Bible Strands
Nehemiah 1:8
Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses when You said, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations,
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Nehemiah addresses God while confessing Israel’s corruption and appealing to the covenant terms given to Moses. He speaks at the moment of national crisis, grounding his plea in the explicit conditions of the Mosaic covenant.
The words — The Hebrew imperative זְכָר (ze.khor) means "remember," paired with the particle נָא (na) meaning "please." It points directly to the commandment (צִוִּ֛יתָ, tzi.Vi.ta) God gave through Moses regarding the word (דָּבָר, da.Var).
The thread — The warning of scattering among the nations appears in Deuteronomy 28:64, Deuteronomy 4:25, and Leviticus 26:33 as the covenant consequence for unfaithfulness. Nehemiah invokes these passages to frame Israel’s exile as the direct fulfillment of those stated conditions.
Why it lands — The text states that national disaster follows covenant violation and that restoration requires returning to obedience. It requires the reader to recognize divine warning in present circumstances and to seek recovery through adherence to the commanded statutes.
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
Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations:
Cross-references
- Deuteronomy 28:64 Then the LORD will scatter you among all the nations, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you will worship other gods, gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your fathers have known.
- Deuteronomy 4:25 After you have children and grandchildren and you have been in the land a long time, if you then act corruptly and make an idol of any form—doing evil in the sight of the LORD your God and provoking Him to anger—
- Leviticus 26:33 But I will scatter you among the nations and will draw out a sword after you as your land becomes desolate and your cities are laid waste.
- 1 Kings 9:6 But if indeed you or your sons turn away from following Me and do not keep the commandments and statutes I have set before you, and if you go off to serve and worship other gods,
- Deuteronomy 32:26 I would have said that I would cut them to pieces and blot out their memory from mankind,
- Luke 1:72 to show mercy to our fathers and to remember His holy covenant,
- Psalms 119:49 Remember Your word to Your servant, upon which You have given me hope.