Nehemiah 1:3

Nehemiah 1:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And 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.
• New International Version (NIV)They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)And they said to me, "The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire."
• New King James Version (NKJV)And they said to me, “The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.”

Context of Nehemiah 1:3

1These are the words of Nehemiah, Hacaliah's son. It was the month Kislev. This was when King Artaxerxes had ruled for 20 years. I was in the big city of Susa. 2Hanani, my brother, and some other men arrived from Judah. I asked them for news of the Jews who had returned there from exile in Babylon. I asked them for news about Jerusalem. They told me, ‘The Jews who returned to Judah are in much trouble. The walls of the city still have lots of holes in them. Fire has burned the city's gates down to the ground. So the people are very ashamed.’ 4After they told me this, I sat down and I wept. I was very sad for many days. I did not eat or drink anything and I prayed to God. 5I prayed, ‘Lord, God of heaven, you are great and powerful. You always continue to love your people, as you have promised to do. You are kind to those people who love you and obey your commands.

Nehemiah 1:3 word by word

וַיֹּאמְרוּ֮ לִי֒ הַֽנִּשְׁאָרִ֞ים אֲשֶֽׁר־נִשְׁאֲר֤וּ מִן־הַשְּׁבִי֙ שָׁ֣ם בַּמְּדִינָ֔ה בְּרָעָ֥ה גְדֹלָ֖ה וּבְחֶרְפָּ֑ה וְחוֹמַ֤ת יְרוּשָׁלִַ֙ם֙ מְפֹרָ֔צֶת וּשְׁעָרֶ֖יהָ נִצְּת֥וּ בָאֵֽשׁ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And they saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• unto me, The remnantשָׁאַרshâ'ar · to remainH7604
• of the captivityשְׁבִיshebîy · captivityH7628
• there in the provinceמְדִינָהmedîynâh · provinceH4082
• in greatגָּדוֹלgâdôl gâdôl · great: largeH1419
• afflictionרָעָהra‛ râ‛âh · distress: harmH7451
• and reproachחֶרְפָּהcherpâh · reproachH2781
• the wallחוֹמָהchômâh · wallH2346
• of Jerusalemיְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵםyerûshâlaim yerûshâlayim · JerusalemH3389
• broken downפָּרַץpârats · to break throughH6555
• and the gatesשַׁ֫עַרsha‛ar · gateH8179
• thereof are burnedיָצַתyâtsath · to kindleH3341
• with fireאֵשׁ'êsh · fireH784

Cross-references for Nehemiah 1:3

• Nehemiah 7:6This is the list of the Jews who returned to Jerusalem and the other towns of Judah. King Nebuchadnezzar had taken them away as prisoners to Babylon. Now each of them had returned to live in his own town.
• Nehemiah 11:3These are the leaders of the region of Judah who went to live in Jerusalem. Other Israelites, priests, Levites, temple servants and descendants of King Solomon's servants lived in the other towns of Judah. Each of them lived in their own homes.
• Ezra 2:1These are the people who returned to Jerusalem and the other towns in Judah. Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, had brought them as prisoners to Babylon. Each person returned to his own town.
• Ezra 5:8We went to Judah to visit the temple of the great God. The king should know that the Jews are building it with big stones. They are putting wooden beams in its walls. They are working hard and very carefully. The building is growing fast.
• Esther 1:1These things happened when King Xerxes ruled. He was the king who ruled over 127 regions, from India to Ethiopia.
• Nehemiah 9:36So today we live like slaves. Yes, we are slaves in the land that you gave to our ancestors. You wanted them to enjoy all the good things that grow here.
• Psalms 44:11You have put us under their power, so that they kill us like sheep for them to eat. You have sent us away to live in foreign countries.
• Psalms 137:1When we sat down beside the rivers in Babylon, we were very upset. We thought about Zion city that we had left behind, and we wept.
• Isaiah 32:9You women, listen carefully to what I say to you! You think that you have no problems. You feel very safe. But listen to me!
• Lamentations 1:7Jerusalem's people are in trouble and they are away from their homes now. So they remember the good things that they had a long time ago. When their enemies came, nobody was there with them. Nobody helped them. Their enemies laughed when they destroyed Jerusalem.
• Lamentations 3:61You have heard their cruel words against me, Lord. Yes, you know about all the bad things that they want to do to me.
• Lamentations 5:1Lord, please remember the trouble that has happened to us. Look at us, because we are ashamed.
• 1 Kings 9:7Then I will remove the Israelite people from the land that I have given to them. I will turn away from this temple that I have made a special place for people to worship me. People from all the other nations will insult the Israelites and they will laugh at them.
• Psalms 79:4The nations that live near to us do not respect us. They laugh at us and they insult us.
• Isaiah 43:28So I caused the priests of your temple to become ashamed. I caused enemies to destroy Israel. I let them insult Jacob's descendants.’
• Jeremiah 24:9I will send great trouble to punish them. It will make everyone afraid. The people of all the kingdoms on the earth will think that they are disgusting. People will insult them. They will use them as an example in proverbs. They will use their name as a curse. That will happen in all the places where I send my people.

Commentaries on Nehemiah 1:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3The wall of Jerusalem also is broken down - This must refer to the walls, which had been rebuilt after the people returned from their captivity: for it could not refer to the walls which were broken down and levelled with the dust by Nebuchadnezzar; for to hear of this could be no news to Nehemiah.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3The attempt to rebuild the wall in the time of the Pseudo-Smerdis Ezra 4:12-24 had been stopped. It still remained in ruins. The Assyrian sculptures show that it was the usual practice to burn the gates.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3The wall of Jerusalem is broken down: This likely refers to a recent event in Jerusalem (see Ezra 4:6–23), not the Babylonian conquest in 586 BC. disgrace: Foreigners could mock the destroyed city, claiming it showed that Israel’s God was too weak to protect it (compare Joel 2:17; Micah 7:8–10).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2-32-3. Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah--Hanani is called his brother (Ne 7:2). But as that term was used loosely by Jews as well as other Orientals, it is probable that no more is meant than that he was of the same family. According to Josephus, Nehemiah, while walking around the palace walls, overheard some persons conversing in the Hebrew language. Having ascertained that they had lately returned from Judea, he was informed…Read the comment

Topics related to Nehemiah 1:3

• Country
• Gates

In the dictionaries

• Jerusalem
• Bible
• Corruptly
• Cupbearer
• Gate
• Quake
• Remnant
• Shushan
• Chronicles, Books of
• Ecclesiastes, the Preacher

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