Bible Strands

Nehemiah 9:32

So now, our God, the great and mighty and awesome God who keeps His gracious covenant, do not view lightly all the hardship that has come upon us, and upon our kings and leaders, our priests and prophets, our ancestors and all Your people, from the days of the kings of Assyria until today.

Berean Standard Bible

Follow its threads on the canvas →

Study note

Setting — The praying community addresses God in corporate confession after recounting Israel’s historical failures. They stand at a moment of national reckoning, appealing to divine memory following prolonged hardship.

The words — שׁוֹמֵר (sho.Mer) translates literally as [the] keeper, and הַ/גִּבּ֣וֹר (ha./gi.Bor) means <the>/ mighty. These terms function as direct modifiers of the divine name, describing active preservation and power.

The thread — The designation “great and awesome God who keeps His covenant” recurs in Nehemiah 1:5 and Daniel 9:4. Deuteronomy 7:9 provides the original formulation that the LORD is the faithful covenant-keeper.

Why it lands — The text commands the reader to name historical suffering without minimizing it, while affirming that divine covenant faithfulness persists. It requires honest lament paired with theological restraint.

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

וְעַתָּ֣הve./'a.Tahand/ thereforeאֱ֠לֹהֵינוּ'E.lo.hei./nuO God/ ourהָאֵ֨לha./'El<the>/ Godהַגָּד֜וֹלha./ga.Dol<the>/ greatהַגִּבּ֣וֹרha./gi.Bor<the>/ mightyוְהַנּוֹרָא֮ve./ha./no.Ra'and/ <the>/ awesomeשׁוֹמֵ֣רsho.Mer[the] keeperהַבְּרִ֣יתha./be.Ritof the/ covenantוְהַחֶסֶד֒ve./ha./che.Sedand/ <the>/ covenant loyaltyאַל־'al-may notיִמְעַ֣טyim.'Atit be smallלְפָנֶ֡יךָle./fa.Nei./kha<to>/ before/ youאֵ֣ת'et<obj.>כָּל־kol-allהַתְּלָאָ֣הha./te.la.'Ahthe/ hardshipאֲֽשֶׁר־'a.Sher-whichמְ֠צָאַתְנוּMe.tza.'at./nuit has come upon/ usלִמְלָכֵ֨ינוּli/m.la.Khei./nuto/ kings/ ourלְשָׂרֵ֧ינוּle./sa.Rei./nuto/ leaders/ ourוּלְכֹהֲנֵ֛ינוּu./le./kho.ha.Nei./nuand/ to/ priests/ ourוְלִנְבִיאֵ֥נוּve./li/n.vi.'E./nuand/ to/ prophets/ ourוְלַאֲבֹתֵ֖ינוּve./la./'a.vo.Tei./nuand/ to/ ancestors/ ourוּלְכָל־u./le./khol-and/ to/ allעַמֶּ֑ךָ'a.Me./khapeople/ yourמִימֵי֙mi./Meisince/ [the] days ofמַלְכֵ֣יmal.Khei[the] kings ofאַשּׁ֔וּר'a.ShurAssyriaעַ֖ד'aduntilהַיּ֥וֹםhai./Yomthe/ dayהַזֶּֽה׃ha./Zeh<the>/ this

King James Version

Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who keepest covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before thee, that hath come upon us, on our kings, on our princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all thy people, since the time of the kings of Assyria unto this day.

Cross-references