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Nehemiah 4:5

Old Testament Historical ASV (1901)

What does Nehemiah 4:5 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “and cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee; for they have provoked [thee] to anger before the builders.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

and cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee; for they have provoked [thee] to anger before the builders.
Nehemiah 4:5 — American Standard Version

Context — Nehemiah 4

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
2And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What are these feeble Jews doing? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, seeing they are burned?
3Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they are building, if a fox go up, he shall break down their stone wall.
4Hear, O our God; for we are despised: and turn back their reproach upon their own head, and give them up for a spoil in a land of captivity;
5and cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee; for they have provoked [thee] to anger before the builders.
6So we built the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto half [the height] thereof: for the people had a mind to work.
7But it came to pass that, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem went forward, [and] that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth;
8and they conspired all of them together to come and fight against Jerusalem, and to cause confusion therein.
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee, etc.] Let it not go unpunished, and even let it not be pardoned; which is spoken, not from a private spirit of revenge, but from a public spirit for the glory of God, and his justice; and not as a mere imprecation, but as a prophecy of what would be the case, in like manner as many of David’s petitions in the Psalms; and for this there was a good foundation, since God had threatened the Moabites and Ammonites with utter destruction: for they have provoked thee to anger before the builders; by despising his people, and mocking at the work the Lord had called them to; and this they did publicly, and on purpose…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“Cover not - Let their wickedness be in thy sight, so as to bring down judgments upon them, that either they may be reformed, or others may be warned by their example. God is said to cover or hide sin when he forbears to punish it. Provoked thee - They have not only provoked us builders, but thee also. Nehemiah 4:6”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“4:5 Do not ignore their guilt: See also “Prayers for Vengeance” Theme Note.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“cover not: Psa 59:5-13, Psa 69:27, Psa 109:14; Jer 18:23; Ti2 4:14 their sin: Psa 51:1, Psa 51:9; Isa 43:25, Isa 44:22 before the builders: Isa 36:11, Isa 36:12 Nehemiah 4:6”
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Related study paths

Read Nehemiah 4 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification