New English Translation
Nehemiah 1:4
4When I heard these things I sat down abruptly, crying and mourning for several days. I continued fasting and praying 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
2Hanani, who was one of my relatives, along with some of the men from Judah, came to me, and I asked them about the Jews who had escaped and had survived the exile, and about Jerusalem. 3They said to me, “The remnant that remains from the exile there in the province are experiencing considerable adversity and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem lies breached, and its gates have been burned down!” When I heard these things I sat down abruptly, crying and mourning for several days. I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. 5Then I said, “Please, O lord God of heaven, great and awesome God, who keeps his loving covenant with those who love him and obey his commandments, 6may your ear be attentive and your eyes be open to hear the prayer of your servant that I am praying to you today throughout both day and night on behalf of your servants the Israelites. I am confessing the sins of the Israelites that we have committed against you – both I myself and my family 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
Words taken from the KJV.
- And it came to pass, when I heardשָׁמַעshâma‛ · to hear: hearH8085
- these wordsדָּבָרdâbâr · wordH1697
- that I sat downיָשַׁבyâshab · to dwellH3427
- and weptבָּכָהbâkâh · to weepH1058
- and mournedאָבַל'âbal · to mournH56
- daysיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
- and fastedצוּםtsûm · to fastH6684
- and prayedפָּלַלpâlal · to prayH6419
- beforeפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
- the Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- of heavenשָׁמַיִםshâmayim shâmeh · heavenH8064
Cross-references for Nehemiah 1:4
- 1 Samuel 4:17The messenger replied, “Israel has fled from the Philistines! The army has suffered a great defeat! Your two sons, Hophni and Phineas, are dead! The ark of God has been captured!”
- Ezra 10:1While Ezra was praying and confessing, weeping and throwing himself to the ground before the temple of God, a very large crowd of Israelites – men, women, and children alike – gathered around him. The people wept loudly.
- Psalms 69:9Certainly zeal for your house consumes me; I endure the insults of those who insult you.
- Psalms 102:13You will rise up and have compassion on Zion. For it is time to have mercy on her, for the appointed time has come.
- Psalms 137:1By the rivers of Babylon we sit down and weep when we remember Zion.
- Daniel 9:3So I turned my attention to the Lord God to implore him by prayer and requests, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.
- Zephaniah 3:18“As for those who grieve because they cannot attend the festivals – I took them away from you; they became tribute and were a source of shame to you.
- Romans 12:15Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
- Nehemiah 2:4The king responded, “What is it you are seeking?” Then I quickly prayed to the God of heaven
- Ezra 5:11They responded to us in the following way: ‘We are servants of the God of heaven and earth. We are rebuilding the temple which was previously built many years ago. A great king of Israel built it and completed it.
- Daniel 2:18He asked them to pray for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery so that he and his friends would not be destroyed along with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
- Jonah 1:9He said to them, “I am a Hebrew! And I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who 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
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