Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Nehemiah 9:6
Thou, [even] thou, [art] LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all [things] that [are] therein, the seas, and all that [is] therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshipeth thee.
6. Thou, even thou, art Lord alone ] R.V. Thou art the LORD, even thou alone. The confession opens with a declaration of the unity of the God of Israel. Jehovah alone is: He alone made the worlds and led Israel. Cf. Psa 83:18, ‘That they may know that thou alone, whose name is Jehovah (marg. thou whose name alone is Jehovah) art the Most High above all the earth,’ Isa 44:6.
made ] ‘fecisti’ not ‘creasti,’ ‘sah’ not ‘bara;’ no reference to Gen 1:1; Gen 2:1.
heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host ] For ‘the heaven’ and ‘the heaven of heavens,’ cf. Deu 10:14; 1Ki 8:27 ; 2Ch 2:6; 2Ch 6:18; Psa 148:4. It denotes ‘the heavens’ in their plenitude, the clouds, and the wonders of the sky, the stars and the whole sidereal world.
therein ] R.V. thereon.
therein ] R.V. in them, giving emphasis to the use of the plural.
preservest ] literally, ‘givest life to,’ ‘quickenest;’ LXX. . Vulg. ‘vivificas,’ an allusion to the continuity of Divine operation in relation to the Universe. Cf. Job 33:4; Joh 5:17.
the host of heaven ] Does this refer to the stars and the powers of the sky, or to the angelic beings? The words, being separated from the phrase, ‘all their host’ and following upon the mention of the seas and the earth, most probably mean the created spirits, a distinct group of created things, 1Ki 22:19; Psa 103:21.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The host of heaven worshippeth thee – i. e the angels. See 1Ki 22:19; Psa 103:21.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 6. Thou preservest them all] vettah mechaiyeh eth cullam, and thou givest life to them all: and the host of the heavens, lecha mishtachavim, prostrate themselves unto thee. How near is this to the opinion of Kepler, that all the heavenly host are instinct with life, and navigate the great expanse on pinions adjusted to their situation in their respective orbits! But to preserve in life, or in being, is a very good meaning in the original, which does not necessarily imply vitality. We say a tree is alive when flourishing, a plant is dead when it withers, &c.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The host of heaven; either,
1. The stars, which after their manner worship and praise God, as all the creatures do after their manner, of which see Psa 148; or rather,
2. The angels, who are so called, as 1Ki 22:19; Luk 2:13, who do worship God truly and properly. And it is most usual and reasonable to understand all words properly, where there is no need of a figurative interpretation. And if this were understood of metaphorical and objective worshipping of God, there seems to be no reason to appropriate that to the host of heaven, to wit, the stars, seeing the hosts of sea and earth do in that sense worship God no less than the stars do, namely, in giving angels and men matter and occasion of worshipping and praising of God.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
6-38. Thou, even thou, art Lordalone, &c.In this solemn and impressive prayer, in whichthey make public confession of their sins, and deprecate thejudgments due to the transgressions of their fathers, they begin witha profound adoration of God, whose supreme majesty and omnipotence isacknowledged in the creation, preservation, and government of all.Then they proceed to enumerate His mercies and distinguished favorsto them as a nation, from the period of the call of their greatancestor and the gracious promise intimated to him in the divinelybestowed name of Abraham, a promise which implied that he was to bethe Father of the faithful, the ancestor of the Messiah, and thehonored individual in whose seed all the families of the earth shouldbe blessed. Tracing in full and minute detail the signal instances ofdivine interposition for their deliverance and their interestintheir deliverance from Egyptian bondagetheir miraculous passagethrough the Red Seathe promulgation of His lawthe forbearanceand long-suffering shown them amid their frequent rebellionsthesignal triumphs given them over their enemiestheir happysettlement in the promised landand all the extraordinaryblessings, both in the form of temporal prosperity and of religiousprivilege, with which His paternal goodness had favored them aboveall other people, they charge themselves with making a miserablerequital. They confess their numerous and determined acts ofdisobedience. They read, in the loss of their national independenceand their long captivity, the severe punishment of their sins. Theyacknowledge that, in all heavy and continued judgments upon theirnation, God had done right, but they had done wickedly. And inthrowing themselves on His mercy, they express their purpose ofentering into a national covenant, by which they pledge themselves todutiful obedience in future.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Thou, even thou art Lord alone,…. Whose name alone is Jehovah, the one only true and living God:
thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host; the airy and starry heavens, and the sun, moon, and stars in them, and the third heaven, the seat of God, angels, and saints:
the earth, and all things that are therein; men, beasts, trees, metals, minerals, c.
the seas, and all that is therein fishes, sea plants, c. see Ac 4:24,
and thou preservest them all they consist in thee, and are upheld in their being by thee, Heb 1:3
and the host of heaven worshipped thee; not the sun, moon, and stars, only in their way, Ps 148:2 but the angels chiefly, Heb 1:6.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
In Neh 9:6 this praising of God begins with the acknowledgment that Jahve, the Creator of heaven and earth, chose Abram and made a covenant with him to give the land of Canaan to his seed, and had performed this word (Neh 9:6-8). These verses form the theme of that blessing the name of His glory, to which the Levites exhorted. This theme is then elucidated by facts from Israel’s history, in four strophes. a. When God saw the affliction of His people in Egypt, He delivered them by great signs and wonders from the power of Pharaoh, gave them laws and judgments on Sinai, miraculously provided them with food and water in the wilderness, and commanded them to take possession of the promised land (Neh 9:9-15). b. Although their fathers rebelled against Him, even in the wilderness, God did not withdraw His mercy from them, but sustained them forty years, so that they lacked nothing; and subdued kings before them, so that they were able to conquer and possess the land (Neh 9:16-25). c. After they were settled in the land they rebelled again, and God delivered them into the hand of their oppressors; but as often as they cried unto Him, He helped them again, till at length, because of their continued opposition, He gave them into the power of the people of the lands, yet of His great mercy did not wholly cast them off (Neh 9:26-31). d. May He now too look upon the affliction of His people, as the God that keepeth covenant and mercy, although they have deserved by their sins the troubles they are suffering (Neh 9:32-37).
Neh 9:6 “Thou art Jahve alone; Thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, and all their host, the earth and all that is thereon, the sea and all therein; and Thou givest life to them all, and the host of heaven worshippeth Thee. Neh 9:7 Thou art Jahve, the God who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham: Neh 9:8 And foundest his heart faithful before Thee, and madest a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Jebusites, and the Girgashites, to give to his seed, and hast performed Thy word; for Thou art righteous.” Jahve alone is God, the Creator of heaven and earth, and of all creatures in heaven and on earth. In order duly to exalt the almightiness of God, the notion of heaven is enhanced by the addition “heaven of heavens,” as in Deu 10:14; 1Ki 8:27; and that of earth by the addition ”the sea and all therein;” comp. Psa 146:6. , Gen 2:1, here refers only to heaven. , to cause to live = to give and preserve life. relates to all creatures in heaven and earth. The host of heaven who worshipped God are the angels, as in Psa 148:2; Psa 103:21. This only God chose Abram; comp. Gen 12:1 with Gen 11:31 and Gen 15:7; Gen 17:5, where God bestowed upon the patriarch Abram the name of Abraham. The words, “Thou foundest his heart faithful,” refer to there mentioned. The making of a covenant alludes to Gen 17:5.; the enumeration of six Canaanitish nations to Deu 7:1; Exo 3:8; comp. with Gen 15:20. This His word God performed (fulfilled), for He is righteous. God is called , inasmuch as with Him word and deed correspond with each other; comp. Deu 32:4.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
(6) Preservest them all.In this comprehensiveness reproduced only in Heb. 1:3.
The host of heaven.First the stars, but here the angels (Psa. 103:21).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
6. All their host The glorious host of stars. Compare Gen 2:1.
Host of heaven worshippeth thee Here the host of angels are intended. Compare Psa 103:21; Psa 148:2.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
YHWH As Unique Creator ( Neh 9:6 ).
The initial emphasis was now on YHWH as sole Creator and Lord over all things, Who thus had control of all affairs whether in Heaven or on earth. Behind their words was their distress that they were still subject to the Persians (Nehemiah 9:39). But they recognised that to Him, as the Universal Lord, the Persians and their gods were as nothing. Their future lay only in the hands of YHWH.
Neh 9:6
“You are YHWH, 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.’
He was first addressed as the unique and only Creator of Heaven and earth. Indeed as the One Who has made the Heaven of Heavens, with all that it contains. All that is in those Heavens has been created by YHWH (thus making ‘the gods’ at best created things), and the angelic host owe their existence to His creative power. All the host of Heaven, without exception, whether angelic beings or heavenly bodies, worship Him. He is God over all. For ‘with all their host’ compare Gen 2:1.
‘Furthermore He has made ‘the earth and all things that are on it’. As John would later put it, ‘All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made’ (Joh 1:3). Thus they were reminding themselves that even the Persians themselves owed their empire to YHWH. And this description includes ‘the seas and all that is in them’. Note how there is a distinction between the earth and the seas. To the Israelites the seas were a strange element, almost distinct from the earth in which they lived. And yet they recognised that all is under Him. and He preserves them all. For this idea of both creating and sustaining compare Col 1:16-17; Heb 1:2-3. The basis of the descriptions here is Genesis 1 where heaven, earth and seas are clearly distinguished while being parts of the whole.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
(6) Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee. (7) Thou art the LORD the God, who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham; (8) And foundest his heart faithful before thee, and madest a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Jebusites, and the Girgashites, to give it, I say, to his seed, and hast performed thy words; for thou art righteous: (9) And didst see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heardest their cry by the Red sea; (10) And shewedst signs and wonders upon Pharaoh, and on all his servants, and on all the people of his land: for thou knewest that they dealt proudly against them. So didst thou get thee a name, as it is this day. (11) And thou didst divide the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; and their persecutors thou threwest into the deeps, as a stone into the mighty waters. (12) Moreover thou leddest them in the day by a cloudy pillar; and in the night by a pillar of fire, to give them light in the way wherein they should go. (13) Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments: (14) And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant: (15) And gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and promisedst them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst sworn to give them. (16) But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks, and hearkened not to thy commandments, (17) And refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not. (18) Yea, when they had made them a molten calf, and said, This is thy God that brought thee up out of Egypt, and had wrought great provocations; (19) Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way wherein they should go. (20) Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst. (21) Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled not. (22) Moreover thou gavest them kingdoms and nations, and didst divide them into corners: so they possessed the land of Sihon, and the land of the king of Heshbon, and the land of Og king of Bashan. (23) Their children also multipliedst thou as the stars of heaven, and broughtest them into the land, concerning which thou hadst promised to their fathers, that they should go in to possess it. (24) So the children went in and possessed the land, and thou subduedst before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gavest them into their hands, with their kings, and the people of the land, that they might do with them as they would. (25) And they took strong cities, and a fat land, and possessed houses full of all goods, wells digged, vineyards, and oliveyards, and fruit trees in abundance: so they did eat, and were filled, and became fat, and delighted themselves in thy great goodness. (26) Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs, and slew thy prophets which testified against them to turn them to thee, and they wrought great provocations. (27) Therefore thou deliveredst them into the hand of their enemies, who vexed them: and in the time of their trouble, when they cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; and according to thy manifold mercies thou gavest them saviours, who saved them out of the hand of their enemies. (28) But after they had rest, they did evil again before thee: therefore leftest thou them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had the dominion over them: yet when they returned, and cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; and many times didst thou deliver them according to thy mercies; (29) And testifiedst against them, that thou mightest bring them again unto thy law: yet they dealt proudly, and hearkened not unto thy commandments, but sinned against thy judgments, (which if a man do, he shall live in them;) and withdrew the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear. (30) Yet many years didst thou forbear them, and testifiedst against them by thy spirit in thy prophets: yet would they not give ear: therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the people of the lands. (31) Nevertheless for thy great mercies’ sake thou didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them; for thou art a gracious and merciful God.
This is a beautiful recapitulation of Israel’s history as a church. It takes in some of the principal features of God’s gracious dealings with his people in his covenant engagements. And I cannot but beg the Reader to remark with me how the Lord the Holy Ghost evidently taught by causing it to be recorded and handed down in the church’s history, that the best possible argument, in imploring God’s mercy and blessing upon future occasions, is to tell the Lord what mercies and blessings he hath showed in what is passed. Reader! make use of this argument with an eye to Christ; and see how unanswerable it becomes. Oh! how precious is it to tell God our Father, who is here called a God of pardons, in all our approaches, that we hope and expect his mercy, because he hath already, the first and greatest of all mercies in the gift of his dear Son, exceeded all he hath now to bestow, or we to need.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Neh 9:6 Thou, [even] thou, [art] LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all [things] that [are] therein, the seas, and all that [is] therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.
Ver. 6. Thou, even thou, art Lord alone ] Jehovah is God’s incommunicable name; that holy and reverend name of his which Jews pronounce not, we too oft profane, at least by not considering the import of it; which is enough to answer all our doubts, and to fill us with strong consolation, had we but skill to spell all the letters in it.
Thou hast made heaven
The heaven of heavens
With all their host
The earth, and all things that are therein
And all things that are thereon
The seas, and all that are therein
And thou preservest them all
And the host of heaven worshippeth thee
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Thou . . . Thou . . . Thou. Figure of speech Epizeuxis (App-6), for emphasis.
art LORD = [art] He, Jehovah,
heaven = the heavens.
heaven of heavens. Figure of speech Polyptoton, for emphasis.
and. Note the Figure of speech Polysyndeton, throughout this confession.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
even thou: Deu 6:4, 2Ki 19:15, 2Ki 19:19, Psa 86:10, Isa 37:16, Isa 37:20, Isa 43:10, Isa 44:6, Isa 44:8, Mar 12:29, Mar 12:30, Joh 10:30
thou hast: Gen 1:1, Gen 2:1, Eze 20:11, Psa 33:6, Psa 136:5-9, Psa 146:6, Jer 10:11, Jer 10:12, Col 1:15, Col 1:16, Rev 4:11, Rev 14:7
the heaven: Deu 10:14, 1Ki 8:27
preservest: Psa 36:6, Col 1:17, Heb 1:3
the host: Gen 2:1, Gen 32:2, 1Ki 22:19, Psa 103:21, Psa 148:2-4, Isa 6:2, Isa 6:3, Heb 1:6, Rev 5:11-13
Reciprocal: Gen 24:3 – the Deu 4:19 – which the Lord Job 7:20 – O thou preserver Psa 50:1 – mighty Psa 84:1 – O Lord Psa 104:24 – how Isa 45:12 – all their host Jer 32:17 – thou Jon 1:9 – which Mat 6:10 – as Act 4:24 – Lord Rev 10:5 – lifted
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Neh 9:6. Thou, even thou, art Lord alone Jehovah, the self-existent and independent being; there is no God beside thee; thou hast made heaven, &c. They acknowledged the God they worshipped to be the supreme Sovereign, the Lord over all, who had created all things whatsoever, who preserved them by his providence, and therefore had a sovereign dominion over all. And the host of heaven worshippeth thee The angels, archangels, cherubim, and seraphim, and all the inhabitants of heaven, of whatever order, acknowledge thee as the universal King.