Nehemiah 1:7
in Nehemiah 1We have behaved corruptly against You and have not kept the commandments, statutes, and ordinances that You gave Your servant Moses.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
we have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses.
KJV
We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses.
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This verse in Nehemiah 1
Commentary
5 notes on this verseHave not kept thy commandments - The moral precepts by which our lives should be regulated. Statutes - What refers to the rites and ceremonies of thy religion. Judgments - The precepts of justice relative to our conduct to each other.
This site's exposition
We have behaved corruptly against You
on Nehemiah 1:7-9
Verse 8 recites the warning of Moses back to God: "If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations" (1:8). Verse 9 recites the other half, the promise of Deuteronomy 30 to gather exiles, so the petition rests on a word God had already spoken.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 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
We have dealt very corruptly against thee,.... Corrupted his covenant, laws, and precepts, as well as themselves, ways, and works; all which were against the Lord, contrary to his nature, mind, and will: and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses; the laws, moral, ceremonial, and judicial.
In the confession of sin, let these two things be owned as the malignity of it--that it is a corruption of ourselves and an affront to God; it is dealing corruptly against God, setting up the corruptions of our own hearts in opposition to the commands of God. The pleas he urges for mercy for his people Israel.
The words behind it
16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| חֲבֹ֖ל | chavol | surely <to act corruptly> | H2254 → | |
| חָבַ֣לְנוּ | chavalnu | we have acted corruptly | H2254 → | |
| לָ֑ךְ | lakh | to you | ||
| וְלֹא־ | velo'- | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| שָׁמַ֣רְנוּ | shamarnu | we have kept | H8104 → | 468 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הַמִּצְוֹ֗ת | hamitzvot | the commandments | H4687 → | 181 times |
| וְאֶת־ | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הַֽחֻקִּים֙ | hachukim | the statutes | H2706 → | 127 times |
| וְאֶת־ | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הַמִּשְׁפָּטִ֔ים | hamishpatim | the judgments | H4941 → | 422 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֥ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| צִוִּ֖יתָ | tzivita | you commanded | H6680 → | 494 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| מֹשֶׁ֥ה | mosheh | Moses | H4872 → | 765 times |
| עַבְדֶּֽךָ׃ | ʾavdekha | servant your | H5650 → | 799 times |
חֲבֹ֖לsurely <to act corruptly>
chavolH2254 →
חָבַ֣לְנוּwe have acted corruptly
chavalnuH2254 →
לָ֑ךְto you
lakh
וְלֹא־and not
velo'-H3808 →5168 times
שָׁמַ֣רְנוּwe have kept
shamarnuH8104 →468 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הַמִּצְוֹ֗תthe commandments
hamitzvotH4687 →181 times
וְאֶת־and <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
הַֽחֻקִּים֙the statutes
hachukimH2706 →127 times
וְאֶת־and <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
הַמִּשְׁפָּטִ֔יםthe judgments
hamishpatimH4941 →422 times
אֲשֶׁ֥רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
צִוִּ֖יתָyou commanded
tzivitaH6680 →494 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
מֹשֶׁ֥הMoses
moshehH4872 →765 times
עַבְדֶּֽךָ׃servant your
ʾavdekhaH5650 →799 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
Daniel 9:13Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us, yet we have not sought the favor of the LORD our God by turning from our iniquities…
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 28:15–68
If, however, you do not obey the LORD your God by carefully following all His commandments and statutes I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Isaiah 9:13
But the people did not return to Him who struck them; they did not seek the LORD of Hosts.
- Jeremiah 2:30
“I have struck your sons in vain; they accepted no discipline. Your own sword has devoured your prophets like a voracious lion.”
- Daniel 9:11
All Israel has transgressed Your law and turned away, refusing to obey Your voice; so the oath and the curse written in the Law of Moses the servant of God has been poured out…
- Leviticus 26:14–46
If, however, you fail to obey Me and to carry out all these commandments,
- Deuteronomy 28:15–68
Through
Daniel 9:11All Israel has transgressed Your law and turned away, refusing to obey Your voice; so the oath and the curse written in the Law of Moses the servant of God has been poured out…
it leads to
- Jeremiah 8:5–10
Why then have these people turned away? Why does Jerusalem always turn away? They cling to deceit; they refuse to return.
- Isaiah 1:4–6
Alas, O sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children of depravity! They have forsaken the LORD; they have despised the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on…
- Jeremiah 8:5–10
Through
Psalms 106:6We have sinned like our fathers; we have done wrong and acted wickedly.
it leads to
- Nehemiah 9:16
But they and our fathers became arrogant and stiff-necked and did not obey Your commandments.
- Nehemiah 9:16
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies3
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; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.