What Does Nehemiah 5:9 Mean in the King James?
Also I said, It is not good that ye do: ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the heathen our enemies?
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The way you treat people becomes the path by which your awe of God is seen, and the evidence your enemies use to mock it.
THE MEANING
Your treatment of others is inseparable from your awe of God; it is the visible path of that awe. Your conduct can give your opponents grounds to mock the God you honor, or leave their accusation without proof.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
This undoes the belief that private reverence for God can remain genuine while your treatment of others contradicts it.
THE ROOT
יִרְאַת
yir’at
GROWS FROM
ירא
To fear or revere; toward God, to stand in awe.
The verse’s “fear” carries the sense of awe toward God, not merely alarm. That awe is tied to how you act: it becomes visible in the path you walk.
ALSO GROWS
yirah: Awe, reverence, or fear.
יִרְאָה
It names the reverence that shapes the conduct described here.
nora: Awe-inspiring or fearsome.
נוֹרָא
This related form shows the root’s range from fearing to recognizing what inspires awe.
תֵּלֵכוּ
telekhu
GROWS FROM
הלך
To walk, go, or proceed.
English can make “walk” sound like motion alone, while this Hebrew verb can describe the course a person takes. Here, awe is not only an inward feeling; it has a shape in your actions.
ALSO GROWS
halakh: To walk or go.
הָלַךְ
This is the root verb behind the verse’s “walk.”
holekh: One who walks or goes.
הוֹלֵךְ
This form describes someone by the ongoing path they take.
חֶרְפַּת
cherpat
GROWS FROM
חרף
To reproach, taunt, or shame publicly.
“Reproach” here is the language of public taunting, not just private disapproval. The verse connects a community’s conduct with the taunts its opponents can direct toward the God it honors.
ALSO GROWS
cherpah: Reproach, disgrace, or taunt.
חֶרְפָּה
This related noun names the public shame mentioned in the verse.
charēf: To reproach or taunt.
חָרֵף
The related verb makes clear that reproach is something opponents do with words.
THE PATTERN
Reverence for God takes visible form in conduct toward others, and that conduct shapes what outsiders say about God.
Ye shall not therefore oppress one another; but thou shalt fear thy God: for I am the LORD your God.Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.THE THREAD
And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,Deuteronomy joins the same roots: awe (yare) and walk (halakh). Nehemiah brings their connection into view: awe takes the form of conduct, and that conduct shapes what opponents can say about the God you honor.
Read the SDV Bible.
Every verse has a Deep Dive in the app.
The iPhone Bible app with the Selah Decoded Version.
Does something in this reading look wrong? Tell us