“Nevertheless for thy great mercies' sake thou didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them; for thou art a gracious and merciful God.”
My Notes
What Does Nehemiah 9:31 Mean?
"Nevertheless for thy great mercies' sake thou didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them; for thou art a gracious and merciful God." In the middle of recounting Israel's repeated rebellions, the Levites' prayer hits this refrain: nevertheless. Despite everything. God didn't destroy them. He didn't abandon them. Not because they improved — they didn't. Because he is gracious and merciful. The character of God, not the performance of Israel, is what prevented total destruction.
The word "nevertheless" (v'attah, with an adversative sense) creates the hinge between judgment and mercy. Everything before it describes deserved punishment. Everything after it describes undeserved preservation. The single word carries the weight of all grace.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Where is the 'nevertheless' in your story — the moment where God's mercy interrupted what you deserved?
- 2.How does knowing that God's mercy is based on his character (not your improvement) change your approach to failure?
- 3.What would your history look like without the 'nevertheless' — and does that produce gratitude?
- 4.When you need mercy, do you appeal to your performance or to God's character?
Devotional
Nevertheless. One word that holds the entire history of Israel together. After every rebellion, after every idol, after every broken covenant — nevertheless. God didn't consume them. God didn't forsake them. Not because they stopped sinning. Because he is who he is.
The Levites have just recounted a history of relentless failure. The golden calf. The wilderness complaints. The refusal to enter Canaan. The judges cycle. The corrupt kings. The ignored prophets. And after every disaster, the same refrain: nevertheless, for thy great mercies' sake.
This is the word that stands between you and destruction. Not your repentance — though that matters. Not your improvement — though God values it. Nevertheless. The grace that interrupts the sequence of deserved consequences. The mercy that says "I could" and then chooses "I won't."
The reason is stated clearly: for thou art a gracious and merciful God. Not: for thou art a God who sees potential in his people. Not: for they showed enough improvement to warrant another chance. For you are who you are. Your character — gracious and merciful — is the reason the story continues. Israel's character would have ended it. God's character preserves it.
Every person reading this is alive because of a "nevertheless" in their own story. A moment where deserved consequences were interrupted by undeserved mercy. Not because you earned the interruption. Because God is gracious. And merciful. And those qualities aren't responses to your behavior. They're attributes of his being.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Nevertheless, for thy great mercies' sake, For the displaying of that, and the glorifying of it, which is so large and…
We have here an account how the work of this fast-day was carried on. 1. The names of the ministers that were employed.…
for thy great mercies" sake R.V. in thy manifold mercies. The emphasis on the variety of the mercy even more than on its…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture