Nehemiah 9:32 (KJV)

What does Nehemiah 9:32 mean?

Nehemiah 9:32 records a prayer asking God to give serious attention to the suffering of his people. The speakers appeal to God as powerful and faithful, asking him not to treat their long history of hardship as a small matter.

The Levites are leading the people in prayer. Their request follows an account of the people’s past and reaches from the days of Assyrian kings to their own time.

The Hebrew behind Nehemiah 9:32

• “terrible” — יָרֵא (yareʾ): The word can carry the sense of inspiring awe or fear. Here it describes a God whose greatness calls for deep respect, rather than “terrible” in the modern sense of unpleasant.
• “mercy” — חֶסֶד (ḥesed): This word often means faithful love or kindness. Alongside “covenant,” it points to God’s enduring loyalty to the relationship he established with his people.
• “little” — מְעַט (meʿat): The word means small or slight. The request “let not all the trouble seem little before thee” asks God to regard the people’s suffering as serious.

Why Nehemiah 9:32 matters

• The hardship reached across the whole community. The prayer names kings, officials, priests, prophets, ancestors, and “all thy people,” rather than speaking only for one group.
• The prayer places present trouble within a long history. “Since the time of the kings of Assyria unto this day” connects the speakers’ situation with earlier generations who had also suffered.
• The appeal rests on God’s relationship with the people. “Who keepest covenant and mercy” refers to a binding promise and faithful kindness as the speakers bring their request.