The Meaning of Nehemiah 9:1 Explained

Nehemiah 9:1

KJV: Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackclothes, and earth upon them.

YLT: And in the twenty and fourth day of this month have the sons of Israel been gathered, with fasting, and with sackcloth, and earth upon them;

Darby: And on the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackclothes, and earth upon them.

ASV: Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackcloth, and earth upon them.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Now in the twenty  and fourth  day  of this month  the children  of Israel  were assembled  with fasting,  and with sackclothes,  and earth  upon them. 

What does Nehemiah 9:1 Mean?

Context Summary

Nehemiah 9:1-21 - God's Hand In History
What a blessed result of the Bible-study of the previous chapter. It led to confession, separation from evil association and worship. It is good to review the dealings of God with us and with our people in bygone days. There are hilltops in our experience where the air is clear, and we can see the way by which we have been led. At such times we look beyond second causes to the great Orderer of our lives, and our history is one perpetual assertion of THOU. The history of God's dealings with Israel is an epitome of His dealings with ourselves. The choice in Ur, the redemption from Egypt, the wilderness wanderings, the land of rest-all these have their counterparts in our life-story. Side by side with the story of God's care runs the story of transgression, Nehemiah 9:16-18. The gold and black strands are closely interwoven. In the midst of God's best gifts, we break out into sin; yet He still gives us His good spirit, and withholds not the manna which He promised, Nehemiah 9:20. [source]

Chapter Summary: Nehemiah 9

1  A solemn fast, and repentance of the people
4  The Levites make a confession of God's goodness, and their wickedness

What do the individual words in Nehemiah 9:1 mean?

And on the day twenty and four of month this were assembled the sons of Israel with fasting and in sackcloth and with dust on their heads
וּבְיוֹם֩ עֶשְׂרִ֨ים וְאַרְבָּעָ֜ה לַחֹ֣דֶשׁ הַזֶּ֗ה נֶאֶסְפ֤וּ בְנֵֽי־ יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ בְּצ֣וֹם וּבְשַׂקִּ֔ים וַאֲדָמָ֖ה עֲלֵיהֶֽם

וּבְיוֹם֩  And  on  the  day 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
עֶשְׂרִ֨ים  twenty 
Parse: Number, common plural
Root: עֶשְׂרִים  
Sense: twenty, twentieth.
וְאַרְבָּעָ֜ה  and  four 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Number, masculine singular
Root: אַרְבַּע  
Sense: four.
לַחֹ֣דֶשׁ  of  month 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: חֹדֶשׁ  
Sense: the new moon, month, monthly.
הַזֶּ֗ה  this 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: זֶה  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, another, such.
נֶאֶסְפ֤וּ  were  assembled 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: אָסַף 
Sense: to gather, receive, remove, gather in.
בְנֵֽי־  the  sons 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
יִשְׂרָאֵל֙  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
בְּצ֣וֹם  with  fasting 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular
Root: צֹום  
Sense: fast, fasting.
וּבְשַׂקִּ֔ים  and  in  sackcloth 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Noun, masculine plural
Root: שַׂק  
Sense: mesh, sackcloth, sack, sacking.
וַאֲדָמָ֖ה  and  with  dust 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֲדָמָה 
Sense: ground, land.
עֲלֵיהֶֽם  on  their  heads 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.