Nehemiah — Chapter 1
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1The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace,
2That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.
3And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.
4And 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,
5And said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments:
6Let 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.
7We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses.
8Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations:
9But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there.
10Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand.
11O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king’s cupbearer.
1The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it came to pass in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace,
2that Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men out of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, that were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.
3And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.
4And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days; and I fasted and prayed before the God of heaven,
5and said, I beseech thee, O Jehovah, the God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and lovingkindness with them that love him and keep his commandments:
6Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee at this time, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants while I confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee. Yea, I and my father`s house have sinned:
7we have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses.
8Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye trespass, I will scatter you abroad among the peoples:
9but if ye return unto me, and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts were in the uttermost part of the heavens, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen, to cause my name to dwell there.
10Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand.
11O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who delight to fear thy name; and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. Now I was cupbearer to the king.
1These are the words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah:It so happened that in the month of Kislev, in the twentieth year, I was in Susa the citadel.
2Hanani, who was one of my relatives, along with some of the men from Judah, came to me, and I asked them about the Jews who had escaped and had survived the exile, and about Jerusalem.
3They said to me, “The remnant that remains from the exile there in the province are experiencing considerable adversity and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem lies breached, and its gates have been burned down!”
4When I heard these things I sat down abruptly, crying and mourning for several days. I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
5Then I said, “Please, O Lord God of heaven, great and awesome God, who keeps his loving covenant with those who love him and obey his commandments,
6may your ear be attentive and your eyes be open to hear the prayer of your servant that I am praying to you today throughout both day and night on behalf of your servants the Israelites. I am confessing the sins of the Israelites that we have committed against you—both I myself and my family have sinned.
7We have behaved corruptly against you, not obeying the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments that you commanded your servant Moses.
8Please recall the word you commanded your servant Moses: ‘If you act unfaithfully, I will scatter you among the nations.
9But if you repent and obey my commandments and do them, then even if your dispersed people are in the most remote location, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen for my name to reside.’
10They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your mighty strength and by your powerful hand.
11Please, Lord, listen attentively to the prayer of your servant and to the prayer of your servants who take pleasure in showing respect to your name. Grant your servant success today and show compassion to me in the presence of this man.” Now I was cupbearer for the king.
1The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace,
2Hanani, one of my brothers, came, he and certain men out of Judah; and I asked them about the Jews who had escaped, who were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.
3They said to me, “The remnant who are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.”
4When I heard these words, I sat down and wept, and mourned several days; and I fasted and prayed before the God of heaven,
5and said, “I beg you, Yahweh, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and loving kindness with those who love him and keep his commandments:
6Let your ear now be attentive, and your eyes open, that you may listen to the prayer of your servant, which I pray before you at this time, day and night, for the children of Israel your servants, while I confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Yes, I and my father’s house have sinned.
7We have dealt very corruptly against you, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances, which you commanded your servant Moses.
8“Remember, I beg you, the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you trespass, I will scatter you among the peoples;
9but if you return to me, and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts were in the uttermost part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and will bring them to the place that I have chosen, to cause my name to dwell there.’
10“Now these are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power, and by your strong hand.
11Lord, I beg you, let your ear be attentive now to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants, who delight to fear your name; and please prosper your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” Now I was cup bearer to the king.
Summary
Nehemiah, cupbearer to King Artaxerxes in Persia, receives devastating news that Jerusalem's walls remain broken and its gates burned. He mourns, fasts, and prays a model prayer of confession and supplication, appealing to God's covenant promises.
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- Susa (Shushan) — the Persian winter capital in modern Iran, where Nehemiah serves as cupbearer to King Artaxerxes.
- Jerusalem — the city whose walls Nehemiah rebuilds. Chapter 3 names specific gates (Sheep Gate, Fish Gate, Valley Gate, Dung Gate, etc.) tracing the wall circuit.
- The surrounding enemies occupy identifiable regions: Sanballat (Samaria/north), Tobiah (Ammon/east), Geshem (Arabia/south).
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik emphasizes the structure of Nehemiah's prayer: adoration, confession, appeal to promises, and specific petition. He notes that Nehemiah's months of prayer between hearing the news (Chislev) and speaking to the king (Nisan) demonstrate that he was waiting for God's timing while actively preparing through intercession.
- Charles Spurgeon: "Nehemiah heard and wept. He might have said, 'This is not my problem — I am comfortable in Susa, secure in the palace, trusted by the king.' But a true child of God cannot be comfortable when God's city lies in ruins and God's people are reproached. Note the order: he wept, he mourned, he fasted, he prayed. Tears first — for the man who prays without feeling does nothing. Then sustained mourning — not a momentary pang but days of grief. Then fasting — the body joining the spirit in earnest. Then prayer — not as the first resort of the lazy but as the culmination of genuine burden. And what a prayer! He begins with God's greatness, not his own need. He confesses before he requests. He claims God's own promise as his ground of appeal. This is the anatomy of prevailing prayer."
Reflection
- 1. Let bad news drive you to prayer, not despair (v.4). Nehemiah's first response to devastating news was not panic, anger, or resignation — it was prayer preceded by weeping. When you receive news that breaks your heart, let grief channel into intercession. The man who weeps before God is already on the path to solution.
- 2. Pray with sustained intensity, not momentary impulse (v.4). Nehemiah mourned and prayed for months — not a quick prayer then on to the next thing. Some situations require sustained, persistent intercession. Are you willing to carry a burden in prayer for weeks or months until God moves?
- 3. Begin prayer with God's character, not your need (v.5). "Great and awesome God who keeps covenant" — before any request, Nehemiah established who he was talking to. This is not formulaic; it builds faith. Reminding yourself of God's character before presenting your problem puts the problem in proper proportion.
- 4. Identify with your community's sin (v.6). "We have sinned" — not "they have sinned." If you belong to a family, church, or nation that has failed, own it before God. Corporate confession is not admitting guilt for others' specific acts but acknowledging your solidarity with the community and its collective failure.
- 5. Combine prayer with planning (v.11). Nehemiah's prayer ended with a specific tactical request: favor with "this man." He had already formulated a plan — prayer and strategy coexisted. Faith is not the absence of planning; it is planning that depends on God to open the doors that planning alone cannot open.