And cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee: for they have provoked thee to anger before the builders.
Parallel translations
- WEB don’t cover their iniquity, and don’t let their sin be blotted out from before you; for they have insulted the builders.”
- BSB Do not cover up their iniquity or let their sin be blotted out from Your sight, for they have provoked the builders.
- NKJV Do not cover their iniquity, and do not let their sin be blotted out from before You; for they have provoked You to anger before the builders.
- NASB Do not forgive their guilt and do not let their sin be wiped out before You, for they have demoralized the builders.
- NLT Do not ignore their guilt. Do not blot out their sins, for they have provoked you to anger here in front of the builders.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Nehemiah prays that God would not overlook the enemies' guilt, since they have insulted the builders—and thus God Himself. He sees the opposition as an affront to the Lord.
Overview
Continuing his prayer, Nehemiah asks that the adversaries' sin not be blotted out, recognizing that to mock God's work is to provoke God directly. Such imprecatory petitions, found also in the Psalms, are pleas for divine justice against persistent, hardened enemies of God's purposes. Faithful readers note that these prayers leave vengeance to God, while the New Testament also calls believers to love and pray for their enemies, trusting the Lord as the righteous Judge.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Ps 109:14Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with the LORD; and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.
- Jer 18:23Yet, LORD, thou knowest all their counsel against me to slay me: forgive not their iniquity, neither blot out their sin from thy sight, but let them be overthrown before thee; deal thus with them in the time of thine anger.
- Ps 69:27–28Add iniquity unto their iniquity: and let them not come into thy righteousness.
- 2 Tim 4:14Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works:
- Isa 44:22I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee.
- Isa 43:25I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.
- Ps 51:1Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
- Ps 59:5–13Thou therefore, O LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel, awake to visit all the heathen: be not merciful to any wicked transgressors. Selah.
- Ps 51:9Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
- Isa 36:11–12Then said Eliakim and Shebna and Joah unto Rabshakeh, Speak, I pray thee, unto thy servants in the Syrian language; for we understand it: and speak not to us in the Jews’ language, in the ears of the people that are on the wall.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The rebuilt walls and renewed covenant community foreshadow the greater builder who gathers and secures a people for God, the one who declares 'I will build my church.'
How Nehemiah 4:5 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.