Nehemiah 9:9-25

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Nehemiah 9:4-38

We have here an account how the work of this fast-day was carried on. 1. The names of the ministers that were employed. They are twice named (Neh. 9:4, 5), only with some variation of the names. Either they prayed successively, according to that rule which the apostle gives (1 Cor. 14:31; You may all prophesy one by one), or, as some think, there were eight several congregations at some distance from each other, and each had a Levite to preside in it. 2. The work itself in which they employed... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Nehemiah 9:9

And didst see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt ,.... The hard bondage in which their lives were made bitter; and was not a mere spectator of it, but looked upon them in it with pity and compassion, and sent them a deliverer, Exodus 2:23 and heardest their cry by the Red sea ; which was before them, and the rocks on both sides of them, and the host of Pharaoh behind, pressing upon them, when he heard them, and wrought salvation for them, Exodus 14:10 . read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Nehemiah 9:10

And shewedst signs and wonders upon Pharaoh, and on all his servants, and on all the people of his land ,.... By inflicting the ten plagues upon them: for thou knowest that they dealt proudly against them ; behaved haughtily to them, and despised them, see Exodus 18:11 so didst thou get thee a name, as it is this day ; displayed his power on Pharaoh, and his goodness to Israel, the fame of which reached all over the world, and continued to that day, see Exodus 9:16 . read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Nehemiah 9:11

And thou didst divide the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on dry land ,.... That is, the Israelites, see Exodus 14:21 , and their persecutors thou threwest into the deeps ; with great ease, and with indignation, meaning the Egyptians, that pursued hotly after them, and were thrown into the sea: as a stone into the mighty waters ; where they sunk and perished, see Exodus 15:4 . read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Nehemiah 9:12

Moreover, thou leddest them in the day by a cloudy pillar ,.... The Israelites, to shelter them from the heat of the sun in a dry and barren wilderness: and in the night by a pillar of fire, to give them light in the way wherein they should go ; through a trackless desert, see Exodus 13:21 . read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Nehemiah 9:13

Thou camest down also upon Mount Sinai ,.... By some visible tokens of his presence, as a cloud, fire, smoke, &c.; which must be understood consistent with his omniscience, see Exodus 19:18 , and spakest with them from heaven ; the decalogue or ten commandments, Exodus 20:1 , and gavest them right judgments and true laws, good statutes and commandments ; both judicial and ceremonial, which were of excellent use to them in their civil and ecclesiastical polity; these were not... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Nehemiah 9:14

And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath ,.... Which was not made known to others, and was peculiar to the Jewish nation, and a privilege granted to them, to have rest corporeal and spiritual, typical of the rest in Christ: and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant ; moral, ceremonial, and judicial, such as other nations had not, Deuteronomy 4:8 . read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Nehemiah 9:15

And gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger ,.... To satisfy that, meaning the manna, Exodus 16:3 and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock, for their thirst ; to quench it; this was done both quickly after they came out of the land of Egypt, and a little before their entrance into the land of Canaan, see Exodus 17:6 and promisedst them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst sworn to give them ; which oath was made to them and to their... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Nehemiah 9:16

But they and our fathers dealt proudly ,.... Behaved in a haughty manner towards God, their kind benefactor: and hardened their necks ; refused to take the yoke of his law, as refractory oxen, that withdraw their necks from the yoke: and hearkened not to thy commandments ; to do them, though they promised they would, Exodus 24:7 . read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Nehemiah 9:17

And refused to obey ,.... Though exhorted, admonished, and threatened, such was their obstinacy: neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them ; in delivering them at the Red sea, in raining manna about them, and giving them water out of the rock: but hardened their necks ; see the preceding verse: and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage ; they not only proposed it, but determined upon it, which is reckoned the same as if they had... read more

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