“And for the wood offering, at times appointed, and for the firstfruits. Remember me, O my God, for good.”
My Notes
What Does Nehemiah 13:31 Mean?
Nehemiah's final prayer — the closing words of his entire book — is five words: "Remember me, O my God, for good." After everything — the wall rebuilt, the reforms enacted, the enemies faced, the internal exploitation confronted — Nehemiah's last recorded words are a simple request to be remembered.
The phrase "remember me" echoes the thief on the cross (Luke 23:42: "Lord, remember me"). Both prayers ask for the simplest possible grace: don't forget me. In the vast scope of God's purposes, don't let my contribution disappear. Remember.
"For good" (letovah) means for my benefit, favorably. Nehemiah isn't asking to be remembered generically. He's asking God to remember him with goodness — to look on his life and judge it favorably. The prayer is humble (he's asking, not demanding) and confident (he believes his work merits God's favorable memory).
Reflection Questions
- 1.Is 'remember me, for good' a prayer you can honestly pray — are you confident God's memory of you is favorable?
- 2.Does Nehemiah's modest final prayer (after massive achievements) challenge how you measure your own legacy?
- 3.How does this prayer connect to the thief on the cross — and what does the connection reveal about what God values?
- 4.If 'remember me, for good' were the last words of YOUR book, would you be at peace with that?
Devotional
Remember me, O my God, for good. That's how the book of Nehemiah ends. Five words. One prayer.
After twelve chapters of wall-building, reform-enacting, enemy-facing, community-organizing, injustice-confronting work — Nehemiah's final recorded words are the simplest prayer possible: remember me. For good.
Not: celebrate my achievements. Not: reward my faithfulness. Not: acknowledge my sacrifice. Remember me. The request is modest. The man who rebuilt Jerusalem's wall, who stood down Sanballat and Tobiah, who confronted the wealthy exploiters, who organized the dedication and the worship — ends his book with: don't forget me.
"For good" — Nehemiah knows he's not perfect. His reforms were sometimes harsh (13:25 — he struck people and pulled out their hair). His methods were occasionally heavy-handed. He doesn't ask to be remembered as perfect. He asks to be remembered for good. Favorably. With the weight on the right side of the scale.
The thief on the cross prayed the same prayer: "Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom." Both prayers — the wall-builder's and the criminal's — ask for the same thing: don't forget me. Let my life register in your memory. Let the remembering be kind.
This is the prayer of every person who has given their best to God's work and wonders, at the end, if it mattered. If the years of effort registered. If the sacrifice was noticed. If the long, grinding, unglamorous work of rebuilding left any impression on the God it was aimed at.
Remember me. For good. It's enough of a prayer to close a book with.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
For the wood-offering - This was a most necessary regulation: without it the temple service could not have gone forward;…
We have here one instance more of Nehemiah's pious zeal for the purifying of his countrymen as a peculiar people to God;…
and for the wood offering Cf. Neh 10:35.
the firstfruits Cf. Neh 10:36-39.
The special mention of these practical…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture