Nehemiah 9:5 – The Call to Worship
In Nehemiah 9:5, we find the Levites calling the people to worship, saying, “Arise, bless the Lord your God forever and ever! O may Your glorious name be blessed and exalted above all blessing and praise!” (Neh 9:5 NASB). This passage highlights a moment of profound worship and reverence during Israel’s communal confession, reflecting the nation’s understanding of Yahweh’s greatness and covenantal faithfulness. The context and language of this verse shed light on how the post-exilic community reorients itself through worship, focusing on God’s unique holiness.
The call to “arise” (qum—קוּם) emphasizes the active nature of worship, not as a passive acknowledgment but as an intentional response. This term conveys a sense of urgency and a commitment to engage fully with God in an act of blessing (barakh—בָּרַךְ), which means to express adoration or gratitude. The act of blessing the Lord here goes beyond mere verbal praise; it involves the entire community participating in a covenant renewal, where acknowledging God’s majesty is both a personal and communal responsibility.
The phrase “forever and ever” (min ha‘olam v’ad ha‘olam—מִן־הָעוֹלָם וְעַד־הָעוֹלָם) underscores the eternal nature of God’s sovereignty and the unending responsibility of Israel to worship Him. This language echoes the blessings found in Psalms, where God’s everlasting rule is celebrated: “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen” (Ps 41:13). The repetition of such phrases in Israel’s worship underscores an understanding of God’s transcendence and the lasting commitment Israel is called to uphold in their covenant with Him.
The Levites’ proclamation also emphasizes God’s “glorious name,” a phrase that points to God’s unique and unassailable holiness. In Hebrew thought, the shem (שֵׁם) of God represents His character and presence, not simply a label. To “exalt” this name “above all blessing and praise” is to acknowledge God’s absolute worthiness, surpassing any form of human adoration. This perspective aligns with King David’s declaration in 1 Chronicles 29:11: “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth” (1 Chr 29:11), where God is exalted as supremely sovereign.
Nehemiah 9:5 also anticipates the worship language found in the New Testament. In Ephesians 3:20–21, Paul extols God as the one “who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think…to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever.” Here, as in Nehemiah, God’s glory is proclaimed as surpassing human understanding, pointing to an eternal worship that begins in this life and extends into the life to come.
Through the Levites’ words, Nehemiah 9:5 encapsulates a theological vision of worship that is grounded in covenantal reverence and awe. This call to “bless the Lord” serves as a reminder to Israel—and to all who worship Yahweh—of the profound duty to exalt His name and live in faithful acknowledgment of His holiness and enduring greatness.
