Nehemiah 9:7
in Nehemiah 9You are the LORD, the God who chose Abram, who brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and gave him the name Abraham.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Thou art Jehovah the God, who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham,
KJV
Thou art the Lord the God, who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham;
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This verse in Nehemiah 9
Commentary
6 notes on this verseGod's favour to him was distinguishing: "Thou didst choose him." His grace in him was powerful to bring him out of Ur of the Chaldees, and, in giving him the name of Abraham, he put honour upon him as his own and assured him that he should be the father of many nations. Look unto Abraham your father ( Isa. li. 2 ) and see free grace glorified in him.
This site's exposition
Ur of the Chaldeans
on Nehemiah 9:7-8
The prayer moves from creation to election: "the God who chose Abram, who brought him out of Ur" (9:7). Verse 8 adds the covenant's ground, "You found his heart faithful." It closes on "You have kept Your promise, because You are righteous," the note the prayer keeps returning to.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
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
Thou art the Lord the God, who didst choose Abram,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
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.
Who didst choose Abram - See the notes on Exo 13:21 (note). The name of Abraham - For the explanation of this name, See the notes on Gen 17:5.
The words behind it
13 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| אַתָּה־ | ʾatah- | you | H859 → | 1094 times |
| הוּא֙ | hu' | he | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| יְהוָ֣ה | yahweh | [are] Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| הָאֱלֹהִ֔ים | haelohim | <the> God | H430 → | 2601 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֤ר | ʾasher | who | H834 → | 5497 times |
| בָּחַ֙רְתָּ֙ | bacharta | you chose | H977 → | |
| בְּאַבְרָ֔ם | beavram | <in> Abram | H87 → | |
| וְהוֹצֵאת֖וֹ | vehotzeto | and you brought out him | H3318 → | 1067 times |
| מֵא֣וּר | meur | from Ur | H218 → | |
| כַּשְׂדִּ֑ים | kasdim | of [the] Chaldeans | H3778 → | |
| וְשַׂ֥מְתָּ | vesamta | and you made | H7760 → | |
| שְּׁמ֖וֹ | shemo | name his | H8034 → | 864 times |
| אַבְרָהָֽם׃ | ʾavraham | Abraham | H85 → |
אַתָּה־you
ʾatah-H859 →1094 times
הוּא֙he
hu'H1931 →1879 times
יְהוָ֣ה[are] Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
הָאֱלֹהִ֔ים<the> God
haelohimH430 →2601 times
אֲשֶׁ֤רwho
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
בָּחַ֙רְתָּ֙you chose
bachartaH977 →
בְּאַבְרָ֔ם<in> Abram
beavramH87 →
וְהוֹצֵאת֖וֹand you brought out him
vehotzetoH3318 →1067 times
מֵא֣וּרfrom Ur
meurH218 →
כַּשְׂדִּ֑יםof [the] Chaldeans
kasdimH3778 →
וְשַׂ֥מְתָּand you made
vesamtaH7760 →
שְּׁמ֖וֹname his
shemoH8034 →864 times
אַבְרָהָֽם׃Abraham
ʾavrahamH85 →
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
Genesis 17:5No longer will you be called Abram, but your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.
it leads to
- Matthew 1:21–23
She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”
- Matthew 1:21–23
Through
Isaiah 51:2Look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah who gave you birth. When I called him, he was but one; then I blessed him and multiplied him.
it leads to
- Ezekiel 33:24
“Son of man, those living in the ruins in the land of Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one man, yet he possessed the land. But we are many; surely the land has been…
- Galatians 3:9–14
So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
- Romans 4:1–5
What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, has discovered?
- Ezekiel 33:24
Through
Genesis 11:31And Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai the wife of Abram, and they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans for the land of Canaan.…
it leads to
- Acts 7:2–4
And Stephen declared: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran,
- Genesis 12:4
So Abram departed, as the LORD had directed him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.
- Genesis 15:7
The LORD also told him, “I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”
- Acts 7:2–4
Through
Deuteronomy 10:15Yet the LORD has set His affection on your fathers and loved them. And He has chosen you, their descendants after them, above all the peoples, even to this day.
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 4:37
Because He loved your fathers, He chose their descendants after them and brought you out of Egypt by His presence and great power,
- Deuteronomy 4:37
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Nehemiah
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.