On the twenty-fourth day, with fasting and sackcloth and earth upon them, the seed of Israel separates from all foreigners and stands to confess — and the Levites lead the longest prayer in the Bible: You alone made heaven and earth; You chose Abram and found his heart faithful; You saw our fathers' affliction in Egypt and divided the sea; You came down on Sinai; they made a molten calf — 'but You are a God ready to pardon, gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy, and did not forsake them.' Kingdom by kingdom the history is confessed down to the present: 'Behold, we are servants this day... in great distress' — and upon all of it, a covenant is written and sealed.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
Now in the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackcloth, and earth upon them.
verse value 2934
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 56 letters. Verse gematria: 2934 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "this" (הַזֶּ֗ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "sons·of·Israel" (בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "in·fasting" (בְּצ֣וֹם), "and·in·sackcloth" (וּבְשַׂקִּ֔ים). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of·Israel" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah); "and·in·day" (root יום, 61x in Nehemiah); "upon·them" (root על, 44x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root אדמה ("and·earth") in Nehemiah. Full calculation: וּבְיוֹם֩ [and·in·day] (64) + עֶשְׂרִ֨ים [twenty] (620) + וְאַרְבָּעָ֜ה [and·four] (284) + לַחֹ֣דֶשׁ [to·the·month] (342) + הַזֶּ֗ה [this] (17) + נֶאֶסְפ֤וּ [were·gathered] (197) + בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ [sons·of·Israel] (603) + בְּצ֣וֹם [in·fasting] (138) + וּבְשַׂקִּ֔ים [and·in·sackcloth] (458) + וַאֲדָמָ֖ה [and·earth] (56) + עֲלֵיהֶֽם [upon·them] (155) = 2934.
Rashi
and [with] earth upon them They had put earth on their heads.
Ralbag
'The children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackcloth, and earth upon them' — it appears that they did this on account of having intermarried with the peoples of the land, so that they would have atonement from Hashem, exalted be He. And even though Ezra had already purified them of this, as related earlier, it appears that afterward there arrived, from among the exiles, men who had defiled themselves with this sin; that is why they then needed to separate themselves from all foreigners.
Metzudat David
'Were assembled' — to Jerusalem, to return to Hashem for their unfaithfulness. 'And with sackcloth' — [meaning] with the wearing of sackcloth, which is an expression of repentance and submission. 'And earth' — and dust upon their heads, and this too is an expression of repentance.
Malbim
'Now in the twenty-fourth day' — for on the twenty-third day it was not possible to fast, since that is the day after the festival, on which fasting is forbidden.
And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers.
verse value 3435
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 56 letters. The shortest word is "seed" (זֶ֣רַע, 3 letters) and the longest is "upon·their·sins" (עַל־חַטֹּ֣אתֵיהֶ֔ם, 9 letters). 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "and·separated" (וַיִּבָּֽדְלוּ֙), "seed" (זֶ֣רַע), "from·all" (מִכֹּ֖ל). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah); "from·all" (root כל, 31x in Nehemiah); "and·stood" (root עמד, 31x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root בדל ("and·separated") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'foreign', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיִּבָּֽדְלוּ֙ [and·separated] (58) + זֶ֣רַע [seed] (277) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל [Israel] (541) + מִכֹּ֖ל [from·all] (90) + בְּנֵ֣י [sons·of] (62) + נֵכָ֑ר [foreign] (270) + וַיַּעַמְד֗וּ [and·stood] (136) + וַיִּתְוַדּוּ֙ [and·confessed] (432) + עַל־חַטֹּ֣אתֵיהֶ֔ם [upon·their·sins] (573) + וַעֲוֺנ֖וֹת [and·iniquities] (538) + אֲבֹתֵיהֶֽם [their·fathers] (458) = 3435.
Rashi
from all the foreigners and from their wives of the heathen nations, as is stated above (Ezra 10).
Metzudat David
'From all foreigners' — from the wives of the idolaters and their children, as stated in [the book of] Ezra.
Malbim
'From all foreigners' — from foreign wives; for after they had separated from them at the time of Ezra's ascent, they stumbled in this matter again afterward. And according to the commentator who holds that this event took place at the time of Zerubbabel's ascent, the matter had spread widely, until Ezra corrected it.
And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the Law of Hashem their God a fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and prostrated themselves before Hashem their God.
verse value 5098
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 76 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֛ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "in·book" (בְּסֵ֨פֶר, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·bowing·down" (וּמִֽשְׁתַּחֲוִ֔ים, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 91: their·God, their·God. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "and·stood" (וַיָּק֙וּמוּ֙), "fourth" (רְבִעִ֣ית), "and·fourth" (וּרְבִעִית֙). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "their·God" (root אלהים, 62x in Nehemiah); "the·day" (root יום, 61x in Nehemiah); "upon·their·place" (root עמד, 31x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·day', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיָּק֙וּמוּ֙ [and·stood] (168) + עַל־עׇמְדָ֔ם [upon·their·place] (254) + וַֽיִּקְרְא֗וּ [and·read] (323) + בְּסֵ֨פֶר [in·book] (342) + תּוֹרַ֧ת [law] (1006) + יְהֹוָ֛ה [Hashem] (26) + אֱלֹהֵיהֶ֖ם [their·God] (91) + רְבִעִ֣ית [fourth] (682) + הַיּ֑וֹם [the·day] (61) + וּרְבִעִית֙ [and·fourth] (688) + מִתְוַדִּ֣ים [confessing] (500) + וּמִֽשְׁתַּחֲוִ֔ים [and·bowing·down] (810) + לַיהֹוָ֖ה [to·Hashem] (56) + אֱלֹהֵיהֶֽם [their·God] (91) = 5098.
Ralbag
'And read in the book of the Law of Hashem their God a fourth part of the day' — we learn from this that on a fast day it is fitting to read from the book of the Torah during the first fourth of the day, and during the last fourth of the day they should confess and prostrate themselves before Hashem, exalted be He, and pray before Him to atone for their sins — for at that point their hearts are broken and crushed from the pain of the fast. And the half of the day that falls between these two fourths should be spent examining their deeds and repairing what is wrong, for then it is possible that their prayer will be heard, as we find with Moses, that he did not pray about the sin of the golden calf until after he had purified Israel of it, insofar as that was possible.
Metzudat David
'In their place' — in their standing-place, and they did not move from their spot.
Then stood up upon the platform of the Levites, Jeshua, and Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani, and cried with a loud voice to Hashem their God.
verse value 2797
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 75 letters. The shortest word is "Bunni" (בֻּנִּ֥י, 3 letters) and the longest is "upon·platform" (עַֽל־מַֽעֲלֵ֣ה, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 91: the·Levites, their·God. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "upon·platform" (עַֽל־מַֽעֲלֵ֣ה), "Chenani" (כְנָ֑נִי), "and·cried" (וַֽיִּזְעֲקוּ֙). The root בני appears 3 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "their·God" (root אלהים, 62x in Nehemiah); "the·Levites" (root לוי, 45x in Nehemiah); "great" (root גדול, 27x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root בני ("and·Bani") in Nehemiah. First appearance of the root שבניה ("Shebaniah") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Chenani', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 5 words.
Rashi
on the step of the Levites There were steps upon which the Levites would stand when they would recite their song [for the sacrificial service].
Ibn Ezra
"stood up upon the platform" — "ma’aleh" here is a construct noun; the meaning is that it was their custom to pray there.
Ralbag
'Then stood up upon the platform of the Levites' — meaning, upon the elevated place where the Levites stood when reciting the song.
Metzudat David
'Then stood up' — this refers to Jeshua alone [at first], as though it said 'then stood up... Jeshua,' and likewise [it is repeated for] 'Bani,' and so on, for each one. 'Upon the platform of the Levites' — upon the raised platform on which the Levites would stand to speak in song. 'With a loud voice' — in order to arouse [proper] intent.
Then the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said: ‘Stand up and bless Hashem your God from everlasting to everlasting; and let them say: Blessed be Your glorious Name, that is exalted above all blessing and praise.
verse value 5949
Insights
Verse structure: 22 words, 116 letters. The shortest word is "name" (שֵׁ֣ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "above·all·blessing" (עַל־כׇּל־בְּרָכָ֖ה, 8 letters). 11 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "and·Kadmiel" (וְ֠קַדְמִיאֵ֠ל), "Hashabneiah" (חֲשַׁבְנְיָ֜ה), "Pethahiah" (פְתַֽחְיָ֔ה). The root ברך appears 2 times in this verse. 20 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 66x in Nehemiah); "your·God" (root אלהים, 62x in Nehemiah); "the·Levites" (root לוי, 45x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'unto·the·everlasting', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 6 words.
Rashi
from everlasting to ever lasting From the beginning of the world until its end, He shall be blessed. and they shall bless Your glorious Name Now the Levites spoke toward the Shechinah in prayer, for He is great and exalted over every blessing and praise, for all the blessings and praises are His. Another explanation is that He is exalted above every blessing and praise; that no creature can bless Him or praise Him according to His greatness and His exaltedness, for He is exalted and raised higher than the mouth can express.
Ibn Ezra
"Stand up and bless Hashem your God" — they instructed Israel to bless Hashem, who is from everlasting to everlasting, forever and ever; He is your God, there is no other. The sense is: bless Him yourselves, and say before Him: "may mortals bless Your glorious Name," and "may You be exalted above all blessing" — meaning that You will be exalted still further after they bless You.
Ralbag
'Stand up and bless Hashem your God,' etc. — they were telling the people to bless Hashem, who is their God, from the very beginning of the world's existence and for as long as the world continues to exist, for Hashem, exalted be He, exists eternally, without ever having ceased to exist and without ever ceasing to exist. After this they completed this blessing as though they themselves were speaking to Hashem, exalted be He, and said, 'and let Israel bless Your glorious Name,' which is exalted above all blessing and praise — meaning, that however we bless and praise Him, Hashem, exalted be He, remains exalted above all those blessings and praises; and even the ministering angels, when they bless and praise Him, He is exalted beyond all measure above their blessings and praises, as we explained in the first and fifth books of the Wars of Hashem. And from this we learn that Israel would respond, at the blessings in the Temple, 'Blessed be Hashem our God, from everlasting to everlasting, and blessed be the name of His glory, exalted above all blessing and praise.' After this the Levites spoke all these wondrous and perfect words that are mentioned afterward, and we have chosen to explain them fully, to clarify what perfection is contained in these words.
Metzudat David
'Said' — to the people they said: rise up with alacrity and bless [Hashem], etc. 'From everlasting to everlasting, etc.' — meaning, He who rules from one end of the world to the other. 'And let them say: Blessed be [Your glorious Name]' — they turned their faces toward the Omnipresent, blessed be He, and said: behold, the children of Israel will bless Your glorious Name, but You are exalted above all blessing and praise, for Your praise cannot be fully recounted.
Malbim
'Then the Levites said' — [Malbim describes] the order of this prayer: first it mentions how Hashem chose Abraham and his seed to be His treasured people, and made a covenant with him to give him and his seed the land suited to this (verses 7-8); then how He kept His covenant when He brought them out of Egypt and led them through the wilderness (verses 9-15); and how, even though they failed to keep their part, He did not withdraw His word, and He brought them into the land (verses 15-25); and there they sinned and provoked Him, and for many years He bore with them in His mercy, until He gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands (verses 26-30); and since, through all this, He did not abandon them, and His providence remains over them, and He is still ready to keep His covenant forever, [the prayer now] goes on to plead and to recall the hardships they suffered in their exile. And they, [the people now standing here,] will repair their fathers' sin by entering into a covenant to keep His Torah and His commandments (9:31-37; 10:1). 'Stand up' is a command that all should bless Hashem, who is blessed both in this world and in the eternal world that comes after this world. After commanding the people to bless Hashem, [the Levite] turns his face to Hashem and says: behold, they bless Your glorious Name — meaning, You Yourself, in Your essence, are raised up and exalted above all blessing and praise, for no one can grasp You in order to praise You, nor even Your emanation in itself, on that account, for You are hidden in the utmost concealment, exalted above all blessing and praise. Rather, what they bless is Your glorious Name — the Name by which Your glory became known through the creation You created, through which Your glory and kingship were revealed. It is this Name that they bless, not Your essence itself, for...
You are Hashem, even You alone; You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all things that are on it, the seas and all that is in them, and You preserve them all; and the host of heaven worships You.
verse value 7808
Insights
Verse structure: 23 words, 104 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֮) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·you" (לְךָ֥, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·heaven" (אֶֽת־הַשָּׁמַ֩יִם֩, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 557: and·all·that, and·all·that. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "alone" (לְבַדֶּ֒ךָ֒), "the·heaven" (אֶֽת־הַשָּׁמַ֩יִם֩), "heavens" (שְׁמֵ֨י). The root שמים appears 4 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·them" (root הם, 67x in Nehemiah); "made" (root עשה, 55x in Nehemiah); "upon·it" (root על, 44x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'all·of·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 19 and 4 words.
Ibn Ezra
"heaven" — this is the firmament (the raki’a), while "the heaven of heavens" [refers to] the upper spheres.
Ralbag
'You are Hashem, even You alone' — for no existing thing shares this name with You, since [true] existence belongs to You of Yourself, and all existence belonging to anything other than You is caused by the existence that is Yours. Therefore the term 'existence' is applied to Hashem, exalted be He, in a true and primary sense, while it is applied to anything besides Him only equivocally and in a secondary sense. 'You have made heaven' — this refers to the eight spheres; and 'the heaven of heavens' refers to that which drives each and every sphere in its motions. 'And all their host' — these are the stars, for whose sake the spheres were multiplied. 'And the earth and all things that are on it' — the plants and the living creatures. 'The seas and all that is in them' — the fish and plants, such as corals that form in them, and certain grasses that grow in the water. 'And You preserve them all' — and sustain them; meaning, these works of Yours are not like the works of man, whose continued existence, once they are made, does not depend on the continued existence of their maker. Rather, the continued existence of the works of Hashem, exalted be He, depends on what continually flows forth upon them from Hashem, exalted be He; that is why He preserves them all. 'And the host of heaven worships You' — meaning, they are all submissive to Him, exalted be He, and they move by His command, as we explained in the fifth [book] of the Wars of Hashem.
Metzudat David
'The heaven of heavens' — these are the upper heavens, which are above the visible heavens. 'And all their host' — these are the stars and constellations. 'And You preserve [them all]' — You give life and sustenance to them all.
Malbim
'Exalted above all blessing and praise, You are Hashem, You alone' — [meaning] that You alone, in Your essence, are raised up and exalted above all blessing and praise. After this introduction, [the verse] explains what it meant by 'and let them bless Your glorious Name': that the Name of His glory, by which He becomes known to His creatures, becomes known through three things. First, through creation — hence it says, 'You have made the heavens, etc.,' meaning that You created both the upper worlds and the lower worlds. Second, through the continued existence of creation and its constant governance — hence it says, 'and You preserve them all,' meaning that You are not like some other maker, who, once he has made a thing, [the thing] continues to exist on its own; for the whole of creation has no existence or vitality except through You, for You are the [life-giving] soul that sustains all of reality. And although it appears that this governance operates through the host of heaven and the order of the [celestial] system, in truth 'the host of heaven bows down to You,' for You are the one who directs them and gives them their power and rules over them all.
You are Hashem the God, who did choose Abram, and did bring him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and did give him the name of Abraham;
verse value 4366
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 56 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֤ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·brought·him·out" (וְהוֹצֵאת֖וֹ, 7 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "chose" (בָּחַ֙רְתָּ֙), "in·Abram" (בְּאַבְרָ֔ם), "and·brought·him·out" (וְהוֹצֵאת֖וֹ). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 66x in Nehemiah); "God" (root אלהים, 62x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Chaldees', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 3 words. Full calculation: אַתָּה־הוּא֙ [you·he] (418) + יְהֹוָ֣ה [Hashem] (26) + הָאֱלֹהִ֔ים [God] (91) + אֲשֶׁ֤ר [that] (501) + בָּחַ֙רְתָּ֙ [chose] (610) + בְּאַבְרָ֔ם [in·Abram] (245) + וְהוֹצֵאת֖וֹ [and·brought·him·out] (514) + מֵא֣וּר [from·Ur] (247) + כַּשְׂדִּ֑ים [Chaldees] (374) + וְשַׂ֥מְתָּ [and·set] (746) + שְּׁמ֖וֹ [his·name] (346) + אַבְרָהָֽם [Abraham] (248) = 4366.
Rashi
and made Heb. וְשַּׂמְתָּ. The accent is on the first syllable on the “sin,” because its meaning is in the past tense.
Ralbag
You are Hashem the God, who did choose Abram — and for this reason, You brought him out of Ur of the Chaldees, so that he would go to the chosen land, in order that his seed would be chosen, as we explained in our commentary on the words of the Torah. 'And did give him the name of Abraham' — when You wished him to have a son of dominion, from whom would come the chosen seed, on whose account he became a father and lord to a multitude of nations, for from him came the seed that merited to inherit the land of the seven nations. And indeed, (8) You did find his heart faithful before You, and did make with him the covenant of the pieces (Brit Bein HaBetarim), to give the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite, and the Girgashite, to give it to his seed. Now, he did not mention the other nations that Hashem, exalted be He, told Abraham He would give to his seed, because it says afterward, 'and did confirm Your words'; the giving of those other nations has not yet been fulfilled, and all of it will be completed at the coming of the redeemer, as we explained in our commentary on the words of the Torah. And so, in the end, You did confirm Your words, for You are righteous and upright, and You do not withhold from one who is owed his due the good that You promised to give him. Therefore You wished this good to reach Abraham's seed once they would be worthy of it, and You even provided them the means to acquire the perfection that would make them worthy of this good. And out of Your providence over the patriarchs, (9) You did see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and Your providence came down to save them; and You did also hear their cry at the Sea of Reeds, when Pharaoh pursued them and escape was lost to them, for the sea was on one side and Pharaoh's army on the other — then You hastened to save them. And it was not enough that You saved them, but You took care to make Yourself a name through it. (10) These are the signs and wonders that You did show against Pharaoh, against all his servants, and against all the people of his land, for this was the means of making a name for Hashem, exalted be He, and it is these signs that we constantly recount in the ears of our children and our children's children, so that all would know that He is Hashem. Now, regarding the spiritual good that You bestowed on Israel through the plagues with which You struck Pharaoh, his servants, and his people — there was no injustice in any of these plagues at all, for You knew that they had all done wickedly against Israel, afflicting them with extraordinary afflictions, and had intended to destroy them through their decrees, decreeing that every newborn son be cast into the Nile. And with this the difficulty is resolved of how Pharaoh could be punished when Hashem, exalted be He, had hardened his heart — for he was not punished for the fact that Hashem, exalted be He, hardened his heart, but rather he deserved punishment on account of the wickedness he had done against Israel; and Hashem, exalted be He, in imposing the punishment upon him, intended a benefit to come to Israel from it, that they would know that He is Hashem. For this reason Hashem, exalted be He, promised Abraham that He would renew these wonders when they went out of Egypt, saying, 'and also that nation, whom they shall serve, I will judge.' And through this, the fulfillment became clear to Abraham of the promise that Hashem, exalted be He, had made to him concerning the inheritance of the land — the promise for which he had asked a sign, saying, 'How shall I know that I will inherit it?' For by virtue of these signs, his seed acquired the perfection that made them fit to inherit the land, as we explained in our commentary on the words of the Torah. And beyond the signs and wonders that You performed abundantly in Egypt, You performed yet another wonder, so that all would know that You are Hashem. This was that (11) You did divide the sea before Israel when Pharaoh pursued them, and the children of Israel went through the midst of the sea on dry land, while their pursuers You did cast down with force into the depths of the sea, and they sank there swiftly, like a stone sinking in mighty waters. And You performed yet another wonder for Israel, so that they would know You: (12) by a pillar of cloud You did lead them by day, and by a pillar of fire by night, to give them light on the way they should go; and even when they encamped, the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people. And You went further still, renewing for them a wonder by which they would acquire true perfection. This was that (13) You did come down upon Mount Sinai before their very eyes, and did speak with them from the heavens in a wondrous way, through those marvelous voices that the people saw and heard; and in this manner You did give them right ordinances and laws of truth, good statutes and commandments — the upright laws being, 'You shall not covet,' 'You shall not bear false witness,' 'You shall not commit adultery,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You shall not murder,' and 'Honor [your father and mother].' And the true teachings are 'I am [Hashem your God]' and 'You shall have no [other gods].' And the good statutes and commandments are 'You shall not take [Hashem's name in vain]' and 'Remember [the Sabbath day].' For even though these are statutes, their benefit is clear, as we explained all of this in the portion of Yitro (Vayishma Yitro).
Metzudat David
'Out of Ur of the Chaldees' — our Sages, of blessed memory, said that Nimrod cast him into a furnace of fire in the land of the Chaldeans, and Hashem saved him. 'Abraham' — [a name] indicating the great greatness [in store for him], that he would become the father of a multitude of nations, as stated in the Torah.
Malbim
'You' — third, Your glorious Name is recognized through providential, miraculous governance, which does not operate according to the order of the [celestial] system, but rather according to the deeds of the holy ones on earth, individuals of distinction, upon whom this wondrous providence rests, to override nature and display a miracle for those who fear Him. This providence began with Abraham; hence it says, 'You are Hashem the God, who did choose Abram' — in whom Hashem chose that he should be a vehicle for this wondrous governance — 'and did bring him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees,' for it was then that You began to set nature aside for his sake, and he was rescued from the fiery furnace. And afterward You changed his name to Abraham, as a sign that he would be a father of a multitude of nations, and that his children too would be a treasured people, worthy of this divine matter, so that the Presence of Hashem would rest upon them.
and did find his heart faithful before You, and did make a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Jebusite, and the Girgashite, even to give it to his seed, and have performed Your words; for You are righteous;
verse value 8980
Insights
Verse structure: 22 words, 104 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·the·Jebusite" (וְהַיְבוּסִ֥י, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 830: to·give, to·give. 14 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "and·found" (וּמָצָ֣אתָ), "his·heart" (אֶת־לְבָבוֹ֮), "faithful" (נֶאֱמָ֣ן). The root נתן appears 2 times in this verse. 21 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "with·him" (root עם, 47x in Nehemiah); "to·give" (root נתן, 45x in Nehemiah); "your·words" (root דבר, 33x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·his·seed', dividing the verse into phrases of 17 and 5 words.
Rashi
and You made Heb. וְכָרוֹת, lit. and cutting, an expression of doing.
Metzudat David
'To give it to his seed' — because of the length of the passage, the word 'to give' is repeated again, and this is the way of Scripture. 'And have performed [Your words, va-takem]' — and You have fulfilled [them].
Malbim
'And did find' — [meaning] that after all the trials he withstood, and he was tested and his heart was found faithful to his God, [Hashem] made a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanite — which is the land specially suited to this wondrous providence and governance — to give it to his seed. For the covenant was to give it to him by way of destiny and promise, and to give it to his seed by way of their actually coming and inheriting it, as it says, 'to you I will give it, and to your seed, forever.' Now [the text] begins to relate how Hashem fulfilled His covenant; hence it says, 'and have performed Your words.' And there was no injustice in taking the land from the hand of the Canaanites; hence it says, 'for You are righteous,' as it says, 'for through the wickedness of these nations Hashem drives them out from before you.'
And You did see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and did hear their cry by the Red Sea;
verse value 4119
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 40 letters. The shortest word is "and·you·saw" (וַתֵּ֛רֶא, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·their·cry" (וְאֶת־זַעֲקָתָ֥ם, 8 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "and·you·saw" (וַתֵּ֛רֶא), "affliction" (אֶת־עֳנִ֥י), "our·fathers" (אֲבֹתֵ֖ינוּ). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "you·heard" (root שמע, 29x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root עני ("affliction") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·Egypt', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַתֵּ֛רֶא [and·you·saw] (607) + אֶת־עֳנִ֥י [affliction] (531) + אֲבֹתֵ֖ינוּ [our·fathers] (469) + בְּמִצְרָ֑יִם [in·Egypt] (382) + וְאֶת־זַעֲקָתָ֥ם [and·their·cry] (1024) + שָׁמַ֖עְתָּ [you·heard] (810) + עַל־יַם־סֽוּף [by·the·Red·Sea] (296) = 4119.
Metzudat David
'And You did see' — You set Your heart to look upon their affliction and redeem them.
Metzudat Zion
'the affliction' — from the language of affliction (inui).
Malbim
'And You did see' — [Malbim] relates how He fulfilled His words: after they were in Egypt — which was a preparation for the inheritance of the land, as it says, 'that your seed shall be a stranger' — this was the iron furnace in which they were refined and tested, so as to become worthy for this miraculous providence to attach itself to them. Then, 'You did see the affliction' — the clauses are parallel: 'You did see the affliction of our fathers,' 'and did show signs and wonders,' 'and did hear their cry,' 'by the Red Sea, and the sea You did divide before them' — through Your having seen the affliction of our fathers, thereby...
and did show signs and wonders upon Pharaoh, and on all his servants, and on all the people of his land; for You did know that they dealt proudly against them; and did get You a name, as it is this day.
verse value 5200
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 71 letters. Verse gematria: 5200 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·in·all·his·servants" (וּבְכׇל־עֲבָדָיו֙, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 30: for, that. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "signs" (אֹתֹ֨ת), "and·wonders" (וּמֹֽפְתִ֜ים), "in·Pharaoh" (בְּפַרְעֹ֤ה). The root כי appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "like·the·day" (root יום, 61x in Nehemiah); "and·you·made·to·you" (root עשה, 55x in Nehemiah); "and·you·gave" (root נתן, 45x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root זיד ("they·dealt·proudly") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'against·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 4 words.
Rashi
that they dealt wickedly Heb. הֵזִידוּ, that they dealt wickedly, like (Exod. 18:11): “...that they plotted (זָדוּ) against them.” a name Heb. שֵּׁם, renom in French, renown.
Ibn Ezra
"that they dealt proudly against them" — they acted with willful insolence in their dominion over them.
Metzudat David
'They dealt proudly against them' — they acted wickedly against Israel, subjugating them with harshness and cruelty. 'As it is this day' — [that is,] Your Name became renowned to a very great degree.
Malbim
'And did show signs and wonders upon Pharaoh' — this was for two reasons. First, as a punishment for their having mistreated [Israel]: for although the exile came about by Hashem's decree, as He said, 'and they shall enslave them and afflict them,' Hashem knew that it was not for that reason that they afflicted them; rather, 'for You did know that they dealt proudly against them' — that they added affliction and oppression deliberately, not because of Hashem's word but out of the wickedness of their own hearts. (Hence it says elsewhere, 'and also the nation that they shall serve I will judge' — meaning that I will judge them as to whether they enslaved [Israel] because of My decree or out of the wickedness of their own hearts.) The second reason: 'and did get You a name, as it is this day' — the signs and wonders were so that through them people would come to recognize Your Name and Your glory, as it says, 'Go in to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart, etc., in order that I may set these My signs in his midst' — which is the first reason — 'and in order that you may tell, etc., and you shall know that I am Hashem' — which is the second reason.
And You did divide the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; and their pursuers You did cast into the depths, as a stone into the mighty waters.
verse value 4351
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 66 letters. The shortest word is "and·the·sea" (וְהַיָּם֙, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·their·pursuers" (וְֽאֶת־רֹ֨דְפֵיהֶ֜ם, 9 letters). 11 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "and·the·sea" (וְהַיָּם֙), "you·split" (בָּקַ֣עְתָּ), "and·they·passed·through" (וַיַּֽעַבְר֥וּ). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "before·them" (root פנים, 31x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root שלך ("you·cast") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·dry·land', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: וְהַיָּם֙ [and·the·sea] (61) + בָּקַ֣עְתָּ [you·split] (572) + לִפְנֵיהֶ֔ם [before·them] (215) + וַיַּֽעַבְר֥וּ [and·they·passed·through] (294) + בְתוֹךְ־הַיָּ֖ם [in·midst·the·sea] (483) + בַּיַּבָּשָׁ֑ה [in·the·dry·land] (319) + וְֽאֶת־רֹ֨דְפֵיהֶ֜ם [and·their·pursuers] (746) + הִשְׁלַ֧כְתָּ [you·cast] (755) + בִמְצוֹלֹ֛ת [in·depths] (568) + כְּמוֹ־אֶ֖בֶן [like·stone] (119) + בְּמַ֥יִם [in·waters] (92) + עַזִּֽים [mighty] (127) = 4351.
Metzudat David
'Into the depths' — You cast them down into the depth of the sea, like a stone that sinks to the bottom of the water, even though they [the pursuers] were exceedingly strong and swift.
Metzudat Zion
'You did divide' — You split into two. 'into the depths' — the depth of the water, as in 'and You will cast [them] into the depths of the sea' (Micah 7:19). 'mighty' — from the language of strength and might.
Malbim
'And the sea' — 'and did hear their cry by the Red Sea, and did divide the sea before them' — for two purposes: first, to save them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on dry land; second, to drown their adversaries — 'and their pursuers You did cast into the depths.'
Moreover in a pillar of cloud You did lead them by day; and in a pillar of fire by night, to give them light in the way in which they should go.
verse value 2936
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 54 letters. The shortest word is "fire" (אֵשׁ֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·in·pillar" (וּבְעַמּ֣וּד, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 128: and·in·pillar, and·in·pillar. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "you·led·them" (הִנְחִיתָ֖ם), "fire" (אֵשׁ֙), "the·way" (אֶת־הַדֶּ֖רֶךְ). The root עמוד appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·them" (root הם, 67x in Nehemiah); "that" (root אשר, 66x in Nehemiah); "by·day" (root יום, 61x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root עמוד ("and·in·pillar") in Nehemiah. First appearance of the root ענן ("cloud") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'by·day', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 8 words. Full calculation: וּבְעַמּ֣וּד [and·in·pillar] (128) + עָנָ֔ן [cloud] (170) + הִנְחִיתָ֖ם [you·led·them] (513) + יוֹמָ֑ם [by·day] (96) + וּבְעַמּ֥וּד [and·in·pillar] (128) + אֵשׁ֙ [fire] (301) + לַ֔יְלָה [night] (75) + לְהָאִ֣יר [to·give·light] (246) + לָהֶ֔ם [to·them] (75) + אֶת־הַדֶּ֖רֶךְ [the·way] (630) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [that] (501) + יֵֽלְכוּ־בָֽהּ [they·should·go·in·it] (73) = 2936.
Rashi
by day every day.
Metzudat David
'And in a pillar of cloud' — by means of the pillar of cloud You led them by day, to show them the way in which they should go.
Metzudat Zion
'You did lead them' — You guided them, as in 'and He did not lead them' (Exodus 13).
Malbim
'And in a pillar' — now [the text] relates how, when they left Egypt, [Israel] had become a treasured people, [as it were,] with their King passing before them and Hashem in their midst. First, in that He was among them to show them the way; hence it says, 'and in a pillar of cloud You did lead them,' as it says, 'let them hear that You, Hashem, are in the midst of this people, and Your cloud stands over them, and in a pillar of cloud You go before them by day, etc.' — this was the sign that Hashem was in their midst, with the cloud of His glory.
You did come down also upon mount Sinai, and did speak with them from heaven, and did give them right ordinances and laws of truth, good statutes and commandments;
verse value 6048
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 67 letters. Verse gematria: 6048 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "and·upon" (וְעַ֤ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "mount·Sinai" (הַר־סִינַי֙, 6 letters). 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "mount·Sinai" (הַר־סִינַי֙), "you·came·down" (יָרַ֔דְתָּ), "and·you·spoke" (וְדַבֵּ֥ר). 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·them" (root הם, 67x in Nehemiah); "with·them" (root עם, 47x in Nehemiah); "and·you·gave" (root נתן, 45x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·heaven', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 9 words.
Rashi
and spoke Heb. וְדַּבֵּר, like וּלְדַבֵּר, and to speak, as it says (Deut. 4:36): “From the heavens He let you hear His voice to chastise you.”
Ibn Ezra
"and did speak with them" — this is an infinitive form.
Metzudat David
'And did speak with them' — You spoke with them. 'From heaven' — for He bent the heavens down and spread them over the mountain.
Malbim
Second: 'and You did come down also upon mount Sinai' — for then Hashem's glory itself was revealed to them, to give them His Torah. 'And did give them' — while they were still at Mount Sinai, He gave them the Ten Commandments and the whole passage through the end of Mishpatim, in which He commanded Moses: ordinances governing relations between one person and another; and laws of truth concerning matters of belief; statutes, such as 'you shall not boil a kid in its mother's milk'; and good commandments, such as 'if you lend money,' and the like.
and did make known to them Your holy sabbath, and did command them commandments, and statutes, and a law, by the hand of Moses Your servant;
verse value 4460
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 51 letters. The shortest word is "to·them" (לָהֶ֑ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·sabbath·of" (וְאֶת־שַׁבַּ֥ת, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 75: to·them, to·them. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "and·sabbath·of" (וְאֶת־שַׁבַּ֥ת), "your·holiness" (קׇדְשְׁךָ֖), "you·made·known" (הוֹדַ֣עְתָּ). The root הם appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·them" (root הם, 67x in Nehemiah); "in·hand·of" (root יד, 39x in Nehemiah); "your·servant" (root עבד, 24x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 8 words. Full calculation: וְאֶת־שַׁבַּ֥ת [and·sabbath·of] (1109) + קׇדְשְׁךָ֖ [your·holiness] (424) + הוֹדַ֣עְתָּ [you·made·known] (485) + לָהֶ֑ם [to·them] (75) + וּמִצְו֤וֹת [and·commandments] (548) + וְחֻקִּים֙ [and·statutes] (164) + וְתוֹרָ֔ה [and·law] (617) + צִוִּ֣יתָ [you·commanded] (506) + לָהֶ֔ם [to·them] (75) + בְּיַ֖ד [in·hand·of] (16) + מֹשֶׁ֥ה [Moses] (345) + עַבְדֶּֽךָ [your·servant] (96) = 4460.
Ibn Ezra
"Your holy sabbath" — of all the Ten Commandments, He mentions the Sabbath alone, for it is distinguished by its rest and by the added understanding [that comes with it].
Ralbag
'And did make known to them Your holy sabbath' — You made this known to them even before this, through the matter of the manna, from which it became clear to all Israel which day is the Sabbath: for on the sixth day they found, in what they gathered, double the amount of what they would gather day by day, so that it would suffice them for the Sabbath, and on the Sabbath none fell. In this way Hashem made known to them the matter of the Sabbath, that it is holy, in this wondrous manner. And after Israel heard the Ten Commandments and feared that they would die if they heard any more of the words of Hashem, exalted be He, spoken in that manner, they said to Moses, 'You speak with us, and let not God speak with us, lest we die.' Then Hashem, exalted be He, commanded Israel commandments, statutes, and a law, by the hand of Moses His servant. And so You multiplied for them yet more of Your wonders, to draw them to Your service.
Malbim
'And [made known to them] Your holy Sabbath' — the Sabbath is stated both in the Ten Commandments and at the end of Parashat Mishpatim. Scripture says 'made known,' meaning that through the Sabbath He made known to them the foundational principles of faith stemming from the creation of the world, and made known to them that they are governed by providential guidance — which is why it says the commandment of the Sabbath came first, as I have written elsewhere. 'And commandments' — meaning that after this He made known to them commandments, statutes, and law, throughout the time they were in the Wilderness of Sinai until they encamped in the Wilderness of Paran, when He gave them all the commandments written in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers, up to Parashat Shelach.
and did give them bread from heaven for their hunger, and did bring forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and did command them that they should go in to possess the land which You had lifted up Your hand to give them.
verse value 7840
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 82 letters. The shortest word is "to·them" (לָהֶם֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "that·you·lifted" (אֲשֶׁר־נָשָׂ֥אתָ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 75: to·them, to·them, to·them, to·them. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "and·bread" (וְ֠לֶ֠חֶם), "for·their·hunger" (לִרְעָבָ֔ם), "from·rock" (מִסֶּ֛לַע). The root הם appears 4 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·them" (root הם, 67x in Nehemiah); "and·you·said" (root אמר, 66x in Nehemiah); "to·go·in" (root בוא, 47x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root ירש ("to·possess") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'for·their·thirst', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 9 words.
Rashi
for their hunger Heb. לִרְעָבָם. From רָעָב one says לִרְעָבָם, as from צָמָא [one says] לִצְמָאָם. that You raised Your hand with an oath, like (Exod. 6:8): “...which I raised My hand to give it.”
Ibn Ezra
"for their hunger" — the lamed [prefix] has the sense of "on account of."
Ralbag
You gave them in the wilderness, for their hunger, bread from heaven, which is the manna, and brought forth water for them from the rock for their thirst; this happened to them more than once while they were in the wilderness. And afterward You told them to send spies there, so that they would be guided to inherit the land which You had sworn to their fathers to give them.
Metzudat David
'Bread' — this is the manna. 'For their hunger' — to satisfy them from their hunger. 'For their thirst' — to quench their thirst. 'And did command them' — [that is,] You promised them. 'Which You had lifted up Your hand' — this is an expression of an oath, [made] by raising one's hand toward oneself, as it is written: 'which I lifted up My hand,' etc. (Exodus 6:8).
Malbim
'And bread' — He also watched over them to provide for all their needs in the wilderness. 'And did command them that they should go in to possess the land' — for it was then that He told them to go and take possession of the land, as it says, 'And I said to you: You have come to the hill country of the Amorites' ... etc., 'go up, take possession' (Deuteronomy 1:20).
But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their neck, and hearkened not to Your commandments,
verse value 2821
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 41 letters. Verse gematria: 2821 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "and·they" (וְהֵ֥ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·your·commandments" (אֶל־מִצְוֺתֶֽיךָ, 8 letters). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they" (root הם, 67x in Nehemiah); "and·not" (root לא, 38x in Nehemiah); "they·hearkened" (root שמע, 29x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root קשה ("and·they·hardened") in Nehemiah. First appearance of the root ערף ("their·neck") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·dealt·proudly', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְהֵ֥ם [and·they] (51) + וַאֲבֹתֵ֖ינוּ [and·our·fathers] (475) + הֵזִ֑ידוּ [they·dealt·proudly] (32) + וַיַּקְשׁוּ֙ [and·they·hardened] (422) + אֶת־עׇרְפָּ֔ם [their·neck] (791) + וְלֹ֥א [and·not] (37) + שָׁמְע֖וּ [they·hearkened] (416) + אֶל־מִצְוֺתֶֽיךָ [to·your·commandments] (597) = 2821.
Ralbag
The spies, and our fathers along with them, acted wickedly, and hardened their neck, not listening to the words of Hashem, exalted be He.
Metzudat David
'But they and our fathers' — the matter is doubled for further clarification. 'And hardened their neck' — this is a figure of speech, as though the neck had become stiffened so that they could not turn their faces toward Hashem.
Metzudat Zion
'their neck' — this is the back of the neck, opposite the face.
Malbim
'But they' — but they acted presumptuously and said, 'Let us send men before us,' and afterward, 'and refused to hearken' — even though Moses had told them, 'Do not dread and do not fear them; Hashem will fight for you, just as He did for you in Egypt,' etc. 'They were not mindful of Your wonders' — and 'appointed a captain,' as it says, 'Let us appoint a captain and return to Egypt.' And nevertheless, 'but You are a God ready to pardon,' etc.
and refused to hearken, neither were mindful of Your wonders that You did among them; but hardened their neck, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage; but You are a God ready to pardon, gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy, and did not forsake them.
verse value 8820
Insights
Verse structure: 23 words, 117 letters. Verse gematria: 8820 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·they·appointed·a·captain" (וַיִּתְּנוּ־רֹ֛אשׁ, 8 letters). 11 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "and·they·refused" (וַיְמָאֲנ֣וּ), "and·not·they·remembered" (וְלֹא־זָכְר֤וּ), "your·wonders" (נִפְלְאֹתֶ֙יךָ֙). The root חסד appears 2 times in this verse. 22 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 66x in Nehemiah); "you·did" (root עשה, 55x in Nehemiah); "with·them" (root עם, 47x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·their·rebellion', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 10 words.
Rashi
because of their rebelliousness Heb. בְּמִרְיָם.
Ibn Ezra
"appointed a captain" — [this concerns] speech; and he explains: they said, "let us appoint ourselves a captain," in the sense of "let us appoint a captain" [elsewhere] (Numbers 14:4).
Ralbag
Referring to their going up there to take possession of the land — as they said, 'Where shall we go up? Our brethren have made our heart melt' (cf. Deuteronomy 1:28) — they refused to hearken when Joshua and Caleb told them to go up, for the land was very good and Hashem, exalted be He, was Israel's help; therefore there was no need to fear the might of those nations. And they were not mindful of the mighty wonders that You had done among them before this, on account of which they should have trusted in Hashem, exalted be He, that He would subdue their enemies before them, for He can do whatever He wishes. Instead they hardened their neck and would not trust in Hashem, exalted be He, and out of their great bitterness they said, 'Let us appoint a captain, and let us return to Egypt' (cf. Numbers 14:4). Yet despite all this that they did against You, You are a God ready to pardon, gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy; therefore You did not forsake them — for You were slow to anger and had compassion on them, and did not wish to punish them at once. Rather, You prolonged their encampment in the wilderness for the full forty years, so that they would not die before their time; and during those forty years You drew them very close to Your service, as is related afterward. All of this came from His abundant providence over Israel, for the sake of His covenant with the patriarchs. And even though they sinned greatly (v. 18) in making themselves a molten calf and saying, 'This is your god, Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt,' and by this caused great provocation against Hashem, may He be blessed.
Metzudat David
'Appointed a captain' — they resolved to appoint for themselves a leader, to return to Egypt to serve them as before. 'In their rebellion' — because of the great defiance and rebelliousness that was in them, they wished to do such a thing. 'But You, etc.' — but You are a God of forgiveness, etc., and You passed over their transgression and did not forsake them.
Metzudat Zion
'and refused' — from the language of refusal and rejection.
Indeed, when they had made them a molten calf, and said: ‘This is your God that brought you up out of Egypt, and had wrought great provocations;
verse value 3559
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 58 letters. The shortest word is "also" (אַ֗ף, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·they·said" (וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 125: molten, brought·you·up. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "also" (אַ֗ף), "when·they·made" (כִּֽי־עָשׂ֤וּ), "calf" (עֵ֣גֶל). The root עשה appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·them" (root הם, 67x in Nehemiah); "and·they·said" (root אמר, 66x in Nehemiah); "that" (root אשר, 66x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·Egypt', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 3 words. Full calculation: אַ֗ף [also] (81) + כִּֽי־עָשׂ֤וּ [when·they·made] (406) + לָהֶם֙ [to·them] (75) + עֵ֣גֶל [calf] (103) + מַסֵּכָ֔ה [molten] (125) + וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ [and·they·said] (263) + זֶ֣ה [this] (12) + אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ [your·God] (66) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [that] (501) + הֶעֶלְךָ֖ [brought·you·up] (125) + מִמִּצְרָ֑יִם [from·Egypt] (420) + וַֽיַּעֲשׂ֔וּ [and·they·did] (392) + נֶאָצ֖וֹת [provocations] (547) + גְּדֹלֽוֹת [great] (443) = 3559.
Metzudat Zion
'molten' — refers to something poured out and cast [in metal]. 'provocations' — refers to anger [caused] and disgrace.
Malbim
'Indeed, when' — even though this was not their first sin, for they had already sinned earlier with the making of the calf, for which they were likewise liable to destruction, nevertheless 'in Your manifold mercies You did not forsake them' — for even though they wandered in the wilderness for forty years, they still had the pillar of fire and cloud, and the spirit of prophecy that rested upon Moses to instruct them, as well as the manna and the well; and throughout those forty years You sustained them, providing for all their needs, even though they remained under rebuke on account of that sin.
yet You in Your manifold mercies did not forsake them in the wilderness; the pillar of cloud departed not from over them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to show them light, and the way in which they should go.
verse value 6232
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 102 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·pillar·of" (וְאֶת־עַמּ֨וּד, 7 letters). 12 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "in·your·mercies" (בְּרַחֲמֶ֣יךָ), "pillar·of" (אֶת־עַמּ֣וּד), "the·cloud" (הֶ֠עָנָ֠ן). The root עמוד appears 2 times in this verse. 19 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·them" (root הם, 67x in Nehemiah); "that" (root אשר, 66x in Nehemiah); "from·upon·them" (root על, 44x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·wilderness', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 15 words.
Rashi
on the way Heb. בְּהַדֶּרֶךְ, like בַּדֶּרֶךְ.
Ibn Ezra
"the pillar of cloud" — the word "et" here is attached to the verb; it is the pillar that did not depart from over them. Ordinarily "et" comes together with its verb, except in this case and a few others like it, such as "and our kings, our princes, our priests, and our fathers have not kept Your Law" (Nehemiah 9:34), and "there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb" (I Samuel 17:34). "in the way" (bahederekh) — this rightly comes with the heh of definiteness (the definite article).
Ralbag
'Yet You in Your manifold mercies did not forsake them in the wilderness' — the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire did not depart from over them, which served the purpose of guiding them toward faith in Hashem, exalted be He; and this also served the further purpose of directing them on the way and giving them light at night.
Metzudat David
'Yet You in Your manifold mercies, etc.' — meaning, although they deserved to be forsaken because of their deeds, You, in Your abundant mercies, did not forsake them. 'And the way' — and to guide them in the way.
You did give also Your good spirit to instruct them, and did not withhold Your manna from their mouth, and did give them water for their thirst.
verse value 3661
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 51 letters. The shortest word is "you·gave" (נָתַ֖תָּ, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·instruct·them" (לְהַשְׂכִּילָ֑ם, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "and·your·spirit" (וְרוּחֲךָ֙), "you·gave" (נָתַ֖תָּ), "to·instruct·them" (לְהַשְׂכִּילָ֑ם). The root נתן appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·them" (root הם, 67x in Nehemiah); "you·gave" (root נתן, 45x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·instruct·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 7 words. Full calculation: וְרוּחֲךָ֙ [and·your·spirit] (240) + הַטּוֹבָ֔ה [the·good] (27) + נָתַ֖תָּ [you·gave] (850) + לְהַשְׂכִּילָ֑ם [to·instruct·them] (435) + וּמַנְךָ֙ [and·your·manna] (116) + לֹא־מָנַ֣עְתָּ [not·you·withheld] (591) + מִפִּיהֶ֔ם [from·their·mouth] (175) + וּמַ֛יִם [and·water] (96) + נָתַ֥תָּה [you·gave] (855) + לָהֶ֖ם [to·them] (75) + לִצְמָאָֽם [for·their·thirst] (201) = 3661.
Ibn Ezra
"You gave also Your good spirit to instruct them" — this is [the same as] "and He drew from the spirit and put it upon the seventy elders" (Numbers 11:25).
Ralbag
'You did give also Your good spirit to instruct them' — You placed Your good spirit upon seventy men from the elders of Israel, to give Israel understanding and wisdom; and You did not withhold Your manna from their mouths throughout all those forty years, and You gave them water for their thirst, as is related in the narratives of the Torah.
Metzudat David
'Your good spirit' — You bestowed upon them a spirit of wisdom and understanding, to give them insight into the words of Your Torah.
Metzudat Zion
'Your manna' — from the language of 'man' [manna]. 'did not withhold' — did not cease [providing].
Indeed, forty years You did sustain them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing; their clothes grew not old, and their feet swelled not.
verse value 3194
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 52 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·forty" (וְאַרְבָּעִ֥ים, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 31: not, not, not. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "you·sustained·them" (כִּלְכַּלְתָּ֥ם), "they·lacked" (חָסֵ֑רוּ), "their·garments" (שַׂלְמֹֽתֵיהֶם֙). The root לא appears 3 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 38x in Nehemiah); "and·forty" (root ארבע, 23x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·lacked', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: וְאַרְבָּעִ֥ים [and·forty] (329) + שָׁנָ֛ה [year] (355) + כִּלְכַּלְתָּ֥ם [you·sustained·them] (540) + בַּמִּדְבָּ֖ר [in·the·wilderness] (248) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + חָסֵ֑רוּ [they·lacked] (274) + שַׂלְמֹֽתֵיהֶם֙ [their·garments] (825) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + בָל֔וּ [wore·out] (38) + וְרַגְלֵיהֶ֖ם [and·their·feet] (294) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + בָצֵֽקוּ [swelled] (198) = 3194.
Ibn Ezra
"they lacked nothing" — [the implied object is] "a thing" — that is, they lacked no thing at all.
Ralbag
'Indeed, forty years You did sustain them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing' — their garments did not wear out upon them, and even their shoes did not wear out throughout this whole long time; and Hashem did this in order to guide them toward His service to the greatest extent possible.
Metzudat David
'They lacked nothing' — of anything they needed. 'And their feet swelled not [lo batzku]' — they did not swell up to become like dough when it ferments and rises, as normally happens to travelers on foot.
Metzudat Zion
'You did sustain them' — refers to providing for [their] needs, as in 'and Joseph provided sustenance' (Genesis 47). 'grew... old' — from the language of wearing out and decay. 'swelled' — refers to dough that has leavened.
Moreover You did give them kingdoms and peoples, which You did allot quarter by quarter; so they possessed the land of Sihon, even the land of the king of Heshbon, and the land of Og king of Bashan.
verse value 6109
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 75 letters. The shortest word is "to·them" (לָהֶ֤ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "king·of·Bashan" (מֶֽלֶךְ־הַבָּשָֽׁן, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 698: and·land·of, and·land·of. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "kingdoms" (מַמְלָכוֹת֙), "and·peoples" (וַעֲמָמִ֔ים), "and·you·divided·them" (וַֽתַּחְלְקֵ֖ם). The root ארץ appears 3 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·them" (root הם, 67x in Nehemiah); "and·peoples" (root עם, 47x in Nehemiah); "and·you·gave" (root נתן, 45x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·a·quarter', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 9 words.
Rashi
into a corner Heb. לְפֵאָה, like “to be to the side of one corner,” separate, not mingling with the nations of the lands.
Ibn Ezra
"which You did allot quarter by quarter" — this connects with "peoples" [mentioned just before]; the meaning is that You scattered them to every quarter, and they fled from before Israel. "and grew fat" (vayashminu) — a transitive (causative) verb; the meaning is "and their heart grew fat."
Ralbag
'Moreover You did give them kingdoms and peoples, which You did allot quarter by quarter' — after this, in the days of Moses, once the generation of the wilderness had died, He gave them kingdoms and peoples, and allotted them as an edge portion, meaning an edge or a beginning. And he notes that these kingdoms were given to the firstborn among the tribes — Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, who was Joseph's firstborn, and Joseph was Rachel's firstborn. It is also possible that he called them an 'edge portion' because they were of lesser standing than their brothers; this is clear regarding Reuben and Manasseh, while regarding Gad it is clarified from what Jacob said about him and what Moses said in his blessings, and likewise regarding Asher his brother. And these, who received the edge portion, inherited the land of Sihon and the land of the king of Heshbon — which Sihon had taken from the first king of Moab, taking all his land from him, all of which Israel took when they struck down Sihon — and the land of Og king of Bashan; and this Moses allotted to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
Metzudat David
'Which You did allot quarter by quarter' — You drove out the idolaters and divided them so that they were scattered to the corners of the land. 'The land of Sihon, etc.' — the matter is doubled for further clarification.
Metzudat Zion
'quarter by quarter' — to the edge/corner, as in 'the corner of your field' (Leviticus 19).
Malbim
'Moreover You did give them' — You further gave them the land of Sihon and Og, which You had not promised to the forefathers at all. 'Which You did allot quarter by quarter' — for You allotted two and a half tribes a separate portion, a distinct section across the Jordan; for You had multiplied their children, who needed a spacious land, and so You extended the borders of the land [beyond what was promised]. 'And You did bring them into the land' and fulfilled the covenant You had made with Abraham — and here it recounts how Hashem kept His covenant.
Their children also You did multiply as the stars of heaven, and did bring them into the land, concerning which You did say to their fathers, that they should go in to possess it.
verse value 4582
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 55 letters. The shortest word is "to·go·in" (לָב֥וֹא, 4 letters) and the longest is "that·you·said" (אֲשֶׁר־אָמַ֥רְתָּ, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "you·multiplied" (הִרְבִּ֔יתָ), "like·stars·of" (כְּכֹכְבֵ֖י), "and·you·brought·them" (וַתְּבִיאֵם֙). The root בוא appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·their·children" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah); "that·you·said" (root אמר, 66x in Nehemiah); "and·you·brought·them" (root בוא, 47x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·heavens', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 6 words. Full calculation: וּבְנֵיהֶ֣ם [and·their·children] (113) + הִרְבִּ֔יתָ [you·multiplied] (617) + כְּכֹכְבֵ֖י [like·stars·of] (72) + הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם [the·heavens] (395) + וַתְּבִיאֵם֙ [and·you·brought·them] (459) + אֶל־הָאָ֔רֶץ [to·the·land] (327) + אֲשֶׁר־אָמַ֥רְתָּ [that·you·said] (1142) + לַאֲבֹתֵיהֶ֖ם [to·their·fathers] (488) + לָב֥וֹא [to·go·in] (39) + לָרָֽשֶׁת [to·possess] (930) = 4582.
Ralbag
'Their children also You did multiply' — that is, the children of that generation whom You had decreed would die in the wilderness; and You brought them into the land which You had promised to their fathers to give them, the land bounded in the Torah on the east side of the Jordan. And when (v. 25) they ate and were satisfied and grew fat, they kicked against You (cf. Deuteronomy 32:15); and this was the cause that, in the end, (v. 26) they rebelled against You and cast Your law behind their backs and went after the gods of the peoples; and the prophets whom You sent to them, to warn them of the harm that would befall them if they did not return to You, they killed — as Jezebel, Joash, and Manasseh did. And at the time they began to rebel against You — (v. 27) this was in the days of the Judges — You gave them into the hand of their adversaries, who oppressed them; and in their time of distress they cried out to You, and in Your abundant mercy You turned to them to give them saviors, and these saved them from the hand of their adversaries. And You did not withhold this from them, despite the fact that they rebelled and grieved Your Holy Spirit.
Metzudat David
'To go in to possess it' — this refers back to 'and did bring them,' etc. — [namely,] to go in to possess it.
So the children went in and possessed the land, and You did subdue before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and did give them into their hands, with their kings, and the peoples of the land, that they might do with them as they would.
verse value 7012
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 93 letters. The shortest word is "with·them" (בָּהֶ֖ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·their·kings" (וְאֶת־מַלְכֵיהֶם֙, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 296: the·land, the·land. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "and·they·went·in" (וַיָּבֹ֤אוּ), "the·children" (הַבָּנִים֙), "and·you·subdued" (וַתַּכְנַ֨ע). The root ארץ appears 3 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·children" (root בן, 200x in Nehemiah); "with·them" (root הם, 67x in Nehemiah); "to·do" (root עשה, 55x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·their·hand', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 6 words.
Rashi
and You vanquished [as translated,] and You vanquished.
Metzudat Zion
'You did subdue' — from the language of subjugation.
Malbim
'So the children went in' to the Land of Israel 'and possessed the land.' 'And You did subdue' — it recounts in what manner they took possession of the land: some of the nations You subdued before them — these were the Girgashites, who turned away and departed, and the Hivites, who made peace with them, submitted, and did not fight — while the rest of the nations fought against them, and You gave them into their hands, and they conquered them in war — them and their kings — to do with them as they pleased, to wipe them out from the face of the earth.
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 luxuriated in Your great goodness.
verse value 6275
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 111 letters. The shortest word is "and·tree·of" (וְעֵ֥ץ, 3 letters) and the longest is "full·of·all·good" (מְלֵֽאִים־כׇּל־ט֠וּב, 10 letters). 16 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "and·they·captured" (וַֽיִּלְכְּד֞וּ), "cities" (עָרִ֣ים), "fortified" (בְּצוּרֹת֮). The root שמן appears 2 times in this verse. 20 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "houses" (root בית, 60x in Nehemiah); "the·great" (root גדול, 27x in Nehemiah); "cities" (root עיר, 21x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·abundance', dividing the verse into phrases of 15 and 6 words.
Metzudat David
'Hewn out' — the digging of a cistern in a place of rock is called 'hewing.' 'And became fat' — they grew fat and fleshy. 'And luxuriated' — they indulged themselves in the abundance of the great goodness that You had bestowed upon them.
Metzudat Zion
'fortified' — from the language of a fortress (mivtzar). 'fat' — from the language of fat/oil (shemen). 'and luxuriated' — refers to pleasure and indulgence, as in 'the king's delicacies' (Genesis 49).
Malbim
'And they took' — this echoes the wording of the Torah (Deuteronomy 6:10-11): 'When Hashem your God brings you into the land which He swore to your fathers ... great and goodly cities which you did not build' — 'and possessed houses' — 'houses full of all good things which you did not fill,' 'cisterns' — 'and cisterns hewn out which you did not hew,' 'vineyards' — 'vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant,' 'so they did eat' — 'and you shall eat and be satisfied.' And there it says, 'Take heed lest you forget Hashem' — and this is why it says [what follows].
Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against You, and cast Your law behind their back, and slew Your prophets that did forewarn them to turn them back to You, and they wrought great provocations.
verse value 5799
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 81 letters. The shortest word is "against·you" (בָּ֗ךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·your·prophets" (וְאֶת־נְבִיאֶ֣יךָ, 9 letters). 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "and·they·were·disobedient" (וַיַּמְר֨וּ), "and·rebelled" (וַֽיִּמְרְד֜וּ), "against·you" (בָּ֗ךְ). 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they·did" (root עשה, 55x in Nehemiah); "behind" (root אחר, 29x in Nehemiah); "great" (root גדול, 27x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·you', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 3 words.
Metzudat David
'They were disobedient, and rebelled against You' — this is a doubling of the same idea in different words, and it indicates the greatness of their rebellion. 'That did forewarn them' — they warned them, for most who give warning do so before witnesses, so that [the one warned] cannot deny it.
Metzudat Zion
'behind their back' — [gom means] their body, as in 'the body of Shaul' (I Samuel 31).
Malbim
'Nevertheless they were disobedient' — for afterward they forgot Hashem; first they were disobedient in word, and afterward they rebelled outright, 'and cast Your law behind their back,' etc.
Therefore You did deliver them into the hand of their adversaries, who distressed them; and in the time of their trouble, when they cried to You, You did hear from heaven; and according to Your manifold mercies You did give them saviors who might save them out of the hand of their adversaries.
verse value 7650
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 92 letters. Verse gematria: 7650 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "into·hand·of" (בְּיַ֣ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·would·save·them" (וְיוֹשִׁיע֖וּם, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 345: their·adversaries, their·adversaries. 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "and·they·distressed" (וַיָּצֵ֖רוּ), "and·in·time·of" (וּבְעֵ֤ת), "their·trouble" (צָֽרָתָם֙). The root נתן appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·them" (root הם, 67x in Nehemiah); "and·you·gave·them" (root נתן, 45x in Nehemiah); "into·hand·of" (root יד, 39x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 15 words.
Rashi
And You from the heavens You heard you listened.
Metzudat Zion
'who distressed them' — from the language of distress (tzarah).
Malbim
'Therefore You did deliver them' — as happened in the days of the Judges, as it says (Judges 2:14). Here he distinguishes two stages: first it says 'into the hand of their adversaries (tzareihem),' and afterward 'into the hand of their enemies (oyveihem)' — for a 'tzar' is one who actively distresses, while an 'oyev' is one who hates in his heart; there can be a tzar who is not an oyev, one who causes distress for his own benefit rather than out of hatred. The second time, He gave them into the hand of enemies harsher than their adversaries, who subjugated them into exile even though they had no need to besiege them; 'and ruled over them' — the word 'ruled' (radah) adds to what was said the first time, 'and it distressed them.' Further, the first time it says He gave them saviors who saved them, while the second time it says 'and delivered them' — for 'salvation' (teshu'ah) means they were saved completely and defeated the enemy, which came about through saviors such as Ehud and Deborah; whereas the second time He only rescued them so the enemy could not destroy them, without a complete salvation. This is why the first time it says 'according to Your manifold mercies,' while the second time it merely says 'according to Your mercies,' without 'abundant and great,' since the deliverance was limited. And this went on for many periods — that is, throughout all the days the Judges judged.
But after they had rest, they did evil again before You; therefore You did leave them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had the dominion over them; yet when they returned, and cried to You, many times You did hear from heaven, and did deliver them according to Your mercies;
verse value 6840
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 94 letters. Verse gematria: 6840 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "evil" (רַ֖ע, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·they·cried·to·you" (וַיִּזְעָק֔וּךָ, 7 letters). 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "and·as·resting" (וּכְנ֣וֹחַ), "they·returned" (יָשׁ֕וּבוּ), "and·you·left·them" (וַתַּֽעַזְבֵ֞ם). The root הם appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·them" (root הם, 67x in Nehemiah); "to·do" (root עשה, 55x in Nehemiah); "in·hand·of" (root יד, 39x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'before·you', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 14 words.
Ibn Ezra
"cried to You" — [meaning] "and they cried out to You."
Ralbag
'But after they had rest, they did evil again before You' — and when their enemies gained dominion over them, they would again cry out to You, and You would hear their cry and save them; and this happened many times, as is related in the book of Judges.
Metzudat David
'But after they had rest' — and when they had respite from the idolaters. 'And cried to You' — they cried out to You. 'Many times' — meaning, not once or twice, but on numerous occasions.
Metzudat Zion
'so that they had the dominion' — and they ruled, as in 'have dominion in the midst of your enemies' (Psalms 110:2).
and did forewarn them, that You might bring them back to Your law; yet they dealt proudly, and hearkened not to Your commandments, but sinned against Your ordinances, which if a man do, he shall live by them, and presented a stubborn shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear.
verse value 7746
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 103 letters. The shortest word is "against·them" (בָּהֶ֜ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·in·your·ordinances" (וּבְמִשְׁפָּטֶ֣יךָ, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 47: against·them, by·them. 12 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "to·your·law" (אֶל־תּוֹרָתֶ֗ךָ), "and·not·they·heard" (וְלֹא־שָׁמְע֤וּ), "to·your·commandments" (לְמִצְוֺתֶ֙יךָ֙). The root הם appears 3 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "against·them" (root הם, 67x in Nehemiah); "that·does" (root עשה, 55x in Nehemiah); "and·they·gave" (root נתן, 45x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'by·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 7 words.
Ralbag
'And did forewarn them, that You might bring them back to Your law' — afterward, in the days of the kings of Israel and Judah, when they rebelled against You, You warned them, through Your servants the prophets, of the harm that would befall them if they did not turn back from their wicked deeds. You did this in order to bring them back to Your law, yet they acted wickedly and did not listen to Your commandments; they sinned against Your ordinances, even though these are of the utmost perfection and reasonableness, containing nothing of the harshness found in the laws of the other nations, who would burn their sons and daughters in fire to their gods — for these commandments and ordinances are all directed toward what promotes the health of body and soul and their proper life. Yet they presented a stubborn shoulder and turned away from Your ways which You commanded them, and hardened their neck rather than turn their faces toward You — instead they turned their back to You, and not their face.
Metzudat David
'And did forewarn them' — You were warning them through the prophets. 'But sinned against Your ordinances, etc.' — meaning, even in carrying out Your ordinances they did not act in order to fulfill Hashem's commandment, but rather acted not for its own sake, and even in a sinful manner — such as putting sinners to death in order to take revenge, and the like. 'Which if a man do, etc.' — meaning, the ordinances which, if a person performs them, he attains life through them — behold, they sinned in regard to these. 'A stubborn shoulder' — like a person who turns his shoulder away and turns to walk off from his fellow.
Metzudat Zion
'and did forewarn them' — refers to a warning.
Malbim
'And did forewarn them' — but afterward, in the days of the kings, when they began to sin continually — from the days of Jeroboam onward — You forewarned them, 'yet they dealt proudly' — for the 'zad' [the presumptuous one] is one who rebels with a high hand — 'and hearkened not to Your commandments,' meaning those [commandments] between man and God; and also 'against Your ordinances, which if a man do, he shall live by them' — these are the laws of civic life, and they sinned in these as well, 'and presented a stubborn shoulder' to words of rebuke, and even when He punished them, 'they hardened their neck.'
Yet many years You did extend mercy to them, and did forewarn them by Your spirit through Your prophets; yet would they not give ear; therefore You did give them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.
verse value 4640
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 63 letters. The shortest word is "against·them" (בָּ֧ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·hand·of·your·prophets" (בְּיַד־נְבִיאֶ֖יךָ, 9 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "and·you·extended" (וַתִּמְשֹׁ֤ךְ), "in·your·spirit" (בְּרוּחֲךָ֛), "in·hand·of·your·prophets" (בְּיַד־נְבִיאֶ֖יךָ). 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "peoples·of" (root עם, 47x in Nehemiah); "and·you·gave·them" (root נתן, 45x in Nehemiah); "over·them" (root על, 44x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·gave·ear', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַתִּמְשֹׁ֤ךְ [and·you·extended] (766) + עֲלֵיהֶם֙ [over·them] (155) + שָׁנִ֣ים [years] (400) + רַבּ֔וֹת [many] (608) + וַתָּ֨עַד [and·you·warned] (480) + בָּ֧ם [against·them] (42) + בְּרוּחֲךָ֛ [in·your·spirit] (236) + בְּיַד־נְבִיאֶ֖יךָ [in·hand·of·your·prophets] (109) + וְלֹ֣א [and·not] (37) + הֶאֱזִ֑ינוּ [they·gave·ear] (79) + וַֽתִּתְּנֵ֔ם [and·you·gave·them] (896) + בְּיַ֖ד [in·hand·of] (16) + עַמֵּ֥י [peoples·of] (120) + הָאֲרָצֹֽת [the·lands] (696) = 4640.
Rashi
But You extended upon them You extended mercy upon them not to destroy them.
Ibn Ezra
"Yet many years You did extend [mercy] to them" — it is the years that are "drawn out"; the meaning is that You prolonged [Your patience] with them, [hoping] perhaps they would repent. "through Your prophets" — as if Your spirit were in their hand and at their disposal.
Ralbag
'Yet many years You did extend mercy to them, and did forewarn them by Your spirit through Your prophets' — You delayed the punishment out of Your abundant mercy, drawing it out over them for many years, and You warned them by Your spirit which rested upon Your prophets, and through them You sent them words to rebuke them; but they did not listen to Your words to accept correction. This was the reason You gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands — namely, the king of Assyria and the king of Babylon — who killed great numbers of them.
Metzudat David
'You did extend [mercy]' — meaning, You drew out kindness upon them. 'By Your spirit' — by the spirit of prophecy that comes from You. 'Yet would they not give ear' — they did not incline their ear to listen.
Malbim
'Yet many years You did extend [mercy]' — for this went on for many years. 'And did forewarn them' — He forewarned them, through the prophets, of the decree He had decreed against them — these being the prophets who arose from the days of Uzziah king of Judah onward, all of whom prophesied concerning the exile — 'yet would they not give ear.' Then, 'You did give them into the hand of the peoples of the lands' — referring to the exile of the Ten Tribes by Assyria, through the exile of Judah and Binyamin.
Nevertheless in Your manifold mercies You did not utterly consume them, nor forsake them; for You are a gracious and merciful God.
verse value 2846
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 46 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֛י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·in·your·mercies" (וּֽבְרַחֲמֶ֧יךָ, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "and·in·your·mercies" (וּֽבְרַחֲמֶ֧יךָ), "not·you·made·them" (לֹֽא־עֲשִׂיתָ֥ם), "destruction" (כָּלָ֖ה). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not·you·made·them" (root עשה, 55x in Nehemiah); "and·not" (root לא, 38x in Nehemiah); "for" (root כי, 25x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'you·forsook·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: וּֽבְרַחֲמֶ֧יךָ [and·in·your·mercies] (286) + הָרַבִּ֛ים [the·many] (257) + לֹֽא־עֲשִׂיתָ֥ם [not·you·made·them] (851) + כָּלָ֖ה [destruction] (55) + וְלֹ֣א [and·not] (37) + עֲזַבְתָּ֑ם [you·forsook·them] (519) + כִּ֛י [for] (30) + אֵֽל־חַנּ֥וּן [God·gracious] (145) + וְרַח֖וּם [and·compassionate] (260) + אָֽתָּה [you] (406) = 2846.
Ralbag
'Nevertheless in Your manifold mercies You did not utterly consume them, nor forsake them' — even though they deserved this on account of the enormity of their sins. Nor did You remove Your providence from them so as to abandon them in the land of their captivity, for even there Your eyes were upon them to watch over them, for You are a gracious and merciful God.
Malbim
'Nevertheless in Your manifold mercies' — and yet You had mercy on them, not to destroy them entirely; for You watched over them 'from between the windows' and went with them into the land of their exile to watch over them, as it says, 'yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them' etc., 'nor forsake them, to break My covenant with them' — for He still keeps the covenant and the kindness that He promised to the forefathers, as it says there, 'and I will remember My covenant with Jacob,' etc.
Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awful God, who keep covenant and mercy, let not all the travail seem little before You, that has come upon us, on our kings, on our princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all Your people, since the time of the kings of Assyria to this day.
verse value 7431
Insights
Verse structure: 26 words, 138 letters. Notable word values: "the·God" (הָאֵ֨ל) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "until" (עַ֖ד, 2 letters) and the longest is "that·found·us" (אֲֽשֶׁר־מְ֠צָאַ֠תְנוּ, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 216: the·mighty, and·to·all·your·people. 14 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "the·mighty" (הַגִּבּ֣וֹר), "keeper·of" (שׁוֹמֵ֣ר), "and·the·mercy" (וְהַחֶ֒סֶד֒). The root מלך appears 2 times in this verse. 24 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "our·God" (root אלהים, 62x in Nehemiah); "from·days·of" (root יום, 61x in Nehemiah); "and·to·our·priests" (root כהן, 44x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·to·all·your·people', dividing the verse into phrases of 20 and 6 words.
Ibn Ezra
"let not all the travail seem little before You" — the "et" here attaches to the near [word that follows], not to "the travail" [that precedes]; rather, it marks the very substance of the matter. And so, too: "the two men, she hid" (Joshua 2:4).
Ralbag
'Now therefore, our God ... who keep covenant and mercy' — let not the travail that has found us seem little before You, from the days of the kings of Assyria until this day; for from there the harm to Israel began, and it continues until now — for it was Assyria that exiled the ten tribes, destroyed many in Judah, and captured all the fortified cities of Judah; and after him came the king of Babylon, to destroy the remnant that was left.
Metzudat David
'Covenant' — the reward that You promised in the covenant. 'Let not [all the travail] seem little' — meaning, let it be reckoned before You as great, so that all the transgressions of Your people be wiped away. 'That has come upon us' — that has come upon us — and it goes on to explain: 'on our kings,' and so on. 'Since the time of the kings of Assyria' — for they were the first ones who did harm to Israel.
Metzudat Zion
'the travail' — refers to toil and hardship, as in 'all the hardship' (Exodus 18).
Malbim
'Now therefore, our God' — since You still keep the covenant and the kindness, as it says, 'and I will remember My covenant with Jacob' — for the reason He did not forsake them is on account of His keeping the covenant. [And therefore he adds the terms 'mighty' and 'awful,' which Jeremiah and the Men of the Great Assembly had omitted, as our Sages said — because he saw that even in exile He displays His mighty and awesome deeds and His individual providence, watching over [Israel] with a providence cloaked in concealment, and these very acts are His mighty deeds, as I have written elsewhere.] 'Let not [the travail] seem little' — since the covenant still stands, and the exile is only meant to atone for iniquity and put an end to transgression, we have already received from Hashem's hand ample and more than ample suffering, from the days of the kings of Assyria — when the exiles began — until this very day.
Cross-references: Deuteronomy 10:17; Jeremiah 32:18; Daniel 9:4
However, You are just in all that has come upon us; for You have dealt truly, but we have done wickedly;
verse value 2943
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 41 letters. The shortest word is "over" (עַ֖ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·we" (וַאֲנַ֥חְנוּ, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "all·the·coming" (כׇּל־הַבָּ֣א), "for·truth" (כִּֽי־אֱמֶ֥ת), "we·acted·wickedly" (הִרְשָֽׁעְנוּ). The root על appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "you·did" (root עשה, 55x in Nehemiah); "all·the·coming" (root בוא, 47x in Nehemiah); "over" (root על, 44x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·us', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְאַתָּ֣ה [and·you] (412) + צַדִּ֔יק [just] (204) + עַ֖ל [over] (100) + כׇּל־הַבָּ֣א [all·the·coming] (58) + עָלֵ֑ינוּ [upon·us] (166) + כִּֽי־אֱמֶ֥ת [for·truth] (471) + עָשִׂ֖יתָ [you·did] (780) + וַאֲנַ֥חְנוּ [and·we] (121) + הִרְשָֽׁעְנוּ [we·acted·wickedly] (631) = 2943.
Rashi
with all that has come upon us with the entire episode of the harsh tortures that have come upon us.
Ralbag
'However, You are just in all that has come upon us' — that is, in all the evil that has come upon us, for You have judged us in truth, uprightness, and compassion; but we have done wickedly.
Metzudat David
'However, You are just' — the justice is with You regarding all the travail that has come upon us. 'For You have dealt truly' — for You confirmed and fulfilled everything that You promised us. 'But we have done wickedly' — and we did not act with the recompense that was fitting.
Malbim
'However, You are just' — and nevertheless, You are just in having punished us — whether the fault is on our part, regarding all that has come upon us, 'but we have done wickedly' — for we acted wickedly even though such travails and troubles came upon us; and even though 'You have dealt truly' and the punishment was justly deserved, we did not take it to heart to repent, and we continued to act wickedly even in our exile; or whether the fault is on the part of our fathers, for...
neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers, kept Your law, nor hearkened to Your commandments and Your testimonies, with which You did testify against them.
verse value 5818
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 73 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·our·kings" (וְאֶת־מְלָכֵ֤ינוּ, 9 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "and·our·kings" (וְאֶת־מְלָכֵ֤ינוּ), "your·law" (תּוֹרָתֶ֑ךָ), "they·hearkened" (הִקְשִׁ֙יבוּ֙). The root לא appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "against·them" (root הם, 67x in Nehemiah); "that" (root אשר, 66x in Nehemiah); "they·kept" (root עשה, 55x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·law', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 7 words. Full calculation: וְאֶת־מְלָכֵ֤ינוּ [and·our·kings] (563) + שָׂרֵ֙ינוּ֙ [our·princes] (566) + כֹּהֲנֵ֣ינוּ [our·priests] (141) + וַאֲבֹתֵ֔ינוּ [and·our·fathers] (475) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + עָשׂ֖וּ [they·kept] (376) + תּוֹרָתֶ֑ךָ [your·law] (1026) + וְלֹ֤א [and·not] (37) + הִקְשִׁ֙יבוּ֙ [they·hearkened] (423) + אֶל־מִצְוֺתֶ֔יךָ [to·your·commandments] (597) + וּלְעֵ֣דְוֺתֶ֔יךָ [and·to·your·testimonies] (546) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [that] (501) + הַעִידֹ֖תָ [you·testified] (489) + בָּהֶֽם [against·them] (47) = 5818.
Ralbag
'Nor hearkened to Your commandments and Your testimonies, with which You did testify against them' — meaning, the testimony that You testified against them in the Torah, concerning the harm that would befall them if they turned away from following You; and You testified against them further, through Your prophets. Now they, despite their great successes — having had a kingdom, and inheriting Your great goodness in the good land which You gave them — did not wish to serve You, and did not turn back from their evil deeds; but we are the opposite of this.
Metzudat David
'Neither have our kings [kept Your law]' — meaning, together with our kings, etc., we did wickedly, for they too did not observe Your law, etc., which You were forewarning them to perform.
Malbim
'Our kings' — this refers to the earlier time, in the days of our fathers, when we still had kings and officials of our own: behold, our kings, our officials, and all our fathers did not hearken to Your commandments. They had no siege or distress upon them, yet they did not serve You during their own kingship and amid Your abundant goodness to them — so that we did not withstand the trial of either wealth or poverty, but rebelled against the word of Hashem both in times of prosperity and in times of poverty. [And what is stated, 'our kings,' means: You are righteous, together with our kings — the word 'et' here functioning like the word 'im' ('with').]
For they have not served You in their kingdom, and in Your great goodness that You did give them, and in the large and fat land which You did give before them, neither did they turn from their wicked works.
verse value 5826
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 82 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "from·their·deeds" (מִמַּֽעַלְלֵיהֶ֖ם, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 1351: that·you·gave, that·you·gave. 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "in·their·kingdom" (בְּמַלְכוּתָם֩), "and·in·your·goodness" (וּבְטוּבְךָ֨), "the·great" (הָרָ֜ב). The root הם appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they" (root הם, 67x in Nehemiah); "that·you·gave" (root נתן, 45x in Nehemiah); "not" (root לא, 38x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·served·you', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 3 words.
Metzudat David
'In their kingdom' — even though they had royalty and abundant good, nevertheless they did not serve You and did not turn back from their evil ways.
Metzudat Zion
'their wicked works' — meaning, their deeds, as in 'that has been dealt to me' (Lamentations 1).
Behold, we are servants this day, and as for the land that You did give to our fathers to eat its fruit and its good, behold, we are servants in it.
verse value 4141
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 70 letters. The shortest word is "behold" (הִנֵּ֛ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "that·you·gave" (אֲשֶׁר־נָתַ֣תָּה, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 126: servants, servants. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "and·the·land" (וְהָאָ֜רֶץ), "to·our·fathers" (לַאֲבֹתֵ֗ינוּ), "its·fruit" (אֶת־פִּרְיָהּ֙). The root הן appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·day" (root יום, 61x in Nehemiah); "that·you·gave" (root נתן, 45x in Nehemiah); "in·it" (root על, 44x in Nehemiah). First appearance of the root פרי ("its·fruit") in Nehemiah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'servants', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 10 words. Full calculation: הִנֵּ֛ה [behold] (60) + אֲנַ֥חְנוּ [we] (115) + הַיּ֖וֹם [the·day] (61) + עֲבָדִ֑ים [servants] (126) + וְהָאָ֜רֶץ [and·the·land] (302) + אֲשֶׁר־נָתַ֣תָּה [that·you·gave] (1356) + לַאֲבֹתֵ֗ינוּ [to·our·fathers] (499) + לֶאֱכֹ֤ל [to·eat] (81) + אֶת־פִּרְיָהּ֙ [its·fruit] (696) + וְאֶת־טוּבָ֔הּ [and·its·good] (429) + הִנֵּ֛ה [behold] (60) + אֲנַ֥חְנוּ [we] (115) + עֲבָדִ֖ים [servants] (126) + עָלֶֽיהָ [in·it] (115) = 4141.
Rashi
Behold, today we are slaves upon it [the land], for we pay tribute to all the nations.
Ibn Ezra
"we are servants in it" — meaning, "for its sake."
Ralbag
For we are servants, and the kings of the nations rule over our land, our cattle, and our own bodies, and we are in great distress.
Metzudat David
'Behold, etc.' — meaning, but now, behold, we are servants to the kings of Persia.
Malbim
'Behold' — now he concludes his prayer, saying: we wish to correct the sin of our fathers and turn away wrath. For whereas our fathers, amid great abundance and in their own good land, did not serve You, we will serve You even though we are in poverty and lack everything. For though we are servants — and as for the land, etc. — we are servants upon it, and its produce increases (in the sense of ribbit, increase, as in the phrase 'Woe to him who increases what is not his own') — for we pay interest and increase on it to the kings who rule over our bodies and our cattle, until we are in great distress. And nevertheless we make a covenant and take upon ourselves to keep the Torah — and by this do we not correct the sin of the fathers, who did not serve You while they were in the land and had every good thing?
And it yields much increase to the kings whom You have set over us because of our sins; also they have power over our bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we are in great distress.’
verse value 5639
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 81 letters. The shortest word is "and·upon" (וְעַ֣ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·our·sins" (בְּחַטֹּאותֵ֑ינוּ, 9 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Nehemiah. Unique to this verse in Nehemiah (hapax): "and·its·produce" (וּתְבוּאָתָ֣הּ), "increasing" (מַרְבָּ֗ה), "to·the·kings" (לַמְּלָכִ֛ים). The root על appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·you·gave" (root נתן, 45x in Nehemiah); "upon·us" (root על, 44x in Nehemiah); "to·the·kings" (root מלך, 43x in Nehemiah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·our·sins', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 8 words. Full calculation: וּתְבוּאָתָ֣הּ [and·its·produce] (820) + מַרְבָּ֗ה [increasing] (247) + לַמְּלָכִ֛ים [to·the·kings] (170) + אֲשֶׁר־נָתַ֥תָּה [that·you·gave] (1356) + עָלֵ֖ינוּ [upon·us] (166) + בְּחַטֹּאותֵ֑ינוּ [in·our·sins] (492) + וְעַ֣ל [and·upon] (106) + גְּ֠וִיֹּתֵ֠ינוּ [our·bodies] (485) + מֹשְׁלִ֤ים [ruling] (420) + וּבִבְהֶמְתֵּ֙נוּ֙ [and·in·our·cattle] (511) + כִּרְצוֹנָ֔ם [as·their·pleasure] (406) + וּבְצָרָ֥ה [and·in·distress] (303) + גְדֹלָ֖ה [great] (42) + אֲנָֽחְנוּ [we] (115) = 5639.
Rashi
And its produce [the produce] of the land of Israel. it lavishes delicacies to the kings of the nations... whom You have appointed over us who rule over us.
Ibn Ezra
"it yields much increase to the kings" — the land is the one performing the action [i.e., it is the land itself that yields the increase].
Metzudat David
'And it yields much increase, etc.' — for the kings of Persia take from them the tax, and everything that is fine and pleasant. 'At their pleasure' — they do as they wish.
Rashi
Ralbag
Metzudat David
Malbim