Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Nehemiah 1:10
Now these [are] thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand.
10. This verse states the ground on which the privilege of the promise is claimed.
Now these are thy servants, &c.] The connexion of thought, which is not very obvious at first sight, seems to be as follows. Having stated the Divine promise, Nehemiah returns in thought to ‘the children of thy servants’ of Neh 1:6. They, by their confession of sin, had fulfilled the condition, they had ‘returned’ unto their God. They could claim the fulfilment of His promise. They were not aliens. They were His own people whom He Himself had redeemed.
whom thou hast redeemed ] Of the two Hebrew words, rendered by the English ‘redeem,’ i.e. ‘ga’al’ and ‘padah,’ the word here used is ‘padah.’ It is noteworthy that in the similar expression, Exo 6:6, ‘redeem you with a stretched out arm,’ the word ‘ga’al’ is used, while here, as always in Deuteronomy (Deu 7:8, Deu 9:26, Deu 13:5, Deu 15:15, Deu 21:8, Deu 24:18), the word ‘redeem’ is ‘padah.’ LXX. ; Vulg. redemisti. The redemption, here spoken of, looks back, beyond the recent restoration from Babylon, to the original deliverance from Egypt, which sealed for ever the relation between Jehovah and His people.
by thy great power, and by thy strong hand ] Nehemiah combines two familiar phrases which do not seem to be elsewhere combined except in Exo 32:11 ‘thy people which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand.’ Along with ‘great power’ we frequently find ‘a stretched out arm,’ as in Deu 9:29; 2Ki 17:36; Jer 27:5; Jer 32:17: and again ‘a stretched out arm’ following upon ‘a strong (or mighty) hand,’ as in Deu 4:34; Deu 5:15; Deu 7:19; Deu 11:2; 1Ki 8:42 ; 2Ch 6:32; Psa 136:12; Jer 32:21; Eze 20:33-34.
It is possible that Nehemiah here has the Jehovist Exo 32:11 in his thoughts. But as the reading there is doubtful, both the Samaritan and the LXX. texts having ‘a stretched out arm’ instead of ‘a mighty hand,’ we cannot be confident that we have here a quotation.
The words ‘yad hakhezakah’ are rendered by the R.V. ‘strong hand’ here and Exo 3:19; Exo 6:1; Exo 13:9; Num 20:20; Psa 136:12; Jer 32:21 (Eze 30:22), and ‘mighty hand’ in Exo 32:11; Deu 4:34; Deu 5:15; Deu 6:21; Deu 7:8; Deu 7:19; Deu 9:26; Deu 11:2; Deu 26:8; Deu 34:12; Jos 4:24 ; 1Ki 8:42; 2Ch 6:32; Eze 20:33-34.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Now these are thy servants, and thy people,…. Meaning those that were in Jerusalem and Judah, gathered out of several countries, and returned to Jerusalem:
whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand; touching and moving the heart of Cyrus to proclaim liberty to them.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Neh 1:10 Now these [are] thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand.
Ver. 10. Now these are thy servants and thy people ] And therefore thou art concerned, in point of honour, to see to them, and to work for them, as every master will do for his servants, and king for his subjects. Otherwise, the neighbouring nations our enemies may possibly say as Aigoland, king of Saragossa, in Aragon, did; of whom it is reported, that he long time made Charlemagne believe that he would be baptized. And when he came for that purpose to the French court, and saw many diseased and poor people expecting alms from the emperor’s table, he asking what they were? was answered, that they were the servants and people of God. On these words he speedily returned, desperately protesting that he would not serve that God which could keep his servants no better.
Whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
redeemed. Hebrew. padah. See note on Exo 6:6; Exo 13:13.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
redeemed
(See Scofield “Exo 14:30”).
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
Now these: Exo 32:11, Deu 9:29, Isa 63:16-19, Isa 64:9, Dan 9:15-27
whom: Exo 15:13, Deu 15:15, Psa 74:2
thy strong: Exo 6:1, Exo 13:9, Psa 136:12, Dan 9:15
Reciprocal: Exo 6:6 – redeem Deu 9:26 – which thou hast brought forth 2Sa 7:23 – thy people 1Ki 8:51 – thy people Ezr 7:6 – according to Hos 7:13 – though
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Neh 1:10. Whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, &c. In days of old, and thy power is still the same; wilt thou not therefore still redeem them, and perfect their redemption? Let not them be overpowered by the enemy that have a God of infinite power on their side.