The Meaning of Nehemiah 1:6 Explained

Nehemiah 1:6

KJV: 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.

YLT: let Thine ear be, I pray Thee, attentive, and Thine eyes open, to hearken unto the prayer of Thy servant, that I am praying before Thee to-day, by day and by night, concerning the sons of Israel Thy servants, and confessing concerning the sins of the sons of Israel, that we have sinned against Thee; yea, I and the house of my father have sinned;

Darby: Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, to hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee at this time, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, confessing the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have sinned.

ASV: Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee at this time, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants while I confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee. Yea, I and my father's house have sinned:

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Nehemiah 1:6 Mean?

Context Summary

Nehemiah 1:1-11 - A Patriot's Prayer
Though living in luxury, in the winter palace of the Persian kings, Nehemiah's heart was keenly sensitive to all that affected his people. But he turned from tears to prayer, from man to God. Oh, that we could cry and sigh for the rents and breaches in the Church of God. We should deal much more successfully with men, if, like Nehemiah, we dealt more largely with God. Gordon used to say that he had met and conquered his enemies before he saw them. This prayer of Nehemiah's is very beautiful, saturated as it is with quotations from Scripture, and so effective with God, because based on His own Word. It was steeped in tears of contrition for sin, and offered without ceasing day and night. Nor was it solitary, for there seems to have been a little band of others united with him, Nehemiah 1:11. Lord, teach us to pray thus, till others are found kneeling with us. Here is a good petition for us as we go forth to our daily calling, in which so much depends on the attitude of our fellow-men. Prosper thy servant this day and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. [source]

Chapter Summary: Nehemiah 1

1  Nehemiah, understanding by Hanani the misery of Jerusalem, mourns, fasts, and prays
5  His prayer

What do the individual words in Nehemiah 1:6 mean?

let be please Your ear attentive and Your eyes open that You may listen unto the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now day and night for the sons of Israel Your servants and confess on the sins of the sons of Israel we have sinned against You and both I and house of my father have sinned
תְּהִ֣י נָ֣א אָזְנְךָֽ־ קַשֶּׁ֣בֶת וְֽעֵינֶ֪יךָ פְתֻוּח֟וֹת‪‬ לִשְׁמֹ֣עַ אֶל־ תְּפִלַּ֣ת עַבְדְּךָ֡ אֲשֶׁ֣ר אָנֹכִי֩ מִתְפַּלֵּ֨ל לְפָנֶ֤יךָ הַיּוֹם֙ יוֹמָ֣ם וָלַ֔יְלָה עַל־ בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל עֲבָדֶ֑יךָ וּמִתְוַדֶּ֗ה עַל־ חַטֹּ֤אות בְּנֵֽי־ יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ חָטָ֣אנוּ לָ֔ךְ וַאֲנִ֥י וּבֵית־ אָבִ֖י חָטָֽאנוּ

תְּהִ֣י  let  be 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect Jussive, third person feminine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
נָ֣א  please 
Parse: Interjection
Root: נָא  
Sense: I (we) pray, now, please.
אָזְנְךָֽ־  Your  ear 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: אֹזֶן  
Sense: ear, as part of the body.
קַשֶּׁ֣בֶת  attentive 
Parse: Adjective, feminine singular
Root: קַשָּׁב 
Sense: attentive.
וְֽעֵינֶ֪יךָ  and  Your  eyes 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, cdc, second person masculine singular
Root: עֹונָה 
Sense: eye.
פְתֻוּח֟וֹת‪‬  open 
Parse: Verb, Qal, QalPassParticiple, feminine plural
Root: פָּתַח 
Sense: to open.
לִשְׁמֹ֣עַ  that  You  may  listen 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: שָׁמַע 
Sense: to hear, listen to, obey.
אֶל־  unto 
Parse: Preposition
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
תְּפִלַּ֣ת  the  prayer 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: תְּפִלָּה  
Sense: prayer.
עַבְדְּךָ֡  of  Your  servant 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: עֶבֶד  
Sense: slave, servant.
מִתְפַּלֵּ֨ל  pray 
Parse: Verb, Hitpael, Participle, masculine singular
Root: פָּלַל 
Sense: to intervene, interpose, pray.
לְפָנֶ֤יךָ  before  You 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, common plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
הַיּוֹם֙  now 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
יוֹמָ֣ם  day 
Parse: Adverb
Root: יׄומָם  
Sense: by day, in the daytime subst.
וָלַ֔יְלָה  and  night 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: לַיִל 
Sense: night.
בְּנֵ֥י  the  sons 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
עֲבָדֶ֑יךָ  Your  servants 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: עֶבֶד  
Sense: slave, servant.
וּמִתְוַדֶּ֗ה  and  confess 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hitpael, Participle, masculine singular
Root: יָדָה 
Sense: to throw, shoot, cast.
חַטֹּ֤אות  the  sins 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: חַטָּאָה 
Sense: sin, sinful.
בְּנֵֽי־  of  the  sons 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
יִשְׂרָאֵל֙  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
חָטָ֣אנוּ  we  have  sinned 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common plural
Root: חָטָא 
Sense: to sin, miss, miss the way, go wrong, incur guilt, forfeit, purify from uncleanness.
לָ֔ךְ  against  You 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine singular
וַאֲנִ֥י  and  both  I 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, first person common singular
Root: אֲנִי  
Sense: I (first pers.
וּבֵית־  and  house 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
אָבִ֖י  of  my  father 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.
חָטָֽאנוּ  have  sinned 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common plural
Root: חָטָא 
Sense: to sin, miss, miss the way, go wrong, incur guilt, forfeit, purify from uncleanness.