Nehemiah 9:5–6
The Levites call the people to bless YHWH, who made the heavens and gives life to all
Study it word by word5And the Levites said— Jeshua and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah— “Stand up, bless YHWH your Elohim from forever to forever.” “And let them bless the name of your glory, exalted above all blessing and praise.
6You are YHWH, you alone; you made the heavens, the heavens of the heavens, and all their army, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you give life to all of them, and the army of the heavens prostrates itself before you.
In its context
3And they stood up in their place and read in the book of the law of YHWH their Elohim a fourth of the day, and for another fourth they were confessing and prostrating themselves before YHWH their Elohim.
4And there stood up on the step of the Levites Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani, and they cried out with a loud voice to YHWH their Elohim.
…
7You are YHWH, the Elohim who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans, and gave him the name Abraham;
8and you found his heart faithful before you, and made with him the covenant to give the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite, and the Girgashite, to give it to his offspring; and you have fulfilled your words, for righteous are you.
Its words in the original
- יֹּאמְרוּyomru· say
Say, speak. The most common verb for bringing in what someone says; sometimes "think" (say to oneself) or "command".
- לְוִיִּםleviyim· Levite
Levite: of the tribe of Levi.
- יֵשׁוּעַyeshua· Jeshua
Jeshua: name of several Israelites; above all the high priest who returned with Zerubbabel, also a priest head of the ninth division, Levites and others; also a town of Judah. It is a late form of the name Joshua and means "YHWH saves"; from it comes the name "Jesus."
- קַדְמִיאֵלkadmiel· Kadmiel
Kadmiel: the name of a Levite who returned with Zerubbabel and helped in the work of the house of God.
- בָּנִיbani· Bani
Bani, the name of several men: a Gadite, one of David's mighty men (2 Samuel 23:36), and several Levites and heads of families in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah.
- חֲשַׁבְנְיָהchashavnya· Hashabneiah
Hashabneiah: the name of the father of Hattush; also a Levite in Nehemiah 9:5.
- שֵׁרֵבְיָהsherevya· Sherebiah
Sherebiah: a Levite of the sons of Mahli who joined Ezra; later he helped to explain the law to the people (Nehemiah 8:7).
- הוֹדִיָּהhodiya· Hodiah
Hodiah: the name of several Levites of the time of Ezra and Nehemiah. It means "majesty of YHWH".
- שְׁבַנְיָהshevanya· Shebaniah
Shebaniah: the name of several Israelites, priests and Levites.
- פְתַחְיָהfetachya· Pethahiah
Pethahiah: the name of several Israelites: the priest at the head of the nineteenth division (1 Chronicles 24:16) and three Levites or leaders of the time of Ezra and Nehemiah.
- קוּמוּkumu· rise, stand, establish
Rise, stand up; also stand firm, establish or fulfill something. "Rise against" is to attack.
- בָּרֲכוּbarachu· bless, kneel
Bless. When God blesses, he gives good: life, children, fruit, prosperity. When a person "blesses God", he gives him nothing: he praises and thanks him. Between people, it is wishing the other the good that comes from God; also greet. The root also means kneel.
- יְהוָהyehva· YHWH
The personal name of the God of Israel, written in Hebrew with four letters, Y-H-W-H, without vowels. Out of reverence Jews stopped pronouncing it and read "Adonai" (Lord), so many Bibles put "the LORD" or "Jehovah". This translation keeps the four letters. The name is related to the verb "to be" (Exodus 3:14-15). He is not a god other than Elohim: "YHWH Elohim" is the same Creator God, called by his name.
- אֱלֹהֵיelohe· Elohim, God, gods
The Hebrew word usually translated "God". This translation keeps "Elohim" when it speaks of the one true God, the Creator, the God of Israel. The word ends like a plural, but it does not mean several: for him the verb is singular ("Elohim created"); the plural form expresses greatness. The same word as a common noun names the "gods" of other peoples, and there it is a true plural, translated "gods". It is also used of mighty ones or judges.
- עוֹלָםolam· forever, eternal
A very long time whose end cannot be seen: looking forward, "forever"; looking back, "of old", "ancient".
- שֵׁםshem· name
Name. In the Bible a name says who someone is; so it also means fame, renown or reputation.
- כְּבוֹדֶkevode· glory, honor
Weight, importance; from there glory, honor, splendor. Sometimes wealth: what makes someone "weigh".
- מְרוֹמַםmeromam· be high, lift up
Be high, rise; in the causative form, lift up, raise, exalt.
- בְּרָכָהberacha· blessing
Blessing: the good that God gives (life, children, prosperity) and the words with which it is asked for or declared. Also a gift.
- תְהִלָּהtehila· praise
Praise; deeds worthy of praise; a song of praise.
- בַדֶּvade· alone, apart; pole
Alone, apart; "besides". The same word (in another sense) means "pole", like the ones for carrying the ark, or a branch.
- עָשִׂיתָasita· do, make
Do, make, in the widest sense: build, produce, carry out, keep (a command), prepare.
- שָּׁמַיִםshamayim· heavens, sky
The heavens: what is above, where the clouds, the sun and the stars are seen; also the dwelling of God. In Hebrew it is always plural. With birds, "the sky".
- צְבָאָtsevaa· host, army
A great ordered company, like an army. "All their host" is everything that fills the heavens and the earth: the stars and the created beings. From this word comes the title "YHWH of hosts" (YHWH Tsevaot).
- אָרֶץarets· earth, land
The earth, in two senses: the whole world in contrast with the heavens, or a particular country or region ("the land of Egypt").
- יַּמִּיםyamim· sea, west
Sea, or any great body of water (also a lake). Since the Mediterranean lies west of Israel, the word also means "west".
- מְחַיֶּהmechaye· live
Live, have life; recover. In the causative form, give life, keep alive, revive.
- מִשְׁתַּחֲוִיםmishtachavim· bow down, worship
Bow down: bend down to the ground. It was the gesture of respect before someone greater (a king, a visitor) and also the gesture of worshiping God.