New English Translation
Nehemiah 9:36
36“So today we are slaves! In the very land you gave to our ancestors to eat its fruit and to enjoy its good things – we are slaves!
Nehemiah 9:36 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Behold, we are servants this day, and for the land that thou gavest unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold, we are servants in it:
- New International Version (NIV)“But see, we are slaves today, slaves in the land you gave our ancestors so they could eat its fruit and the other good things it produces.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Behold, we are slaves this day; in the land that you gave to our fathers to enjoy its fruit and its good gifts, behold, we are slaves.
- New King James Version (NKJV)“Here we are, servants today! And the land that You gave to our fathers, To eat its fruit and its bounty, Here we are, servants in it!
Context of Nehemiah 9:36
34Our kings, our leaders, our priests, and our ancestors have not kept your law. They have not paid attention to your commandments or your testimonies by which you have solemnly admonished them. 35Even when they were in their kingdom and benefiting from your incredible goodness that you had lavished on them in the spacious and fertile land you had set before them, they did not serve you, nor did they turn from their evil practices. “So today we are slaves! In the very land you gave to our ancestors to eat its fruit and to enjoy its good things – we are slaves! 37Its abundant produce goes to the kings you have placed over us due to our sins. They rule over our bodies and our livestock as they see fit, and we are in great distress! 38(10:1) “Because of all of this we are entering into a binding covenant in written form; our leaders, our Levites, and our priests have affixed their names on the sealed document.”
Read all of Nehemiah 9Nehemiah 9:36 word by word
הִנֵּ֛ה אֲנַ֥חְנוּ הַיּ֖וֹם עֲבָדִ֑ים וְהָאָ֜רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־נָתַ֣תָּה לַאֲבֹתֵ֗ינוּ לֶאֱכֹ֤ל אֶת־פִּרְיָהּ֙ וְאֶת־טוּבָ֔הּ הִנֵּ֛ה אֲנַ֥חְנוּ עֲבָדִ֖ים עָלֶֽיהָ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- servantsעֶ֫בֶד‛ebed · servant/slaveH5650
- this dayיוֹםyôm · day: todayH3117
- the landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
- that thou gavestנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
- unto our fathersאָב'âb · fatherH1
- to eatאָכַל'âkal · to eatH398
- the fruitפְּרִיperîy · fruitH6529
- thereof and the goodטוּבţûb · goodnessH2898
Cross-references for Nehemiah 9:36
- Deuteronomy 28:48instead in hunger, thirst, nakedness, and poverty you will serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you. They will place an iron yoke on your neck until they have destroyed you.
- 2 Chronicles 12:8Yet they will become his subjects, so they can experience how serving me differs from serving the surrounding nations.”
- Ezra 9:9Although we are slaves, our God has not abandoned us in our servitude. He has extended kindness to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, in that he has revived us to restore the temple of our God and to raise up its ruins and to give us a protective wall in Judah and Jerusalem.
Commentaries on Nehemiah 9:36
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 36Behold, we are servants - They had no king of their own: and were under the government of the kings of Persia, to whom they paid a regular tribute.Read the comment
- 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. 32-37The prayer now addresses the current situation, asking the great God—who has unfailing love—for ongoing love and mercy for his people in their difficult times (Nehemiah 9:32). The leaders acknowledged God's justice in punishing them for their sins (Nehemiah 9:33–35), and they expressed sorrow over their enslavement by the Persians (9:36–37).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 9:36
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
New English Translation — © 1996-2016 Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C.
Commentaries