Nehemiah 9:5
in Nehemiah 9Then 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 all blessing and praise.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Then the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, Stand up and bless Jehovah your God from everlasting to everlasting; and blessed be thy glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise.
KJV
Then the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, Stand up and bless the Lord your God for ever and ever: and blessed be thy glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise.
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This verse in Nehemiah 9
Commentary
7 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Stand up - The people had knelt to confess and to worship God Neh 9:3. They were now to take the proper attitude for praise. Compare throughout the margin reference.
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 Awakening3 voices
The congregation is called upon to signify their concurrence herewith by standing up; and so the minister directs himself to God, Blessed be thy glorious name. As the only living and true God: Thou art Jehovah alone, self-existent and independent; there is no God besides thee. As the Creator of all things: Thou hast made heaven, earth, and seas, and all that is in them.
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
Then the Levites, Jeshua,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Then the Levites . . . said, Stand up and bless the Lord your God--If this prayer was uttered by all these Levites in common, it must have been prepared and adopted beforehand, perhaps, by Ezra; but it may only embody the substance of the confession and thanksgiving.
Stand up and bless the Lord your God - It is the shameless custom of many congregations of people to sit still while they profess to bless and praise God, by singing the Psalms of David or hymns made on the plan of the Gospel! I ask such persons, Did they ever feel the spirit of devotion while thus employed? If they do, it must be owned that, by the prevalence of habit, they have counteracted the influence of an attitude most friendly to such acts of devotion.
The words behind it
27 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ | vaiyomeru | and they said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| הַלְוִיִּ֡ם | halviyim | the Levites | H3881 → | 291 times |
| יֵשׁ֣וּעַ | yeshua' | Jeshua | H3442 → | 29 times |
| וְ֠קַדְמִיאֵל | vekadmiel | and Kadmiel | H6934 → | 8 times |
| בָּנִ֨י | bani | Bani | H1137 → | 16 times |
| חֲשַׁבְנְיָ֜ה | chashavneyah | Hashabneiah | H2813 → | |
| שֵׁרֵֽבְיָ֤ה | shereveyah | Sherebiah | H8274 → | 8 times |
| הֽוֹדִיָּה֙ | hodiyah | Hodiah | H1941 → | 5 times |
| שְׁבַנְיָ֣ה | shevanyah | Shebaniah | H7645 → | 7 times |
| פְתַֽחְיָ֔ה | fetachyah | Pethahiah | H6611 → | |
| ק֗וּמוּ | kumu | arise | H6965 → | 628 times |
| בָּרֲכוּ֙ | barakhu | bless | H1288 → | 330 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| יְהוָ֣ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶ֔ם | ʾeloheikhem | God your | H430 → | 2601 times |
| מִן־ | min- | from | H4480 → | 1188 times |
| הָעוֹלָ֖ם | haolam | <the> antiquity | H5769 → | 438 times |
| עַד־ | ʾad- | until | H5704 → | 1261 times |
| הָעוֹלָ֑ם | haolam | <the> perpetuity | H5769 → | 438 times |
| וִיבָֽרְכוּ֙ | vivarekhu | and may people bless | H1288 → | 330 times |
| שֵׁ֣ם | shem | [the] name of | H8034 → | 864 times |
| כְּבוֹדֶ֔ךָ | kevodekha | glory your | H3519 → | |
| וּמְרוֹמַ֥ם | umeromam | and [may it] be exalted | H7311 → | |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | above | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| בְּרָכָ֖ה | berakhah | blessing | H1293 → | |
| וּתְהִלָּֽה׃ | utehilah | and praise | H8416 → |
וַיֹּאמְר֣וּand they said
vaiyomeruH559 →5305 times
הַלְוִיִּ֡םthe Levites
halviyimH3881 →291 times
יֵשׁ֣וּעַJeshua
yeshua'H3442 →29 times
וְ֠קַדְמִיאֵלand Kadmiel
vekadmielH6934 →8 times
בָּנִ֨יBani
baniH1137 →16 times
חֲשַׁבְנְיָ֜הHashabneiah
chashavneyahH2813 →
שֵׁרֵֽבְיָ֤הSherebiah
shereveyahH8274 →8 times
הֽוֹדִיָּה֙Hodiah
hodiyahH1941 →5 times
שְׁבַנְיָ֣הShebaniah
shevanyahH7645 →7 times
פְתַֽחְיָ֔הPethahiah
fetachyahH6611 →
ק֗וּמוּarise
kumuH6965 →628 times
בָּרֲכוּ֙bless
barakhuH1288 →330 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
יְהוָ֣הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶ֔םGod your
ʾeloheikhemH430 →2601 times
מִן־from
min-H4480 →1188 times
הָעוֹלָ֖ם<the> antiquity
haolamH5769 →438 times
עַד־until
ʾad-H5704 →1261 times
הָעוֹלָ֑ם<the> perpetuity
haolamH5769 →438 times
וִיבָֽרְכוּ֙and may people bless
vivarekhuH1288 →330 times
שֵׁ֣ם[the] name of
shemH8034 →864 times
כְּבוֹדֶ֔ךָglory your
kevodekhaH3519 →
וּמְרוֹמַ֥םand [may it] be exalted
umeromamH7311 →
עַל־above
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
כָּל־all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
בְּרָכָ֖הblessing
berakhahH1293 →
וּתְהִלָּֽה׃and praise
utehilahH8416 →
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
2 Corinthians 4:6For 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…
it leads to
- Isaiah 60:2
For behold, darkness covers the earth, and thick darkness is over the peoples; but the LORD will rise upon you, and His glory will appear over you.
- Genesis 1:3
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
- 1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
- 2 Peter 1:19
We also have the word of the prophets as confirmed beyond doubt. And you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day…
- Isaiah 60:2
Through
1 Peter 1:3Blessed 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,
it leads to
- 1 Peter 1:23
For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
- 1 John 5:4
because everyone born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world: our faith.
- Romans 15:13
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
- Titus 3:4–6
But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared,
- 1 Peter 1:23
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Nehemiah

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; 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.
