Nehemiah 1:4-11

Nehemiah 1:4-11

[4] And it came to pass, when I heard  these words,  that I sat down  and wept,  and mourned  certain days,  and fasted,  and prayed  before  the God  of heaven,  [5] And said,  I beseech  God  of heaven,  the great  and terrible  God,  that keepeth  covenant  and mercy  for them that love  him and observe  his commandments:  [6] Let thine ear  now be attentive,  and thine eyes  open,  that thou mayest hear  the prayer  of thy servant,  which I pray  before  thee now,  day  and night,  for the children  of Israel  thy servants,  and confess  the sins  of the children  of Israel,  which we have sinned  against thee: both I and my father's  house  have sinned.  [7] We have dealt very  against thee, and have not kept  the commandments,  nor the statutes,  nor the judgments,  which thou commandedst  thy servant  Moses.  [8] Remember,  I beseech thee, the word  that thou commandedst  thy servant  Moses,  saying,  If ye transgress,  I will scatter you abroad  among the nations:  [9] But if ye turn  unto me, and keep  my commandments,  and do  them; though there were of you cast out  unto the uttermost part  of the heaven,  yet will I gather  them from thence, and will bring  them unto the place  that I have chosen  to set  my name  there. [10] Now these are thy servants  and thy people,  whom thou hast redeemed  by thy great  power,  and by thy strong  hand.  [11] O Lord,  I beseech  thee, let now thine ear  be attentive  to the prayer  of thy servant,  and to the prayer  of thy servants,  who desire  to fear  thy name:  and prosper,  I pray thee, thy servant  this day,  and grant  him mercy  in the sight  of this man.  For I was the king's 

What does Nehemiah 1:4-11 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Nehemiah"s reaction to this bad news was admirable. He made it a subject of serious prolonged prayer ( Nehemiah 1:4; Nehemiah 1:11; Nehemiah 2:1). Daniel had been another high-ranking Jewish official in the Persian government, and he too was a man of prayer.
"Of the406 verses in the book, the prayers fill46 verses (11%), and the history accounts for146 (36%). The various lists ... add up to214verses or53% of the total." [1]
Nehemiah began his prayer with praise for God"s greatness and His loyal love for His people ( Nehemiah 1:5). As Ezra had done, he acknowledged that the Jews had been guilty of sinning against God (cf. Ezra 9:6-7). They had disobeyed the Mosaic Law ( Nehemiah 1:7). Nehemiah reminded God of His promise to restore His people to their land if they repented ( Nehemiah 1:8-9; cf. Deuteronomy 30:1-5). He also noted that these were the people Yahweh had redeemed from Egyptian slavery for a special purpose ( Nehemiah 1:10; cf. Deuteronomy 9:29). He concluded with a petition that his planned appeal to the king would be successful ( Nehemiah 1:11 a).
"With the expression this man at the end of the prayer Nehemiah shows the big difference between his reverence for his God and his conception of his master, the Persian king. In the eyes of the world Artaxerxes was an important person, a man with influence, who could decide on life or death. In the eyes of Nehemiah , with his religious approach, Artaxerxes was just a man like any other man. The Lord of history makes the decisions, not Artaxerxes." [2]
"Although he is a layperson, he stands with the great prophets in interceding for his people and in calling them to be faithful to the Sinai covenant." [3]
If Nehemiah wrote this book, he was also a prophet (cf. Daniel). Extrabiblical references that mention the office of cupbearer in the Persian court have revealed that this was a position second only in authority to the king ( Nehemiah 1:11 b). [4] Nehemiah was not only the chief treasurer and keeper of the king"s signet ring, but he also tasted the king"s food to make sure no one had poisoned it ( Tobit 1:22). [4]
"The cupbearer . . . in later Achaemenid times was to exercise even more influence than the commander-in-chief." [6]
"Achaememid" refers to the dynasty of Persian rulers at this time.
"From varied sources it may be assumed that Nehemiah as a royal cupbearer would probably have had the following traits: 1. He would have been well trained in court etiquette (cf. Daniel 1:4-5). 2. He was probably a handsome individual (cf. Daniel 1:4; Daniel 1:13; Daniel 1:15). 3. He would certainly know how to select the wines to set before the king.... 4. He would have to be a convivial companion to the king with a willingness to lend an ear at all times.... 5. He would be a man of great influence as one with the closest access to the king, and one who could well determine who could see the king6. Above all, Nehemiah had to be an individual who enjoyed the unreserved confidence of the king." [7]
Some commentators have concluded that Nehemiah as cupbearer must have been a eunuch. [8] This opinion rests on the translation of the Greek word eunouchos ("eunuch") instead of oinochoos ("cupbearer") in one version of the Septuagint. However, this rendering appears to have been an error in translation, since the Hebrew word means cupbearer. [9]
"Like many since his time, Nehemiah"s greatness came from asking great things of a great God and attempting great things in reliance on him." [10]