New International Version
Nehemiah 1:6
6let 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.
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.
- English Standard Version (ESV)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.
- 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
4When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. 5Then I said: “Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 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. 7We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses. 8“Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations,
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 give attention to your servant’s prayer and his plea for mercy, Lord my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence this day.
- 2 Chronicles 6:40“Now, my God, may your eyes be open and your ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.
- Psalms 34:15The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry;
- Psalms 130:2Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.
- Daniel 9:17“Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary.
- 1 Samuel 15:11“I regret that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.” Samuel was angry, and he cried out to the Lord all that night.
- Psalms 55:17Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice.
- Psalms 88:1Lord, you are the God who saves me; day and night I cry out to you.
- Luke 2:37and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.
- Luke 18:7And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?
- 1 Timothy 5:5The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help.
- 2 Timothy 1:3I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.
- Ezra 9:6and prayed: “I am too ashamed and disgraced, my God, to lift up my face to you, because our sins are higher than our heads and our guilt has reached to the heavens.
- Ezra 10:11Now honor the Lord, the God of your ancestors, and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples around you and from your foreign wives.”
- Psalms 32:5Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin.
- Isaiah 64:6All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep 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
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