American Standard Version
Nehemiah 1:4
4And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days; and I fasted and prayed before the God of heaven,
Nehemiah 1:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,
- New International Version (NIV)When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.
- English Standard Version (ESV)As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
- New King James Version (NKJV)So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
Context of Nehemiah 1:4
2that Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men out of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, that were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. 3And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days; and I fasted and prayed before the God of heaven, 5and said, I beseech thee, O Jehovah, the God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and lovingkindness with them that love him and keep his commandments: 6let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee at this time, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, while I confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee. Yea, I and my father’s house have sinned:
Read all of Nehemiah 1Nehemiah 1:4 word by word
וַיְהִ֞י כְּשָׁמְעִ֣י׀ אֶת־הַדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֗לֶּה יָשַׁ֙בְתִּי֙ וָֽאֶבְכֶּ֔ה וָאֶתְאַבְּלָ֖ה יָמִ֑ים וָֽאֱהִ֥י צָם֙ וּמִתְפַּלֵּ֔ל לִפְנֵ֖י אֱלֹהֵ֥י הַשָּׁמָֽיִם׃Read the interlinear
- heardשָׁמַעshâma‛ · to hear: hearH8085
- wordsדָּבָרdâbâr · wordH1697
- satיָשַׁבyâshab · to dwellH3427
- weptבָּכָהbâkâh · to weepH1058
- mournedאָבַל'âbal · to mournH56
- daysיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
- fastedצוּםtsûm · to fastH6684
- prayedפָּלַלpâlal · to prayH6419
- Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- heavenשָׁמַיִםshâmayim shâmeh · heavenH8064
Cross-references for Nehemiah 1:4
- 1 Samuel 4:17And he that brought the tidings answered and said, Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken.
- Ezra 10:1Now while Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there was gathered together unto him out of Israel a very great assembly of men and women and children; for the people wept very sore.
- Psalms 69:9For the zeal of thy house hath eaten me up; And the reproaches of them that reproach thee are fallen upon me.
- Psalms 102:13Thou wilt arise, and have mercy upon Zion; For it is time to have pity upon her, Yea, the set time is come.
- Psalms 137:1By the rivers of Babylon, There we sat down, yea, we wept, When we remembered Zion.
- Daniel 9:3And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.
- Zephaniah 3:18I will gather them that sorrow for the solemn assembly, who were of thee; to whom the burden upon her was a reproach.
- Romans 12:15Rejoice with them that rejoice; weep with them that weep.
- Nehemiah 2:4Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.
- Ezra 5:11And thus they returned us answer, saying, We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and are building the house that was builded these many years ago, which a great king of Israel builded and finished.
- Daniel 2:18that they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his companions should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
- Jonah 1:9And he said unto them, I am a Hebrew; and I fear Jehovah, the God of heaven, who hath made the sea and the dry land.
Commentaries on Nehemiah 1:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4And mourned certain days - From the month Chisleu to the month Nisan; about four months from the time he received the above information, till the time that Artaxerxes noticed his grief, Nehemiah 2:1. All this time he probably spent in supplication to God; waiting for a favorable opening in the Divine providence. Every good work is not to be undertaken hastily; prayer and watchfulness are necessary to its completion. Many good works have been ruined by…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4The God of heaven - This title of the Almighty, which is Persian rather than Jewish (see 2 Chronicles 36:23; Ezra 1:2 note; Ezra 6:10; Ezra 7:12, Ezra 7:21), is a favorite one with Nehemiah, who had been born and brought up in Persia.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4Nehemiah mourned, fasted, and prayed for about four months (compare Nehemiah 1:1; 2:1), deeply worried about Jerusalem.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 4-114. when I heard these words, that I sat down ... and mourned ... and fasted, and prayed--The recital deeply affected the patriotic feelings of this good man, and no comfort could he find but in earnest and protracted prayer, that God would favor the purpose, which he seems to have secretly formed, of asking the royal permission to go to Jerusalem.Read the comment
Topics related to Nehemiah 1:4
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Nehemiah 1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
American Standard Version — 1901 — Public Domain
Commentaries