Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Nehemiah 9:9
And didst see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heardest their cry by the Red sea;
9 11. The Deliverance from Egypt
9. didst see ] R.V. thou sawest. The words are probably based on Exo 3:7, ‘And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people.’
heardest their cry by the Red sea ] Cf. Exo 14:10, ‘And, behold, the Egyptians marched after them and the children of Israel cried out unto the Lord.’ 15, ‘And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me.’ In both cases the verb ‘cry’ is the same root as the substantive here used.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Neh 9:9
And didst see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt.
The path of duty the path of trial
I. That the path of human duty here runs through great trials.
1. Sometimes it involves the sacrifice of endeared friendship. Lot had to separate from Abraham, Barnabas from Paul, Paul from Mark.
2. Sometimes it involves the sacrifice of worldly prospects.
3. Sometimes it involves the endangering of life itself.
4. Sometimes it involves an outrage on our tender sentiments. Abraham offering up Isaac.
II. That great trials through which the path of duty here runs serve to test the principles of the pilgrims.
1. It reveals the bad principles of the heart. The Jews at the Red Sea revealed their ingratitude, meanness, aspostasy, cowardice,
2. It reveals the good principles of the heart.
III. That unbounded faith in god is essential to carry us safely through the path of duty with all its great trials. (Homilist.)
God our helper
The following is an extract from Stanley to Sir William Mackinnon: You, who throughout your long and varied life have steadfastly believed in the Christians God, and before men have professed your devout thankfulness for many mercies vouchsafed to you, will better understand than many others the feelings which animate me when I find myself back again in civilisation, uninjured in life or health, after passing through so many stormy and distressful periods. Constrained at the darkest hour to humbly confess that without Gods help I was helpless, I vowed a vow in the forest solitudes that I would confess His aid before men. A silence as of death was round about me; it was midnight; I was weakened by illness, prostrated with fatigue, and worn with anxiety for my white and black companions whose fate was a mystery. In this physical and mental distress I besought God to give me back my people. Nine hours later we were exulting with a rapturous joy. In full view of all was the crimson flag with the crescent, and beneath its waving folds was the long-lost rear column. Mungo Park was comforted by the Lord by a tiny morsel of moss, and Livingstone was preserved by Him when most people gave him up for lost: and now, from the awful gloom of endless forests, Stanley cries unto the living God, and lives to bear witness to the faithfulness of the prayer-hearing Jehovah.
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
And didst see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt,…. The hard bondage in which their lives were made bitter; and was not a mere spectator of it, but looked upon them in it with pity and compassion, and sent them a deliverer, Ex 2:23
and heardest their cry by the Red sea; which was before them, and the rocks on both sides of them, and the host of Pharaoh behind, pressing upon them, when he heard them, and wrought salvation for them,
Ex 14:10.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The fulfilment of this word by the deliverance of Israel from Egypt, and their guidance through the wilderness to Canaan.
Neh 9:9-11 “And Thou sawest the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heardest their cry by the Red Sea: Neh 9:10 And showedst signs and wonders upon Pharaoh and all his servants, and on all the people of his land, because Thou knewest that they dealt proudly against them, and madest Thyself a name, as this day. Neh 9:11 And Thou dividedst the sea before them, and they went through the midst of the sea on dry land; and their persecutors Thou threwest into the deeps, as a stone into the mighty waters.” In Neh 9:9 are comprised two subjects, which are carried out in Neh 9:10, Neh 9:11: (1) the affliction of the Israelites in Egypt, which God saw (comp. Exo 3:7), and out of which He delivered them by the signs and wonders He showed upon Pharaoh (Neh 9:10); (2) the crying for help at the Red Sea, when the Israelites perceived Pharaoh with his horsemen and chariots in pursuit (Exo 14:10), and the help which God gave them by dividing the sea, etc. (Neh 9:11). The words in Neh 9:10 are supported by Deu 6:22, on the ground of the historical narrative, Ex 7-10. The expression is formed according to , Exo 18:11. occurs Exo 21:14 in a general sense. On comp. Jer 32:20; Isa 58:12, Isa 58:14; 1Ch 17:22. A name as this day – in that the miracles which God then did are still praised, and He continues still to manifest His almighty power. The words of Neh 9:11 are supported by Exo 14:21-22, Exo 14:28, and Exo 15:19. are from Exo 15:5; from Ex 15 and Isa 43:16.
Neh 9:12-15 “And 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. Neh 9:13 And Thou camest down upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments and true laws, good statutes and commandments: Neh 9:14 And madest known unto them Thy holy Sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses Thy servant. Neh 9:15 And gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst; and Thou commandedst them to go in and possess the land, which Thou hadst lifted up Thine hand to give them.” Three particulars in the miraculous leading of Israel through the wilderness are brought forward: a. Their being guided in the way by miraculous tokens of the divine presence, in the pillar of fire and cloud, Neh 9:12; comp. Exo 13:21; Num 14:14. b. The revelation of God on Sinai, and the giving of the law, Neh 9:13, Neh 9:14. The descent of God on Sinai and the voice from heaven agree with Exo 19:18, Exo 19:20, and Exo 20:1., compared with Deu 4:36. On the various designations of the law, comp. Psa 19:9; Psa 119:43, Psa 119:39, Psa 119:142. Of the commandments, that concerning the Sabbath is specially mentioned, and spoken of as a benefit bestowed by God upon the Israelites, as a proclamation of His holy Sabbath, inasmuch as the Israelites were on the Sabbath to share in the rest of God; see rem. on Exo 20:9-11. c. The provision of manna, and of water from the rock, for their support during their journey through the wilderness on the way to Canaan; Exo 16:4, Exo 16:10., Exo 17:6; Num 20:8; comp. Psa 78:24, Psa 78:15; Psa 105:40. like Deu 9:1, Deu 9:5; Deu 11:31, and elsewhere. is to be understood according to Num 14:30.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
4. Gods hand is seen in the Exodus.
TEXT, Neh. 9:9-15
9
Thou didst see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt,
And didst hear their cry by the Red Sea.
10
Then Thou didst perform signs and wonders against Pharaoh,
Against all his servants and all the people of his land;
For Thou didst know that they acted arrogantly toward them,
And didst make a name for Thyself as it is this day.
11
And Thou didst divide the sea before them,
So they passed through the midst of the sea on dry ground;
And their pursuers Thou didst hurl into the depths,
Like a stone into raging waters.
12
And with a pillar of cloud Thou didst lead them by day,
And with a pillar of fire by night
To light for them the way
In which they were to go.
13
Then Thou didst come down on Mount Sinai,
And didst speak with them from heaven;
Thou didst give to them just ordinances and true laws,
Good statutes and commandments.
14
So Thou didst make known to them Thy holy sabbath,
And didst lay down for them commandments, statutes, and law,
Through Thy servant Moses.
15
Thou didst provide bread from heaven for them for their hunger,
Thou didst bring forth water from a rock for them for their thirst,
And Thou didst tell them to enter in order to possess
The land which Thou didst swear to give them.
COMMENT
As the Cross and Resurrection are the focal points of the N.T., so the Exodus, the giving of the Law, and the entrance into Canaan constitute the central event of the O.T. Whenever Israel praised God for His acts in history, in the Psalms or elsewhere, this would have to be mentioned. So it is the largest topic of this prayer.
The deliverance from Egypt occupies Neh. 9:9-12.
Neh. 9:9 recalls the words of Exo. 3:7, with other acts following.
In Neh. 9:10, Pharaohs arrogance is paralleled by Exo. 15:7. Gods making a name for Himself illustrates an idea in the Word Studies under NAME, at the end of this chapter.
In Neh. 9:11, even the imagery of the stone is taken from Moses victory song, Exo. 15:5; Exo. 15:10.
Neh. 9:13-14 rehearse the giving of the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai.
The statement in Neh. 9:14 that God revealed His Holy Sabbath at that time is informative. It reinforces Deu. 5:15, which says that the purpose of the Sabbath was to commemorate their release from slavery in Egypt; their enjoying rest was an appropriate symbol. There is no mention of Sabbath keeping in the O.T. before that event. It is true that God Himself rested on the seventh creative day, and He blessed and sanctified it; but there is no suggestion that He required its observance by man until Moses time, as Neh. 9:14 says.
The bearing that this has on Seventh Dayism is clear. The Sabbath was not an eternal, unchanging law, but a national celebration of Independence. The Lords Day celebrates another event, in another manner.
Neh. 9:15 bespeaks the provision which God made for His people in that circumstance: the manna, the water from the rock, and the instruction for possession of the land. We think of our bread from heaven (Joh. 6:48-51), and of our rock, which is Christ (1Co. 10:4).
WORD STUDIES
NAME (Neh. 9:5, Shem): basically it means a sign, monument, or memorial of a person, thing, or event. This word is translated memorial in Isa. 55:13. But the emphasis is on the person or event of which it is only the sign. To do something in someones name is to act by his authority (Exo. 5:23). To know someone by name suggests acquaintance with him personally (Exo. 33:12). To make oneself a name indicates fame and renown (2Sa. 7:9); conversely, to have no name is to be a nobody (Job. 30:8); a good name signified a good reputation or character (Pro. 22:1); the destruction of ones name meant that his person and the memory of him would be no more (Deu. 9:14).
Gods name, then, is His person, His authority, the knowledge of Him, His fame or glory, His character, the memory of all that He has done.
WORSHIP (Neh. 9:3); BOW DOWN (Neh. 9:6): these are the same word. It contains three ideas; (1) sink down, bow down, fall prostrate, do honor or reverence to someone whether to an equal or to a superior; (2) hence, to worship or adore; (3) therefore, to do homage or yield allegiance to someone.
Worship is incomplete without commitment.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
The Deliverance From Egypt ( Neh 9:9-11 ).
They now reminded YHWH what, having established His sovereign power over all things, and having chosen Abraham and made a covenant with him to give him and his descendants the land, this had caused Him to do. It had caused Him to deliver the children of Abraham out of Egypt. They had been afflicted by a powerful foreign king and nation, but YHWH had miraculously delivered them, bringing them through the Red Sea, just as they now hoped that He would deliver them from the hand of another powerful king and nation, and would bring back other exiles who were scattered around the world.
Neh 9:9-11
“And you saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, (Exo 3:7)
And heard their cry by the Red Sea, (Exo 14:10)
And showed signs and wonders on Pharaoh, (Exo 7:3; Deu 6:22)
And on all his servants, and on all the people of his land, (Deu 6:22; Deu 34:11)
For you knew that they dealt proudly against them, (Exo 18:11)
And you got yourself a name, as it is this day. (Exo 9:16)
And you divided the sea before them, (Exo 14:16; Exo 14:21)
So that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land, (Exo 14:22; Exo 14:29; Exo 15:19)
And their pursuers you did cast into the depths, (Exo 15:4; Exo 15:19)
As a stone into the mighty waters.” (Exo 15:5; Exo 15:9)
In poetic prose the writer vividly describes the deliverance of ‘their fathers’ from their afflictions, both by signs and wonders wrought in Egypt affecting the whole land, and especially by His deliverance at the Red Sea when the host of Pharaoh perished in the waters. God had seen the afflictions of His people, had heard their cry, had noted the pride and arrogance of their tormentors, had worked signs and wonders against a foreign tyrant, and had thereby ‘got Himself a Name’, a recognition of Who and What He was. As can be seen the words are full of references to the Book of Exodus. This then was the God on whom they were now depending, and to Whom they were looking. It is quite apparent that they were hoping that God would act in a similar way again.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
God’s Initial Great Deliverance Of His People From Foreign Ownership, His Wonderful Provision For Them, And Their Response By Seeking Another Captain Who Would Take Them Back Into Bondage ( Neh 9:9-17 ).
The Levites first outline to God their recognition of His original great deliverance, and of all that He had done for His people during the course of it.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
The Levites’ Plea On The Basis Of God’s Past Mercies ( Neh 9:9-38 ).
The Levites now reminded God that He had been faithful to His covenant throughout their history, declared their recognition of His constant goodness, and of His continuing munificence towards them, confessed their own failures and the failures of their fathers, which had occurred again and again, and reminded Him how He had continued faithful, clearly expressing the hope that He would continue to do so.
The confession was made in great detail. It was not just a reiteration of their history. Every agonised verse was spoken from the heart. They felt the great burden of guilt that was on them as a result of their nations behaviour and attitude towards God. The words may well have been spoken with weeping. We are not to see them as just a liturgical formula. They were a deep felt confession of sin every step of the way, and a continual acknowledgement of how good God had been towards them as His people.
Themes lying behind their words include the fact:
That men had continually ‘dealt proudly’, both the Egyptians (Neh 9:10) and their own fathers (Neh 9:16; Neh 9:29), in being flagrantly disobedient to God;
That God had given His people ‘possession of the land’ (Neh 9:15; Neh 9:22-24).
That God had constantly supplied them with an abundance of good things both before and after entering the land (Neh 9:15; Neh 9:20-21; Neh 9:25; Neh 9:35-37).
That God had constantly watched over them and protected them (Neh 9:12; Neh 9:19).
That God had constantly sent His Spirit in His prophets with them to guide and inspire them (Neh 9:20; Neh 9:26; Neh 9:30).
That God had constantly instructed them in His Law (Neh 9:13-14; Neh 9:20; Neh 9:26; Neh 9:29).
That the people had nevertheless constantly rebelled against Him (Neh 9:16; Neh 9:18; Neh 9:26; Neh 9:28; Neh 9:30; Neh 9:34) so that He had to endure great provocations (Neh 9:18; Neh 9:26).
That God had constantly in turn delivered them (Neh 9:10-11; Neh 9:27-28; Neh 9:31).
Each central main section ends with the thought that God had not forsaken them (Neh 9:17; Neh 9:31).
In the light of this they cried to God to now observe their present situation, indicating that while they acknowledged how as a people they had rebelled constantly against Him, refusing to keep His Law and observe His commandments, yet they His people were but servants in a land that should have been theirs, ruled over by others who partook of its fruits. They did not possess the land as He had promised Abram.
The passage is divided up into three main sections, which can then be divided into subsections. The dividing points between these three sections are indicated by expressions of worship to God, which include the thought that he had not forsaken them.
The first section depicts God’s gracious activity on behalf of His people, and the fact that nevertheless they had rebelled against Him, and ends with the words, ‘you are a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abundant in covenant love, and forsook them not’ (Neh 9:17 b).
The second section reiterates God’s gracious activity on behalf of His people, and again repeats how they had continually rebelled against Him, and ends with the words, ‘nevertheless in your manifold mercies you did not make a full end of them, nor forsake them, for you are a gracious and merciful God’ (Neh 9:31).
The final section commences with the words ‘now therefore our God, the great, the mighty and the terrible God, who keeps covenant and covenant love’, confesses the more recent failure and rebellion of their fathers, and reminds Him that because of it they stand before Him as those who are servants of an alien monarch, who takes the best of what the land produces. While living in the land, they do not possess the land. It and they are ruled over by another. And it ends with the assurance that they are nevertheless about to make a covenant with Him (Neh 9:38).
We must now look at these sections in more detail:
1). Seeing His people in affliction in Egypt God had delivered them with great power from the hand of the foreign oppressor Pharaoh, had granted them His covenant at Sinai, had continually made wonderful provision for them, and had commanded them to ‘go in and possess the land’ (Neh 9:9-15). Nevertheless in their arrogance they had rebelled against Him, and had determined rather to go back into bondage (Neh 9:16-17).
(We can compare with this how the returnees were also in affliction (Neh 1:3), and were under the hand of a foreign oppressor (Neh 9:36-37), but they yet awaited full deliverance, for while God had brought them safely to the land, in their case they did not possess it. Yet it was now their intention to make a covenant hoping that God would respond (Neh 9:38). They did not want to remain in bondage).
2a). In spite of the fact that their fathers had rebelled against Him in the wilderness in the matter, for example, of the golden calf, God did not withdraw His covenant mercy from them, but sustained them throughout their time in the wilderness, and subdued kings before them so that they could possess the land. The result was that ‘the children of Israel went in and possessed the land’ and prospered greatly. God’s promises and purposes were coming to fruition in spite of His people’s failures (Neh 9:16-25).
2b). But even when they were settled in the land they had rebelled again and again, had neglected His Law and had slain His prophets. Nevertheless God was faithful and raised up deliverers for them, and sought to bring them back to His Law. Yet they still rebelled against His life-giving judgments, and rejected the work of His Spirit through the prophets, not being willing to listen, and were therefore given into the hands of the peoples of the lands. God, however, did not make a full end of them, because He is a gracious and merciful God (Neh 9:26-31).
3). That the great, mighty and terrible (awesome) God Who had constantly kept covenant and mercy would not overlook the afflictions of His people since the time of the Assyrians (their first experience of ‘world’ empire). Not that they blamed Him for it, for they acknowledged that they had received what was just because of their disobedience. But they prayed that He would observe their present position, in the land which He had promised to Abraham, in that it provided its fruit to others than God’s people, so that they were subservient to them. Nevertheless they wanted Him to observe that they were now about to renew the covenant (Neh 9:32-38).
Notice that the first section ends with the arrogance of their fathers which had caused them not to listen to God’s commandments, with the consequence that they had not been mindful of His wonders, but had rather been arrogant (notice the repetition of ‘hardened their neck’), and in their arrogance had appointed their own ‘captain’ in order to return to their bondage. The second section ends with their refusal to hear the voice of His Spirit, with the result that they were given into the hands of the peoples of the lands. And both these are contrasted with the returnees themselves, who, while suffering for the disobedience of their fathers, and being servants in a land which did not belong to them, were nevertheless about to renew the covenant with Him.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Neh 9:9 And didst see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heardest their cry by the Red sea;
Ver. 9. And didst see the affliction ] The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, as well as his ears open to their prayers; he knoweth their soul in adversity, et de remedio prospicit, he is solicitous of their safety.
And heardest their cry by the Red Sea
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Neh 9:9-15
9You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt,
And heard their cry by the Red Sea.
10Then You performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh,
Against all his servants and all the people of his land;
For You knew that they acted arrogantly toward them,
And made a name for Yourself as it is this day.
11You divided the sea before them,
So they passed through the midst of the sea on dry ground;
And their pursuers You hurled into the depths,
Like a stone into raging waters.
12And with a pillar of cloud You led them by day,
And with a pillar of fire by night
To light for them the way
In which they were to go.
13Then You came down on Mount Sinai,
And spoke with them from heaven;
You gave them just ordinances and true laws,
Good statutes and commandments.
14So You made known to them Your holy sabbath,
And laid down for them commandments, statutes and law,
Through Your servant Moses.
15You provided bread from heaven for them for their hunger,
You brought forth water from a rock for them for their thirst,
And You told them to enter in order to possess
The land which You swore to give them.
Neh 9:9-14 This deals with the period of the Exodus and wilderness wandering period. God’s promise and fulfillment of bringing the children of Israel out of Egypt is a recurrent theme (e.g., Psa 78:12 ff; Psa 105:23 ff; Psa 106:7 ff; Psa 135:8 ff; Psa 136:10 ff).
Neh 9:9 You saw see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt This relates to Exo 2:25; Exo 3:7 (Act 7:34).
And heard their cry by the Red Sea This refers specifically to Exodus 14.
SPECIAL TOPIC: The Red Sea
Neh 9:10 This verse refers to the series of plagues that YHWH sent through Moses (cf. Exodus 7-11). These plagues target and repudiate the nature and animal gods of Egypt. YHWH wants Egyptians to believe in Him also (cf. Neh 9:10 d; Exo 9:14-16).
Neh 9:11 their pursuers You hurled into the depths This refers to Exodus 14, especially Neh 9:26-31.
like a stone into raging waters This is almost an exact quote from the Song of Moses in Exo 15:5; Exo 15:10.
Neh 9:12 a pillar of fire This refers to Shekinah cloud of glory (physical symbol of the presence of YHWH) that separated the children of Israel from the army of Pharaoh, and led them throughout the wilderness wandering period (e.g., Exo 13:22; Exo 14:19-24; Exo 16:10; Exo 19:9; Exo 19:16; Exo 24:15-18; Exo 34:5; Exo 40:34-38). This is referred to again in Neh 9:19.
the way
SPECIAL TOPIC: The Route of the Exodus
Neh 9:13 then You came down on Mount Sinai
SPECIAL TOPIC: Location of Mt. Sinai
You gave them just ordinances and true laws There are some cultural examples similar to the decalog.
1. The Laws of Lipit-Ishtar (Sumerian), from the king of Isin (1934-1924 B.C.)
2. The Laws of Eshnunna (old Babylonian), dating about 1800 B.C. from the reign of Dadusha, king of Ashnunna
3. The Code of Hammurabi (old Babylon) from the king of Babylon, Hammurabi (1728-1686 B.C.)
4. The law codes of the Hittite kings Mupsilis I or Hattusilis I, from about 1650 B.C.
5. The Mesopotamian law codes focus primarily on civil laws, while the biblical laws focus primarily on religious/cultic laws. . . .we might suggest a civil bias in all cuneiform law and a cultic bias in Israelite law. . ., in Mesopotamia, offense is ultimately viewed in relation to society; while in Israel, all offense is ultimately against God. Walton, p. 80.
6. Albrecht Alt in Essays on Old Testament History and Religion, Oxford, 1966, pp. 81-132, has identified two types of laws:
a. casuistic, which use conditional clauses. It is characterized by an if. . .then structure. It does not appeal to religious or societal norms but states a prohibition and consequence.
b. apodictic, which does not use conditional clauses.
(1) Exodus 21 and Deu 27:15-26 use the third person and relate to individual, specific cases
(2) Lev 18:7-17 and Exodus 20/Deuteronomy 5 use the second person and are more general in scope.
c. Mesopotamian law is primarily casuistic while Israelite law is primarily apodictic.
Neh 9:14 This verse, like Neh 9:13, relates to the giving of the Ten Commandments to Moses on Mt. Sinai recorded in Exodus 19-20.
The phrase Thy holy sabbath probably refers to Exo 20:8-11, which is a theological development of the seventh day of rest of Gen 2:1-3.
NASB, NRSV,
TEV, NJBThrough Thy servant Moses
NKJVBy the hand of Moses Your servant
The NKJV retains the literal idiom. Moses is said to have written God’s laws several times (cf. Exo 17:14; Exo 24:4; Exo 24:7; Exo 34:27-28; Num 33:2; Deu 31:9; Deu 31:22; Deu 31:24-26!
Neh 9:15-21 This is a description of the wilderness wandering period and God’s unique care amidst the children of Israel’s rebellion (Ezra’s theme in chapter 9).
Neh 9:15 You provided bread from heaven This daily provision of manna is described in Exodus 16, especially Neh 9:14-15; Neh 9:31.
You brought forth water from a rock This must have occurred regularly, but only two times are recorded (Exo 17:6; Num 20:7-13).
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
affliction = humiliation. Compare Exo 2:23-25.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Neh 9:9-15
Neh 9:9-15
REHEARSAL OF GOD’S DELIVERANCE OF ISRAEL FROM EGYPT AND HIS GUIDANCE OF THEM IN THE WILDERNESS
“And thou sawest the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heardest their cry by the Red Sea, and showedst signs and wonders upon Pharaoh, and on all his servants, and all the people of his land; for thou knewest that they dealt proudly against them, and didst get thee a name, as it is this day. And thou didst divide the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; and their pursuers thou didst cast into the depths, as a stone into the mighty waters. Moreover in a pillar of cloud thou leddest them by day; and in a pillar of fire by night, to give them light in the way wherein they should go. Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right ordinances and true laws, good statutes and commandments, and madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them commandments, and statutes, and a law, by Moses thy servant, and gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and commandest them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst sworn to give them.”
(We submit as our commentary on these verses Our Commentary on Exodus.)
E.M. Zerr:
Neh 9:9. The afflictions in Egypt are described in Exodus 1, and the cry by the Red Sea is found recorded in Exo 14:10, soon after leaving the land of Goshen.
Neh 9:10. This goes back to the time prior to the event mentioned in the preceding verse. It refers to the 10 plagues, recorded in Exodus 7-12.
Neh 9:11. This event is recorded in Exodus 14. It has been questioned whether the word dry is to be taken literally. The lexicon defines the original word “dry ground,” so there should be no difficulty over it. But even that term would not necessarily mean it was 100 per cent free from moisture. We do not always use it in our everyday practice in that way. We could speak of a man’s wading out of a stream onto the dry ground even though the ground might be muddy. It was used in the present case with that general meaning. The persecutors were the Egyptians whose dead bodies were seen by the children of Israel on the seashore (Exo 14:30).
Neh 9:12. This unusual cloud was not a rain cloud. It was bright on one side and dark on the other (Exo 14:19-20), and kept the Egyptians from approaching near the Israelites all the night as they were marching.
Neh 9:13. The history is now moved forward to Exodus 19 and several chapters following. From Mt. Sinai God gave his law to the people. Some of these terms are more specific than others. Judgments especially refer to divine decisions that were necessary in cases of emergency, Statutes mean the formal enactments which God made independent of any certain cases. Commandments are more general, including both the other kind. True laws is a term whose significance is that the laws of God are in truth.
Neh 9:14. Madest known. . . . holy sabbath. This declaration opposes the teaching of sabbatarians, that the sabbath day had been observed from the beginning. Had that been the case there would have been no occasion for God to make it known as late as the gathering at Sinai. Another thing in this verse to notice, is the commandments of God were given by the hand of Moses. That rebukes those who would distinguish between the authority in the law of God and that of Moses.
Neh 9:15. The bread was the manna, and the water was furnished the children of Israel by having a rock at Sinai smitten.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
didst see: Exo 2:25, Exo 3:7-9, Exo 3:16, Act 7:34
heardest: Exo 14:10-12
Reciprocal: Gen 15:14 – that Exo 2:23 – cry Exo 2:24 – remembered Exo 3:6 – hid Exo 14:13 – ye shall see Exo 14:15 – General Exo 18:8 – told Deu 6:21 – General Deu 29:3 – General Jdg 6:8 – a prophet Jdg 10:11 – Egyptians 1Sa 10:18 – Thus saith 1Sa 12:6 – It is the Lord Isa 22:12 – call Mic 6:4 – I brought Act 7:7 – the nation Act 13:17 – and with
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Neh 9:9-10. And didst see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt Gods providences over Isaac and Jacob are passed by, to come to his interpositions in their behalf, since they became a nation; that is, since he had made good his covenant with Abraham, in multiplying his seed as the stars of heaven; at the time of entering into which covenant he had foretold that his seed should suffer grievous affliction in Egypt; from which having rescued them, he completed their deliverance at the Red sea, when they cried to him, as is here mentioned. It was reasonable to remember this, now they were interceding for the perfecting of their deliverance out of Babylon. And showedst signs and wonders upon Pharaoh Many and mighty, such as were unprecedented and unparalleled, thereby getting honour upon him, and upon his servants and people, the deliverance of thy people being the destruction of their enemies. For thou knewest that they dealt proudly against them Intending to make them their slaves for ever, as, for the present, they treated them with the utmost contempt and cruelty.