“Nevertheless, they were disobedient and rebelled against you and cast your law behind their back and killed your prophets, who had warned them in order to turn them back to you, and they committed great blasphemies.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The real tragedy here isn't just their rebellion, but that they killed the very prophets God sent to turn them back to Him. This highlights a profound blindness: they were destroying the messengers of their own rescue, actively choosing destruction over restoration.
“Nevertheless, they were disobedient and rebelled against you and cast your law behind their back and killed your prophets, who had warned them in order to turn them back to you, and they committed great blasphemies.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse is part of a long prayer of confession by the Levites, recounting Israel's history of rebellion against God even after experiencing His faithfulness. They acknowledge that despite God's past blessings and the clear warnings of His prophets, the people repeatedly rejected His Law and even killed those messengers sent to call them back to Him. The prayer continues this pattern of confessing sin and highlighting God's patient mercy in the subsequent verses.
Ever felt like you're ignoring something important, pushing it aside? Israel's rejection of God's law was a chillingly deliberate act, a profound disrespect that led them down a destructive path.
The phrase 'cast your law behind their back' paints a vivid picture. It's not just forgetting or accidentally neglecting God's commands. It’s an active, conscious rejection. Imagine carrying something precious, but deliberately turning your back to it, shoving it out of sight and out of mind.
This wasn't a one-time slip; it was a pattern of willful disobedience. They knew what God wanted, but they chose to ignore it, treating His statutes as if they were worthless or even an annoyance. This deliberate disregard for divine instruction is a stark warning against spiritual apathy.
When God sent messengers to call His people back, they didn't just ignore them – they silenced them, violently. What does this say about the cost of rejecting God's truth?
The prophets were God's 'ambassadors,' sent with a critical message: 'turn them back to you.' Their role was to confront sin, to expose the danger of straying, and to guide Israel back to a right relationship with their Lord. They spoke God's truth, even when it was unpopular and dangerous.
Killing the prophets was a brutal act of defiance. It was an attempt to silence God Himself, to sever the lifeline of mercy He had extended. This rejection wasn't just about ignoring rules; it was about attacking the very means God used to save them from themselves. History, and even the New Testament, shows the tragic pattern of God's people persecuting those who faithfully delivered His warnings.
Ask a follow-up
Beyond disobedience and violence, Israel committed 'great blasphemies.' What was so offensive about their actions that it's described as mocking God Himself?
The ultimate charge here is 'great blasphemies,' or 'great provocations' as some translations put it. This goes beyond mere sin; it's an affront to God's very character and holiness. When a people, whom God has rescued, loved, and instructed, repeatedly turn away, reject His law, and kill His messengers, they are essentially spitting in the face of God.
Their idolatry and rebellion weren't just personal failings; they were public declarations that God's ways were insufficient or wrong. They were declaring their own will superior to the Creator's. This is the essence of blasphemy – speaking or acting in a way that dishonors or insults God, treating Him as less than He is. It was a deep insult born from profound ingratitude.
Understand the original words
marah · Hebrew Verb
To reject authority or established order, often used in Scripture to describe humanity's active defiance against God’s covenantal laws.
torah · Hebrew Noun
The divine instruction or guidance given by God to His people, signifying His revealed will and the standard by which they are to live.
nabiy' · Hebrew Noun
Individuals divinely called and inspired to communicate God's message, often functioning as mediators who call the people to repentance and reveal future events.
ni'utsim · Hebrew Noun
Defiant or insolent speech against God, demonstrating a profound lack of reverence and an active rejection of His holy character.
This verse captures a deep historical pattern of Israel's persistent rebellion and the martyrdom of prophets, culminating in the devastating exiles. It highlights how their rejection of God's law and messengers led to national catastrophe, even as they confessed these very sins centuries later.
c. 9th-7th century BC
Prophets warn Israel and Judah
Throughout the divided monarchy, prophets like Elijah, Elisha, Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, and Jeremiah delivered God's messages, calling the people back to faithfulness. Many faced severe persecution, including exile and death, for their warnings.
874-853 BC
Jezebel massacres prophets
During the reign of Ahab, Jezebel, an idolatrous queen, actively hunted down and killed many of the Lord's prophets in a brutal attempt to suppress God's word and promote Baal worship.
c. 722 BC
Fall of the Northern Kingdom
The Assyrian Empire conquered the northern kingdom of Israel, deporting many of its inhabitants. This event served as a stark warning to Judah about the consequences of continued disobedience.
c. 605 BC
First deportation to Babylon
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon began deporting Judeans, including members of the royal family and educated elite, to Babylon. This marked the start of Judah's exile.
597 BC
Second deportation to Babylon
More Judeans, including the prophet Ezekiel, were exiled to Babylon after Jerusalem rebelled. The kingdom was significantly weakened.
586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
Nebuchadnezzar's forces destroyed Jerusalem and its Temple, ending the kingdom of Judah and exiling most of the remaining population to Babylon.
c. 445 BC— this verse
Rebuilding Jerusalem's walls
Nehemiah, cupbearer to the Persian king, led the returned exiles in the challenging task of rebuilding Jerusalem's walls, facing significant opposition. The prayer in Nehemiah 9 likely occurred during this period of communal confession and recommitment.
Jesus laments Jerusalem's rejection of God's messengers, mirroring the Israelites' killing of prophets in Nehemiah 9:26 and highlighting a consistent pattern of opposition to God's truth.
Acts 7:52Stephen directly accuses the Jewish leaders of a similar sin, stating they persecuted and killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, just as their ancestors killed the prophets mentioned in Nehemiah.
1 Kings 19:10This passage shows Elijah's despair over being the only prophet left, revealing the historical context of prophets being actively hunted and killed by the very people they were sent to warn.
Jeremiah 26:20-23The account of Uriah the prophet being killed for his prophecy against Jerusalem demonstrates the real and deadly danger faced by prophets who spoke God's word, a pattern reflected in Nehemiah's confession.
Psalm 78:57This psalm speaks of Israel turning away from God like a 'deceitful bow,' which resonates with the idea in Nehemiah 9:26 of them casting God's law behind their backs and rebelling against Him.
barnesNehemiah 9:26: "Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs, and slew thy prophets which testified against them to turn them to thee, and they wrought great provocations."
Slew thy prophets - Compare 1 Kings 18:4 ; 1 Kings 19:10 ; 2 Chronicles 24:21 . Jewish tradition further affirms that more than one of the great prophets (e. g., Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel) were martyred by their countrymen.
pooleNehemiah 9:26: "Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs, and slew thy prophets which testified against them to turn them to thee, and they wrought great provocations."
Cast thy law behind their backs, i.e. neglected and despised thy laws, would not regard nor observe them; whereas they should have had them continually before their eyes, to direct and govern them. Compare Psalm 50:17 Ezekiel 23:35 .
The real tragedy here isn't just their rebellion, but that they killed the very prophets God sent to turn them back to Him. This highlights a profound blindness: they were destroying the messengers of their own rescue, actively choosing destruction over restoration.
This verse is part of a long prayer of confession by the Levites, recounting Israel's history of rebellion against God even after experiencing His faithfulness. They acknowledge that despite God's past blessings and the clear warnings of His prophets, the people repeatedly rejected His Law and even killed those messengers sent to call them back to Him. The prayer continues this pattern of confessing sin and highlighting God's patient mercy in the subsequent verses.
This verse is part of a long prayer of confession by the Levites, recounting Israel's history of rebellion against God even after experiencing His faithfulness. They acknowledge that despite God's past blessings and the clear warnings of His prophets, the people repeatedly rejected His Law and even killed those messengers sent to call them back to Him. The prayer continues this pattern of confessing sin and highlighting God's patient mercy in the subsequent verses.
"“Nevertheless, they were disobedient and rebelled against you and cast your law behind their back and killed your prophets, who had warned them in order to turn them back to you, and they committed great blasphemies." — The real tragedy here isn't just their rebellion, but that they killed the very prophets God sent to turn them back to Him. This highlights a profound blindness: they were destroying the messengers o…
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Last reviewed October 2026