Verse 4
NEHEMIAH'S RESPONSE TO THE BAD NEWS
"And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days; and I fasted and prayed before the God of Heaven. And I said:"
As cupbearer of the king, Nehemiah was a prominent and trusted member of the king's court, living in honor, security and luxury; "But he could not forget that he was an Israelite, and this was similar to the emotions that governed the life of Moses."[16]
"I prayed before the God of heaven" (Nehemiah 1:4). "This title of the Almighty is Persian rather than Jewish; but it was a favorite of Nehemiah who had been brought up in Persia."[17] We keep encountering remarks of this kind in the writings of several commentators; but there is no way that they can be considered true. Jonah mentioned "The God of heaven" in the eighth century B.C. (Nehemiah 1:9); and we find it also in the works of Moses about one millennium before Nehemiah's time (Genesis 24:3,7).
Be the first to react on this!