Nehemiah 9:23
in Nehemiah 9You multiplied their descendants like the stars of heaven and brought them to the land You had told their fathers to enter and possess.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Their children also multipliedst thou as the stars of heaven, and broughtest them into the land concerning which thou didst say to their fathers, that they should go in to possess it.
KJV
Their children also multipliedst thou as the stars of heaven, and broughtest them into the land, concerning which thou hadst promised to their fathers, that they should go in to possess it.
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This verse in Nehemiah 9
Commentary
5 notes on this verseTheir children also multipliedst thou as the stars of heaven,.... Fulfilling the promise made to Abraham, Gen 15:5 their number when they came out of Egypt, and just before they entered into the land of Canaan, being upwards of 600,000 men, besides women and children, Exo 12:37 and broughtest them into the land, concerning which thou hadst promised to their fathers, that they should go in to possess it; the land of Canaan, promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and their seed, into which the Lord brought them by Joshua; he was the instrument, but the thing was of God.
This site's exposition
allotted to them every corner of the land
on Nehemiah 9:22-25
Four verses carry the conquest at speed: "the land of Sihon king of Heshbon and of Og king of Bashan". They took "fortified cities and fertile land," and "delighted in Your great goodness," an inheritance received as a gift. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown read the corners as tribal allotments.
This site's exposition
You multiplied their descendants like the stars
Moses had already told Israel at Deuteronomy 1:10 that they were as numerous as the stars in the sky. John Gill counts upwards of 600,000 men leaving Egypt, Exodus 12:37, and names Joshua as the instrument of the entry. The work, he adds, was God's.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
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 Century1 voice
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.
The words behind it
12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וּבְנֵיהֶ֣ם | uveneihem | and children their | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| הִרְבִּ֔יתָ | hirbita | you increased | H7235 → | 227 times |
| כְּכֹכְבֵ֖י | kechokhevei | like [the] stars of | H3556 → | |
| הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם | hashamayim | the heavens | H8064 → | 421 times |
| וַתְּבִיאֵם֙ | vateviem | and you brought them | H935 → | 2568 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | into | H413 → | 5510 times |
| הָאָ֔רֶץ | haaretz | the land | H776 → | 2504 times |
| אֲשֶׁר־ | ʾasher- | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| אָמַ֥רְתָּ | ʾamarta | you had said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| לַאֲבֹתֵיהֶ֖ם | laavoteihem | to ancestors their | H1 → | 1212 times |
| לָב֥וֹא | lavo' | to go | H935 → | 2568 times |
| לָרָֽשֶׁת׃ | larashet | to take possession of | H3423 → | 231 times |
וּבְנֵיהֶ֣םand children their
uveneihemH1121 →4930 times
הִרְבִּ֔יתָyou increased
hirbitaH7235 →227 times
כְּכֹכְבֵ֖יlike [the] stars of
kechokheveiH3556 →
הַשָּׁמָ֑יִםthe heavens
hashamayimH8064 →421 times
וַתְּבִיאֵם֙and you brought them
vateviemH935 →2568 times
אֶל־into
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
הָאָ֔רֶץthe land
haaretzH776 →2504 times
אֲשֶׁר־which
ʾasher-H834 →5497 times
אָמַ֥רְתָּyou had said
ʾamartaH559 →5305 times
לַאֲבֹתֵיהֶ֖םto ancestors their
laavoteihemH1 →1212 times
לָב֥וֹאto go
lavo'H935 →2568 times
לָרָֽשֶׁת׃to take possession of
larashetH3423 →231 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
Genesis 15:18On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this land—from the river of Egypt to the great River Euphrates—
it leads to
- Genesis 13:15
for all the land that you see, I will give to you and your offspring forever.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Joshua 1:3–4
I have given you every place where the sole of your foot will tread, just as I promised to Moses.
- Genesis 12:7
Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your offspring.” So Abram built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.
- Genesis 13:15
Through
Genesis 15:5And the LORD took him outside and said, “Now look to the heavens and count the stars, if you are able.” Then He told him, “So shall your offspring be.”
it leads to
- Hebrews 11:12
And so from one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
- Hebrews 11:12
Through
Genesis 22:17I will surely bless you, and I will multiply your descendants like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will possess the gates of their enemies.
it leads to
- Genesis 15:5
And the LORD took him outside and said, “Now look to the heavens and count the stars, if you are able.” Then He told him, “So shall your offspring be.”
- Genesis 24:60
And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, “Our sister, may you become the mother of thousands upon thousands. May your offspring possess the gates of their enemies.”
- Jeremiah 33:22
As the hosts of heaven cannot be counted and as the sand on the seashore cannot be measured, so too will I multiply the descendants of My servant David and the Levites who minister…
- Genesis 15:5
Through
Genesis 26:3Stay in this land as a foreigner, and I will be with you and bless you. For I will give all these lands to you and your offspring, and I will confirm the oath…
it leads to
- Genesis 28:15
Look, I am with you, and I will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what…
- Genesis 28:15
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies5
About Nehemiah
This page draws on Jamieson Fausset and Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; 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.