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Nehemiah 9:26

in Nehemiah 9

But they were disobedient and rebelled against You; they flung Your law behind their backs. They killed Your prophets, who had admonished them to return to You. They committed terrible blasphemies.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their back, and slew thy prophets that testified against them to turn them again unto thee, and they wrought great provocations.

KJV

Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs, and slew thy prophets which testified against them to turn them to thee, and they wrought great provocations.

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This verse in Nehemiah 9

Commentary

5 notes on this verse
Slew thy prophets - Compare 1Ki 18:4; 1Ki 19:10; 2Ch 24:21. Jewish tradition further affirms that more than one of the great prophets (e. g., Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel) were martyred by their countrymen.

This site's exposition

they flung Your law behind their backs

"But they were disobedient and rebelled against You; they flung Your law behind their backs," and the verbs turn from gift to refusal. The verse names the cost to those sent to call them back: "They killed Your prophets, who had admonished them to return to You" (9:26).

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

2 And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers. 3 And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of the L ORD their God one fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and worshipped the L ORD their God.

quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — scripture-overlap:94%@v2-3

Nevertheless, they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee,....

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

proposed

Thou, even thou, art Lord alone, &c.--In this solemn and impressive prayer, in which they make public confession of their sins, and deprecate the judgments due to the transgressions of their fathers, they begin with a profound adoration of God, whose supreme majesty and omnipotence is acknowledged in the creation, preservation, and government of all.

The words behind it

19 Hebrew words

Every Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

  • וַיַּמְר֨וּand they were disobedient

    vaiyamruH4784 →

  • וַֽיִּמְרְד֜וּand they rebelled

    vaiyimreduH4775 →25 times

  • בָּ֗ךְagainst you

    bakh

  • וַיַּשְׁלִ֤כוּand they threw

    vaiyashlikhuH7993 →125 times

  • אֶת־<obj.>

    ʾet-H853 →10935 times

  • תּוֹרָֽתְךָ֙law your

    toratekhaH8451 →219 times

  • אַחֲרֵ֣יbehind

    ʾachareiH310 →715 times

  • גַוָּ֔םback their

    gavamH1458 →

  • וְאֶת־and <obj.>

    veetH853 →10935 times

  • נְבִיאֶ֣יךָprophets your

    nevieikhaH5030 →314 times

  • הָרָ֔גוּthey killed

    haraguH2026 →167 times

  • אֲשֶׁר־who

    ʾasher-H834 →5497 times

  • הֵעִ֥ידוּthey had warned

    heiduH5749 →44 times

  • בָ֖ם<in> them

    vam

  • לַהֲשִׁיבָ֣םto bring back them

    lahashivamH7725 →1056 times

  • אֵלֶ֑יךָto you

    ʾeleikhaH413 →5510 times

  • וַֽיַּעֲשׂ֔וּand they did

    vaiyaasuH6213 →2628 times

  • נֶאָצ֖וֹתblasphemies

    neatzotH5007 →

  • גְּדוֹלֹֽת׃great

    gedolotH1419 →526 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

18 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

Psalms 50:17For you hate My instruction and cast My words behind you.12 worksMatthew 23:37O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling!11 works1 Kings 14:9You have done more evil than all who came before you. You have proceeded to make for yourself other gods and molten images to provoke Me, and you have flung Me behind your back.9 worksJeremiah 2:30“I have struck your sons in vain; they accepted no discipline. Your own sword has devoured your prophets like a voracious lion.”7 worksJudges 2:11–12And the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals.6 worksMatthew 5:12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you.6 works
The other 12 cross-references, with their words ▾
Nehemiah 9:18Even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf and said, ‘This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt,’ and when they committed terrible blasphemies,5 worksMatthew 21:35But the tenants seized his servants. They beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.5 worksNehemiah 9:29You admonished them to turn back to Your law, but they were arrogant and disobeyed Your commandments. They sinned against Your ordinances, by which a man will live if he practices them. They stubbornly shrugged their shoulders; they stiffened their necks and would not obey.5 worksMalachi 3:7Yet from the days of your fathers, you have turned away from My statutes and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you,” says the LORD of Hosts. “But you ask, ‘How can we return?’5 worksRomans 11:3“Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars. I am the only one left, and they are seeking my life as well”?5 works1 Kings 19:10“I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of Hosts,” he replied, “but the Israelites have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I am the only one left, and they are seeking my life as well.”4 works1 Kings 18:4for when Jezebel had slaughtered the prophets of the LORD, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty men per cave, providing them with food and water.)4 worksActs 7:52Which of the prophets did your fathers fail to persecute? They even killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One. And now you are His betrayers and murderers—4 worksLuke 3:20Herod added this to them all: He locked John up in prison.4 worksLuke 20:10At harvest time, he sent a servant to the tenants to collect his share of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat the servant and sent him away empty-handed.4 worksJeremiah 7:25From the day your fathers came out of the land of Egypt until this day, I have sent you all My servants the prophets again and again.4 worksJeremiah 35:14The words of Jonadab son of Rechab have been carried out. He commanded his sons not to drink wine, and they have not drunk it to this very day because they have obeyed the command of their forefather. But I have spoken to you again and again, and you have not obeyed Me!4 works

The walk

8 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    1 Kings 19:10

    “I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of Hosts,” he replied, “but the Israelites have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I am…

    it leads to

    • 1 Kings 18:4

      for when Jezebel had slaughtered the prophets of the LORD, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty men per cave, providing them with food and water.)

    • Exodus 34:14

      For you must not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.

    • 1 Kings 18:22

      Then Elijah said to the people, “I am the only remaining prophet of the LORD, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets.

    • Exodus 20:5

      You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children to the third and fourth…

  • Through

    1 Kings 14:9

    You have done more evil than all who came before you. You have proceeded to make for yourself other gods and molten images to provoke Me, and you have flung Me behind your back.

    it leads to

    • Ezekiel 23:35

      Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because you have forgotten Me and have cast Me behind your back, you must bear the consequences of your indecency and prostitution.’”

    • Psalms 50:17

      For you hate My instruction and cast My words behind you.

    • 1 Kings 12:28

      After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves and said to the people, “Going up to Jerusalem is too much for you. Here, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out…

    • 2 Chronicles 11:15

      And Jeroboam appointed his own priests for the high places and for the goat demons and calf idols he had made.

Where this verse is studied

About Nehemiah

Nehemiah Views the Ruins of Jerusalem's Walls, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
Nehemiah Views the Ruins of Jerusalem's Walls, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
Nehemiah: the study guide →Read Nehemiah 9 →

This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.

Read on in Nehemiah 9 →