Nehemiah 9:4
in Nehemiah 9And the Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani—stood on the raised platform and cried out in a loud voice to the LORD their God.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Then stood up upon the stairs of the Levites, Jeshua, and Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani, and cried with a loud voice unto Jehovah their God.
KJV
Then stood up upon the stairs, of the Levites, Jeshua, and Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani, and cried with a loud voice unto the Lord their God.
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This verse in Nehemiah 9
Commentary
6 notes on this verseThen stood up upon the stairs of the Levites,.... On an ascent; an elevated place where the Levites used to stand when they sang at the time of sacrifice, and where they might be seen and heard by the people: Jeshua and Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani; who seem to be all Levites, see Neh 8:7, and cried with a loud voice unto the Lord their God; praying with great fervency, and making bitter lamentation for the sins of the people and their own.
This site's exposition
cried with a loud voice
on Nehemiah 9:4-5
Named Levites stand upon a raised platform, which Gill reads as the place where the Levites had always stood to be seen and heard, and cry to the Lord their God with a loud voice fit for a crowd this size. A second company then calls the people to their feet with an imperative, Stand up and bless the Lord your God for ever and ever, and the prayer that follows addresses a God whose glorious name is exalted above all blessing and praise. Matthew Henry treats the recital as a directory the Levites had prepared beforehand, since confessing and worshipping God for two fourths of a day required more order than a single unrehearsed voice could carry. The congregation's posture turns from kneeling confession to standing praise between one verse and the next.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
The summary of their prayers we have here upon record; whether drawn up before, as a directory to the Levites what to enlarge on, or recollected after, as the heads of what they had in prayer enlarged upon, is uncertain. Much more no doubt was said than is here recorded, else confessing and worshipping God would not have taken up a fourth part of the day, much less two-fourths.
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
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
The Septuagint and the Vulgate remove the comma after “stairs.” By the “stairs (or scaffold) of the Levites” is to be understood as an elevated platform from which they could the better address and lead the people (compare Neh 8:4).
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
There were probably several placed at convenient distances, to prevent confusion and the voice of one drowning those of the others. cried with a loud voice unto the Lord--Such an exertion, of course, was indispensably necessary, in order that the speakers might be heard by the vast multitude congregated in the open air.
The words behind it
18 Hebrew wordsEvery 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.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיָּ֜קָם | vaiyakom | and he stood | H6965 → | 628 times |
| עַֽל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| מַֽעֲלֵ֣ה | maaleh | [the] platform of | H4608 → | |
| הַלְוִיִּ֗ם | halviyim | the Levites | H3881 → | 291 times |
| יֵשׁ֨וּעַ | yeshua' | Jeshua | H3442 → | 29 times |
| וּבָנִ֜י | uvani | and Bani | H1137 → | 16 times |
| קַדְמִיאֵ֧ל | kadmiel | Kadmiel | H6934 → | 8 times |
| שְׁבַנְיָ֛ה | shevanyah | Shebaniah | H7645 → | 7 times |
| בֻּנִּ֥י | buni | Bunni | H1138 → | 3 times |
| שֵׁרֵבְיָ֖ה | shereveyah | Sherebiah | H8274 → | 8 times |
| בָּנִ֣י | bani | Bani | H1137 → | 16 times |
| כְנָ֑נִי | khenani | Kenani | H3662 → | |
| וַֽיִּזְעֲקוּ֙ | vaiyizaku | and they cried out | H2199 → | |
| בְּק֣וֹל | bekol | with a voice | H6963 → | 506 times |
| גָּד֔וֹל | gadol | great | H1419 → | 526 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| יְהוָ֖ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אֱלֹהֵיהֶֽם׃ | ʾeloheihem | God their | H430 → | 2601 times |
וַיָּ֜קָםand he stood
vaiyakomH6965 →628 times
עַֽל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
מַֽעֲלֵ֣ה[the] platform of
maalehH4608 →
הַלְוִיִּ֗םthe Levites
halviyimH3881 →291 times
יֵשׁ֨וּעַJeshua
yeshua'H3442 →29 times
וּבָנִ֜יand Bani
uvaniH1137 →16 times
קַדְמִיאֵ֧לKadmiel
kadmielH6934 →8 times
שְׁבַנְיָ֛הShebaniah
shevanyahH7645 →7 times
בֻּנִּ֥יBunni
buniH1138 →3 times
שֵׁרֵבְיָ֖הSherebiah
shereveyahH8274 →8 times
בָּנִ֣יBani
baniH1137 →16 times
כְנָ֑נִיKenani
khenaniH3662 →
וַֽיִּזְעֲקוּ֙and they cried out
vaiyizakuH2199 →
בְּק֣וֹלwith a voice
bekolH6963 →506 times
גָּד֔וֹלgreat
gadolH1419 →526 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
יְהוָ֖הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
אֱלֹהֵיהֶֽם׃God their
ʾeloheihemH430 →2601 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach 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
Nehemiah 9:5Then the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah—said, “Stand up and bless the LORD your God from everlasting to everlasting: Blessed be Your glorious name, and may it be exalted above…
it leads to
- Psalms 103:1–2
Bless the LORD, O my soul; all that is within me, bless His holy name.
- 2 Corinthians 4:6
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of…
- 1 Peter 1:3
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
- Psalms 103:1–2
Through
Nehemiah 8:7The Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah—instructed the people in the Law as they stood in their places.
it leads to
- Leviticus 10:11
so that you may teach the Israelites all the statutes that the LORD has given them through Moses.”
- Ezra 10:22–23
From the descendants of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah.
- Nehemiah 3:23
Beyond them, Benjamin and Hasshub made repairs in front of their house, and next to them, Azariah son of Maaseiah, the son of Ananiah, made repairs beside his house.
- Leviticus 10:11
Through
2 Chronicles 20:19And the Levites from the Kohathites and Korahites stood up to praise the LORD, the God of Israel, shouting in a very loud voice.
it leads to
- 1 Chronicles 16:5
Asaph was the chief, Zechariah was second, then Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-edom, and Jeiel. They were to play the harps and lyres, while Asaph sounded the cymbals
- 1 Chronicles 16:5
Through
Nehemiah 12:8The Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah, who, with his associates, led the songs of thanksgiving.
it leads to
- Nehemiah 11:17
Mattaniah son of Mica, the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph, who led in thanksgiving and prayer; Bakbukiah, second among his associates; and Abda son of Shammua, the son of Galal, the son…
- Nehemiah 11:17
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Nehemiah
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 (1748-1763); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.