English Standard Version
Nehemiah 1:6
6let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father's house have sinned.
Nehemiah 1:6 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father’s house have sinned.
- New International Version (NIV)let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you.
- New King James Version (NKJV)please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned.
- New Living Translation (NLT)listen to my prayer! Look down and see me praying night and day for your people Israel. I confess that we have sinned against you. Yes, even my own family and I have sinned!
Context of Nehemiah 1:6
4As 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. 5And I said, "O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father's house have sinned. 7We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses. 8Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, 'If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples,
Read all of Nehemiah 1Nehemiah 1:6 word by word
תְּהִ֣י נָ֣א אָזְנְךָֽ־קַשֶּׁ֣בֶת וְֽעֵינֶ֪יךָ פְתֻוּח֟וֹת לִשְׁמֹ֣עַ אֶל־תְּפִלַּ֣ת עַבְדְּךָ֡ אֲשֶׁ֣ר אָנֹכִי֩ מִתְפַּלֵּ֨ל לְפָנֶ֤יךָ הַיּוֹם֙ יוֹמָ֣ם וָלַ֔יְלָה עַל־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל עֲבָדֶ֑יךָ וּמִתְוַדֶּ֗ה עַל־חַטֹּ֤אות בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר חָטָ֣אנוּ לָ֔ךְ וַאֲנִ֥י וּבֵית־אָבִ֖י חָטָֽאנוּ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Let thine earאֹ֫זֶן'ôzen · earH241
- now be attentiveקַשָּׁבqashshâb qashshûb · attentiveH7183
- and thine eyesעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eyeH5869
- openפָּתַחpâthach · to openH6605
- that thou mayest hearשָׁמַעshâma‛ · to hear: hearH8085
- the prayerתְּפִלָּהtephillâh · prayerH8605
- of thy servantעֶ֫בֶד‛ebed · servant/slaveH5650
- which I prayפָּלַלpâlal · to prayH6419
- beforeפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
- thee nowיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
- dayיוֹמָםyômâm · by dayH3119
- and nightלַ֫יְלָהlayil lêyl layelâh · nightH3915
- for the childrenבֵּןbên · son: descendant/peopleH1121
- of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
- and confessיָדָהyâdâh · to give thanksH3034
- the sinsחַטָּאתchaţţâ'âh chaţţâ'th · sinH2403
- which we have sinnedחָטָאchâţâ' · to sinH2398
- against thee: both I and my father’sאָב'âb · fatherH1
- houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: householdH1004
Cross-references for Nehemiah 1:6
- 1 Kings 8:28Yet have regard to the prayer of your servant and to his plea, O Lord my God, listening to the cry and to the prayer that your servant prays before you this day,
- 2 Chronicles 6:40Now, O my God, let your eyes be open and your ears attentive to the prayer of this place.
- Psalms 34:15The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry.
- Psalms 130:2O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy!
- Daniel 9:17Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord, make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate.
- 1 Samuel 15:11"I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments." And Samuel was angry, and he cried to the Lord all night.
- Psalms 55:17Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he hears my voice.
- Psalms 88:1O Lord, God of my salvation, I cry out day and night before you.
- Luke 2:37and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day.
- Luke 18:7And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?
- 1 Timothy 5:5She who is truly a widow, left all alone, has set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day,
- 2 Timothy 1:3I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day.
- Ezra 9:6saying: "O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens.
- Ezra 10:11Now then make confession to the Lord, the God of your fathers and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives."
- Psalms 32:5I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord," and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah
- Isaiah 64:6We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
Commentaries on Nehemiah 1:6
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6Let thine ear - Hear what we say and confess. Thine eyes open - see what we suffer.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 6I confess the sins that we Israelites have committed: Like Ezra (Ezra 9:5–15) and Daniel (Daniel 9:4–19), Nehemiah identified with his people's sins. He made no excuses and accepted his own responsibility and that of the larger covenant group that had sinned against God.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 1:6
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
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries