Nehemiah 1:4 (DRB)

Passage

And when I had heard these words, I sat down, and wept, and mourned for many days: and I fasted, and prayed before the face of the God of heaven.

Nearby Context

Nehemiah 1:2 That Hanani one of my brethren came, he and some men of Juda; and I asked them concerning the Jews, that remained and were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.

Nehemiah 1:3 And they said to me: They that have remained, and are left of the captivity there in the province, are in great affliction, and reproach: and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and the gates thereof are burnt with fire.

Nehemiah 1:4 And when I had heard these words, I sat down, and wept, and mourned for many days: and I fasted, and prayed before the face of the God of heaven.

Nehemiah 1:5 And I said: I beseech thee, O Lord God of heaven, strong, great, and terrible, who keepest covenant and mercy with those that love thee, and keep thy commandments:

Nehemiah 1:6 Let thy ears be attentive, and thy eyes open, to hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, night and day, for the children of Israel thy servants: and I confess the sins of the children of Israel, by which they have sinned against thee: I and my father's house have sinned.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "heard", "words", "down", "wept", "mourned", "days", "fasted", and "prayed". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "heard" and "words", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "And they said to me They that..." into verse 5's "And I said I beseech thee O...", so "heard" and "words" belong inside that flow. In Nehemiah context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "heard" and "words" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.