Behold, we are servants this day, and for the land that thou gavest unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold, we are servants in it:

NEHEMIAH 9:36KJV
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Nehemiah 9:36 (KJV)

What does Nehemiah 9:36 mean?

Nehemiah 9:36 describes how the people of Israel see themselves as servants in their own land, even though God gave this land to their ancestors to enjoy its fruit and goodness. Despite being back in their homeland, they feel like they are not truly free but remain under the control of others.

This verse is spoken during a public prayer led by the Levites, where the people confess their sins and the sins of their ancestors. The situation is after the return from exile, but foreign powers still rule over them. The verse highlights a sense of loss and longing, as the Israelites acknowledge that the blessings God intended for them are not fully theirs because of their current circumstances.

The Hebrew behind Nehemiah 9:36

  • "servants" (עֲבָדִים, ʿavadim): This word means slaves or servants, emphasizing the lack of freedom the people feel, even in their own land.
  • "land" (אֶרֶץ, ʾerets): Refers to the promised land, which was meant to be a place of blessing for Israel but now feels like a place of servitude.
  • "fruit" (פְּרִי, peri): The produce or yield of the land, which symbolizes the goodness and abundance God promised but which the people cannot fully enjoy.
  • "good" (טוּב, tuv): This word means goodness or good things, pointing to the richness and blessings of the land that are not fully accessible to the people.

Why Nehemiah 9:36 matters

  • Nehemiah 9:36 clarifies that returning to the land did not mean full restoration or independence for Israel; they still felt the weight of foreign domination.
  • The verse connects to the wider prayer of confession, showing how the people recognize their situation as a result of past unfaithfulness but also as something that needs God's mercy.
  • This verse helps readers understand the emotional and spiritual state of the community during Nehemiah’s time: grateful to be back in the land, yet painfully aware that things are not as they should be.

Where else these words appear

“good” Hebrew H2898 · used in 31 verses

  • Genesis 24:10 And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed; for all the goods of his master were in his hand: and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor.
  • Nehemiah 9:35 For they have not served thee in their kingdom, and in thy great goodness that thou gavest them, and in the large and fat land which thou gavest before them, neither turned they from their wicked works.
  • Proverbs 11:10 When it goeth well with the righteous, the city rejoiceth: and when the wicked perish, there is shouting.

“fruit” Hebrew H6529 · used in 107 verses

  • Genesis 1:11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
  • Nehemiah 10:37 And that we should bring the firstfruits of our dough, and our offerings, and the fruit of all manner of trees, of wine and of oil, unto the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God; and the tithes of our ground unto the Levites, that the same Levites might have the tithes in all the cities of our tillage.
  • Isaiah 37:31 And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward: