Then the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, “Stand up and bless Yahweh your God from everlasting to everlasting! Blessed be your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise!
Parallel Translations
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Then the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, “Stand up and bless Yahweh your God from everlasting to everlasting! Blessed be your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise!
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Then the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, Stand up and bless the LORD your God for ever and ever: and blessed be thy glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise.
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Then the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said: 'Stand up and bless the LORD your God from everlasting to everlasting; and let them say: Blessed be Thy glorious Name, that is exalted above all blessing and praise.
Cross-references (27)
Passages linked to Nehemiah 9:5 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Psalms 103:1-2 Praise Yahweh, my soul! All that is within me, praise his holy name! Praise Yahweh, my soul, and don’t forget all his benefits,
- 2 Corinthians 4:6 seeing it is God who said, “Light will shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
- 1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
- 1 Chronicles 29:13 Now therefore, our God, we thank you, and praise your glorious name.
- Ezra 3:11 They sang to one another in praising and giving thanks to Yahweh, “For he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever toward Israel.” All the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised Yahweh, because the foundation of Yahweh’s house had been laid.
- Psalms 72:18-19 Praise be to Yahweh God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds. Blessed be his glorious name forever! Let the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and amen.
- Psalms 106:2 Who can utter the mighty acts of Yahweh, or fully declare all his praise?
- Psalms 117:1-2 Praise Yahweh, all you nations! Extol him, all you peoples! For his loving kindness is great toward us. Yahweh’s faithfulness endures forever. Praise Yah!
- Jeremiah 33:10-11 Yahweh says: “Yet again there will be heard in this place, about which you say, ‘It is waste, without man and without animal, even in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, that are desolate, without man and without inhabitant and without animal,’ the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who say, ‘Give thanks to Yahweh of Armies, for Yahweh is good, for his loving kindness endures forever;’ who bring thanksgiving into Yahweh’s house. For I will cause the captivity of the land to be reversed as at the first,” says Yahweh.
- Matthew 11:25 At that time, Jesus answered, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you hid these things from the wise and understanding, and revealed them to infants.
- Exodus 15:6 Your right hand, Yahweh, is glorious in power. Your right hand, Yahweh, dashes the enemy in pieces.
- Exodus 15:11 Who is like you, Yahweh, among the gods? Who is like you, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?
- Deuteronomy 28:58 If you will not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and fearful name, YAHWEH your God,
- 1 Kings 8:14 The king turned his face around, and blessed all the assembly of Israel; and all the assembly of Israel stood.
- 1 Kings 8:22 Solomon stood before Yahweh’s altar in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward heaven;
- 1 Kings 8:27 But will God in very deed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens can’t contain you; how much less this house that I have built!
- 1 Chronicles 29:11 Yours, Yahweh, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty! For all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, Yahweh, and you are exalted as head above all.
- 1 Chronicles 29:20 Then David said to all the assembly, “Now bless Yahweh your God!” All the assembly blessed Yahweh, the God of their fathers, and bowed down their heads and prostrated themselves before Yahweh and the king.
- 2 Chronicles 20:13 All Judah stood before Yahweh, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.
- 2 Chronicles 20:19 The Levites, of the children of the Kohathites and of the children of the Korahites, stood up to praise Yahweh, the God of Israel, with an exceedingly loud voice.
- Psalms 16:2 My soul, you have said to Yahweh, “You are my Lord. Apart from you I have no good thing.”
- Psalms 134:1–135:3 Look! Praise Yahweh, all you servants of Yahweh, who stand by night in Yahweh’s house! Lift up your hands in the sanctuary. Praise Yahweh! May Yahweh bless you from Zion, even he who made heaven and earth. Praise Yah! Praise Yahweh’s name! Praise him, you servants of Yahweh, you who stand in Yahweh’s house, in the courts of our God’s house. Praise Yah, for Yahweh is good. Sing praises to his name, for that is pleasant.
- Psalms 145:2 Every day I will praise you. I will extol your name forever and ever.
- Psalms 145:5 I will meditate on the glorious majesty of your honor, on your wondrous works.
- Psalms 145:11-12 They will speak of the glory of your kingdom, and talk about your power, to make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, the glory of the majesty of his kingdom.
- Psalms 146:2 While I live, I will praise Yahweh. I will sing praises to my God as long as I exist.
- Ephesians 3:20-21 Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to him be the glory in the assembly and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (14 sources)
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John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Neh 9:5 Then the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani,…
Neh 9:5 Then the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, [and] Pethahiah, said, Stand up [and] bless the LORD your God for ever and ever: and blessed be thy glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise.
Ver. 5. Then the Levites, Jeshua, &c., said, Stand up] Gird yourselves, and serve the Lord, as Luk 17:8. Be instant, or stand close to the work, επιστηθι, 2Ti 4:2; set sides and shoulders to it; rouse up yourselves, and wrestle with God. Hoc agite, Do this, said the Roman priest to the people at their sacrifices. And Sacerdos parat fratrum mentes dicendo, Sursum corda, saith Cyprian, In the primitive times the ministers prepared the people to serve God, by saying, Lift up your hearts ( De Oratione).
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And bless the Lord your God for ever] Give him immortal thanks, all possible praise, amore more, ore, glorify him doingly, 1Co 10:30-31 Eph 1:11-12. Think of the multitude, seasonableness, suitableness, constancy, &c., of God’s favours; and then give him the glory due unto his name; which yet we can never do, because his name is exalted above all blessing and praise (as it followeth here), so that if we should do nothing else all our days, yea, as long as the days of heaven shall last (said that martyr), but kneel upon our knees and sing over David’s Psalms to God’s praise, yet should we fall far short of what we owe to the Lord, who is most worthy to be praised.
And blessed be thy glorious name] These holy Levites, having called upon the people to bless God, break forth into the performance of this divine duty themselves. So St Paul often, exhorting the saints to pray, falls a praying for them.
Which is exalted above all blessing and praise] So that when we have done our utmost herein, we can never out do. David is oft so transported, that he seems to forget himself, as a bird that hath got a note, records it over and over, as Psa 136:1-26, "for his mercy endureth for ever." And Psa 150:1-6, in six verses are twelve Hallelujahs. "Praise him," saith he, Neh 9:2, "according to his excellent greatness," "for great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised," Psa 145:3; and Neh 9:5, "Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord," or, Let every breath praise the Lord. As oft as we breathe we are to breathe out the praises of God, and to make our breath like the perfumed smoke of the Tabernacle.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain Then the Levites said all the following words. Either…
Then the Levites said all the following words. Either therefore they all used the same words, being composed and agreed upon by Ezra and themselves; or they all prayed in the same manner, and to the same purpose, having agreed among themselves concerning the matter of their confessions and prayers. And these are the words which one of them used; and it is implied that the rest of their prayers were of the same nature.
For ever and ever; from day to day, as long as you live, and to all eternity.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain Then the Levites, Jeshua,.... Or, then the Levites, even…
Then the Levites, Jeshua,.... Or, then the Levites, even Jeshua:
and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah; the same as before, with a little variation of their names, and perhaps some of them might have two names:
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and said; to the men that stood and confessed their sins, Neh 9:2
stand up; for though they are before said to stand, yet, through shame and confusion of face, and awe of the Divine Majesty, might be fallen on their faces to the ground:
and bless the Lord your God for ever and ever; for all the great and good things he had done for them, notwithstanding their sins; and particularly for his pardoning grace and mercy they had reason to hope for:
and blessed be thy glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise: the glory of which name, nature, and perfections of his, cannot be set forth by the highest praises of men, and the largest ascriptions of blessing and honour to him.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 5. Stand up and bless the Lord your…
Verse 5. Stand up and bless the Lord your God] It is the shameless custom of many congregations of people to sit still while they profess to bless and praise God, by singing the Psalms of David or hymns made on the plan of the Gospel! I ask such persons, Did they ever feel the spirit of devotion while thus employed? If they do, it must be owned that, by the prevalence of habit, they have counteracted the influence of an attitude most friendly to such acts of devotion.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Neh 9:5. Then the Levites, Jeshua, &c., said, Stand…
Neh 9:5. Then the Levites, Jeshua, &c., said, Stand up, and bless the Lord for ever and ever — Praise him and give him thanks, as long as you have any being; and blessed be thy glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise — The super-excellent perfections of which, the noblest creatures cannot worthily magnify. The Levites, it is likely, praised him in these or such like words, in which all the people joined, either with their lips, or in their hearts.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain Stand up - The people had knelt to confess…
Stand up - The people had knelt to confess and to worship God Neh 9:3. They were now to take the proper attitude for praise. Compare throughout the margin reference.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain To eternity. Existing. (Sa) --- Bless him continually. (Menochius)…
To eternity. Existing. (Sa) --- Bless him continually. (Menochius) --- Let one generation after another praise his holy name. (Haydock)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain Then the Levites . . . said, Stand up…
Then the Levites . . . said, Stand up and bless the Lord your God--If this prayer was uttered by all these Levites in common, it must have been prepared and adopted beforehand, perhaps, by Ezra; but it may only embody the substance of the confession and thanksgiving.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 5. Stand up — The Levites thus call upon…
5. Stand up — The Levites thus call upon the congregation to join in offering the prayer, and probably the people, rising, responded, and blessed be thy glorious name, etc. And thus they continued, reciting and responding, through all this confession prepared for them by Ezra.
For ever and ever — Hebrew, from everlasting to everlasting. Always and unceasingly is Jehovah to be praised.
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Exalted above all blessing — All worship and praise must fail fully to recognise and appreciate the worth and power of that GLORIOUS NAME.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 5. Then] As in Neh_9:4, the ‘copula’; no very…
5. Then] As in Neh_9:4, the ‘copula’; no very exact sequence of time is implied.
Hashabniah … Hodijah] R.V. Hashabneiah … Hodiah. The Levitical names of the previous verse appear here with some variations. Bunni, the second Bani, Chenani disappear; and the names of Hashabneiah, Hodiah, Pethahiah are introduced afresh. The remaining five names are the same in both lists; and this adds to the difficulty in accounting for the variation, for there seems to be no reason for a partial change of personnel at this juncture. Very possibly the Hebrew text is in fault.
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The LXX. gives only two names, Jeshua and Kadmiel, but its tendency to shorten lists of names (cf. Neh_8:7) diminishes the value of its testimony in the present instance.
The best way of accounting for the variation is to suppose that the compiler turns at this point to a different source of information, in which there was a slight disagreement in the list of names. The compiler transcribes: he neither corrects nor explains; and the variation is evidence both of his candour and of the general honesty of subsequent copyists.
Stand up] It may be questioned whether these words should be understood literally. Some commentators suppose that the Levites enjoin the people to exchange the kneeling position of prayer for the standing posture of praise. In Neh_9:2 we are told the people ‘stood and confessed their sins,’ and in Neh_9:3 they ‘confessed and worshipped the Lord.’ Now ‘worshipping’ is not necessarily ‘kneeling.’ Prayer and confession are quite consistent with a ‘standing position,’ cf. Neh_8:5 and note.
If not taken literally, it must be understood in its common metaphorical sense ‘arise,’ ‘up!’ prefacing an appeal to the laity to join in praise with the Levites.
for ever and ever] R.V. from everlasting to everlasting. Cf. Psa_41:13, ‘Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting and to everlasting,’ Psa_90:2, ‘even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God,’ Psa_103:17. The words are connected more appropriately with ‘the Lord your God’ than with the verb ‘bless.’ This ascription to the Eternal Jehovah is possibly taken from a familiar doxology in Jewish worship (cf. Psa_41:13).
blessed be] R.V. marg. ‘Or, let them bless’. The rendering ‘let them bless’ is more literal. The third Pers. Plur. will refer either to the Israelites or, by a more comprehensive thought, to the dwellers of the earth. But the change of person is abrupt and not without awkwardness. It is perhaps due to a quotation from a Doxology; compare a somewhat similar clause introduced in Psa_106:48.
The LXX. rendering introduces the words ‘and Ezra said’ as a prefix to this clause, as if the whole of the ensuing address were his utterance. No other evidence, however, supports this reading; but it seems to preserve a very probable tradition based on the similarity of this confession to that of Ezra in Ezra 9.
thy glorious name] Literally, ‘the name of thy glory’ (kâbôd) as in Psa_72:19, ‘blessed be his glorious name for ever.’ The expression differs very slightly from that in 1Ch_29:13, ‘Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name’ (lit. the name of thy glory ‘tiphereth’). The Name is the Being of God made known to man; the glory (kâbôd) of it is its manifestation (Exo_33:18; Exo_33:22), of which splendour (tiphereth) is an accompaniment.
exalted above all blessing and praise] i.e. man can add nothing thereto by the highest blessings or by the noblest praises. He dwelleth in the ‘light unapproachable,’ cf. 1Ti_6:16. The Hebrew has ‘and (or, even) exalted:’ the LXX. καὶ ὑψώσουσιν ἐπὶ: Vulg. ‘excelso in.’
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (5) Hashabniah.—Not found elsewhere. No reason is given why…
(5) Hashabniah.—Not found elsewhere. No reason is given why this company is somewhat different from the former; the LXX. arbitrarily omit all names after Kadmiel. Similarly, they insert “and Ezra said” before Neh_9:6. The psalm was perhaps composed by Ezra, but uttered by the Levites in the name of the congregation.
Stand up and bless . . . Blessed be.—Or, let them bless.
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Thou, even thou, art Lord alone.—The three phrases mark how the address to the people glides into direct adoration of God.
Thy glorious name.—Literally found again in Psa_72:19 alone.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain Stand up. The people had prostrated themselves (see the…
Stand up. The people had prostrated themselves (see the comment on ver. 3) for confession and prayer; they are now bidden to "stand up" for praise. Compare the practice of the Christian Church. Blessed be. Literally, "let them bless." The Levites turn their address, after its opening clause, from the people to Jehovah himself, who henceforth becomes the subject of it. Thy glorious name. The high honour due to the "name" of God is taught by the sacred writers with one uniform voice from Moses (Exo_20:7) to the last "surviving apostle. (Rev_15:4) The "glorious name" of God is an expression which occurs four times in our version of the Old Testament; but the exact phrase here used is found only in Psa_72:19.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 Then the Levites ... said, "Stand up ... ever."
Then the Levites ... said, "Stand up ... ever."
Here the Levites are speaking to the people of Israel.
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give praise to Yahweh
"bless Yahweh"
Jeshua ... Kadmiel ... Bani ... Sherebiah ... Shebaniah
men's names. See how you translated this in Nehemiah 9:3-4. (See: How to Translate Names)
Hashabneiah ... Hodiah ... Pethahiah
men's names (See: How to Translate Names)
May they bless your glorious name
the Levites are speaking to Yahweh. "May the people of Judah bless your glorious name, Yahweh"
the highest heavens, with all their host ... the host of heaven worship you
A host is an army. The "host of heaven" speaks in a metaphor of the many stars as if they were an army. The stars in turn are a metaphor for the many angels. The stars worshiping Yahweh is a metaphor for the angels worshiping Yahweh. (See: Metaphor)
translationWords
Levi
praise
Yahweh
God
bless
glory
name
exalt
heaven
angel
earth
life
worship
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 9:5-37 This long prayer confesses the nation’s sins and…
9:5-37 This long prayer confesses the nation’s sins and praises God for his compassion throughout history (cp. Pss 105–106; 135–136). It prompted listeners to confess their own unfaithfulness and to call on God to be compassionate and forgive their sins.
9:5-6 The Levites’ prayer praised God for his glorious reputation, his sole divinity, his creation of the universe, his providential care for life on earth, and his worship by angels. Putting the focus on God brought Israel’s present circumstances into proper perspective.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.