Nehemiah 1:3 (YLT)

Passage

and they say to me, `Those left, who have been left of the captivity there in the province, <FI>are<Fi> in great evil, and in reproach, and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burnt with fire.'

Nearby Context

Nehemiah 1:1 Words of Nehemiah son of Hachaliah. And it cometh to pass, in the month of Chisleu, the twentieth year, and I have been in Shushan the palace,

Nehemiah 1:2 and come in doth Hanani, one of my brethren, he and men of Judah, and I ask them concerning the Jews, the escaped part that have been left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem;

Nehemiah 1:3 and they say to me, `Those left, who have been left of the captivity there in the province, <FI>are<Fi> in great evil, and in reproach, and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burnt with fire.'

Nehemiah 1:4 And it cometh to pass, at my hearing these words, I have sat down, and I weep and mourn <FI>for<Fi> days, and I am fasting and praying before the God of the heavens.

Nehemiah 1:5 And I say, `I beseech thee, O Jehovah, God of the heavens, God, the great and the fearful, keeping the covenant and kindness for those loving Him, and for those keeping His commands,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "left", "been", "captivity", "province", "great", "evil", and "reproach". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "left" and "been", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "and come in doth Hanani one of..." into verse 4's "And it cometh to pass at my...", so "left" and "been" 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 "left" and "been" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.