Nehemiah 9:8
What does Nehemiah 9:8 mean?
A plain-English look at Nehemiah 9:8 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Nehemiah 9:8 means
God found Abraham’s heart faithful and made a covenant to give the land of the Canaanite, Hittite, Amorite, Perizzite, Jebusite, and Girgashite to his seed. The verse then celebrates that God “hast performed thy words; for thou art righteous.” The focus is on God’s faithfulness to His promises. Abraham’s faith was real, yet the emphasis remains that God kept His word because He is righteous—He acts in consistent, covenant-keeping integrity. The prayer acknowledges that the nation stands where it does because God completed what He pledged. This frames later confession: their failures are against a backdrop of proven divine goodness and fulfilled promise.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000and foundest his heart faithful before thee, and madest a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Jebusite, and the Girgashite, to give it unto his seed, and hast performed thy words; for thou art righteous.
KJV
King James Version · 1611And foundest his heart faithful before thee, and madest a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Jebusites, and the Girgashites, to give it, I say, to his seed, and hast performed thy words; for thou art righteous:
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901and foundest his heart faithful before thee, and madest a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Jebusite, and the Girgashite, to give it unto his seed, and hast performed thy words; for thou art righteous.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949You saw that his heart was true to you, and made an agreement with him to give the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Jebusite and the Girgashite, even to give it to his seed, and you have done what you said; for righteousness is yours:
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862and didst find his heart stedfast before Thee, so as to make with him the covenant, to give the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Jebusite, and the Girgashite, to give <FI>it<Fi> to his seed. `And Thou dost establish Thy words, for Thou <FI>art<Fi> righteous,
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752And thou didst find his heart faithful before thee: and thou madest a covenant with him, to give him the land of the Chanaanite, of the Hethite, and of the Amorrhite, and of the Pherezite, and of the Jebusite, and of the Gergezite, to give it to his seed: and thou hast fulfilled thy words, because thou art just.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890and foundest his heart faithful before thee, and madest the covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Jebusites, and the Girgashites, — to give it to his seed; and thou hast performed thy words, for thou art righteous.
Context
After affirming God’s choice of Abraham, the prayer recalls the covenant and its fulfillment in land—key themes for a people recently restored to Judah. The next movement, starting in verse 9, recounts the exodus and God’s mighty deliverance from Egypt. The flow shows how promise leads to redemption, law, provision, and eventually settlement, all by God’s faithful hand.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Hebrews 6:18
that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have a strong encouragement, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us:
- Deuteronomy 26:3
And thou shalt come unto the priest that shall be in those days, and say unto him, I profess this day unto Jehovah thy God, that I am come unto the land which Jehovah sware unto our fathers to give us.
- Genesis 12:7
And Jehovah appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto Jehovah, who appeared unto him.
- James 2:21
Was not Abraham our father justified by works, in that he offered up Isaac his son upon the altar?
- Exodus 3:8
and I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite.
- 1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
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