Nehemiah 9:29
And testifiedst against them, that thou mightest bring them again unto thy law: yet they dealt proudly, and hearkened not unto thy commandments, but sinned against thy judgments, (which if a man do, he shall live in them;) and withdrew the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear.
Study Note
Study Note
'And testifiedst against them, that thou mightest bring them again unto thy law: yet they dealt proudly, and hearkened not unto thy commandments, but sinned against thy judgments, (which if a man do, he shall live in them;) and withdrew the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear' — the Levitical prayer of Nehemiah 9 is the Hebrew Bible's most comprehensive rehearsal of covenantal history as a pattern of divine patience and human obstinacy. The quoted principle — 'which if a man do, he shall live in them' (citing Leviticus 18:5) — is the same verse Paul cites in Galatians 3:12 and Romans 10:5 in his discussion of law versus promise, making this prayer an important inter-textual link in the biblical theology of Torah and life.
Other Translations
and testifiedst against them, that thou mightest bring them again unto thy law. Yet they dealt proudly, and hearkened not unto thy commandments, but sinned against thine ordinances (which if a man do, he shall live in them), and withdrew the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear.
and dost testify against them, to bring them back unto Thy law; and they--they have acted proudly, and have not hearkened to Thy commands, and against Thy judgments have sinned, --which man doth and hath lived in them--and they give a refractory shoulder, and their neck have hardened, and have not hearkened.
And gave witness against them so that you might make them come back again to your law: but their hearts were lifted up, and they gave no attention to your orders and went against your decisions (which, if a man keeps them, will be life to him), and turning their backs on you, made their necks stiff and did not give ear.
Cross References
And Moses and Aaron came in unto Pharaoh, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews, …
Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I …
I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the …
And it shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles are befallen them, that this song shall testify against …
Yet the Lord testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn …
Yet he sent prophets to them, to bring them again unto the Lord; and they testified against them: but they …
And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he …
And shewedst signs and wonders upon Pharaoh, and on all his servants, and on all the people of his land: …
But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks, and hearkened not to thy commandments,
Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs, and slew thy prophets which …