Nehemiah 1:6
in Nehemiah 1let Your eyes be open and Your ears attentive to hear the prayer that I, Your servant, now pray before You day and night for Your servants, the Israelites. I confess the sins that we Israelites have committed against You. Both I and my father’s house have sinned.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee at this time, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, while I confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee. Yea, I and my father’s house have sinned:
KJV
Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father’s house have sinned.
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This verse in Nehemiah 1
Commentary
6 notes on this verseHis penitent confession of sin; not only Israel has sinned (it was no great mortification to him to own that), but I and my father's house have sinned,
This site's exposition
the great and awesome God
on Nehemiah 1:5-6
Nehemiah asks that God's eyes be open and His ears attentive, then turns it on himself: "Both I and my father’s house have sinned" (1:6). He counts his own house inside Israel's guilt.
This site's exposition
day and night for Your servants
The prayer calls Nehemiah, Moses and the people by one word, servant, seven times between verses 6 and 11. Day and night marks a prayer kept up across months. Matthew Henry observes that owning Israel's sin cost Nehemiah little, and naming the sin of his own family cost him more.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
18 ) that he offered sacrifice, we must conclude him to have been a priest. Nehemiah's station at the court of Persia. We are here told that he was in Shushan the palace, or royal city, of the king of Persia, where the court was ordinarily kept (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-citation-number
Let thine ear be now attentive,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
Let thine ear - Hear what we say and confess. Thine eyes open - see what we suffer.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
I beseech You Heb. אָנָא, an expression of request and supplication.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 2 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
33 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| תְּהִ֣י | tehi | may it be | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| נָ֣א | na' | please | H4994 → | 404 times |
| אָזְנְךָֽ־ | ʾazenekha- | ear your | H241 → | 187 times |
| קַשֶּׁ֣בֶת | kashevet | attentive | H7183 → | |
| וְֽעֵינֶ֪יךָ | veeineikha | and eyes your | H5869 → | 887 times |
| פְתֻוּח֟וֹת | fetuvchot | open | H6605 → | 144 times |
| לִשְׁמֹ֣עַ | lishmoa' | to listen | H8085 → | 1159 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| תְּפִלַּ֣ת | tefilat | [the] prayer of | H8605 → | 72 times |
| עַבְדְּךָ֡ | ʾavdekha | servant your | H5650 → | 799 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| אָנֹכִי֩ | ʾanokhi | I | H595 → | |
| מִתְפַּלֵּ֨ל | mitpalel | [am] praying | H6419 → | 84 times |
| לְפָנֶ֤יךָ | lefaneikha | <to> before you | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| הַיּוֹם֙ | haiyom | this day | H3117 → | 2304 times |
| יוֹמָ֣ם | yomam | by day | H3119 → | 50 times |
| וָלַ֔יְלָה | valaylah | and night | H3915 → | 233 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| בְּנֵ֥י | benei | [the] people of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| עֲבָדֶ֑יךָ | ʾavadeikha | servants your | H5650 → | 799 times |
| וּמִתְוַדֶּ֗ה | umitvadeh | and [am] confessing | H3034 → | 114 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| חַטֹּ֤אות | chatot | [the] sins of | H2403 → | 295 times |
| בְּנֵֽי־ | benei- | [the] people of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| חָטָ֣אנוּ | chatanu | we have sinned | H2398 → | 238 times |
| לָ֔ךְ | lakh | to you | ||
| וַאֲנִ֥י | vaani | and I | H589 → | 874 times |
| וּבֵית־ | uveit- | and [the] house of | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| אָבִ֖י | ʾavi | father my | H1 → | 1212 times |
| חָטָֽאנוּ׃ | chatanu | we have sinned | H2398 → | 238 times |
תְּהִ֣יmay it be
tehiH1961 →3559 times
נָ֣אplease
na'H4994 →404 times
אָזְנְךָֽ־ear your
ʾazenekha-H241 →187 times
קַשֶּׁ֣בֶתattentive
kashevetH7183 →
וְֽעֵינֶ֪יךָand eyes your
veeineikhaH5869 →887 times
פְתֻוּח֟וֹתopen
fetuvchotH6605 →144 times
לִשְׁמֹ֣עַto listen
lishmoa'H8085 →1159 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
תְּפִלַּ֣ת[the] prayer of
tefilatH8605 →72 times
עַבְדְּךָ֡servant your
ʾavdekhaH5650 →799 times
אֲשֶׁ֣רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
אָנֹכִי֩I
ʾanokhiH595 →
מִתְפַּלֵּ֨ל[am] praying
mitpalelH6419 →84 times
לְפָנֶ֤יךָ<to> before you
lefaneikhaH6440 →2123 times
הַיּוֹם֙this day
haiyomH3117 →2304 times
יוֹמָ֣םby day
yomamH3119 →50 times
וָלַ֔יְלָהand night
valaylahH3915 →233 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
בְּנֵ֥י[the] people of
beneiH1121 →4930 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֖לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
עֲבָדֶ֑יךָservants your
ʾavadeikhaH5650 →799 times
וּמִתְוַדֶּ֗הand [am] confessing
umitvadehH3034 →114 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
חַטֹּ֤אות[the] sins of
chatotH2403 →295 times
בְּנֵֽי־[the] people of
benei-H1121 →4930 times
יִשְׂרָאֵל֙Israel
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
אֲשֶׁ֣רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
חָטָ֣אנוּwe have sinned
chatanuH2398 →238 times
לָ֔ךְto you
lakh
וַאֲנִ֥יand I
vaaniH589 →874 times
וּבֵית־and [the] house of
uveit-H1004 →2046 times
אָבִ֖יfather my
ʾaviH1 →1212 times
חָטָֽאנוּ׃we have sinned
chatanuH2398 →238 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
Psalms 34:15The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are inclined to their cry.
it leads to
- 1 Peter 3:12
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are inclined to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
- Psalms 34:17
The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears; He delivers them from all their troubles.
- Psalms 33:18
Surely the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His loving devotion
- Job 36:7
He does not take His eyes off the righteous, but He enthrones them with kings and exalts them forever.
- Psalms 130:2
O Lord, hear my voice; let Your ears be attentive to my plea for mercy.
- 1 Peter 3:12
Through
Daniel 9:4And I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed, “O, Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant of loving devotion to those who love Him and keep His commandments,
it leads to
- Romans 8:28
And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.
- Exodus 20:6
but showing loving devotion to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.
- Deuteronomy 5:10
but showing loving devotion to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.
- Romans 8:28
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies3
About Nehemiah
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.