Then the Levites--Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah--said, "Stand up and bless the LORD your God from everlasting to everlasting: Blessed be Your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. Then the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah—saidThe Levites were members of the tribe of Levi, set apart for religious duties and temple service. This group of Levites, including Jeshua, Kadmiel, and others, played a significant role in leading the people in worship and confession. Their leadership in this context highlights the importance of spiritual guidance and the role of the Levites in Israel's religious life. The mention of specific names underscores the personal involvement and responsibility of these individuals in the spiritual renewal of the community. Stand up and bless the LORD your God from everlasting to everlasting
The call to "stand up" signifies an active participation in worship, indicating reverence and readiness to honor God. The phrase "from everlasting to everlasting" emphasizes God's eternal nature, a theme prevalent throughout Scripture (e.g., Psalm 90:2). This acknowledgment of God's eternal existence serves as a reminder of His unchanging nature and faithfulness, which is foundational to the faith of Israel. Blessed be Your glorious name
The focus on God's "glorious name" reflects the biblical understanding of God's name as a representation of His character and deeds. In the ancient Near Eastern context, a name was more than a label; it conveyed the essence of a person. Thus, blessing God's name is an act of worship that acknowledges His holiness, majesty, and the honor due to Him. This is consistent with the Third Commandment, which instructs not to take the Lord's name in vain (Exodus 20:7). and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise
This phrase underscores the transcendence of God, whose worthiness surpasses all human expressions of worship. It echoes the sentiment found in passages like Psalm 145:3, where God's greatness is described as unsearchable. The call for God's name to be exalted above all suggests that no amount of human praise can fully capture His glory, pointing to the infinite nature of His majesty and the inadequacy of human language to fully express His greatness. Persons / Places / Events 1. LevitesA group of religious leaders from the tribe of Levi, responsible for temple duties and leading worship in Israel. 2. Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, PethahiahSpecific Levites mentioned who led the people in worship and prayer. 3. The AssemblyThe gathering of Israelites who had returned from exile, participating in a time of confession and worship. 4. JerusalemThe city where these events took place, significant as the spiritual and political center of Israel. 5. The EventA public act of worship and confession, part of a larger revival and renewal of the covenant with God. Teaching Points The Role of Leaders in WorshipSpiritual leaders are called to guide others in worship and confession, setting an example of reverence and devotion. The Importance of Corporate WorshipGathering together to bless and praise God strengthens community faith and renews commitment to Him. Eternal PerspectiveRecognizing God's eternal nature ("from everlasting to everlasting") helps believers maintain a focus on His unchanging character amidst life's changes. Exalting God's NameOur worship should aim to exalt God's name above all else, acknowledging His supreme worthiness. Confession and RenewalTimes of confession and renewal are vital for spiritual growth and alignment with God's will. Bible Study Questions 1. How do the roles of the Levites in Nehemiah 9:5 inform our understanding of spiritual leadership today? 2. In what ways can we incorporate the practice of blessing and praising God's name into our daily lives? 3. How does the concept of God's eternal nature ("from everlasting to everlasting") impact your faith and perspective on current challenges? 4. What are some practical ways to ensure that our worship exalts God's name above all else? 5. How can the themes of confession and renewal in Nehemiah 9 inspire personal and communal spiritual growth in your church or community? Connections to Other Scriptures Deuteronomy 10:21This verse emphasizes the importance of blessing and praising God's name, similar to the call in Nehemiah 9:5. Psalm 145:1-3Highlights the greatness of God's name and the call to exalt Him, paralleling the Levites' exhortation. Revelation 4:11Connects to the theme of God's eternal worthiness to receive glory and honor, as expressed in the Levites' prayer. Exodus 15:2Demonstrates the tradition of praising God for His deliverance, a theme echoed in Nehemiah 9. 1 Chronicles 29:10-13David's prayer of blessing and praise to God, similar in spirit to the Levites' call to worship. People Abram, Amorites, Bani, Bunni, Canaanites, Chenani, Egyptians, Ezra, Girgashite, Girgashites, Hashabniah, Hittites, Hodiah, Hodijah, Israelites, Jebusites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Levites, Og, Perizzites, Pethahiah, Pharaoh, Shebaniah, Sherebiah, SihonPlaces Assyria, Bashan, Egypt, Gate of Ephraim, Heshbon, Mount Sinai, Red Sea, UrTopics Age, Arise, Bani, Bless, Blessed, Blessing, Eternity, Everlasting, Exalted, Forever, Glorious, Glory, Hashabneiah, Hashabnei'ah, Hashabniah, Hodiah, Hodi'ah, Hodijah, Honour, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Kad'mi-el, Levites, Lifted, O, Pethahiah, Pethahi'ah, Praise, Rise, Shebaniah, Shebani'ah, Sherebiah, Sherebi'ah, StandDictionary of Bible Themes Nehemiah 9:5 1045 God, glory of
1140 God, the eternal
1335 blessing
5184 standing
9136 immortality, OT Nehemiah 9:5-6 8627 worship, elements Library The Joy of the Lord is Your Strength. Neh 9:10
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John Newton—Olney HymnsQuestions About the Nature and Perpetuity of the Seventh-Day Sabbath.
AND PROOF, THAT THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK IS THE TRUE CHRISTIAN SABBATH. BY JOHN BUNYAN. 'The Son of man is lord also of the Sabbath day.' London: Printed for Nath, Ponder, at the Peacock in the Poultry, 1685. EDITOR'S ADVERTISEMENT. All our inquiries into divine commands are required to be made personally, solemnly, prayerful. To 'prove all things,' and 'hold fast' and obey 'that which is good,' is a precept, equally binding upon the clown, as it is upon the philosopher. Satisfied from our observations …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 Ten Reasons Demonstrating the Commandment of the Sabbath to be Moral.
1. Because all the reasons of this commandment are moral and perpetual; and God has bound us to the obedience of this commandment with more forcible reasons than to any of the rest--First, because he foresaw that irreligious men would either more carelessly neglect, or more boldly break this commandment than any other; secondly, because that in the practice of this commandment the keeping of all the other consists; which makes God so often complain that all his worship is neglected or overthrown, …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety The "Fraternity" of Pharisees
To realise the state of religious society at the time of our Lord, the fact that the Pharisees were a regular "order," and that there were many such "fraternities," in great measure the outcome of the original Pharisees, must always be kept in view. For the New Testament simply transports us among contemporary scenes and actors, taking the then existent state of things, so to speak, for granted. But the fact referred to explains many seemingly strange circumstances, and casts fresh light upon all. …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life Fragrant Spices from the Mountains of Myrrh. "Thou Art all Fair, My Love; There is no Spot in Thee. " --Song of Solomon iv. 7.
FRAGRANT SPICES FROM THE MOUNTAINS OF MYRRH. HOW marvellous are these words! "Thou art all fair, My love; there is no spot in thee." The glorious Bridegroom is charmed with His spouse, and sings soft canticles of admiration. When the bride extols her Lord there is no wonder, for He deserves it well, and in Him there is room for praise without possibility of flattery. But does He who is wiser than Solomon condescend to praise this sunburnt Shulamite? Tis even so, for these are His own words, and were …
Charles Hadden Spurgeon—Till He Come The Personality of the Holy Spirit.
Before one can correctly understand the work of the Holy Spirit, he must first of all know the Spirit Himself. A frequent source of error and fanaticism about the work of the Holy Spirit is the attempt to study and understand His work without first of all coming to know Him as a Person. It is of the highest importance from the standpoint of worship that we decide whether the Holy Spirit is a Divine Person, worthy to receive our adoration, our faith, our love, and our entire surrender to Himself, …
R. A. Torrey—The Person and Work of The Holy Spirit The Early Life of Malachy. Having Been Admitted to Holy Orders He Associates with Malchus
[Sidenote: 1095.] 1. Our Malachy, born in Ireland,[134] of a barbarous people, was brought up there, and there received his education. But from the barbarism of his birth he contracted no taint, any more than the fishes of the sea from their native salt. But how delightful to reflect, that uncultured barbarism should have produced for us so worthy[135] a fellow-citizen with the saints and member of the household of God.[136] He who brings honey out of the rock and oil out of the flinty rock[137] …
H. J. Lawlor—St. Bernard of Clairvaux's Life of St. Malachy of Armagh The Prophecy of Obadiah.
We need not enter into details regarding the question as to the time when the prophet wrote. By a thorough argumentation, Caspari has proved, that he occupies his right position in the Canon, and hence belongs to the earliest age of written prophecy, i.e., to the time of Jeroboam II. and Uzziah. As bearing conclusively against those who would assign to him a far later date, viz., the time of the exile, there is not only the indirect testimony borne by the place which this prophecy occupies in …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament The Preface to the Commandments
And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God,' &c. Exod 20: 1, 2. What is the preface to the Ten Commandments? The preface to the Ten Commandments is, I am the Lord thy God.' The preface to the preface is, God spake all these words, saying,' &c. This is like the sounding of a trumpet before a solemn proclamation. Other parts of the Bible are said to be uttered by the mouth of the holy prophets (Luke 1: 70), but here God spake in his own person. How are we to understand that, God spake, …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments Of Immediate Revelation.
Of Immediate Revelation. [29] Seeing no man knoweth the Father but the Son, and he to whom the Son revealeth him; and seeing the revelation of the Son is in and by the Spirit; therefore the testimony of the Spirit is that alone by which the true knowledge of God hath been, is, and can be only revealed; who as, by the moving of his own Spirit, he disposed the chaos of this world into that wonderful order in which it was in the beginning, and created man a living soul, to rule and govern it, so by …
Robert Barclay—Theses Theologicae and An Apology for the True Christian Divinity Influences that Gave Rise to the Priestly Laws and Histories
[Sidenote: Influences in the exile that produced written ceremonial laws] The Babylonian exile gave a great opportunity and incentive to the further development of written law. While the temple stood, the ceremonial rites and customs received constant illustration, and were transmitted directly from father to son in the priestly families. Hence, there was little need of writing them down. But when most of the priests were carried captive to Babylonia, as in 597 B.C., and ten years later the temple …
Charles Foster Kent—The Origin & Permanent Value of the Old Testament The Holy War,
MADE BY SHADDAI UPON DIABOLUS, FOR THE REGAINING OF THE METROPOLIS OF THE WORLD; OR, THE LOSING AND TAKING AGAIN OF THE TOWN OF MANSOUL. THE AUTHOR OF 'THE PILGRIM'S PROGRESS.' 'I have used similitudes.'--Hosea 12:10. London: Printed for Dorman Newman, at the King's Arms in the Poultry; and Benjamin Alsop, at the Angel and Bible in the Poultry, 1682. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. Bunyan's account of the Holy War is indeed an extraordinary book, manifesting a degree of genius, research, and spiritual …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 Ezra-Nehemiah
Some of the most complicated problems in Hebrew history as well as in the literary criticism of the Old Testament gather about the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. Apart from these books, all that we know of the origin and early history of Judaism is inferential. They are our only historical sources for that period; and if in them we have, as we seem to have, authentic memoirs, fragmentary though they be, written by the two men who, more than any other, gave permanent shape and direction to Judaism, then …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Nehemiah 9:5 NIVNehemiah 9:5 NLTNehemiah 9:5 ESVNehemiah 9:5 NASBNehemiah 9:5 KJV
Nehemiah 9:5 Commentaries
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