But in your great mercy, you did not destroy them completely or abandon them forever. What a gracious and merciful God you are!
Parallel translations
- WEB “Nevertheless in your manifold mercies you did not make a full end of them, nor forsake them; for you are a gracious and merciful God.
- KJV Nevertheless for thy great mercies’ sake thou didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them; for thou art a gracious and merciful God.
- BSB But in Your great compassion, You did not put an end to them; nor did You forsake them, for You are a gracious and compassionate God.
- NKJV Nevertheless in Your great mercy You did not utterly consume them nor forsake them; For You are God, gracious and merciful.
- NASB “Nevertheless, in Your great compassion You did not make an end of them or abandon them, For You are a gracious and compassionate God.
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
Even so, in his great mercy God did not utterly destroy or forsake them, for he is gracious and merciful. It matters because God preserved a remnant by sheer grace.
Overview
Despite exile, God 'did not make a full end of them,' because of his gracious and merciful character. Judgment was tempered by covenant faithfulness, preserving a people for himself. This preservation of a remnant safeguarded the line through which the Messiah would come, securing the hope of salvation in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Lam 3:22It is because of Yahweh’s loving kindnesses that we are not consumed, because his compassion doesn’t fail.
- Ps 103:8–9Yahweh is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness.
- Neh 9:17and refused to obey. They weren’t mindful of your wonders that you did among them, but hardened their neck, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage. But you are a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, and didn’t forsake them.
- Jer 4:27For Yahweh says, “The whole land shall be a desolation; yet will I not make a full end.
- Exod 34:6–7Yahweh passed by before him, and proclaimed, “Yahweh! Yahweh, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness and truth,
- Jer 5:18“But even in those days,” says Yahweh, “I will not make a full end with you.
- Ps 145:8–9Yahweh is gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and of great loving kindness.
- Jer 5:10“Go up on her walls, and destroy; but don’t make a full end. Take away her branches; for they are not Yahweh’s.
- Dan 9:9To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness; for we have rebelled against him;
- Ezek 14:22–23Yet, behold, therein shall be left a remnant that shall be carried out, both sons and daughters. Behold, they shall come out to you, and you shall see their way and their doings; and you shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought on Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought on it.
- 2 Chr 30:9For if you turn again to Yahweh, your brothers and your children will find compassion before those who led them captive, and will come again into this land, because Yahweh your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if you return to him.”
- 2 Kgs 13:23But Yahweh was gracious to them, and had compassion on them, and had respect for them, because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them, and he didn’t cast them from his presence as yet.
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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 9:31 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.