Nehemiah 9:25
in Nehemiah 9They captured fortified cities and fertile land and took houses full of all goods, wells already dug, vineyards, olive groves, and fruit trees in abundance. So they ate and were filled; they grew fat and delighted in Your great goodness.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And they took fortified cities, and a fat land, and possessed houses full of all good things, cisterns hewn out, vineyards, and oliveyards, and fruit-trees in abundance: so they did eat, and were filled, and became fat, and delighted themselves in thy great goodness.
KJV
And they took strong cities, and a fat land, and possessed houses full of all goods, wells digged, vineyards, and oliveyards, and fruit trees in abundance: so they did eat, and were filled, and became fat, and delighted themselves in thy great goodness.
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This verse in Nehemiah 9
Commentary
8 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Became fat. - i. e., “grew proud,” or “wanton” - a phrase only occurring here, in the margin reference, and in Jer 5:28. Delighted themselves - Rather, “luxuriated.” The word in the original does not occur elsewhere; but cognate terms make the sense clear.
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
houses full of all goods
Deuteronomy 6:10-11 had foretold these gifts: great cities, houses full of good things, wells, vineyards and olive groves Israel had never worked for. Albert Barnes reads grew fat as grew proud, a phrase he finds again at Jeremiah 5:28. Deuteronomy 32:15 warned of exactly this.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 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
And they took strong cities,....
They could not wish to be more easy or happy than they were, or might have been, in Canaan, had it not been their own fault. (8.) God's great readiness to pardon their sins, and work deliverance for them, when they had by their provocations brought his judgments upon themselves.
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.
Became fat, and delighted themselves - They became effeminate, fell under the power of luxury, got totally corrupted in their manners, sinned against all the mercies of God, and then were destroyed by his judgments. We have an old nervous saying, “War begets poverty, poverty begets peace, peace begets affluence, affluence begets luxury and corruption of manners; and hence civil broils, foreign wars, and desolations.” A sensible Roman historian has said the same: “Imperium facile iis artibus retinetur, quibus initio partum est: verum ubi pro Labore, Desidia; pro continentia et aequitate, Libido atque Superbia invasere: fortuna simul cum moribus Immutatur.”
The words behind it
23 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַֽיִּלְכְּד֞וּ | vaiyilkedu | and they captured | H3920 → | |
| עָרִ֣ים | ʾarim | cities | H5892 → | 1090 times |
| בְּצֻרוֹת֮ | betzurot | fortified | H1219 → | |
| וַאֲדָמָ֣ה | vaadamah | and ground | H127 → | 225 times |
| שְׁמֵנָה֒ | shemenah | fertile | H8082 → | |
| וַיִּֽירְשׁ֡וּ | vaiyireshu | and they took possession of | H3423 → | 231 times |
| בָּתִּ֣ים | batim | houses | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| מְלֵֽאִים־ | meleim- | full | H4392 → | |
| כָּל־ | kol- | every | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| ט֠וּב | tuv | good thing | H2898 → | 32 times |
| בֹּר֨וֹת | borot | wells | H953 → | |
| חֲצוּבִ֜ים | chatzuvim | dug out | H2672 → | |
| כְּרָמִ֧ים | keramim | vineyards | H3754 → | 92 times |
| וְזֵיתִ֛ים | vezeitim | and olive trees | H2132 → | 38 times |
| וְעֵ֥ץ | veetz | and tree[s] of | H6086 → | 328 times |
| מַאֲכָ֖ל | maakhal | food | H3978 → | |
| לָרֹ֑ב | laro | to abundance | H7230 → | |
| וַיֹּאכְל֤וּ | vaiyokhelu | and they ate | H398 → | 810 times |
| וַֽיִּשְׂבְּעוּ֙ | vaiyisbeu | and they were satisfied | H7646 → | |
| וַיַּשְׁמִ֔ינוּ | vaiyashminu | and they grew fat | H8080 → | |
| וַיִּֽתְעַדְּנ֖וּ | vaiyitadenu | and they luxuriated | H5727 → | |
| בְּטוּבְךָ֥ | betuvekha | in goodness your | H2898 → | 32 times |
| הַגָּדֽוֹל׃ | hagadol | <the> great | H1419 → | 526 times |
וַֽיִּלְכְּד֞וּand they captured
vaiyilkeduH3920 →
עָרִ֣יםcities
ʾarimH5892 →1090 times
בְּצֻרוֹת֮fortified
betzurotH1219 →
וַאֲדָמָ֣הand ground
vaadamahH127 →225 times
שְׁמֵנָה֒fertile
shemenahH8082 →
וַיִּֽירְשׁ֡וּand they took possession of
vaiyireshuH3423 →231 times
בָּתִּ֣יםhouses
batimH1004 →2046 times
מְלֵֽאִים־full
meleim-H4392 →
כָּל־every
kol-H3605 →5413 times
ט֠וּבgood thing
tuvH2898 →32 times
בֹּר֨וֹתwells
borotH953 →
חֲצוּבִ֜יםdug out
chatzuvimH2672 →
כְּרָמִ֧יםvineyards
keramimH3754 →92 times
וְזֵיתִ֛יםand olive trees
vezeitimH2132 →38 times
וְעֵ֥ץand tree[s] of
veetzH6086 →328 times
מַאֲכָ֖לfood
maakhalH3978 →
לָרֹ֑בto abundance
laroH7230 →
וַיֹּאכְל֤וּand they ate
vaiyokheluH398 →810 times
וַֽיִּשְׂבְּעוּ֙and they were satisfied
vaiyisbeuH7646 →
וַיַּשְׁמִ֔ינוּand they grew fat
vaiyashminuH8080 →
וַיִּֽתְעַדְּנ֖וּand they luxuriated
vaiyitadenuH5727 →
בְּטוּבְךָ֥in goodness your
betuvekhaH2898 →32 times
הַגָּדֽוֹל׃<the> great
hagadolH1419 →526 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
Deuteronomy 32:15But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked—becoming fat, bloated, and gorged. He abandoned the God who made him and scorned the Rock of his salvation.
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 31:20
When I have brought them into the land that I swore to give their fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey, they will eat their fill and prosper. Then they will turn to…
- Hosea 13:6
When they had pasture, they became satisfied; when they were satisfied, their hearts became proud, and as a result they forgot Me.
- Deuteronomy 33:5
So the LORD became King in Jeshurun when the leaders of the people gathered, when the tribes of Israel came together.
- 1 Samuel 2:29
Why then do you kick at My sacrifice and offering that I have prescribed for My dwelling place? You have honored your sons more than Me by fattening yourselves with the best of all…
- Deuteronomy 31:20
Through
Deuteronomy 32:13He made him ride on the heights of the land and fed him the produce of the field. He nourished him with honey from the rock and oil from the flinty crag,
it leads to
- Isaiah 58:14
then you will delight yourself in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the land and feed you with the heritage of your father Jacob.” For the mouth of…
- Job 29:6
when my steps were bathed in cream and the rock poured out for me streams of oil!
- Psalms 81:16
But I would feed you the finest wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”
- Isaiah 58:14
Through
Nehemiah 9:35For even while they were in their kingdom, with the abundant goodness that You had given them, and in the spacious and fertile land that You had set before them, they would not serve…
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 28:47
Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and gladness of heart in all your abundance,
- Deuteronomy 28:47
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies5
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 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; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.