Nehemia 1:5

1:5 Then I said, “Please, O LORD God of heaven, great and awesome God, who keeps his loving covenant ¹  with those who love him and obey ²  his commandments,

Nehemia 9:8

9:8 When you perceived that his heart was faithful toward you, you established a ³  covenant with him to give his descendants ⁴  the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, and the Girgashites. You have fulfilled your promise, ⁵  for you are righteous.

Nehemia 9:29

9:29 And you solemnly admonished them in order to return them to your law, but they behaved presumptuously and did not obey your commandments. They sinned against your ordinances – those by which an individual, if he obeys them, ⁶  will live. They boldly turned from you; ⁷  they rebelled ⁸  and did not obey.

[1:5]  ¹ tn Heb “the covenant and loyal love.” The phrase is a hendiadys: the first noun retains its full nominal sense, while the second noun functions adjectivally (“loyal love” = loving). Alternately, the first might function adjectivally and the second noun function as the noun: “covenant and loyal love” = covenant fidelity (see Neh 9:32).

[1:5]  ² tn Heb “keep.” The Hebrew verb שָׁמַר (shamar, “to observe; to keep”) is often used as an idiom that means “to obey” the commandments of God (e.g., Exod 20:6; Deut 5:16; 23:24; 29:8; Judg 2:22; 1 Kgs 2:43; 11:11; Ps 119:8, 17, 34; Jer 35:18; Ezek 17:14; Amos 2:4). See BDB 1036 s.v. 3.c.

[9:8]  ³ tn Heb “the” (so NAB).

[9:8]  ⁴ tn Heb “seed.”

[9:8]  ⁵ tn Heb “your words.”

[9:29]  ⁶ tn Heb “if a man keep.” See note on the word “obey” in Neh 1:5.

[9:29]  ⁷ tn Heb “they gave a stubborn shoulder.”

[9:29]  ⁸ tn Heb “they stiffened their neck.”