing their sins and worshipping God. 3. Seven Levites led the people in confession and prayer, acknowledging their sins and the sins of their ancestors, and reaffirming their commitment to God.

1. EHEMIAH 9 COMME TARY
EDITED BY GLE PEASE
The Israelites Confess Their Sins
1 On the twenty-fourth day of the same month,
the Israelites gathered together, fasting and
wearing sackcloth and putting dust on their
heads.
BAR ES, "The festival lasted from the 15th day of the 7th month to the first. The
22nd day was a day of solemn observance Neh_8:18. One day seems to have been
allowed the people for rest; and then the work of repentance, for which they had shown
themselves ready Neh_8:9, was taken in hand, and a general fast was proclaimed.
CLARKE, "Now in the twenty and fourth day - The feast of trumpets was on the
first day of this month; on the fourteenth began the feast of tabernacles, which, lasting
seven days, finished on the twenty-second; on the twenty-third they separated
themselves from their illegitimate wives and children; and, on the twenty-fourth, they
held a solemn day of fasting and confession of sin, and reading the law, which they
closed by renewing their covenants.
GILL, "Now in the twenty fourth day of this month,.... The seventh month, the
month Tisri or September, two days after the feast of tabernacles was ended:
the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackclothes,
and earth upon them; which were all outward tokens of mourning and humiliation,
see Joe_1:8 which they could not show during the festival; but that being over, they
return to it, see Neh_8:9.
HE RY 1-3, "We have here a general account of a public fast which the children of
Israel kept, probably by order from Nehemiah, by and with the advice and consent of the
chief of the fathers. It was a fast that men appointed, but such a fast as God had chosen;

2. for, 1. It was a day to afflict the soul, Isa_58:5. Probably they assembled in the courts of
the temple, and they there appeared in sackcloth and in the posture of mourners, with
earth on their heads, Neh_9:1. By these outward expressions of sorrow and humiliation
they gave glory to God, took shame to themselves, and stirred up one another to
repentance. They were restrained from weeping, Neh_8:9, but now they were directed
to weep. The joy of our holy feasts must give way to the sorrow of our solemn fasts when
they come. Every thing is beautiful in its season. 2. It was a day to loose the bands of
wickedness, and that is the fast that God has chosen, Isa_58:6. Without this, spreading
sackcloth and ashes under us is but a jest. The seed of Israel, because they were a holy
seed, appropriated to God and more excellent than their neighbours, separated
themselves from all strangers with whom they had mingled and joined in affinity, Neh_
9:2. Ezra had separated them from their strange wives some years before, but they had
relapsed into the same sin, and had either made marriages or at least made friendships
with them, and contracted such an intimacy as was a snare to them. But now they
separated themselves from the strange children as well as from the strange wives. Those
that intend by prayers and covenants to join themselves to God must separate
themselves from sin and sinners; for what communion hath light with darkness? 3. It
was a day of communion with God. They fasted to him, even to him (Zec_7:5); for, (1.)
They spoke to him in prayer, offered their pious and devout affections to him in the
confession of sin and the adoration of him as the Lord and their God. Fasting without
prayer is a body without a soul, a worthless carcase. (2.) They heard him speaking to
them by his word; for they read in the book of the law, which is very proper on fasting
days, that, in the glass of the law, we may see our deformities and defilements, and know
what to acknowledge and what to amend. The word will direct and quicken prayer, for by
it the Spirit helps our praying infirmities. Observe how the time was equally divided
between these two. Three hours (for that is the fourth part of a day) they spent in
reading, expounding, and applying the scriptures, and three hours in confessing sin and
praying; so that they staid together six hours, and spent all the time in the solemn acts of
religion, without saying, Behold, what a weariness is it! The varying of the exercises
made it the less tedious, and, as the word they read would furnish them with matter for
prayer, so prayer would make the word the more profitable. Bishop Patrick thinks that
they spent the whole twelve hours of the day in devotion, that from six o'clock in the
morning till nine they read, and then from nine to twelve they prayed, from twelve to
three they read again, and from three till six at night they prayed again. The word of a
fast day is good work, and therefore we should endeavour to make a day's work, a good
day's work, of it.
JAMISO , "Neh_9:1-3. A solemn fast and repentance of the people.
Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month — that is, on the second day
after the close of the feast of tabernacles, which commenced on the fourteenth and
terminated on the twenty-second (Lev_23:34-37). The day immediately after that feast,
the twenty-third, had been occupied in separating the delinquents from their unlawful
wives, as well, perhaps, as in taking steps for keeping aloof in future from unnecessary
intercourse with the heathen around them. For although this necessary measure of
reformation had been begun formerly by Ezra (Ezr_10:1-17), and satisfactorily
accomplished at that time (in so far as he had information of the existing abuses, or
possessed the power of correcting them) yet it appears that this reformatory work of
Ezra had been only partial and imperfect. Many cases of delinquency had escaped, or
new defaulters had appeared who had contracted those forbidden alliances; and there
was an urgent necessity for Nehemiah again to take vigorous measures for the removal

3. of a social evil which threatened the most disastrous consequences to the character and
prosperity of the chosen people. A solemn fast was now observed for the expression of
those penitential and sorrowful feelings which the reading of the law had produced, but
which had been suppressed during the celebration of the feast; and the sincerity of their
repentance was evinced by the decisive steps taken for the correction of existing abuses
in the matter of marriage.
K&D, "On the twenty-second of Tishri was the Hazereth of the feast of tabernacles;
on the twenty-fourth the congregation re-assembled in the temple, “with fasting and
with sackcloths (penitential garments made of hair; see rem. Joe_1:8) and earth upon
them,” i.e., spread upon their heads (1Sa_4:12; 2Sa_1:2; Job_2:12), - the external marks
of deep mourning and heaviness of heart.
BE SO , " ehemiah 9:1. ow in the twenty and fourth day — The feast of
tabernacles began on the fourteenth day, and ended on the twenty-second, all which
time mourning had been forbidden, as contrary to the nature of the feast, which was
to be kept with joy. But now, on the twenty-fourth, the next day but one after the
feast, their consciences having been fully awakened, and their hearts filled with grief
for their sins, which they were not allowed to express in that time of public joy, they
resume their former thoughts, and, recalling their sins to mind, set apart a day for
solemn fasting and humiliation.
COFFMA , "Verse 1
ISRAEL'S CO FESSIO OF THEIR SI S A D THEIR OATH OF
ALLEGIE CE TO THE GOD OF THEIR FATHERS
This chapter seems rather long, but no chapter could be long enough for an
adequate record of the repeated apostasies of God's Chosen People. evertheless,
this abbreviation of them, along with the earnest confession of all the people,
appears as one of the redeeming moments in the history of Israel, and as one of the
stars in their crown of glory.
Despite all the wretched sins and shortcomings of Israel, there was indeed a
righteous remnant that included the blessed apostles and prophets of the ew
Testament who were able, through the grace and blessing of God, to resist and
effectually defy the brutal godlessness of the Three False Shepherds (Zechariah 11)
and the hapless majority of racial Israel, led by the Pharisees, Sadducees and
Herodians, and to welcome the Dayspring from on High. That glorious Righteous
Remnant of Israel ushered in the Kingdom of God on the first Pentecost after the
resurrection of Jesus Christ. In this wonderful chapter, we doubtless have some of
the ancestors of that Righteous Remnant.
THE LEVITES LEAD ISRAEL I CO FESSI G THEIR SI S
" ow in the twenty and fourth day of this month the children of Israel were
assembled with fasting, and with sackcloth, and earth upon them. And the seed of
Israel separated themselves from all foreigners, and stood and confessed their sins,

4. and the iniquities of their fathers. And they stood up in their place, and read in the
book of the law of Jehovah their God a fourth part of the day; and another fourth
part they confessed, and worshipped Jehovah their God. Then stood up upon the
stairs of the Levites Jeshua, and Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani,
and Chenani, and cried with a loud voice unto Jehovah their God."
All of this great outpouring of grief and confession took place as a result of reading
God's law. "They had clearly desired to do this earlier ( ehemiah 8:9); but it would
have been inappropriate during the feast."[1] Therefore, they rallied for that
purpose on the twenty fourth day of that same seventh month, the next month after
the wall was built; and "This was only the second day after the conclusion of the
Feast of Tabernacles."[2]
A very important revelation of this chapter is that it was the Levites, and not the
priests, who led Israel in this penitential prayer of confession and praise of God.
From the Book of Malachi, we learn of the near total apostasy of the Jewish
priesthood; and in Zechariah, they are clearly revealed as the false shepherds who
destroyed the nation. There is not a word in this chapter that even hints of any
priestly participation in this great repentance, confession and prayer. Some of them
were even traitors in the employ of Tobiah and had even conspired to murder
ehemiah.
"The seed of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners" ( ehemiah 9:2). Keil
noted that, "This is not primarily a reference to the dissolution of illegal marriages,
but it is rather a voluntary renunciation of all connection with the heathen and of
heathen customs."[3]
"Then stood up upon the stairs ... Levites" ( ehemiah 9:4). "The stairs mentioned
here are those leading up to the platform or podium, which had been used for the
reading of the Law."[4]
There follows at this point in the chapter a rather long prayer, ending in the solemn
commitment of the people to be faithful to the God of Israel.
COKE, " ehemiah 9:1. In the twenty-and-fourth day of this month— The feast of
tabernacles being ended, a day was appointed for a solemn fast; when they
assembled; confessed their sins; deprecated the judgments due to the iniquity of
their fathers; acknowledged the omnipotence of God in creating and preserving all
things; disclaimed all dependance upon that host of heaven which they confessed to
be the creatures of God, ehemiah 9:6.; and enumerated his gracious mercies in
their manifold deliverances from their enemies and persecutors.
TRAPP, " ow in the twenty and fourth day of this month the children of Israel
were assembled with fasting, and with sackclothes, and earth upon them.
Ver. 1. ow in the twenty and fourth day] A day after the feast of tabernacles, they
keep a solemn fast:

5. Usque adeo nihil est, ex omni parte, beatum.
There is in this present life an interchange of all things, a succession of feasting and
fasting. Of the best, while here it may be said, as Pliny doth of Metellus, Infelix dici
non debet, felix non potest; unhappy you cannot call him, happy you may not (lib.
vii. cap. 47). One compareth him to the Ark, which was ever transported, till settled
in Solomon’s Temple; another to quicksilver, which hath in itself a principle of
motion, but not of rest.
The children of Israel were assembled with fasting] As Epaminondas walked heavily
the day after his triumph. Deadness of spirit is apt to follow our liveliest joys; but
that must be looked to, and security prevented, which is wont to seize upon men
after holy duties; like as worms and wasps eat the sweetest fruits. These fasters had
wept at the hearing of the law, and were stilled by the Levites, ehemiah 8:11,
because it was unseasonable. ow the feast being over, and their hearts yet full of
grief for their great sin in taking strange wives (not yet put away, though they had
vowed to do it, Ezra 10:3, &c.), they first put away those wives on the twenty-third
day, and then humble themselves by fasting and prayer on this twenty-fourth day;
being wrought thereunto by the reading of the law, as is implied in the next verse.
And with sackcloth] As acknowledging themselves unworthy of the coarsest
clothing; and that, but for shame, they would have stripped themselves naked.
And earth upon them] As those that had forfeited all, and deserved to be as far
underground as now they were above.
CO STABLE, "Verses 1-4
The preparations for prayer9:1-4
Two days after the solemn assembly ( ehemiah 8:18), the people were still
mourning over their sins ( ehemiah 9:1). This was a genuine spiritual revival. In
obedience to God"s Law the people broke off forbidden alliances with non-Jews (cf.
Deuteronomy 23:3-8). They also confessed their ancestors" sins as well as their own,
listened to the reading of the Law, and worshipped God ( ehemiah 9:2-3). Seven
Levites led the people in confession and worship ( ehemiah 9:4).
"It is of interest that the congregation did not only confess their own sins, but also
those of their ancestors. This is a recurring theme in the books of Ezra - ehemiah.
They felt their solidarity with past generations." [ ote: Fensham, p223.]
". . . "separation" [ ehemiah 9:2] has nothing to do with simply disliking someone.
Separation has to do, principally, with religious commitment-with the idea of

6. covenant." [ ote: Holmgren, p129.]
LA GE, " ehemiah 9:1. The twenty and fourth day of this month.—The ’Atzereth
was the 22 d day of Tisri. Two days after is this special day of fasting and
confession. It must not be confounded with the Yom-hak-kippurim or Day of
Atonement, which was the 10 th of Tisri.
Earth upon them,i.e., on their heads (see 1 Samuel 4:12). Both earth and ashes were
used on the head as a sign of sorrow. Comp. 2 Samuel 13:19. Our Eng. version has
written here sackclothes, but everywhere else has used sackcloth for the Heb. plural.
This fasting, mourning and confession was not a swing of the pendulum to the other
extreme from the joy and gladness of the Tabernacle’s feast, but the action of the
same religious spirit which recognized God’s great favors, but which at the same
time recognized the great errors of the people.
EXPOSITOR'S BIBLE COMME TARY, "THE RELIGIO OF HISTORY
ehemiah 9:1-38
AFTER the carnival-Lent. This Catholic procedure was anticipated by the Jews in
the days of Ezra and ehemiah. The merry feast of Tabernacles was scarcely over,
when, permitting an interval of but a single day, the citizens of Jerusalem plunged
into a demonstration of mourning-fasting, sitting in sackcloth, casting dust on their
heads, abjuring foreign connections, confessing their own and their fathers’ sins.
Although the singular revulsion of feeling may have been quite spontaneous on the
part of the people, the violent reaction to which it gave rise was sanctioned by the
authorities. In an open-air meeting which lasted for six hours-three of Bible-reading
and three of confession and worship-the Levites took the lead, as they had done at
the publication of The Law a few weeks earlier. But these very men had rebuked the
former outburst of lamentation. Must we suppose that their only objection on that
occasion was that the mourning was then untimely, because it was indulged in at a
festival, whereas it ought to have been postponed to a fast day? If that were all, we
should have to contemplate a miserably artificial condition of affairs. Real emotions
refuse to come and go at the bidding of officials pedantically set on regulating their
alternate recurrence in accordance with a calendar of the church year. A theatrical
representation of feeling may be drilled into some such orderly procession. But true
feeling itself is of all things in the universe the most restive under direct orders.
We must look a little deeper. The Levites had given a great spiritual reason for the
restraint of grief in their wonderful utterance, "The joy of the Lord is your
strength." This noble thought is not an elixir to be administered or withheld
according to the recurrence of ecclesiastical dates. If it is true at all, it is eternally
true. Although the application of it is not always a fact of experience, the reason for
the fluctuations in our personal relations to it is not to be looked for in the almanac;
it will be found in those dark passages of human life which, of their own accord,

7. shut out the sunlight of Divine gladness. There is then no absolute inconsistency in
the action of the Levites. And yet perhaps they may have perceived that they had
been hasty in their repression of the first outburst of grief, or at all events that they
did not then see the whole truth of the matter. There was some ground for
lamentation after all, and though the expression of sorrow at a festival seemed to
them untimely, they were bound to admit its fitness a little later. It is to be observed
that another subject was now brought under the notice of the people. The
contemplation of the revelation of God’s will should not produce grief. But the
consideration of man’s conduct cannot but lead to that result. At the reading of the
Divine law the Jews’ lamentation was rebuked; at the recital of their own history it
was encouraged. Yet even here it was not to be abject and hopeless. The Levites
exhorted the people to shake off the lethargy of sorrow, to stand up and bless the
Lord their God. Even in the very act of confessing sin we have a special reason for
praising God, because the consciousness of our guilt in His sight must heighten our
appreciation of His marvellous forbearance.
The Jews’ confession of sin led up to a prayer which the Septuagint ascribes to Ezra.
It does so, however, in a phrase that manifestly breaks the context, and thus betrays
its origin in an interpolation. [Ezra 9:6-15] evertheless the tone of the prayer, and
even its very language, remind us forcibly of the Great Scribe’s outpouring of soul
over the mixed marriages of his people recorded in Ezra 9:1-15. o one was more
fitted to lead the Jews in the later act of devotion, and it is only reasonable to
conclude that the work was undertaken by the one man to whose lot it would
naturally fall.
The prayer is very like some of the historical psalms. By pointing to the variegated
picture of the History of Israel, it shows how God reveals Himself through events.
This suggests the probability that the three hours’ reading of the fast day had been
taken from the historical parts of the Pentateuch. The religious teachers of Israel
knew what riches of instruction were buried in the history of their nation, and they
had the wisdom to unearth those treasures for the benefit of their own age. It is
strange that we English have made so little use of a national history that is not a
whit less providential, although it does not glitter with visible miracles. God has
spoken to England as truly through the defeat of the Spanish Armada, the Puritan
Wars, and the Revolution, as ever He spoke to Israel by means of the Exodus, the
Captivity, and the Return.
The arrangement and method of the prayer lend themselves to a singularly forcible
presentation of its main topics, with heightening effect as it proceeds in a
recapitulation of great historical landmarks. It opens with an outburst of praise to
God. In saying that Jehovah is God alone, it makes more than a cold
pronouncement of Jewish monotheism; it confesses the practical supremacy of God
over His universe, and therefore over His people and their enemies. God is adored
as the Creator of heaven, and, perhaps with an allusion to the prevalent Gentile title
"God of heaven," as even the Maker of the heaven of heavens, of that higher heaven
of which the starry firmament is but the gold-sprinkled floor. There, in those far-
off, unseen heights, He is adored. But earth and sea, with all that inhabit them, are

8. also God’s works. From the highest to the lowest, over great and small, He reigns
supreme. This glowing expression of adoration constitutes a suitable exordium. It is
right and fitting that we should approach God in the attitude of pure worship, for
the moment entirely losing ourselves in the contemplation of Him. This is the loftiest
act of prayer, far above the selfish shriek for help in dire distress to which
unspiritual men confine their utterance before God. It is also the most enlightening
preparation for those lower forms of devotion that cannot be neglected so long as we
are engaged on earth with our personal needs and sins, because it is necessary for us
first of all to know what God is, and to be able to contemplate the thought of His
being and nature, if we would understand the course of His action among men, or
see our sins in the only true light-the light of His countenance. We can best trace the
course of low-lying valleys from a mountain height. The primary act of adoration
illumines and directs the thanksgiving, confession, and petition that follow. He who
has once seen God knows how to look at the world and his own heart, without being
misled by earthly glamour or personal prejudice.
In tracking the course of revelation through history, the author of the prayer
follows two threads. First one and then the other is uppermost, but it is the
interweaving of them that gives the definite pattern of the whole picture. These are
God’s grace and man’s sin. The method of the prayer is to bring them into view
alternately, as they are illustrated in the History of Israel. The result is like a drama
of several acts, and three scenes in each act. Although we see progress and a
continuous heightening of effect, there is a startling resemblance between the
successive acts, and the relative characters of the scenes remain the same
throughout. In the first scene we always behold the free and generous favour of God
offered to the people He condescends to bless, altogether apart from any merits or
claims on their part. In the second we are forced to look at the ugly picture of
Israel’s ingratitude and rebellion. But this is invariably followed by a third scene,
which depicts the wonderful patience and long-suffering of God, and His active aid
in delivering His guilty people from the troubles they have brought on their own
heads by their sins, whenever they turn to Him in penitence.
The recital opens where the Jews delighted to trace their origin, in Ur of the
Chaldees. These returned exiles from Babylon are reminded that at the very dawn
of their ancestral history the same district was the starting-point. The guiding hand
of God was seen in bringing up the Father of the ation in that far-off tribal
migration from Chaldaea to Canaan. At first the Divine action did not need to
exhibit all the traits of grace and power that were seen later, because Abraham was
not a captive. Then, too, there was no rebellion, for Abraham was faithful. Thus the
first scene opens with the mild radiance of early morning. As yet there is nothing
tragic on either side. The chief characteristic of this scene is its promise, and the
author of the prayer anticipates some of the later scenes by interjecting a grateful
recognition of the faithfulness of God in keeping His word. "For Thou art
righteous," he says. [ ehemiah 9:8] This truth is the keynote to the prayer. The
thought of it is always present as an undertone, and it emerges clearly again towards
the conclusion, where, however, it wears a very different garb. There we see how in
view of man’s sin God’s righteousness inflicts chastisement. But the intention of the

9. author is to show that throughout all the vicissitudes of history God holds on to His
straight line of righteousness, unwavering. It is just because He does not change that
His action must be modified in order to adjust itself to the shifting behaviour of men
and women. It is the very immutability of God that requires Him to show Himself
froward with the froward, although He is merciful with the merciful.
The chief events of the Exodus are next briefly recapitulated, in order to enlarge the
picture of God’s early goodness to Israel. Here we may discern more than promise;
the fulfilment now begins. Here, too, God is seen in that specific activity of
deliverance which comes more and more to the front as the history proceeds. While
the calamities of the people grow worse and worse, God reveals Himself with ever-
increasing force as the Redeemer of Israel. The plagues of Egypt, the passage of the
Red Sea, the drowning of the Egyptians, the cloud-pillar by day and the pillar of fire
by night, the descent on Sinai for the giving of The Law-in which connection the one
law of the Sabbath is singled out, a point to be noted in view of the great prominence
given to it later on-the manna, and the water from the rock, are all signs and proofs
of God’s exceeding kindness towards His people.
But now we are directed to a very different scene. In spite of all this never-ceasing,
this ever-accumulating goodness of God, the infatuated people rebel, appoint a
captain to take them back to Egypt, and relapse into idolatry. This is the human side
of the history, shown up in its deep blackness against the luminous splendour of the
heavenly background.
Then comes the marvellous third scene, the scene that should melt the hardest heart.
God does not cast off His people. The privileges enumerated before are carefully
repeated, to show that God has not withdrawn them. Still the cloud-pillar guides by
day and the fire-pillar by night. Still the manna and the water are supplied. But this
is not all. Between these two pairs of favours a new one is now inserted. God gives
His "good Spirit" to instruct the people. The author does not seem to be referring to
any one specific event, as that of the Spirit falling on the elders, or the incident of
the unauthorised prophet, or the bestowal of the Spirit on the artists of the
tabernacle. We should rather conclude from the generality of his terms that he is
thinking of the gift of the Spirit in each of these cases, and also in every other way in
which the Divine Presence was felt in the hearts of the people. Prone to wander, they
needed and they received this inward monitor. Thus God showed His great
forbearance, by even extending His grace and giving more help because the need
was greater.
From this picture of the wilderness life we are led on to the conquest of the
Promised Land. The Israelites overthrow the kings east of the Jordan, and take
possession of their territories. Growing in numbers, after a time they are strong
enough to cross the Jordan, seize the land of Canaan, and subdue the aboriginal
inhabitants. Then we see them settling down in their new home and inheriting the
products of the labours of their more civilised predecessors. All this is a further
proof of the favour of God. Yet again the dreadful scene of ingratitude is repeated,
and that in an aggravated form. A wild fury of rebellion takes hold of the wicked

10. people. They rise up against their God, fling His Torah behind their backs, murder
the prophets He sends to warn them, and sink down into the greatest wickedness.
The head and front of their offence is the rejection of the sacred Torah. The word
Torah-law or instruction-must here be taken in its widest sense to comprehend both
the utterances of the prophets and the tradition of the priests, although it is
represented to the contemporaries of Ezra by its crown and completion, the
Pentateuch. In this second act of heightened energy on both sides, while the
characters of the actors are developing with stronger features, we have a third
scene-forgiveness and deliverance from God.
Then the action moves more rapidly. It becomes almost confused. In general terms,
with a few swift strokes, the author sketches a succession of similar movements-
indeed he does little more than hint at them. We cannot see how often the threefold
process was repeated, only we perceive that it always recurred in the same form. Yet
the very monotony deepens the impression of the whole drama-so madly persistent
was the backsliding habit of Israel, so grandly continuous was the patient long-
suffering of God. We lose all count of the alternating scenes of light and darkness as
we look at them down the long vista of the ages. And yet it is not necessary that we
should assort them. The perspective may escape us; all the more must we feel the
force of the process which is characterised by so powerful a unity of movement.
Coming nearer to his own time, the author of the prayer expands into detail again.
While the kingdom lasted God did not cease to plead with His people. They
disregarded His voice, but His Spirit was in the prophets, and the long line of
heavenly messengers was a living testimony to the Divine forbearance. Heedless of
this greatest and best means of bringing them back to their forsaken allegiance, the
Jews were at length given over to the heathen. Yet that tremendous calamity was not
without its mitigations. They were not utterly consumed. Even now God did not
forsake them. He followed them into their captivity. This was apparent in the
continuous advent of prophets-such as the Second Isaiah and Ezekiel-who appeared
and delivered their oracles in the land of exile; it was most gloriously manifest in the
return under Cyrus. Such long-continued goodness, beyond the utmost excess of the
nation’s sin, surpassed all that could have been hoped for. It went beyond the
promises of God; it could not be wholly comprehended in His faithfulness.
Therefore another Divine attribute is now revealed. At first the prayer made
mention of God’s righteousness, which was seen in the gift of Canaan as a fulfilment
of the promise to Abraham, so that the author remarked, in regard to the
performance of the Divine word, "for Thou art righteous." But now he reflects on
the greater kindness, the uncovenanted kindness of the Exile and the Return: "for
Thou art a gracious and merciful God." [ ehemiah 9:31] We can only account for
such extended goodness by ascribing it to the infinite love of God.
Having thus brought his review down to his own day, in the concluding passage of
the prayer the author appeals to God with reference to the present troubles of His
people. In doing so he first returns to his contemplation of the nature of God. Three
Divine characteristics rise up before him, -first, majesty ("the great, the mighty, the
terrible God"), second, fidelity (keeping "covenant"), third, compassion (keeping

11. "mercy"). [ ehemiah 9:32] On this threefold plea he beseeches God that all the
national trouble which has been endured since the first Assyrian invasion may not
"seem little" to Him. The greatness of God might appear to induce disregard of the
troubles of His poor human children, and yet it would really lead to the opposite
result. It is only the limited faculty that cannot stoop to small things because its
attention is confined to large affairs. Infinity reaches to the infinitely little as readily
as to the infinitely great. With the appeal for compassion goes a confession of sin,
which is national rather than personal. All sections of the community on which the
calamities have fallen-with the significant exception of the prophets who had
possessed God’s Spirit, and who had been so grievously persecuted by their fellow
countrymen-all are united in a common guilt. The solidarity of the Jewish race is
here apparent. We saw in the earlier case of the sin-offering that the religion of
Israel was national rather than personal. The punishment of the captivity was a
national discipline; now the confession is for national sin. And yet the sin is
confessed distributively, with regard to the several sections of society. We cannot
feel our national sin in the bulk. It must be brought home to us in our several walks
of life.
After this confession the prayer deplores the present state of the Jews. o reference
is now made to the temporary annoyance occasioned by the attacks of the
Samaritans. The building of the walls has put an end to that nuisance. But the
permanent evil is more deeply rooted. The Jews are mournfully conscious of their
subject state beneath the Persian yoke. They have returned to their city, but they are
no more free men than they were in Babylon. Like the fellaheen of Syria today, they
have to pay heavy tribute, which takes the best of the produce of their labour. They
are subject to the conscription, having to serve in the armies of the Great King-
Herodotus tells us that there were "Syrians of Palestine" in the army of Xerxes.
Their cattle are seized by the officers of the government, arbitrarily, "at their
pleasure." Did ehemiah know of this complaint? If so, might there not be some
ground for the suspicion of the informers after all? Was that suspicion one reason
for his recall to Susa? We cannot answer these questions. As to the prayer, this
leaves the whole case with God. It would have been dangerous to have said more in
the hearing of the spies who haunted the streets of Jerusalem. And it was needless. It
is not the business of prayer to try to move the hand of God. It is enough that we lay
bare our state before Him, trusting His wisdom as well as His grace-not dictating to
God, but confiding in Him.
WHEDO , "THE DAY OF PE ITE CE A D PRAYER, ehemiah 9:1-37.
1. The twenty and fourth day — Two days after the close of the feast of tabernacles.
With fasting — Or, in fasting; in this way they observed the day. After the seven
days’ feast came one day’s fast. They had left off weeping to observe the joyful
feasts, (chap. ehemiah 8:9,) now they return again to sorrow.
With sackcloth — Black garments made usually of goats’ hair, (Revelation 6:12,)
and used as a penitential garb by mourners when in great distress.

12. Earth… them — Another sign of bitter humiliation and grief. Comp. Joshua 7:5 : 1
Samuel 4:12; 2 Samuel 1:2; Job 2:12. In the history of Israel each period, however
short, of prosperity and joy seems to have had its dark background of adversity and
sadness.
PETT, "Verses 1-3
The People Gather Spontaneously To Admit Their Sinfulness And Failures To God
Separating Themselves From All Who Were Tainted With Idolatry ( ehemiah 9:1-
3).
ehemiah 9:1
‘ ow on the twenty fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled
with fasting, and with sackcloth, and earth upon them.’
The ‘eighth day’ feast was on the twenty second day of the moon period (Leviticus
23:39). Thus the twenty third day, which would normally have been the day for
packing up and returning home, had become a day when the people spontaneously
came to their decision not to return to their homes, but to renew a solemn covenant
with God. Thus on the following day, the twenty fourth day, they gathered,
probably within the precincts of the Temple, having engaged in fasting for the day,
and wearing sackcloth, with earth on their heads. These were expressions of deep
mourning for sin (compare Ezra 8:26; Daniel 9:3; Jonah 3:5; Jonah 3:8; 1
Chronicles 21:16; 1 Samuel 4:12; 2 Samuel 1:2; Job 2:12).
PULPIT, "SOLEM FAST KEPT, WITH CO FESSIO OF SI S; A D
VOLU TARY COVE A T WITH GOD E TERED I TO BY THE PEOPLE,
A D SEALED TO BY THE PRI CES, PRIESTS, A D LEVITES ( ehemiah 9:1-
38.). When the law was first read to them on the opening day of the seventh month,
the people had shown strong feelings of compunction, an earnest desire to return to
God by the thorny way of repentance. In checking this feeling on that particular
day, Ezra and ehemiah had conformed to prevalent ideas on the subject of festival
observance, but had not intended to thwart the popular desire for some distinct
penitential action, some marked public proceedings, which should at once furnish a
vent to pent-up feeling, and serve as a starting-point from which individuals, or even
the nation, might enter upon a new career. It is a very curious circumstance, and
one not easy of explanation, that they did not fix on the 10th of the month the "great
day of atonement"—as the most appropriate day of national humiliation and of
general self-abasement. The proximity of that occasion would naturally and almost
necessarily suggest it to them, and nothing could well exceed its intrinsic fitness. On
that day, and that day only in the whole of the year, every soul was to afflict itself,
and whatsoever soul did not do so was to be cut off and destroyed from among the
people (Le 23:27-29). It can scarcely be that the observance of the day had ceased.
Perhaps the time for preparation which the selection of this "feast of sorrow" would
have allowed seemed too short. Perhaps it was thought undesirable to select for an
extraordinary national act of self-humiliation a day which already possessed its own
routine, and possibly its own ritual, of repentance. In any case, the fact was that the

13. civil and ecclesiastical authorities came to the determination not to make any special
use of the regular annual fast day, but to leave the observance of that occasion to the
people's natural bent, and appoint a different day—one which had no traditional
customs attached to it—for the solemn act of penitence on which the heart of the
nation was set. As the feast of tabernacles lasted from the 15th of Tisri to the 22nd,
it was necessary either to select a day before that holy week or after it. A day
between the 10th and the 15th would have followed too close upon the day of
atonement; a day, therefore, was appointed after the festival was over. ot,
however, the very next day—the transition from joy to sorrow would in that case
have been too abrupt—but the next day but one—the 24th ( ehemiah 9:1). Then,
the multitude that had come up for the feast being still present, a great fast was
kept—sackcloth was worn, dust was sprinkled on the head; for half the day the vast
assembly remained in the great court of the temple, listening to the words of the law
for three hours, and for three hours confessing their sins (verse 3); after this the
Levites took the word, and, in the name of the whole people, blessed God,
acknowledged his gracious providence and special goodness towards Israel
throughout the entire course of their history (verses 5-25), confessed their sins and
the sins of their fathers (verses 26-35), admitted the justice of their present low
estate (verses 36, 37), and finally brought forward a written bond or covenant,
whereto they invited those present to set their seals (verse 38), pledging them to
"walk in God's law, and observe and do all his commandments," and to make a
perpetual provision for the priests and for the temple service ( ehemiah 10:29-39).
The words of the formula were, no doubt, carefully prepared beforehand, and show
traces of the influence of Ezra, to whose prayer (Ezra 9:6-15) they bear a great
resemblance. We may perhaps assume that they were his composition, and that,
though he is not mentioned, he was present, directing all the proceedings,
instructing and animating the Levites, and exercising an influence for good over all
grades of the people. (The present chapter is closely united with that which follows,
and must be studied in connection with it.)
ehemiah 9:1
With sackclothes, and earth upon them. On the use of sackcloth in mourning see
Genesis 37:34; 2 Samuel 3:31; 2 Samuel 21:10; 1 Kings 21:27, etc. Putting earth or
dust on the head was less common; but mention of it is made in 1 Samuel 4:12; 2
Samuel 1:2; and Job 2:12.
2 Those of Israelite descent had separated
themselves from all foreigners. They stood in their
places and confessed their sins and the sins of

14. their ancestors.
CLARKE, "The seed of Israel separated themselves - A reformation of this
kind was begun by Ezra, Ezr_10:3; but it appears that either more were found out who
had taken strange wives, or else those who had separated from them had taken them
again.
And stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers. -
They acknowledged that they had been sinners against God throughout all their
generations; that their fathers had sinned and were punished; and that they, with this
example before their eyes, had copied their fathers’ offenses.
GILL, "And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers,....
Such as were genuine Israelites, of the seed of Abraham, who had married wives of the
Gentiles, strangers to the commonwealth of Israel, either before the reformation by
Ezra, not being then discovered, or had fallen into this evil since; but now, on the
reading of the law, were convinced of it, and so separated themselves from such wives,
which was a proof of the truth of their repentance:
and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers:
particularly their taking of strange wives, which their fathers had also done, and set
them a bad example, which they had followed; of standing and confessing, see Luk_
18:13.
JAMISO , "confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers — Not
only did they read in their recent sufferings a punishment of the national apostasy and
guilt, but they had made themselves partakers of their fathers’ sins by following the
same evil ways.
K&D, "Neh_9:2
“And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and
confessed all their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers.” This separation from
strangers does not specially relate to the dissolution of the marriages contracted with
heathen women, nor to any measures taken that only Israelites should be admitted to
this assembly (Bertheau). It was rather a voluntary renunciation of connection with the
heathen, and of heathen customs.
BE SO ," ehemiah 9:2. The seed of Israel separated themselves — From all
unnecessary society with the heathen, and particularly from those strange women
whom some of them had married. For although Ezra had effected this separation
formerly, as far as he had knowledge of the faulty persons, and power to reform

15. them; yet it seems there were some criminals who either had escaped his knowledge,
or were beyond the reach of his power; or there were some new delinquents that
since that time had fallen into the same error, and now showed the truth of their
repentance by forsaking their beloved sins and dearest relations. And the iniquities
of their fathers — Which they confess, partly as one cause of their present
sufferings; and partly because they, by their practices, had justified their father’s
sins, and made them their own
TRAPP, " ehemiah 9:2 And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all
strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers.
Ver. 2. And the seed of Israel] Called Israelites (not Abrahamites) from their
wrestling with God by prayer and tears, and prevailing. Called also Jews from
Judah, which signifieth the confessor. Here it is said of them that,
They stood and confessed their sins] All their sins, either actually committed, or
habitually comprised in their body of sin. This whoso doth in due manner shall have
mercy, Proverbs 28:13. Yea, he shall have heaven. Israel had power with God as a
prince. Judah, the confessor, got the kingdom from Reuben. Confession is the way
to the kingdom; walk in it; only it must be joined with confusion of sin, as here.
They separated themselves from all strangers, they abandoned their peccatum in
deliciis, their darling sin, they kept themselves from their iniquity. Psalms 18:23.
Hoc non sit verbis, Marce: ut ameris, ama Let this not be by words so that you may
be loved and love. (Martial).
And the iniquities of their fathers] i.e. Of their progenitors; which are owned, if not
bewailed, disclaimed.
ELLICOTT, "(2) The seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers.—The
change to “seed” has here a deep propriety. They carefully avoided the many aliens
among them throughout this fast.
And stood and confessed.—It must be remembered that these verses give the
programme of what is afterwards filled up: the very praise for which they “stood”
was filled with confession.
WHEDO , "2. Seed of Israel — The pure descendants of Israel, as distinguished
from the offspring of unlawful mixed marriages.
Separated themselves from all strangers — Renounced all fellowship with the
heathen, and dissolved all their marriages with strange women. Marriages of this
character had been one of the great sins of the people which Ezra had corrected
some time before, (Ezra 9, 10,) but even up to this time they were not all pure, and at
a still later day ehemiah had to contend again with the same evil.

16. ehemiah 13:23-30.
Stood and confessed — As is more fully shown in the penitential prayer that follows
after ehemiah 9:5.
PETT, " ehemiah 9:2
‘And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners, and stood and
confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers.’
It should be noted that this is a summary verse describing what is to follow. The
idea here is not to describe a literal act of separation taken at that moment in any
physical way (their very observance of the Feast would have involved such a
separation), but of a separation which took place within them, a separation in their
hearts. They were separating themselves in their hearts from all ‘foreigners’, that is
from all who did not worship YHWH wholly and uniquely (thus including
syncretistic Jews). They were making clear that they would have nothing to do with
syncretism. They were purging themselves from all that could displease YHWH, or
could give any suggestion of compromise in their stance towards God as the only
God.
The thought may well be included that they went into the court of Israel in the
Temple, where such ‘foreigners’ were not permitted, and did therefore make it
impossible for ‘foreigners’ to mingle with them, but the main emphasis is on the
attitude of their hearts. It was uncompromisingly exclusive of all taint of idolatry.
It should be noted that there was no suggestion of racism involved. It was an act of
purification for religious purposes. The ‘seed of Israel’ were those who had proven
to be his true seed, whether natural or adopted (Abraham’s seed included all who
had been ‘born in his house’, whether blood descendants or members of the larger
household - Genesis 17:12). In contrast the ‘foreigners’ would include many
syncretistic Jews. They too were excluded as ‘foreigners’, because only those who
worshipped YHWH wholly, uniquely and truly, were seen as true Jews and could
take part in what was about to happen. Syncretistic Jews were excluded from the
new Israel. They were being seen as no longer of the seed of Israel. Whereas any
who had truly responded to YHWH from among those around were accepted as
such (Ezra 6:21). And they were about to confess how they and their forefathers had
failed Him again and again, bringing them to this situation that they were now in,
still subject to the kings of Persia ( ehemiah 9:37). And in their hearts they were
separating themselves from all taint of idolatry, and were looking to Him for
deliverance as His people.
What follows is a description of the basis on which they were taking their stand
(YHWH’s overall sovereignty and His promises to Abraham), together with their
admission of their sins and of the iniquities of their fathers. They were
acknowledging corporate responsibility for the situation that they were now in. In
their own sinfulness and failure to observe the full Law they recognised that they
shared in the blame for all that their fathers had done. ote the continual emphasis

17. on the fact that they ‘stood’ ( ehemiah 9:2-4). It indicated their attentiveness
towards God. (We may sit prayerfully, or kneel, in order to do the same).
PULPIT, " ehemiah 9:2
The seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers. Compare ehemiah
10:28, by which it appears that the "strangers" are "the people of the lands," or
neighbouring heathen, of whom there were at all times considerable numbers in
Jerusalem (comp. ehemiah 13:16). It was not fitting that these aliens should take
part in a ceremony of which the main object was that the special people of God
should renew their covenant with him. Stood and confessed. Attitude is perhaps
scarcely intended here, since the Jews confessed their sins kneeling (Ezra 9:5), or
prostrate (Ezra 10:1). Hence we hear in the next verse that they "stood up," or
"rose up" (consurrexerunt, Vulg.).
3 They stood where they were and read from the
Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a
quarter of the day, and spent another quarter in
confession and in worshiping the Lord their God.
CLARKE, "One fourth part of the day - As they did no manner of work on this
day of fasting and humiliation, so they spent the whole of it in religious duties. They
began, says Calmet, on the first hour, and continued these exercises to the third hour;
from the third they recommenced, and continued till the sixth hour; from the sixth to
the ninth; and from the ninth, to the twelfth or last hour.
1. They heard the law read, standing;
2. They prostrated themselves, and confessed their sins;
3. They arose to praise God for having spared and dealt thus mercifully with them.
GILL, "And they stood up in their place,.... In the outward court of the temple,
where men used to stand when they prayed and confessed their sins: and read in the

18. book of the law of the Lord their God; that they might the better know the mind and will
of God, and do their duty: this they did
one fourth part of the day; the space of three hours, from sun rising, or six o'clock in
the morning, to the time of the morning sacrifice, which was about nine o'clock:
and another fourth part they confessed; the goodness of God to them, and the sins
they had been guilty of:
and worshipped the Lord their God; bowed down before him in prayer and
supplication, and so spent three hours more, which reached to noon or twelve o'clock;
and from thence to three o'clock, about the time of the evening sacrifice, and from
thence to sun setting, or six o'clock, and so spent the whole day in the above exercises
alternately.
JAMISO , "they ... read in the book of the law — Their extraordinary zeal led
them to continue this as before.
one fourth part of the day — that is, for three hours, twelve hours being the
acknowledged length of the Jewish day (Joh_11:9). This solemn diet of worship, which
probably commenced at the morning sacrifice, was continued for six hours, that is, till
the time of the evening sacrifice. The worship which they gave to the Lord their God, at
this season of solemn national humiliation, consisted in acknowledging and adoring His
great mercy in the forgiveness of their great and multiplied offenses, in delivering them
from the merited judgments which they had already experienced or which they had
reason to apprehend, in continuing amongst them the light and blessings of His word
and worship, and in supplicating the extension of His grace and protection.
K&D, "Neh_9:3
And they stood up (i.e., remained standing) in their place (comp. Neh_8:7), and read
in the book of the law of the Lord their God, i.e., listened to the reading of the law, a
fourth part of the day (about three hours), and a fourth part (the next three hours) they
confessed (made a confession of their sins), and worshipped the Lord their God. This
confession and worship is more nearly described vv. 4-37.
BE SO , " ehemiah 9:3. They stood up and read in the book of the law — That is,
the Levites stood up in a place built for them, and read the law as they did before,
interpreting the sense of what they read. One fourth part of the day — To wit, for
three hours; for there were reckoned twelve hours in their day. Probably they began
to read after the morning sacrifice, at which time divers religious people used to be
present, and continued reading till the sixth hour, that is, till midday; and another
fourth part — amely, from midday to the time of the evening sacrifice; they
confessed — Both God’s mercies, as appears from the following prayer, and their
own sins, as is expressed ehemiah 9:2, this day being chiefly set apart for the work
of confession and humiliation; and worshipped the Lord their God — Partly by
their acknowledgment and adoration of his wonderful mercy, in forgiving their sins,
and saving them from the judgments which they had deserved, and for giving them

19. his law, and the knowledge thereof; and partly, by imploring his further grace and
mercy to them. The work of a fast-day is good work; and we should endeavour to
make a day’s work, a good day’s work, of it.
TRAPP, " ehemiah 9:3 And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of
the law of the LORD their God [one] fourth part of the day; and [another] fourth
part they confessed, and worshipped the LORD their God.
Ver. 3. And they stood up in their place] The people stood, for reverence’ sake, to
the word read. See ehemiah 8:5. Or the ministers stood up in their pulpits, where
they represent God himself as his ambassadors; and should therefore lay down all
self-respects and aims at the pulpit door; and be fully of his mind, who said, I would
not be found speaking or doing aught that I thought Christ would not approve of, if
he were corporally present. (Ecolamp.)
And read in the book] Giving the sense of that they read; and applying it close to
men’s consciences. This was preaching indeed; for as every sound is not music, so
neither is every pulpit discourse preaching. Cura pastoralis est ars artium et scientia
scientiarum, saith one, It is a matter of great skill to divide the word aright. See
ehemiah 8:8.
One fourth part of the day] i.e. For three hours: from nine o’clock to twelve. This
warranteth our preaching fast sermons; though prayer be the chief business of such
a day. See Jeremiah 36:6-7.
And another fourth part] sc. From twelve to three: thus besides the ordinary
morning and evening sacrifices, they divided the day between preaching and prayer,
as those did, Acts 6:4. And as the priests of old taught Jacob God’s judgments, and
put incense before the Lord, Deuteronomy 33:10. The Jews at this day boast that
they divide the day (even the working day) into three parts; the first, ad Tephillah,
they spend in prayer; the second, ad Torah, in reading the law; the third, ad
Malachah, in their worldly business. But you are not bound herein to believe them.
They confessed] ot without supplication for pardon, and power to do better.
And worshipped the Lord their God] Inwardly and outwardly, giving him his due
glory, and resting upon him by a lively faith in the gracious promises; being fully
persuaded of this, that, together with the forgiveness of sin, they should have those
particular blessings which they sued for, so far as might stand with God’s glory and
the good of their souls.
ELLICOTT, "(3) One fourth part.—Both day and night were divided into four

20. parts. All orders standing in their respective place, the reading occupied the
morning and the worship the afternoon. It is the latter which is now made
prominent, as the former had been prominent in the preceding chapter.
LA GE, " ehemiah 9:3. And read.—Probably as before, Ezra reading from the
high platform to the great multitude, and the Levites explaining in different parts of
the crowd. One-fourth part of the day.—Probably half way to noon. Another fourth
part.—Probably the rest of the time till noon. Comp. ehemiah 8:3.
PETT, " ehemiah 9:3
‘And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of YHWH their
God for a quarter of the day (a fourth part of the day); and for a quarter (fourth
part) they confessed, and worshipped YHWH their God.’
Once again their attention turned towards God’s words given through Moses. It had
been read to them on the first day of the moon period ( ehemiah 8:2-8), brought to
the attention of their leaders on the second day ( ehemiah 8:13-15), and then
brought to them continually from the fifteenth to twenty first days ( ehemiah 8:18).
ow they wanted to hear extracts from it again. They were hungry to know God’s
will. The reading would presumably be given by the Levites, (in marked contrast
with earlier where it was by Ezra), or possibly by the leaders of the people, and
carried on for around three hours. It was then followed by a period of confessing
their sins and worshipping YHWH their God for the subsequent three hours as the
Spirit of God moved among them. This then led up to what follows in ehemiah 9:4-
38, a reminding of God of both His own promises, and an acknowledging of how
Israel had constantly sinned.
PULPIT, " ehemiah 9:3
In their place. See above, ehemiah 8:7. The people and the ministers had their
appointed "places"in every gathering of a religious character. The former now
"stood up" in their proper place, and read, i.e. "engaged in the reading of the law,
not, however, as actual readers, but as listeners. The readers would be the Levites
(see ehemiah 8:7, ehemiah 8:8). One fourth part of the day. The day and the
night were alike divided by the Jews into four parts, each of three hours duration.
The nocturnal divisions are frequently alluded to in the ew Testament (Mark
13:35; John 18:28, etc.). Worshipped. Literally, "bowed themselves down," or
"prostrated themselves."
4 Standing on the stairs of the Levites were

21. Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni,
Sherebiah, Bani and Kenani. They cried out with
loud voices to the Lord their God.
BAR ES, "The Septuagint and the Vulgate remove the comma after “stairs.” By the
“stairs (or scaffold) of the Levites” is to be understood as an elevated platform from
which they could the better address and lead the people (compare Neh_8:4).
GILL, "Then stood up upon the stairs of the Levites,.... On an ascent; an elevated
place where the Levites used to stand when they sang at the time of sacrifice, and where
they might be seen and heard by the people:
Jeshua and Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and
Chenani; who seem to be all Levites, see Neh_8:7,
and cried with a loud voice unto the Lord their God; praying with great fervency,
and making bitter lamentation for the sins of the people and their own.
HE RY, "We have here an account how the work of this fast-day was carried on. 1.
The names of the ministers that were employed. They are twice named (Neh_9:4, Neh_
9:5), only with some variation of the names. Either they prayed successively, according
to that rule which the apostle gives (1Co_14:31, You may all prophesy one by one), or, as
some think, there were eight several congregations at some distance from each other,
and each had a Levite to preside in it. 2. The work itself in which they employed
themselves. (1.) They prayed to God, cried to him with a loud voice (Neh_9:4), for the
pardon of the sins of Israel and God's favour to them. They cried aloud, not that God
might the better hear them, as Baal's worshippers, but that the people might, and to
excite their fervency. (2.) They praised God; for the work of praise is not unseasonable
on a fast-day; in all acts of devotion we must aim at this, to give unto God the glory due
to his name. The summary of their prayers we have here upon record; whether drawn up
before, as a directory to the Levites what to enlarge on, or recollected after, as the heads
of what they had in prayer enlarged upon, is uncertain. Much more no doubt was said
than is here recorded, else confessing and worshipping God would not have taken up a
fourth part of the day, much less two-fourths.
JAMISO , "Neh_9:4-38. The Levites confess God’s manifold goodness, and their
own wickedness.
Then stood up upon the stairs — the scaffolds or pulpits, whence the Levites
usually addressed the people. There were probably several placed at convenient
distances, to prevent confusion and the voice of one drowning those of the others.
cried with a loud voice unto the Lord — Such an exertion, of course, was
indispensably necessary, in order that the speakers might be heard by the vast multitude
congregated in the open air. But these speakers were then engaged in expressing their

22. deep sense of sin, as well as fervently imploring the forgiving mercy of God; and “crying
with a loud voice” was a natural accompaniment of this extraordinary prayer meeting, as
violent gestures and vehement tones are always the way in which the Jews, and other
people in the East, have been accustomed to give utterance to deep and earnest feelings.
K&D 4-5, "There stood upon the scaffold of the Levites, i.e., upon the platform
erected for the Levites (comp. Neh_8:4), Jeshua and seven other Levites whose names
are given, and they cried with a loud voice to God, and said to the assembled
congregation, “Stand up, bless the Lord your God for ever and ever! and blessed be the
name of Thy glory, which is exalted above all blessing and praise.” The repetition of the
names of the Levites in Neh_9:5 shows that this invitation to praise God is distinct from
the crying to God with a loud voice of Neh_9:4, and seems to say that the Levites first
cried to God, i.e., addressed to Him their confessions and supplications, and after having
done so, called upon the congregation to worship God. Eight names of Levites being
given in both verses, and five of these - Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, and
Sherebiah - being identical, the difference of the three others in the two verses - Bunni,
Bani, and Chenani (Neh_9:4), and Hashabniah, Hodijah, and Pethahiah (Neh_9:5) -
seems to have arisen from a clerical error, - an appearance favoured also by the
circumstance that Bani occurs twice in Neh_9:4. Of the other names in question,
Hodijah occurs Neh_10:14, and Pethahiah Ezr_10:23, as names of Levites, but ‫י‬ִ‫נ‬ָ‫נ‬ ְⅴ and
‫ה‬ָ‫י‬ְ‫נ‬ ְ‫ב‬ ַ‫שׁ‬ ֲ‫ח‬ nowhere else. Hence Bunni, Bani, and Chenani (Neh_9:4), and Hashabniah
(Neh_9:5), may be assigned to a clerical error; but we have no means for restoring the
correct names. With regard to the matter of these verses, Ramb. remarks on Neh_9:4 :
constitisse opinor omnes simul, ita tamen ut unus tantum eodem tempore fuerit
precatus, ceteris ipsi adstantibus atque sua etiam vice Deum orantibus, hence that the
eight Levites prayed to God successively; while Bertheau thinks that these Levites
entreated God, in penitential and supplicatory psalms, to have mercy on His sinful but
penitent people. In this case we must also regard their address to the congregation in
Neh_9:5 as a liturgical hymn, to which the congregation responded by praising God in
chorus. To this view may be objected the circumstance, that no allusion is made in the
narrative to the singing of penitential or other songs. Besides, a confession of sins
follows in vv. 6-37, which may fitly be called a crying unto God, without its being stated
by whom it was uttered. “This section,” says Bertheau, “whether we regard its form or
contents, cannot have been sung either by the Levites or the congregation. We recognise
in it the speech of an individual, and hence accept the view that the statement of the lxx,
that after the singing of the Levites, Neh_9:4, and the praising of God in Neh_9:5, Ezra
came forward and spoke the words following, is correct, and that the words καᆳ εᅼπεν
ᅤσδρας, which it inserts before Neh_9:6, originally stood in the Hebrew text.” But if
Psalms, such as Ps 105-106, and 107, were evidently appointed to be sung to the praise of
God by the Levites or by the congregation, there can be no reason why the prayer vv. 6-
37 should not be adapted both in form and matter for this purpose. This prayer by no
means bears the impress of being the address of an individual, but is throughout the
confession of the whole congregation. The prayer speaks of our fathers (Neh_9:9, Neh_
9:16), of what is come upon us (Neh_9:33), addresses Jahve as our God, and says we
have sinned. Of course Ezra might have uttered it in the name of the congregation; but
that the addition of the lxx, καᆳ εᅼπεν ᅤσδρας, is of no critical value, and is a mere
conjecture of the translators, is evident from the circumstance that the prayer does not

23. begin with the words ‫יהוה‬ ‫הוּא‬ ‫ה‬ ָ ‫א‬ of v. 6, but passes into the form of direct address to
God in the last clause of v. 5: Blessed be the name of Thy glory. By these words the
prayer which follows is evidently declared to be the confession of those who are to praise
the glory of the Lord; and the addition, “and Ezra said,” characterized as an unskilful
interpolation.
According to what has now been said, the summons, ‫יהוה‬ ‫ת‬ ֵ‫א‬ ‫כוּ‬ ְ‫ֽר‬ ָ ‫,קוּמוּ‬ Neh_9:5, like the
introductions to may Hodu and Hallelujah Psalms (e.g., Psa_105:1; Psa_106:1), is to be
regarded as only an exhortation to the congregation to praise God, i.e., to join in the
praises following, and to unite heartily in the confession of sin. This view of the
connection of Neh_9:5 and Neh_9:6 explains the reason why it is not stated either in
Neh_9:6, or at the close of this prayer in Neh_9:37, that the assembled congregation
blessed God agreeably to the summons thus addressed to them. They did so by silently
and heartily praying to, and praising God with the Levites, who were reciting aloud the
confession of sin. On ‫כוּ‬ ְ‫ֽר‬ ָ‫יב‬ִ‫ו‬ R. Sal. already remarks: nunc incipiunt loqui Levitae versus
Shechinam s. ad ipsum Deum. The invitation to praise God insensibly passes into the
action of praising. If, moreover, vv. 6-37 are related in the manner above stated to Neh_
9:5, then it is not probable that the crying to God with a loud voice (Neh_9:4) was
anything else than the utterance of the prayer subsequently given, vv. 6-37. The
repetition of the names in Neh_9:5 is not enough to confirm this view, but must be
explained by the breadth of the representation here given, and is rescued from the
charge of mere tautology by the fact that in Neh_9:4 the office of the individuals in
question is not named, which it is by the word ‫ם‬ִ ִ‫ו‬ ְ‫ֽל‬ ַ‫ה‬ in Neh_9:5. For ‫ם‬ִ ִ‫ו‬ ְ‫ֽל‬ ַ‫ה‬ in Neh_9:4
belongs as genitive to ‫ה‬ ֵ‫ל‬ ֲ‫ע‬ ַ‫,מ‬ and both priests and laymen might have stood on the
platform of the Levites. For this reason it is subsequently stated in Neh_9:5, that
Jeshua, etc., were Levites; and in doing this the names are again enumerated. In the
exhortation, Stand up and bless, etc., Bertheau seeks to separate “for ever and ever” from
the imp. ‫כוּ‬ ְ‫ֽר‬ ָ , and to take it as a further qualification of ‫ם‬ ֶ‫יכ‬ ְ‫ּה‬‫ל‬ ֱ‫.א‬ This is, however,
unnatural and arbitrary; comp. 1Ch_16:26. Still more arbitrary is it to supply “One day
all people” to ‫כוּ‬ ְ‫ֽר‬ ָ‫יב‬ִ‫,ו‬ “shall bless Thy name,” etc. ‫וגו‬ ‫ם‬ ֵ‫ּומ‬‫ר‬ ְ‫וּמ‬ adds a second predicate to ‫ם‬ ֵ‫:שׁ‬
and which is exalted above all blessing and praise, i.e., sublimius est quam ut pro
dignitate laudari possit (R. Sal.).
BE SO , " ehemiah 9:4. They stood upon the stairs — Upon such stairs or pulpits
as the Levites usually stood upon when they taught the people. But they stood upon
several pulpits, each of them teaching that part of the congregation which was
allotted him, or praying or blessing God with them. And cried with a loud voice —
Thereby testifying their deep sense of their sins and miseries, and their fervent and
importunate desire of God’s mercy.
TRAPP, " ehemiah 9:4 Then stood up upon the stairs, of the Levites, Jeshua, and
Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, [and] Chenani, and cried with a
loud voice unto the LORD their God.
Ver. 4. Then stood up] Each of these eight in his turn, or each in his own proper
place; the people being, for more convenience sake, divided into eight several

24. congregations.
And cried with a loud voice] Verbis non modo disertis, sed et exertis, Words not
only of eloquence but shouted out, of that God might hear (which yet he can do very
well without any audible voice, Exodus 14:15, 1 Kings 22:32), and all the people
might hear, and join in prayer.
Unto the Lord their God] As being in covenant with them. This shows their faith, as
the former their fervency. Faith is the foundation of prayer; and prayer is the
fervency of faith.
ELLICOTT, "(4) Stairs, of the Levites.—The scaffold of the Levites, without the
comma: the steps of ascent to the pulpit of Ezra ( ehemiah 8:2).
Bani, and Chenani.—Probably, Binnui and Haman ( ehemiah 10:9-10).
Their God.—When the people are called upon ( ehemiah 9:5), it is “your God”;
hence these eight Levites offered a prayer which is not inserted.
LA GE, " ehemiah 9:4 : Stairs.—See on ehemiah 8:4. Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel,
Shebaniah, Sherebiah appear again in ehemiah 9:5, but Bunni, Bani (2) and
Chenani are replaced there by Hashabniah, Hodijah, and Pethahiah. So there
appears to have been two movements. The Levites mentioned in the fourth verse
opened the service with a loud cry, perhaps a doxology, and then the Levites
mentioned in the fifth verse began the confession. Bunni is perhaps Binnui of
ehemiah 10:9. Bani (2) is perhaps Benina of ehemiah 10:13. Chenani is probably
Hanan of ehemiah 10:10.
PARKER 4-6, "Revealed In Song
THIS wonderful chapter deals with the Fast, the Confession, and the Covenant.
After a single day"s rest the people came together again with all the tokens of
sorrow, even to dust on the head. It would appear that in this instance there was
distinct consistency between the outward and the visible sign and the inward and
spiritual condition. It is noted in the second verse that "the seed of Israel separated
themselves from all strangers." There is a change from "children" to "seed," and in
the relation in which the event occurs that change is profoundly significant. The
seed of Israel had sins peculiarly their own to confess, and they showed their
wisdom in separating themselves from all strangers, and standing in their
uniqueness to make their sorrowful statement.
"Then stood up upon the stairs, of the Levites, Jeshua, and Bani, Kadmiel,
Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani, [also] the Levites, Jeshua, and
Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah" (
ehemiah 9:4-5).

25. It does us good to read so strange a list of names, showing how great has been
human history, and how widely separated men are from one another, in locality, in
name, in education, and in everything that makes up distinctive civilisation. Here we
are confronted by quite a host of unknown names. Having nothing to judge by but
the names, we should instantly pronounce all these persons utter and absolute
strangers; we know nothing about them; they might be the names of objects rather
than of persons, of rivers or of mountains rather than of living men: but is there not
another standard by which to judge than that of nomenclature? We may be related
to this very people by sympathies which have not yet been discovered; we must hear
them speak; perhaps in tone we may discover the germ of union, and may be able to
overleap the barrier of names, and to join hands together in common worship
before the throne of the One Father. How do we really know men? Sometimes we
know them by their thoughts: the moment they reveal their mental condition to us,
and show us within what scope their mind operates, and upon what objects their
best confidence is fixed, we begin to feel towards them all the sensations which
belong to truest kinship. There is a family of souls as well as a household of bodies.
Herein the great Fatherhood is magnified above all local and personal parentage,
for our parents themselves are but the children of others, and all men are the
children and heritage of God. For convenience" sake, it is well to have men divided
into separate houses, families, tribes, and the like; but all such division should be
regarded as a division only, and not as expressing the deeper realities of the divine
purpose. That purpose regards all the human family as one, and the earth as one
great house in which God has placed his family for the culture, discipline, and
perfecting of ideal, alike of character and service. Sometimes we know men by their
music: without being able to explain a single word they utter, the air they sing enters
our hearts, acts persuasively upon our better nature, and draws us towards them in
a spirit of recognition and trustfulness: we say that the utterers of such music must
themselves be good; no heart could be the fountain or medium of such strains that
had not first been purified by a great baptism from heaven. Sometimes we know
men by their religion. To know how truly we shrink from idolatry we must see the
rites of idolaters as practised by themselves; then we contrast with all the ritualism
of heathenism, the simplicity, the quietness, the tenderness of Christian worship. In
a far-away land where everything is strange to us, could we hear any man lift up his
voice and say, "Our Father which art in heaven," we should instantly feel united to
that man by the deepest and most vital of all bonds. In the light of these
explanations it is possible that we may find kinship as between ourselves and the
men whose uncouth names are now before us. Do not let us be turned away by those
names, saying, It is impossible that they can be associated with any common thought
or worship; rather let us study the song which is sung, and determine whether
within its music there is not ground enough on which to find common standing, and
pathos enough to bring all the worshippers into a state of common emotion.
"Stand up and bless the Lord your God for ever and ever: and blessed be thy
glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise" ( ehemiah 9:5).
Are the men such strangers now as they were? Do they not seem to be standing near

26. us, and cannot their voices and ours be blended into the same strain of hallowed
worship? We are not deterred from this union by the nobility of the expression; we
feel that the nobility belongs to us as well as to the ancient Jews, because the same
God is our God, and we adore him as the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
or are we separated from these worshippers by their high rapture. Christian
worship, too, has its own sublime enthusiasm. In the utterance of Christian
adoration we think of the eternity of God, and his glorious name, and his exaltation
above all blessing and praise. A very remarkable expression is found in this verse.
The people are exhorted to "bless the Lord," and the reason would appear to be
that he "is exalted above all blessing and praise." We must thus read the verse—
Bless the Lord, who is above all blessing; praise the God, who is beyond all praise;
stretch out your souls towards him, who never can be comprehended in all the
fulness of his grace and glory. Thus the finite is called upon to assert itself in lowly
worship, because the object before which it bows down is nothing less than the
Infinite. Our idea of God, whatever it be, determines the nature and range of our
worship. Evidently the Jew had a grand conception of the divine nature, and
therefore his song was lofty, solemn, and triumphant. That the Jew had this
conception is evident from the sixth verse—
"Thou, even thou, art Lord alone; thou hast, made heaven, the heaven of heavens,
with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is
therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee." (
ehemiah 9:6).
Thus the whole universe comes within the purview of the uplifted eyes of the true
worshippers. How word is piled upon word, and thought upon thought, until all the
help of time and space becomes useless, and imagination is left to create for itself all
the possibilities of divine essence and royalty and purpose! "The host of heaven
worshippeth thee:" the stars glitter forth thy praise, and above the stars are the
singing angels who night and day hymn the ineffable praise of God. In joining such
a company as this the worshippers must prepare themselves to be meet companions.
Earth must bring its noblest tribute when she joins the choir of the skies. Feeble,
untrained, and inadequate voices—that Isaiah , voices which are purposely so—
have no place in grand tribute of song. The leader of the choir determines the
quality of all who compose it. In this instance the whole heaven leads the universe,
and the universe must therefore rise to the sublimity of the occasion, and pour forth
its noblest strains.
From the seventh to the thirty-first verse we find what we have repeatedly found
before, namely, a graphic representation of God in history. This paragraph would
seem to be a condensation of the Old Testament. He who has this paragraph in hand
may be regarded as possessing all the history of the ancient Jews. How they
delighted to begin with the election of Abram, and the taking forth of that pilgrim
out of Ur of the Chaldees, enlarging his name, and leading him onward towards the
land of Canaan! The Jews never forgot the affliction of their fathers in Egypt, or the
triumph of Israel over Pharaoh and his hosts. As they looked backward they saw
continually the cloudy pillar which made the day solemn, and the pillar of fire

27. which turned the night into the brilliance of day. ever did they forget the grandeur
of Sinai, when God spake with their fathers from heaven, and gave them right
judgments, true laws, good statutes and commandments. How tenderly the heart of
the Jew lingered over the memory of the Sabbath—the sweet breathing time, the
sacred rest, which was as a pledge and symbol of heaven! On the one hand, whilst
the Jew magnified the goodness of God in his history, he never forgot that his
fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks, and hearkened not to God"s
commandments, but remembered that they refused to obey, neither were mindful of
God"s wonders that he did amongst them; but hardened their hearts, and how they
appointed a captain in their rebellion that they might return to their bondage. As
the black cloud gathered around the memory, the Jew himself confessed that
judgment would have been mercy in answer to such stupendous guilt; yet the Jew
remembered that God was ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger,
and of great kindness, and unwilling to forsake his people: he reminded himself that
even the molten calf, to which they said, This is the God that brought us out of
Egypt, did not wholly turn away the heart of God from his people; even though they
fell down before that useless calf, yet God in his manifold mercy forsook them not in
the wilderness; the pillar of cloud was still there by day, and the pillar of fire was
there to show them light, and the way wherein they should go was made obvious to
their eyes. The song rolls on from paragraph to paragraph, each one of which is a
historical mount. In one we find the giving of manna and the pouring out of water;
then we are reminded of the sustenance for forty years in the wilderness, so that the
travellers lacked nothing—"their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled not;"
then we are told how God gave them kingdoms and nations, and divided them into
corners, so that they possessed the land of Sihon, and the land of the king of
Heshbon, and the land of Og king of Bashan; and still the history rolls on, until
Israel took strong cities, and a fat land, and possessed houses full of all goods, wells
digged, vineyards, and oliveyards, and fruit trees in abundance: so they did eat, and
were filled, and became fat, and delighted themselves in God"s great goodness.
WHEDO , "4. Stairs — Margin, scaffold. Probably the same platform, or “pulpit
of wood,” used for the same purpose on the first day of the month.
ehemiah 8:4.
The Levites — By comparing the names in this verse with those in ehemiah 9:5, we
find the name Bani twice in this verse and once in the next. The names Bunni and
Chenani of this verse are not found in ehemiah 9:5, and Hashabniah, Hodijah, and
Pethahiah, do not appear in ehemiah 9:4. Keil attributes these differences to a
clerical error, but this is unnecessary. Some of the Levites who called upon the
people to stand up and worship may not have been different from those who cried
with a loud voice unto the Lord their God. We suppose that a large part of the
worship of the latter half of the day was liturgical and antiphonal, and the
penitential prayer that follows was probably prepared for the occasion, and recited
by the Levites and the people alternately. Some parts may have been antiphonally
recited by Levites alone, one party responding to the other. Other parts may have
been recited by the people in response to the priests and Levites.

28. The psalm that follows is a most impressive and admirable specimen of penitential
prayer. With it should be compared the ninth chapter of David and Psalms 106. It
recounts and bewails the numerous sins of Israel which brought upon them the
righteous judgments of God. The Septuagint represents it as the prayer of Ezra, and
introduces ehemiah 9:6 with the words, and Ezra said, and Bertheau adopts this
reading as the probable original Hebrew text. It is very probable that the prayer
was composed by Ezra for this occasion, and it might have been uttered by him, or
any other individual, in the name and behalf of the whole nation; but the call for the
people to “stand up and bless Jehovah,” and the general form and phraseology of
the prayer, place it among the liturgical psalms of the Old Testament, and show it
specially suitable to be used by the whole congregation.
PETT, "Verse 4-5
The Chief Levites Who Led The Confession, Worship And Intercession ( ehemiah
9:4-5).
In ehemiah 9:4 we presumably have a list of the princes of the Levites, who took
their stand on the stairs of the Levites, and led the continual worship, and in
ehemiah 9:5 the names of those who actually led the final confession and
intercession, some as chiefs and some on behalf of their chiefs. Some of these
probably took up places among the crowds so that they could relay the central
prayer onwards.
ehemiah 9:4
‘Then stood up on the stairs of the Levites, Jeshua, and Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah,
Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, (and) Chenani, and cried with a loud voice to YHWH their
God.’
These would appear to be the eight chiefs of the Levites, probably representing
‘houses’. Jeshua, Bani (Binnui) and Kadmiel would appear to have been the three
most prominent Levites as we find from ehemiah 10:9, where Bani (Binnui) is
distinguished by being described as ‘of the sons of Hanadad’ so as to distinguish
him from the other Bani. But the fact that in both ehemiah 9:4-5 Jeshua is
followed by ‘and’, whereas the others are not, suggests that he was the chief Levite.
All but Chenani were sealants of the covenant (taking Bunni = Benini), but he may
have sealed under another name, i.e. the family name. The point being made was
that all were present, and all were as one.
‘They cried with a loud voice to YHWH their God.’ The verb suggests a cry of
distress. They were as moved by what they had heard of the Law as anyone. The
Spirit was truly at work. This is not describing the prayer that follows, (conveyed by
those mentioned in ehemiah 9:5), but their own participation in the general
worship
‘The stairs (ascent) of the Levites’ may well be those in the Temple described in the
Mishnah as the place where ‘the Levites used to sing’ (Middoth ehemiah 2:5).

29. Alternately it may have been a kind of platform which raised the chief Levites above
the heads of the congregation.
PULPIT, " ehemiah 9:4
Upon the stairs, of the Levites. Rather, "upon the platform of the Levites," the same
probably as the "pulpit of ehemiah 8:4. Bani. Rather, "Binnui" (see ehemiah
10:9; ehemiah 12:8),the representative of the "sons of Henadad. Jeshua, Binnui,
and Kadmiel are the three principal families of the Levites (comp. Ezra 2:40; Ezra
3:9; ehemiah 3:24; ehemiah 8:7, etc.). Sherebiah was the head of a family which
returned with Ezra (Ezra 8:18). Chenani is probably the "Hanan" of ehemiah 8:7,
and ehemiah 10:10.
5 And the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani,
Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah and
Pethahiah—said: “Stand up and praise the Lord
your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting.
[a]”
“Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be
exalted above all blessing and praise.
BAR ES, "Stand up - The people had knelt to confess and to worship God Neh_
9:3. They were now to take the proper attitude for praise. Compare throughout the
margin reference.
CLARKE, "Stand up and bless the Lord your God - It is the shameless custom
of many congregations of people to sit still while they profess to bless and praise God, by
singing the Psalms of David or hymns made on the plan of the Gospel! I ask such
persons, Did they ever feel the spirit of devotion while thus employed? If they do, it must
be owned that, by the prevalence of habit, they have counteracted the influence of an
attitude most friendly to such acts of devotion.

30. GILL, "Then the Levites, Jeshua,.... Or, then the Levites, even Jeshua:
and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and
Pethahiah; the same as before, with a little variation of their names, and perhaps some
of them might have two names:
and said; to the men that stood and confessed their sins, Neh_9:2
stand up; for though they are before said to stand, yet, through shame and confusion of
face, and awe of the Divine Majesty, might be fallen on their faces to the ground:
and bless the Lord your God for ever and ever; for all the great and good things
he had done for them, notwithstanding their sins; and particularly for his pardoning
grace and mercy they had reason to hope for:
and blessed be thy glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and
praise: the glory of which name, nature, and perfections of his, cannot be set forth by
the highest praises of men, and the largest ascriptions of blessing and honour to him.
HE RY 5-6, "An awful adoration of God, as a perfect and glorious Being, and the
fountain of all beings, Neh_9:5, Neh_9:6. The congregation is called upon to signify
their concurrence herewith by standing up; and so the minister directs himself to God,
Blessed be thy glorious name. God is here adored, 1. As the only living and true God:
Thou art Jehovah alone, self-existent and independent; there is no God besides thee. 2.
As the Creator of all things: Thou hast made heaven, earth, and seas, and all that is in
them. The first article of our creed is fitly made the first article of our praises. 3. As the
great Protector of the whole creation: “Thou preservest in being all the creatures thou
hast given being to.” God's providence extends itself to the highest beings, for they need
it, and to the meanest, for they are not slighted by it. What God has made he will
preserve; what he does is done effectually, Ecc_3:14. 4. As the object of the creatures'
praises: “The host of heaven, the world of holy angels, worshippeth thee, Neh_9:6. But
thy name is exalted above all blessing and praise; it needs not the praises of the
creatures, nor is any addition made to its glory by those praises.” The best performances
in the praising of God's name, even those of the angels themselves, fall infinitely short of
what it deserves. It is not only exalted above our blessing, but above all blessing. Put all
the praises of heaven and earth together, and the thousandth part is not said of what
might and should be said of the glory of God. Our goodness extendeth not to him.
II. A thankful acknowledgment of God's favours to Israel.
1. Many of these are here reckoned up in order before him, and very much to the
purpose, for, (1.) We must take all occasions to mention the loving kindness of the Lord,
and in every prayer give thanks. (2.) When we are confessing our sins it is good to take
notice of the mercies of God as the aggravations of our sins, that we may be the more
humbled and ashamed, and call ourselves by the scandalous name of ungrateful. (3.)
When we are seeking to God for mercy and relief in the time of distress it is an
encouragement to our faith and hope to look back upon our own and our fathers'
experiences: “Lord, thou hast done well for us formerly; shall it be all undone again? Art
not thou the same God still?”

31. JAMISO , "Then the Levites ... said, Stand up and bless the Lord your God
— If this prayer was uttered by all these Levites in common, it must have been prepared
and adopted beforehand, perhaps, by Ezra; but it may only embody the substance of the
confession and thanksgiving.
BE SO , " ehemiah 9:5. Then the Levites, Jeshua, &c., said, Stand up, and bless
the Lord for ever and ever — Praise him and give him thanks, as long as you have
any being; and blessed be thy glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and
praise — The super-excellent perfections of which, the noblest creatures cannot
worthily magnify. The Levites, it is likely, praised him in these or such like words, in
which all the people joined, either with their lips, or in their hearts.
COFFMA , "Verse 5
REHEARSAL OF GOD'S GREAT PROMISE TO ABRAHAM
"Then the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah,
Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, Stand up, and bless Jehovah your God from
everlasting to everlasting; and blessed be thy glorious name, which is exalted above
all blessing and praise. Thou art Jehovah, even thou alone; thou hast made heaven,
the heaven of heavens, and all their host, the earth and all the things that are
thereon, the seas and all that is in them, and thou preservest them all; and the host
of heaven worshippeth thee. Thou art Jehovah the God, who didst choose Abram,
and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of
Abraham, and foundest his heart faithful before thee, and madest a covenant with
him to give the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, and the Perezzite,
and the Jebusite, and the Girgashite, to give it unto his seed, and hast performed thy
words; for thou art righteous."
A profitable and acceptable feature of any prayer is a rehearsal of God's promises
and heartfelt praise for his fulfilment of them. All of the things mentioned here have
been the subject of our extensive comments upon the Pentateuch, particularly in
Genesis. It appears that during the whole history of ancient Israel that they seemed
never to appreciate, nor even to remember, the reason why God called Abraham.
That reason: "THAT I THEE A D I THY SEED (SI GULAR) ALL THE
FAMILIES OF THE EARTH SHALL BE BLESSED" (Genesis 12:3; 26:4).
TRAPP, " ehemiah 9:5 Then the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah,
Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, [and] Pethahiah, said, Stand up [and] bless the
LORD your God for ever and ever: and blessed be thy glorious name, which is
exalted above all blessing and praise.
Ver. 5. Then the Levites, Jeshua, &c., said, Stand up] Gird yourselves, and serve the
Lord, as Luke 17:8. Be instant, or stand close to the work, επιστηθι, 2 Timothy 4:2;
set sides and shoulders to it; rouse up yourselves, and wrestle with God. Hoc agite,
Do this, said the Roman priest to the people at their sacrifices. And Sacerdos parat
fratrum mentes dicendo, Sursum corda, saith Cyprian, In the primitive times the

32. ministers prepared the people to serve God, by saying, Lift up your hearts ( De
Oratione).
And bless the Lord your God for ever] Give him immortal thanks, all possible
praise, amore more, ore, glorify him doingly, 1 Corinthians 10:30-31, Ephesians
1:11-12. Think of the multitude, seasonableness, suitableness, constancy, &c., of
God’s favours; and then give him the glory due unto his name; which yet we can
never do, because his name is exalted above all blessing and praise (as it followeth
here), so that if we should do nothing else all our days, yea, as long as the days of
heaven shall last (said that martyr), but kneel upon our knees and sing over David’s
Psalms to God’s praise, yet should we fall far short of what we owe to the Lord, who
is most worthy to be praised.
And blessed be thy glorious name] These holy Levites, having called upon the people
to bless God, break forth into the performance of this divine duty themselves. So St
Paul often, exhorting the saints to pray, falls a praying for them.
Which is exalted above all blessing and praise] So that when we have done our
utmost herein, we can never out do. David is oft so transported, that he seems to
forget himself, as a bird that hath got a note, records it over and over, as Psalms
136:1-26, "for his mercy endureth for ever." And Psalms 150:1-6, in six verses are
twelve Hallelujahs. "Praise him," saith he, ehemiah 9:2, "according to his
excellent greatness," "for great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised," Psalms
145:3; and ehemiah 9:5, "Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord," or,
Let every breath praise the Lord. As oft as we breathe we are to breathe out the
praises of God, and to make our breath like the perfumed smoke of the Tabernacle.
CO STABLE, "Verses 5-38
The prayer of praise9:5-38
A second group of seven Levites ( ehemiah 9:5) led the people in the prayer of
praise that ehemiah included in this book, perhaps on a different day than the
prayer he wrote about in ehemiah 9:1-4.
"The prayer is intended to instruct the readers. It gives us a survey of the history of
Israel with emphasis on certain events in the life of the Chosen People. This
approach is comparable to that of Psalm 78 , 105 , 106 , 135 , , 136." [ ote:
Fensham, pp227-28.]
It is especially helpful to read this prayer through the eyes of the returned exiles.
They had experienced many of the same things their forefathers had. We, too, can
identify with their appreciation of God"s grace, since we have seen these things in
God"s dealings with us.

33. This is one of the great prayers of the Old Testament. It praises God for His
character and conduct. It describes God"s greatness seen in His creation of the
cosmos ( ehemiah 9:6), and His grace and faithfulness in calling Abraham,
promising him the land of Canaan, and fulfilling that promise ( ehemiah 9:7-8).
The returned exiles could identify with God"s miraculous deliverance of their
forefathers when they were slaves in Egypt ( ehemiah 9:9-11).
"Some forty Hebrew words are used to speak of miracles; they are used
approximately five hundred times in the Old Testament. Half of these five hundred
occurrences refer to the miracles of the exodus." [ ote: Breneman, p237.]
The returnees could also appreciate God"s supernatural guidance of them and His
faithful provision for them until He brought them to the Promised Land ( ehemiah
9:12-15). They also voiced thanks to God for choosing them and for giving them His
Law ( ehemiah 9:13-14). While the second Exodus motif is strong in the biblical
writers" concept of the restoration, the idea of pilgrimage and procession to Zion is
equally strong. [ ote: Eugene H. Merrill, "Pilgrimage and Procession: Motifs of
Israel"s Return," In Israel"s Apostasy and Restoration: Essays in Honor of Roland
K. Harrison, pp261-272.] In spite of their forefathers" rebellion ( ehemiah 9:16-17
a): God forgave them and graciously guided them ( ehemiah 9:19), provided for
their physical needs ( ehemiah 9:20-21), and gave them victory over their enemies (
ehemiah 9:22). He also multiplied them ( ehemiah 9:23), brought them into the
Promised Land ( ehemiah 9:24-25 a), and established them there ( ehemiah 9:25
b).
During the period of the judges and during the monarchy, the Israelites disobeyed
and rebelled many times. evertheless, God delivered them when they repented (
ehemiah 9:26-29) and sent the prophets to turn them back to Himself ( ehemiah
9:30). This shows God"s further grace and compassion toward His people (
ehemiah 9:31). The returned Jews then called on God to remember their
sufferings in exile ( ehemiah 9:32). They acknowledged that the exile was a
consequence of their disobedience to God"s Word ( ehemiah 9:33-34). Even in
exile, most of the Israelites had not returned to God ( ehemiah 9:35).
Consequently, much of the Jewish nation was still in bondage to its Persian rulers (
ehemiah 9:36-37).
"This sad confession, like that of Ezra 9:9, affords clear proof that the leaders of
post-Exilic Judaism did not regard their return from Babylon as final fulfillment of
such prophecies of Israel"s restoration to the land as Isaiah 11:11-16; Isaiah 14:1-
2." [ ote: Whitcomb, p442.]
onetheless now they, the faithful remnant of returnees, were ready to make a
formal commitment to obey Yahweh again ( ehemiah 9:38).
ELLICOTT, "(5) Hashabniah.— ot found elsewhere. o reason is given why this
company is somewhat different from the former; the LXX. arbitrarily omit all
names after Kadmiel. Similarly, they insert “and Ezra said” before ehemiah 9:6.