Nehemiah 9:24
What does Nehemiah 9:24 mean?
A plain-English look at Nehemiah 9:24 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Nehemiah 9:24 means
The children went in and possessed the land. God subdued the Canaanites, gave their kings and peoples into Israel’s hands, and allowed His people to act as needed to secure the inheritance. The verse portrays conquest as God-enabled, not self-generated. The difficult task of taking the land was possible because God had already determined the outcome. This underscores His sovereignty over nations and His commitment to His covenant. Possession is thus a shared work: Israel acts, but God gives. Recognizing that balance protects against pride and despair—pride in success, despair in hardship—by locating the decisive cause in God’s faithful aid.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000So the children went in and possessed the land, and thou subduedst before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gavest them into their hands, with their kings, and the peoples of the land, that they might do with them as they would.
KJV
King James Version · 1611So the children went in and possessed the land, and thou subduedst before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gavest them into their hands, with their kings, and the people of the land, that they might do with them as they would.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901So the children went in and possessed the land, and thou subduedst before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gavest them into their hands, with their kings, and the peoples of the land, that they might do with them as they would.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949So the children went in and took the land, and you overcame before them the people of the land, the Canaanites, and gave them up into their hands, with their kings and the people of the land, so that they might do with them whatever it was their pleasure to do.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862`And the sons come in, and possess the land, and Thou humblest before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and givest them into their hand, and their kings, and the peoples of the land, to do with them according to their pleasure.
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752And the children came and possessed the land, and thou didst humble before them the inhabitants of the land, the Chanaanites, and gavest them into their hands, with their kings, and the people of the land, that they might do with them as it pleased them.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890And the children went in and possessed the land; and thou subduedst before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gavest them into their hands, both their kings and the peoples of the land, that they might do with them as they would.
Context
The movement from promise to possession is complete. Verse 25 will detail the abundance they found—cities, houses, cisterns, vineyards, oliveyards, and fruit trees—emphasizing God’s generosity. The sequence will soon pivot from plenty to disobedience (verse 26), illustrating the recurring pattern: prosperity tests the heart and often reveals ingratitude.
v.23Their children also multipliedst thou as the stars of heaven, and broughtest them into the land concerning which thou didst say to their fathers, that they should go in to possess it.
v.24This passage
v.25And they took fortified cities, and a fat land, and possessed houses full of all good things, cisterns hewn out, vineyards, and oliveyards, and fruit-trees in abundance: so they did eat, and were filled, and became fat, and delighted themselves in thy great goodness.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Joshua 18:1
And the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled themselves together at Shiloh, and set up the tent of meeting there: and the land was subdued before them.
- Joshua 11:23
So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that Jehovah spake unto Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance unto Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. And the land had rest from war.
- Joshua 21:43
So Jehovah gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein.
- Psalms 44:2
Thou didst drive out the nations with thy hand; But them thou didst plant: Thou didst afflict the peoples; But them thou didst spread abroad.
- Numbers 14:31
But your little ones, that ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have rejected.
- 1 Chronicles 22:18
Is not Jehovah your God with you? and hath he not given you rest on every side? for he hath delivered the inhabitants of the land into my hand; and the land is subdued before Jehovah, and before his people.
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