BibleWord.ai› Bible› Nehemiah› Chapter 1› Verse 6

Nehemiah 1:6

Old Testament Historical ASV (1901)

What does Nehemiah 1:6 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Let 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:” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Let 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:
Nehemiah 1:6 — American Standard Version

Context — Nehemiah 1

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
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.
← Nehemiah 1:5Nehemiah 1:7 →
← Full Chapter 1 Nehemiah Overview

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“Let thine ear be now attentive, etc.] To his prayer, as in (<160111>Nehemiah 1:11), and thine eyes open; to behold with pity and compassion the distressed case of Jerusalem, and the Jews in it: I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants; this he had continued to do ever since he heard of their trouble and calamity: and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father’s house have sinned; he considered sin as the cause of all this evil that had befallen his people, and confesses it with sorrow and humiliation, and not their sins only, but his own personal and family sins.”
Read attributed excerpt →
Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“Which I pray, &c. - He refers to all the prayers, which he had for some time been putting up. Nehemiah 1:11”
Read attributed excerpt →
Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“1:6 I confess that we have sinned: Like Ezra (Ezra 9:5-15) and Daniel (Dan 9:4-19), Nehemiah identified with the sins of his people, made no excuses, and accepted both his individual responsibility and the responsibility of the larger covenant group that had sinned against God.”
Read attributed excerpt →
Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“thine ear: Kg1 8:28, Kg1 8:29; Ch2 6:40; Psa 34:15, Psa 130:2; Dan 9:17, Dan 9:18 day and night: Sa1 15:11; Psa 55:17, Psa 88:1; Luk 2:37, Luk 18:7; Ti1 5:5; Ti2 1:3 confess: Ezr 9:6, Ezr 9:7, Ezr 10:11; Psa 32:5; Isa 64:6, Isa 64:7; Lam 3:39-42; Dan 9:4, Dan 9:20; Jo1 1:9 both I: Ch2 28:10, Ch2 29:6; Psa 106:6; Isa 6:5; Lam 5:7; Eph 2:3 Nehemiah 1:7”
Read attributed excerpt →

Related study paths

Read Nehemiah 1 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification