New Living Translation
Nehemiah 1:4
4When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to 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, one of my brothers, came to visit me with some other men who had just arrived from Judah. I asked them about the Jews who had returned there from captivity and about how things were going in Jerusalem. 3They said to me, “Things are not going well for those who returned to the province of Judah. They are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem has been torn down, and the gates have been destroyed by fire.” When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven. 5Then I said, “O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands, 6listen 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!
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 4:17“Israel has been defeated by the Philistines,” the messenger replied. “The people have been slaughtered, and your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were also killed. And the Ark of God has been captured.”
- Ezra 10:1While Ezra prayed and made this confession, weeping and lying face down on the ground in front of the Temple of God, a very large crowd of people from Israel—men, women, and children—gathered and wept bitterly with him.
- Psalms 69:9Passion for your house has consumed me, and the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.
- Psalms 102:13You will arise and have mercy on Jerusalem— and now is the time to pity her, now is the time you promised to help.
- Psalms 137:1Beside the rivers of Babylon, we sat and wept as we thought of Jerusalem.
- Daniel 9:3So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and fasting. I also wore rough burlap and sprinkled myself with ashes.
- Zephaniah 3:18“I will gather you who mourn for the appointed festivals; you will be disgraced no more.
- Romans 12:15Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep.
- Nehemiah 2:4The king asked, “Well, how can I help you?” With a prayer to the God of heaven,
- Ezra 5:11“This was their answer: ‘We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the Temple that was built here many years ago by a great king of Israel.
- Daniel 2:18He urged them to ask the God of heaven to show them his mercy by telling them the secret, so they would not be executed along with the other wise men of Babylon.
- Jonah 1:9Jonah answered, “I am a Hebrew, and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the 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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