New English Translation
Nehemiah 5:9
9Then I said, “The thing that you are doing is wrong! Should you not conduct yourselves in the fear of our God in order to avoid the reproach of the Gentiles who are our enemies?
Nehemiah 5:9 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Also I said, It is not good that ye do: ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the heathen our enemies?
- New International Version (NIV)So I continued, “What you are doing is not right. Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our Gentile enemies?
- English Standard Version (ESV)So I said, "The thing that you are doing is not good. Ought you not to walk in the fear of our God to prevent the taunts of the nations our enemies?
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then I said, “What you are doing is not good. Should you not walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the nations, our enemies?
Context of Nehemiah 5:9
7I considered these things carefully and then registered a complaint with the wealthy and the officials. I said to them, “Each one of you is seizing the collateral from your own countrymen!” Because of them I called for a great public assembly. 8I said to them, “To the extent possible we have bought back our fellow Jews who had been sold to the Gentiles. But now you yourselves want to sell your own countrymen, so that we can then buy them back!” They were utterly silent, and could find nothing to say. Then I said, “The thing that you are doing is wrong! Should you not conduct yourselves in the fear of our God in order to avoid the reproach of the Gentiles who are our enemies? 10Even I and my relatives and my associates are lending them money and grain. But let us abandon this practice of seizing collateral! 11This very day return to them their fields, their vineyards, their olive trees, and their houses, along with the interest that you are exacting from them on the money, the grain, the new wine, and the olive oil.”
Read all of Nehemiah 5Nehemiah 5:9 word by word
וָאוֹמַ֕ר לֹא־ט֥וֹב הַדָּבָ֖ר אֲשֶׁר־אַתֶּ֣ם עֹשִׂ֑ים הֲל֞וֹא בְּיִרְאַ֤ת אֱלֹהֵ֙ינוּ֙ תֵּלֵ֔כוּ מֵחֶרְפַּ֖ת הַגּוֹיִ֥ם אוֹיְבֵֽינוּ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Also I saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- not goodטוֹבţôb · pleasantH2896
- thatדָּבָרdâbâr · word: thingH1697
- ye doעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
- ought ye not to walkיָלַךְyâlak · to walkH3212
- in the fearיִרְאָהyir'âh · fearH3374
- of our Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- because of the reproachחֶרְפָּהcherpâh · reproachH2781
- of the heathenגּוֹיgôy gôy · nationH1471
- our enemiesאֹיֵב'ôyêb 'ôyêb · enemyH341
Cross-references for Nehemiah 5:9
- 1 Samuel 2:24This ought not to be, my sons! For the report that I hear circulating among the Lord’s people is not good.
- Proverbs 16:29A violent person entices his neighbor, and leads him down a path that is terrible.
- Proverbs 17:26It is terrible to punish a righteous person, and to flog honorable men is wrong.
- Proverbs 18:5It is terrible to show partiality to the wicked, by depriving a righteous man of justice.
- Proverbs 19:2It is dangerous to have zeal without knowledge, and the one who acts hastily makes poor choices.
- Proverbs 24:23These sayings also are from the wise: To show partiality in judgment is terrible:
- Nehemiah 5:15But the former governors who preceded me had burdened the people and had taken food and wine from them, in addition to forty shekels of silver. Their associates were also domineering over the people. But I did not behave in this way, due to my fear of God.
- Genesis 20:11Abraham replied, “Because I thought, ‘Surely no one fears God in this place. They will kill me because of my wife.’
- Genesis 42:18On the third day Joseph said to them, “Do as I say and you will live, for I fear God.
- Leviticus 25:36Do not take interest or profit from him, but you must fear your God and your brother must live with you.
- Acts 9:31Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria experienced peace and thus was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and in the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, the church increased in numbers.
- Genesis 13:7So there were quarrels between Abram’s herdsmen and Lot’s herdsmen. (Now the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land at that time.)
- 2 Samuel 12:14Nonetheless, because you have treated the Lord with such contempt in this matter, the son who has been born to you will certainly die.”
- Ezekiel 36:20But when they arrived in the nations where they went, they profaned my holy name. It was said of them, ‘These are the people of the Lord, yet they have departed from his land.’
- Romans 2:24For just as it is written, “the name of God is being blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”
- 1 Timothy 5:14So I want younger women to marry, raise children, and manage a household, in order to give the adversary no opportunity to vilify us.
Commentaries on Nehemiah 5:9
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 9Ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God - If ye wish to accredit that religion ye profess which comes from the God of justice and mercy; should you not, in the sight of the heathen, abstain from injustice and cruelty? Can they credit your profession, when they see such practices? The inconsistent conduct of some professors of religion does much harm in the Church of God.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 6-13Verses 6-13 Nehemiah knew that, if he built Jerusalem's walls ever so high, so thick, or so strong, the city could not be safe while there were abuses. The right way to reform men's lives, is to convince their consciences. If you walk in the fear of God, you will not be either covetous of worldly gain, or cruel toward your brethren. Nothing exposes religion more to reproach, than the worldliness and hard-heartedness of the professors of it. Those that…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 9walk in the fear of our God: See Leviticus 25:35–43. avoid the reproach: See also Nehemiah 1:3; 2:19; 4:1–3.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 6-196-12. I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words--When such disorders came to the knowledge of the governor, his honest indignation was roused against the perpetrators of the evil. Having summoned a public assembly, he denounced their conduct in terms of just severity. He contrasted it with his own in redeeming with his money some of the Jewish exiles who, through debt or otherwise, had lost their personal liberty in Babylon. He urged the…Read the comment
Topics related to Nehemiah 5:9
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Nehemiah 5
- 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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