40 matching verse commentaries
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
INTRODUCTION TO Nehemiah 9 In this chapter we have an account of a fast kept by the Jews, which was observed, as by outward acts of humiliation, so by confession of sin, reading the law, and worshipping the Lord, Ne 9:1 and of a long prayer that the Levites made, in which they celebrate the divine perfections, take notice of various instances of...
John Gill - Exposition - John 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...
Matthew Henry - Complete Commentary - Matthew Henry
The tenth day of the seventh month between the feast of trumpets (ch. viii. 2) and the feast of tabernacles (ver. 14) was appointed to be the day of atonement; we have no reason to think but that it was religiously observed, though it is not mentioned. But here we have an account of an occasional fast that was kept a fortnight after that, with...
John Gill - Exposition - John 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...
John Gill - Exposition - John 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 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...
John Gill - Exposition - John 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 Ne 8:7, and cried with a loud...
John Gill - Exposition - John 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, Ne 9:2 stand up; for though they are...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Thou, even thou art Lord alone,.... Whose name alone is Jehovah, the one only true and living God: thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host; the airy and starry heavens, and the sun, moon, and stars in them, and the third heaven, the seat of God, angels, and saints: the earth, and all things that are therein; men, beasts,...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Thou art the Lord the God, who didst choose Abram,.... From among the Chaldeans, and out of his father's family: and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees; by calling him from thence, of which see Genesis 11:28, to which may be added what Amama (x) on that place observes; that some think that the sacred fire, which the Chaldeans...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And foundest his heart faithful before thee,.... A true believer in his word and promises, Genesis 15:6 and closely attached to the fear of him, and observance of his commands, as abundantly appeared in the trial of him, in offering up his son, Genesis 22:1, and madest a covenant with him, to give the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And didst see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt,.... The hard bondage in which their lives were made bitter; and was not a mere spectator of it, but looked upon them in it with pity and compassion, and sent them a deliverer, Exodus 2:23 and heardest their cry by the Red sea; which was before them, and the rocks on both sides of them, and the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And shewedst signs and wonders upon Pharaoh, and on all his servants, and on all the people of his land,.... By inflicting the ten plagues upon them: for thou knowest that they dealt proudly against them; behaved haughtily to them, and despised them, see Exodus 18:11 so didst thou get thee a name, as it is this day; displayed his power on Pharaoh,...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And thou didst divide the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on dry land,.... That is, the Israelites, see Exodus 14:21, and their persecutors thou threwest into the deeps; with great ease, and with indignation, meaning the Egyptians, that pursued hotly after them, and were thrown into the sea: as a stone into the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Moreover, thou leddest them in the day by a cloudy pillar,.... The Israelites, to shelter them from the heat of the sun in a dry and barren wilderness: and in the night by a pillar of fire, to give them light in the way wherein they should go; through a trackless desert, see Exodus 13:21.
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Thou camest down also upon Mount Sinai,.... By some visible tokens of his presence, as a cloud, fire, smoke, c. which must be understood consistent with his omniscience, see Exodus 19:18, and spakest with them from heaven the decalogue or ten commandments, Exodus 20:1, and gavest them right judgments and true laws, good statutes and commandments;...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath,.... Which was not made known to others, and was peculiar to the Jewish nation, and a privilege granted to them, to have rest corporeal and spiritual, typical of the rest in Christ: and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant; moral, ceremonial, and judicial, such...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger,.... To satisfy that, meaning the manna, Exodus 16:3 and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock, for their thirst; to quench it; this was done both quickly after they came out of the land of Egypt, and a little before their entrance into the land of Canaan, see Exodus 17:6 and promisedst...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
But they and our fathers dealt proudly,.... Behaved in a haughty manner towards God, their kind benefactor: and hardened their necks; refused to take the yoke of his law, as refractory oxen, that withdraw their necks from the yoke: and hearkened not to thy commandments; to do them, though they promised they would, Exodus 24:7.
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And refused to obey,.... Though exhorted, admonished, and threatened, such was their obstinacy: neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them; in delivering them at the Red sea, in raining manna about them, and giving them water out of the rock: but hardened their necks; see the preceding verse: and in their rebellion appointed a...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Yea, when they had made them a molten calf,.... In imitation of the Apis, or ox of the Egyptians: and said, this is thy god that brought thee out of Egypt; or the image of thy god, as the Arabic version, see Exodus 32:4, and had wrought great provocations; of all which nothing was greater than idolatry.