Nehemiah 1:10

This verse states the ground on which the privilege of the promise is claimed.

Now theseare thy servants, &c. The connexion of thought, which is not very obvious at first sight, seems to be as follows. Having stated the Divine promise, Nehemiah returns in thought to -the children of thy servants" of Nehemiah 1:6. They, by their confession of sin, had fulfilled the condition, they had -returned" unto their God. They could claim the fulfilment of His promise. They were not aliens. They were His own people whom He Himself had redeemed.

whom thou hast redeemed Of the two Hebrew words, rendered by the English -redeem," i.e. -ga'al" and -padah," the word here used is -padah." It is noteworthy that in the similar expression, Exodus 6:6, -redeem you with a stretched out arm," the word -ga'al" is used, while here, as always in Deuteronomy (Deuteronomy 7:8; Deuteronomy 9:26; Deuteronomy 13:5; Deuteronomy 15:15; Deuteronomy 21:8; Deuteronomy 24:18), the word -redeem" is -padah." LXX. ἐλυτρώσω; Vulg. redemisti. The redemption, here spoken of, looks back, beyond the recent restoration from Babylon, to the original deliverance from Egypt, which sealed for ever the relation between Jehovah and His people.

by thy great power, and by thy strong hand Nehemiah combines two familiar phrases which do not seem to be elsewhere combined except in Exodus 32:11 -thy people which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand." Along with -great power" we frequently find -a stretched out arm," as in Deuteronomy 9:29; 2 Kings 17:36; Jeremiah 27:5; Jeremiah 32:17: and again -a stretched out arm" following upon -a strong (or mighty) hand," as in Deuteronomy 4:34; Deuteronomy 5:15; Deuteronomy 7:19; Deuteronomy 11:2; 1Ki 8:42; 2 Chronicles 6:32; Psalms 136:12; Jeremiah 32:21; Ezekiel 20:33-34.

It is possible that Nehemiah here has the Jehovist Exodus 32:11 in his thoughts. But as the reading there is doubtful, both the Samaritan and the LXX. texts having -a stretched out arm" instead of -a mighty hand," we cannot be confident that we have here a quotation.

The words -yad hakhezakah" are rendered by the R.V. -strong hand" here and Exodus 3:19; Exodus 6:1; Exodus 13:9; Numbers 20:20; Psalms 136:12; Jeremiah 32:21 (Ezekiel 30:22), and -mighty hand" in Exodus 32:11; Deuteronomy 4:34; Deuteronomy 5:15; Deuteronomy 6:21; Deuteronomy 7:8; Deuteronomy 7:19; Deuteronomy 9:26; Deuteronomy 11:2; Deuteronomy 26:8; Deuteronomy 34:12; Jos 4:24; 1 Kings 8:42; 2 Chronicles 6:32; Ezekiel 20:33-34.