Bible Strands
Nehemiah 1:3
And they told me, “The remnant who survived the exile are there in the province, in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Hanani and men from Judah report to Nehemiah upon their arrival, detailing the ruined state of Jerusalem before Nehemiah begins his mourning.
The words — The text highlights הַֽ/נִּשְׁאָרִ֞ים (ha./nish.'a.Rim) as the survivors and נִשְׁאֲר֤וּ (nish.'a.Ru) as those who have survived, emphasizing the small group remaining after the exile.
The thread — This report of broken walls and burned gates echoes the destruction recorded in 2 Kings 25:10, continues in Nehemiah 2:17 when Nehemiah addresses the same ruin, and contrasts with the rebuilding efforts noted in Ezra 5:8.
Why it lands — The verse demands acknowledgment of the physical and social reality facing the returned exiles, framing the subsequent call to action and prayer in Nehemiah 1:4.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.
Cross-references
- Nehemiah 2:17 Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in. Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned down. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, so that we will no longer be a disgrace.”
- 2 Kings 25:10 And the whole army of the Chaldeans under the captain of the guard broke down the walls around Jerusalem.
- Ezra 5:8 Let it be known to the king that we went into the province of Judah, to the house of the great God. The people are rebuilding it with large stones and placing timbers in the walls. This work is being carried out diligently and is prospering in their hands.
- Nehemiah 2:3 and replied to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should I not be sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”
- Nehemiah 2:13 So I went out at night through the Valley Gate toward the Well of the Serpent and the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that had been broken down and the gates that had been destroyed by fire.
- Nehemiah 7:6 These are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles carried away to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar its king. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town,
- Nehemiah 9:36 So here we are today as slaves in the land You gave our fathers to enjoy its fruit and goodness—here we are as slaves!
- 1 Kings 9:7 then I will cut off Israel from the land that I have given them, and I will banish from My presence this temple I have sanctified for My Name. Then Israel will become an object of scorn and ridicule among all peoples.
- Ezra 2:1 Now these are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles carried away to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar its king. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town,
- Nehemiah 11:3 These are the heads of the provinces who settled in Jerusalem. (In the villages of Judah, however, each lived on his own property in their towns—the Israelites, priests, Levites, temple servants, and descendants of Solomon’s servants—