Nehemiah 2:17

Translations

Modern

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.”

Traditional

Then said I unto them, Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach.

Literal

And I said to them, “You see the distress that we are in—that Jerusalem is waste and its gates are burned with the fire. Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may not be anymore a reproach.”

Latin

Et dixi eis: Vos nostis afflictionem in qua sumus: quia Jerusalem deserta est, et portæ ejus consumptæ sunt igni: venite, et ædificemus muros Jerusalem, et non simus ultra opprobrium.

Original

Hebrew

English

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.”

Notes

Nehemiah 2:16–17

Nehemiah kept his inspection and rebuilding plans secret from both the Persian and Jewish leaders to prevent organized opposition. Now, Nehemiah was ready to lead the rebuilding effort.
the trouble we are in: The broken walls brought disgrace to the city and reflected poorly on God. Jerusalem certainly did not resemble the city of the great King (Psalm 48:2).

Nehemiah 1:1–2:20

When Nehemiah heard about Jerusalem's ruins, he prayed for God's help (Nehemiah 1:1–11) and asked the king to send him to Jerusalem (2:1–8). Upon arrival, he urged the people to rebuild the city's wall (Nehemiah 2:11–20).

Theme notes and profiles

Nehemiah Jerusalem Rebuilding of Jerusalem

Related verses

Ezekiel 5:14
I will make you a ruin and a disgrace among the nations around you, in the sight of all who pass by.
Isaiah 35:3–4
Strengthen the limp hands and steady the feeble knees!
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.”
Lamentations 3:45–46
You have made us scum and refuse among the nations.
Lamentations 3:51
My eyes bring grief to my soul because of all the daughters of my city.
Psalm 79:4
We have become a reproach to our neighbors, a scorn and derision to those around us.
Ezekiel 22:4–5
…you are guilty of the blood you have shed, and you are defiled by the idols you have made. You have brought your days to a close and have come to the end of your years. Therefore I have made you a reproach to the nations and a mockery to all the lands.
Psalm 89:50–51
Remember, O Lord, the reproach of Your servants, which I bear in my heart from so many people—
Lamentations 2:8–9
The LORD determined to destroy the wall of the Daughter of Zion. He stretched out a measuring line and did not withdraw His hand from destroying. He made the ramparts and walls lament; together they waste away.
Psalm 79:12
Pay back into the laps of our neighbors sevenfold the reproach they hurled at You, O Lord.
Jeremiah 24:9
I will make them a horror and an offense to all the kingdoms of the earth, a disgrace and an object of scorn, ridicule, and cursing wherever I have banished them.
Lamentations 2:2
Without pity the Lord has swallowed up all the dwellings of Jacob. In His wrath He has demolished the fortified cities of the Daughter of Judah. He brought to the ground and defiled her kingdom and its princes.

Places

Jerusalem: The capital of Israel, a holy city for three religions

Glossary

Book of Nehemiah Horonite Nehemiah (Person) Samaria Sanballat Tobiah

Topics

Country: Love of Walls of Cities: Destruction of, a Punishment and Cause of Grief

Nehemiah 2:17

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