God’s Word Translation
Nehemiah 9:20
20You gave them your good Spirit to teach them. You didn’t keep your manna to yourself. You gave them water to quench their thirst.
Nehemiah 9:20 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst.
- New International Version (NIV)You gave your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and you gave them water for their thirst.
- English Standard Version (ESV)You gave your good Spirit to instruct them and did not withhold your manna from their mouth and gave them water for their thirst.
- New King James Version (NKJV)You also gave Your good Spirit to instruct them, And did not withhold Your manna from their mouth, And gave them water for their thirst.
Context of Nehemiah 9:20
18even when they made a metal statue of a calf for themselves and said, ‘This is your god who took you out of Egypt.’ They committed outrageous sins. 19But because of your endless compassion, you didn’t abandon them in the desert. The column of smoke didn’t leave them during the day, but it led them on their way. The column of fire didn’t leave them during the night, but it gave them light to see the way they should go. You gave them your good Spirit to teach them. You didn’t keep your manna to yourself. You gave them water to quench their thirst. 21You provided for them in the desert for 40 years, and they had everything they needed. Their clothes didn’t wear out, and their feet didn’t swell. 22You gave kingdoms and nations to the Israelites and assigned them their boundaries. So they took possession of the land of Sihon, the land of the king of Heshbon, and the land of King Og of Bashan.
Read all of Nehemiah 9Nehemiah 9:20 word by word
וְרוּחֲךָ֨ הַטּוֹבָ֔ה נָתַ֖תָּ לְהַשְׂכִּילָ֑ם וּמַנְךָ֙ לֹא־מָנַ֣עְתָּ מִפִּיהֶ֔ם וּמַ֛יִם נָתַ֥תָּה לָהֶ֖ם לִצְמָאָֽם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Thou gavestנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
- also thy goodטוֹבţôb · pleasantH2896
- spiritרוּחַrûach · spiritH7307
- to instructשָׂכַלώâkal · be prudentH7919
- them, and withheldestמָנַעmâna‛ · to withholdH4513
- not thy mannaמָןmân · mannaH4478
- from their mouthפֶּהpeh · lipH6310
- them waterמַיmayim · waterH4325
- for their thirstצָמָאtsâmâ' · thirstH6772
Cross-references for Nehemiah 9:20
- Nehemiah 9:30You were patient with them for many years. You warned them by your Spirit through your prophets. However, they wouldn’t listen. So you handed them over to the people in the surrounding nations.
- Numbers 11:17I’ll come down and speak with you there. I’ll take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them. They will help you take care of the people. You won’t have to take care of the people alone.
- Isaiah 63:11Then his people remembered Moses and the distant past. Where is the one who brought them out of the sea with the shepherds of his flock? Where is the one who put his Holy Spirit in them?
- Psalms 143:10Teach me to do your will, because you are my God. May your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
- Romans 15:30Brothers and sisters, I encourage you through our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love that the Spirit creates, to join me in my struggle. Pray to God for me
- Galatians 5:22But the spiritual nature produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
- Ephesians 5:9Light produces everything that is good, that has God’s approval, and that is true.
- 2 Peter 1:21No prophecy ever originated from humans. Instead, it was given by the Holy Spirit as humans spoke under God’s direction.
- Exodus 16:15When the Israelites saw it, they asked each other, “What is this?” because they didn’t know what it was. Moses said to them, “It’s the food the Lord has given you to eat.
- Joshua 5:12The day after that, the manna stopped. The people of Israel never had manna again. That year they began to eat the crops that grew in Canaan.
- Exodus 17:6I’ll be standing in front of you there by a rock at Mount Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” Moses did this while the leaders of Israel watched him.
- Psalms 105:41He opened a rock, and water gushed and flowed like a river through the dry places.
- Isaiah 41:17“The poor and needy are looking for water, but there is none. Their tongues are parched with thirst. I, the Lord, will answer them. I, the God of Israel, will not abandon them.
- Isaiah 48:21They weren’t thirsty when he led them through the deserts. He made water flow from a rock for them. He split a rock, and water gushed out.
- Isaiah 49:10They will never be hungry or thirsty, nor will the sun or the burning, hot wind strike them. The one who has compassion on them will lead them and guide them to springs.
- John 4:10Jesus replied to her, “If you only knew what God’s gift is and who is asking you for a drink, you would have asked him for a drink. He would have given you living water.”
Commentaries on Nehemiah 9:20
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 4-38Verses 4-38 The summary of their prayers we have here upon record. Much more, no doubt, was said. Whatever ability we have to do any thing in the way of duty, we are to serve and glorify God according to the utmost of it. When confessing our sins, it is good to notice the mercies of God, that we may be the more humbled and ashamed. The dealings of the Lord showed his goodness and long-suffering, and the hardness of their hearts. The testimony of the…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12-21This prayer reminded the people of God's miraculous guidance of Israel in the wilderness (Exodus 13:21–22), his personal appearance at Mount Sinai to reveal his covenant laws through Moses (see Exodus 19–20), and his faithfulness in providing bread and water (see Exodus 16:4; 17:1–6). Despite all of that, Israel's ancestors were proud and stubborn and refused to obey (see Exodus 32; Numbers 14:4). Yet in his grace, God remained faithful and compassionate…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 6-386-38. Thou, even thou, art Lord alone, &c.--In this solemn and impressive prayer, in which they make public confession of their sins, and deprecate the judgments due to the transgressions of their fathers, they begin with a profound adoration of God, whose supreme majesty and omnipotence is acknowledged in the creation, preservation, and government of all. Then they proceed to enumerate His mercies and distinguished favors to them as a nation, from the…Read the comment
Topics related to Nehemiah 9:20
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Nehemiah 9
- 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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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