Nehemiah 9:29
in Nehemiah 9You admonished them to turn back to Your law, but they were arrogant and disobeyed Your commandments. They sinned against Your ordinances, by which a man will live if he practices them. They stubbornly shrugged their shoulders; they stiffened their necks and would not obey.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
and testifiedst against them, that thou mightest bring them again unto thy law. Yet they dealt proudly, and hearkened not unto thy commandments, but sinned against thine ordinances (which if a man do, he shall live in them), and withdrew the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear.
KJV
And testifiedst against them, that thou mightest bring them again unto thy law: yet they dealt proudly, and hearkened not unto thy commandments, but sinned against thy judgments, (which if a man do, he shall live in them;) and withdrew the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear.
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This verse in Nehemiah 9
Commentary
6 notes on this verseThat which was designed in all the testimonies which the prophets bore against them was to bring them again to God's law, to lay their necks under its yoke, and walk by its rule. The end of our ministry is to bring people to God by bringing them to his law, not to bring them to ourselves by bringing them under any law of ours.
This site's exposition
You admonished them to turn back to Your law
on Nehemiah 9:29-31
"You admonished them to turn back to Your law," and recovery for the nation is the purpose behind every warning. Adam Clarke reckons the years of patience mainly against the ten tribes, about two hundred and fifty years of warning before the Assyrian captivity.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
This abridgment of the covenant, Do this and live, is taken from Ezek. xx. 13 , and is quoted, Gal. iii. 12 , to prove that the law is not of faith; it was not them as it is now, Believe and live, yet they gave a withdrawing shoulder, so it is in the margin.
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 testifiedst against them,....
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
25 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַתָּ֨עַד | vataad | and you warned | H5749 → | 44 times |
| בָּהֶ֜ם | bahem | <in> them | ||
| לַהֲשִׁיבָ֣ם | lahashivam | to bring back them | H7725 → | 1056 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| תּוֹרָתֶ֗ךָ | toratekha | law your | H8451 → | 219 times |
| וְהֵ֨מָּה | vehemah | and they | H1992 → | 553 times |
| הֵזִ֜ידוּ | hezidu | they acted presumptuously | H2102 → | 10 times |
| וְלֹא־ | velo'- | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| שָׁמְע֤וּ | shameu | they listened | H8085 → | 1159 times |
| לְמִצְוֹתֶ֙יךָ֙ | lemitzvoteikha | to commandments your | H4687 → | 181 times |
| וּבְמִשְׁפָּטֶ֣יךָ | uvemishpateikha | and in judgments your | H4941 → | 422 times |
| חָֽטְאוּ־ | chateu- | they sinned | H2398 → | 238 times |
| בָ֔ם | vam | in them | ||
| אֲשֶׁר־ | ʾasher- | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| יַעֲשֶׂ֥ה | yaaseh | he will do | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| אָדָ֖ם | ʾadam | anyone | H120 → | 551 times |
| וְחָיָ֣ה | vechayah | and he will live | H2421 → | 282 times |
| בָהֶ֑ם | vahem | by them | ||
| וַיִּתְּנ֤וּ | vaiyitenu | and they gave | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| כָתֵף֙ | khatef | a shoulder | H3802 → | |
| סוֹרֶ֔רֶת | soreret | stubborn | H5637 → | |
| וְעָרְפָּ֥ם | vearepam | and neck their | H6203 → | 33 times |
| הִקְשׁ֖וּ | hikshu | they stiffened | H7185 → | 28 times |
| וְלֹ֥א | velo' | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| שָׁמֵֽעוּ׃ | shameu | they listened | H8085 → | 1159 times |
וַתָּ֨עַדand you warned
vataadH5749 →44 times
בָּהֶ֜ם<in> them
bahem
לַהֲשִׁיבָ֣םto bring back them
lahashivamH7725 →1056 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
תּוֹרָתֶ֗ךָlaw your
toratekhaH8451 →219 times
וְהֵ֨מָּהand they
vehemahH1992 →553 times
הֵזִ֜ידוּthey acted presumptuously
heziduH2102 →10 times
וְלֹא־and not
velo'-H3808 →5168 times
שָׁמְע֤וּthey listened
shameuH8085 →1159 times
לְמִצְוֹתֶ֙יךָ֙to commandments your
lemitzvoteikhaH4687 →181 times
וּבְמִשְׁפָּטֶ֣יךָand in judgments your
uvemishpateikhaH4941 →422 times
חָֽטְאוּ־they sinned
chateu-H2398 →238 times
בָ֔םin them
vam
אֲשֶׁר־which
ʾasher-H834 →5497 times
יַעֲשֶׂ֥הhe will do
yaasehH6213 →2628 times
אָדָ֖םanyone
ʾadamH120 →551 times
וְחָיָ֣הand he will live
vechayahH2421 →282 times
בָהֶ֑םby them
vahem
וַיִּתְּנ֤וּand they gave
vaiyitenuH5414 →2011 times
כָתֵף֙a shoulder
khatefH3802 →
סוֹרֶ֔רֶתstubborn
soreretH5637 →
וְעָרְפָּ֥םand neck their
vearepamH6203 →33 times
הִקְשׁ֖וּthey stiffened
hikshuH7185 →28 times
וְלֹ֥אand not
velo'H3808 →5168 times
שָׁמֵֽעוּ׃they listened
shameuH8085 →1159 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
Leviticus 18:5Keep My statutes and My judgments, for the man who does these things will live by them. I am the LORD.
it leads to
- Galatians 3:12
The law, however, is not based on faith; on the contrary, “The man who does these things will live by them.”
- Ezekiel 20:11
And I gave them My statutes and made known to them My ordinances—for the man who does these things will live by them.
- Romans 10:5
For concerning the righteousness that is by the law, Moses writes: “The man who does these things will live by them.”
- Ezekiel 20:21
But the children rebelled against Me. They did not walk in My statutes or carefully observe My ordinances—though the man who does these things will live by them—and they profaned My Sabbaths. So I…
- Ezekiel 20:13
Yet the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness. They did not follow My statutes and they rejected My ordinances—though the man who does these things will live by them—and they utterly…
- Galatians 3:12
Through
Nehemiah 9:26But they were disobedient and rebelled against You; they flung Your law behind their backs. They killed Your prophets, who had admonished them to return to You. They committed terrible blasphemies.
it leads to
- 1 Kings 14:9
You have done more evil than all who came before you. You have proceeded to make for yourself other gods and molten images to provoke Me, and you have flung Me behind your back.
- Judges 2:11–12
And the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals.
- 1 Kings 14:9
Through
Nehemiah 9:10You performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh, all his officials, and all the people of his land, for You knew they had acted with arrogance against our fathers. You made a name for Yourself…
it leads to
- Jeremiah 32:20
You performed signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, and You do so to this very day, both in Israel and among all mankind. And You have made a name for Yourself, as…
- Jeremiah 32:20
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies5
About Nehemiah

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; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
