Lectionary Calendar
Tuesday, July 8th, 2025
the Week of Proper 9 / Ordinary 14
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Bible in Basic English

Nehemiah 8:6

And Ezra gave praise to the Lord, the great God. And all the people in answer said, So be it, so be it; lifting up their hands; and with bent heads they gave worship to the Lord, going down on their faces to the earth.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Amen;   Commandments;   Feasts;   Law;   Repentance;   Synagogue;   Word of God;   Worship;   Thompson Chain Reference - Ezra;   Worshippers;   The Topic Concordance - God;   Greatness;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Praise;   Scribes;   Synagogues;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Amen;   Ezra;   Synagogue;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Priest;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Amen;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Preaching;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Amen;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Canon of the Old Testament;   Church;   Nehemiah, the Book of;   Prayer;   Priest;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Amen;   Gestures;   Nehemiah;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Canon of the Old Testament;   Ezra;   Ezra, Book of;   Malachi;   Prayer;   Synagogue;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Amen;   Amen (2);   Blessing (2);   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Amen;   Ezra ;   Scribes;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Ezra;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Prayer;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Babylonish Captivity, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Gesture;   Trumpets, Feast of;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Amen;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Benedictions;   Homiletics;   Law, Reading from the;   Liturgy;   Synagogue, the Great;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and with their hands uplifted all the people said, “Amen, Amen!” Then they knelt low and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
Hebrew Names Version
and Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. All the people answered, Amein, Amein, with the lifting up of their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.
King James Version
And Ezra blessed the Lord , the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
English Standard Version
And Ezra blessed the Lord , the great God, and all the people answered, "Amen, Amen," lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
New Century Version
Ezra praised the Lord , the great God, and all the people held up their hands and said, "Amen! Amen!" Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
New English Translation
Ezra blessed the Lord , the great God, and all the people replied "Amen! Amen!" as they lifted their hands. Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
Amplified Bible
Then Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, "Amen, Amen!" while lifting up their hands; and they knelt down and worshiped the LORD with their faces toward the ground.
New American Standard Bible
Then Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, "Amen, Amen!" with the raising of their hands; then they kneeled down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.
World English Bible
and Ezra blessed Yahweh, the great God. All the people answered, Amen, Amen, with the lifting up of their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshiped Yahweh with their faces to the ground.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And Ezra praysed the Lorde the great God, and all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting vp their handes: & they bowed themselues, and worshipped the Lord with their faces toward the grounde.
Legacy Standard Bible
Then Ezra blessed Yahweh the great God. And all the people answered, "Amen, Amen!" while lifting up their hands; then they bowed low and worshiped Yahweh with their faces to the ground.
Berean Standard Bible
Then Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and with their hands uplifted, all the people said, "Amen, Amen!" Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.
Contemporary English Version
Ezra praised the great Lord God, and the people shouted, "Amen! Amen!" Then they bowed with their faces to the ground and worshiped the Lord .
Complete Jewish Bible
‘Ezra blessed Adonai , the great God; and all the people answered, "Amen! Amen!" as they lifted up their hands, bowed their heads and fell prostrate before Adonai with their faces to the ground.
Darby Translation
And Ezra blessed Jehovah, the great God; and all the people answered, Amen, Amen! with lifting up of their hands; and they bowed their heads, and worshipped Jehovah with their faces to the ground.
Easy-to-Read Version
Ezra praised the Lord , the great God, and all the people held up their hands and said, "Amen! Amen!" Then all the people bowed down and put their faces low to the ground and they worshiped the Lord .
George Lamsa Translation
And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, lifting up their hands; and they knelt down and worshipped before the LORD with their faces to the ground.
Good News Translation
Ezra said, "Praise the Lord , the great God!" All the people raised their arms in the air and answered, "Amen! Amen!" They knelt in worship, with their faces to the ground.
Lexham English Bible
Then Ezra blessed Yahweh the great God, and all of the people answered, "Amen! Amen!" while lifting their hands. Then they bowed down and worshiped Yahweh with their noses to the ground.
Literal Translation
And Ezra blessed Jehovah, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, lifting up their hands. And they bowed and worshiped to Jehovah with their noses to the ground.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And E?dras praysed the LORDE the greate God. And all the people answered Amen, Amen, with their handes vp, and bowed the selues, and worshipped ye LORDE with their faces to the grounde.
American Standard Version
And Ezra blessed Jehovah, the great God; and all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with the lifting up of their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped Jehovah with their faces to the ground.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Esdras praysed the Lorde the great God: And all the people aunswered, Amen, Ame, lifting vp their handes, and bowed them selues and worshipped the Lord falling downe vpon their faces to the grounde.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered: 'Amen, Amen', with the lifting up of their hands; and they bowed their heads, and fell down before the LORD with their faces to the ground.
King James Version (1611)
And Ezra blessed the Lord the great God: and al the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting vp their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the Lord, with their faces to the ground.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Esdras blessed the Lord, the great God: and all the people answered, and said, Amen, lifting up their hands: and they bowed down and worshipped the Lord with their face to the ground.
English Revised Version
and Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with the lifting up of their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD with their faces to the ground.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Esdras blesside the Lord God with greet vois; and al the puple answeride, Amen, Amen, reisynge her hondis. And thei weren bowid, and thei worschipiden God, lowli on the erthe.
Update Bible Version
and Ezra blessed Yahweh, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with the lifting up of their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshiped Yahweh with their faces to the ground.
Webster's Bible Translation
And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshiped the LORD with [their] faces to the ground.
New King James Version
And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. Then all the people answered, "Amen, Amen!" while lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.
New Living Translation
Then Ezra praised the Lord , the great God, and all the people chanted, "Amen! Amen!" as they lifted their hands. Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
New Life Bible
Then Ezra gave honor and thanks to the Lord the great God. And all the people answered, "Let it be so!" while lifting up their hands. They bowed low with their faces to the ground and worshiped the Lord.
New Revised Standard
Then Ezra blessed the Lord , the great God, and all the people answered, "Amen, Amen," lifting up their hands. Then they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And Ezra blessed Yahweh the great God, - and all the people responded, Amen! Amen! with the lifting up of their hands, - and they bent their heads and bowed themselves down unto Yahweh, with their faces to the ground.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And Esdras blessed the Lord the great God: and all the people answered, Amen, amen: lifting up their hands: and they bowed down, and adored God with their faces to the ground.
Revised Standard Version
And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God; and all the people answered, "Amen, Amen," lifting up their hands; and they bowed their heads and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.
Young's Literal Translation
and Ezra blesseth Jehovah, the great God, and all the people answer, `Amen, Amen,' with lifting up of their hands, and they bow and do obeisance to Jehovah -- faces to the earth.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then Ezra blessed the LORD the great God. And all the people answered, "Amen, Amen!" while lifting up their hands; then they bowed low and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.

Contextual Overview

1 And when the seventh month came, the children of Israel were in their towns. And all the people came together like one man into the wide place in front of the water-doorway; and they made a request to Ezra the scribe that he would put before them the book of the law of Moses which the Lord had given to Israel. 2 And Ezra the priest put the law before the meeting of the people, before the men and women and all those who were able to take it in, on the first day of the seventh month. 3 He was reading it in the wide place in front of the water-doorway, from early morning till the middle of the day, in the hearing of all those men and women whose minds were able to take it in; and the ears of all the people were open to the book of the law. 4 And Ezra the scribe took his place on a tower of wood which they had made for the purpose; and by his side were placed Mattithiah and Shema and Anaiah and Uriah and Hilkiah and Maaseiah on the right; and on the left, Pedaiah and Mishael and Malchijah and Hashum and Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and Meshullam. 5 And Ezra took the book, opening it before the eyes of all the people (for he was higher than the people); and when it was open, all the people got to their feet: 6 And Ezra gave praise to the Lord, the great God. And all the people in answer said, So be it, so be it; lifting up their hands; and with bent heads they gave worship to the Lord, going down on their faces to the earth. 7 And Jeshua and Bani and Sherebiah and Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites made the law clear to the people: and the people kept in their places. 8 And they gave out the words of the book the law of God, clearly, and gave the sense of it, so that their minds were able to take it in.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

blessed: 1 Chronicles 29:20, 2 Chronicles 6:4, Psalms 41:13, Psalms 72:18, Psalms 72:19, Ephesians 1:3, 1 Peter 1:3

Amen: Nehemiah 5:13, Jeremiah 28:6, Matthew 6:13, 1 Corinthians 14:16

with lifting: Genesis 14:22, Psalms 28:2, Psalms 63:4, Psalms 134:2, Psalms 141:2, Lamentations 3:41, 1 Timothy 2:8

bowed: Genesis 24:26, Exodus 4:31, Exodus 12:27, 2 Chronicles 20:18, 2 Chronicles 29:30

with their faces: Leviticus 9:24, Matthew 26:39, Revelation 7:11

Reciprocal: Joshua 22:33 - blessed 1 Chronicles 16:36 - said Revelation 19:4 - Amen

Cross-References

Genesis 6:16
You are to put a window in the ark, a cubit from the roof, and a door in the side of it, and you are to make it with a lower and second and third floors.
Daniel 6:10
And Daniel, on hearing that the writing had been signed, went into his house; (now he had windows in his room on the roof opening in the direction of Jerusalem;) and three times a day he went down on his knees in prayer and praise before his God, as he had done before.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God,.... Before he began to read in the book of the law, he addressed himself to God in a short prayer, wholly in the benedictory way; ascribing blessing, honour, and glory to him, celebrating his being and perfections, setting forth his greatness and his excellency, who was the author and giver of the law he was about to read; and this he the rather did, that what he read might be the more carefully attended to, and come with the greater authority, weight, and influence on those that heard it; and so, Maimonides o says, it is the custom with the Jews, in their synagogues, for the reader, after he has opened the book, and looked out the place he reads, to say this blessing,

"Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the world, who hath chosen us out of all people, and hath given us his law; blessed art thou, O Lord, who hast given us the law; and all the people answer, Amen;''

as they now did, as follows:

and all the people answered, Amen, Amen: repeating the word, to declare their hearty assent to what Ezra had expressed; the Jews have many rules concerning pronouncing the "Amen", that it must not be too quick, curt, and short, nor with too high a voice p:

with lifting up their hands; a prayer gesture, to which the apostle refers, 1 Timothy 2:8,

and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground; expressing hereby the awful sense they had of the Divine Being, and their profound adoration of him.

o Hilchot Tephillah, c. 12. sect. 5. p Schulchan Aruch, ut supra, (par. 1.) c. 124. sect. 12.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Nehemiah 8:6. Ezra blessed the Lord — In imitation of this, we say, when the gospel for the day is commenced, Glory be to God for his holy Gospel! and conclude this thanksgiving with, Amen.


 
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