Nehemiah 6

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Nehemiah 6

1 Now it came to pass when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and Geshem the Arabian, and the rest of our enemies, heard that I had builded the wall, and that there was no breach left therein; (though at that time I had not set up the doors upon the gates;)

2 That Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me, saying, Come, let us meet together in some one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me mischief.

3 And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?

4 Yet they sent unto me four times after this sort; and I answered them after the same manner.

5 Then sent Sanballat his servant unto me in like manner the fifth time with an open letter in his hand;

6 Wherein was written, It is reported among the heathen, and Gashmu saith it, that thou and the Jews think to rebel: for which cause thou buildest the wall, that thou mayest be their king, according to these words.

7 And thou hast also appointed prophets to preach of thee at Jerusalem, saying, There is a king in Judah: and now shall it be reported to the king according to these words. Come now therefore, and let us take counsel together.

8 Then I sent unto him, saying, There are no such things done as thou sayest, but thou feignest them out of thine own heart.

9 For they all made us afraid, saying, Their hands shall be weakened from the work, that it be not done. Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.

10 Afterward I came unto the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabeel, who was shut up; and he said, Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple: for they will come to slay thee; yea, in the night will they come to slay thee.

11 And I said, Should such a man as I flee? and who is there, that, being as I am, would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in.

12 And, lo, I perceived that God had not sent him; but that he pronounced this prophecy against me: for Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.

13 Therefore was he hired, that I should be afraid, and do so, and sin, and that they might have matter for an evil report, that they might reproach me.

14 My God, think thou upon Tobiah and Sanballat according to these their works, and on the prophetess Noadiah, and the rest of the prophets, that would have put me in fear.

15 So the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty and two days.

16 And it came to pass, that when all our enemies heard thereof, and all the heathen that were about us saw these things, they were much cast down in their own eyes: for they perceived that this work was wrought of our God.

17 Moreover in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters unto Tobiah, and the letters of Tobiah came unto them.

18 For there were many in Judah sworn unto him, because he was the son in law of Shechaniah the son of Arah; and his son Johanan had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah.

19 Also they reported his good deeds before me, and uttered my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters to put me in fear.

Notes

Cross Reference

Concordance

Commentary

Rashi

Verse 1

<html>and no breach was left therein in the wall of the city. I had not erected that doors were not made in the gates of the city.</html>

Verse 2

<html>in Kefirim This is a name of a place. [which is] in the Valley of Ono That is the name of the valley. and they were plotting against me. I understood from them that they were plotting against me to assassinate me there.</html>

Verse 3

<html>“I am doing great work of the buildings (of the city); other editions read: [of the buildings] of dust. Why should…stop Why should the work be curtailed? when I leave it Heb. אַרְפֶּהָ, lit. [slacken] my hand from the building. and come down to you to speak with and to meet with you.</html>

Verse 5

<html>with his servant through his servant. and an open letter was in his hand He sent me a written letter through him.</html>

Verse 6

<html>It was written in it in that letter. It is heard among the nations that it is known to all the nations that you and all the Jews are plotting to rebel. and Gashmu says Gashmu is Geshem the Arab, and its interpretation is like a man who says to his friend, “This is the matter, and so-and-so says.” according to these words This refers back to the text, and it is a transposed verse. It is as though it was written, “According to these words was heard among the nations, etc.”</html>

Verse 7

<html>…also…speakers Until “…and take counsel together” was written in the letter. speakers Heb. נְבִיאִים, speakers, like (Isa. 57:19): “I created the speech (נִיב) of the lips.” saying who say that there is a king in Judea. and now it will be reported to the king After you have been called king, it will be reported to the king according to these words.</html>

Verse 8

<html>from your heart Heb. כִּי. This כִּי is in place of אֶלָּא, but. invent them contro(u)ves eles in Old French; you are concocting them, like (I Kings 12:33): “…that he had fabricated (בָּדָה) from his heart.”</html>

Verse 9

<html>For they all for all the nations. fear us Heb. מְיָרְאִים. They fear us, and so they say, “Let their hands be slackened, etc.” and now, strengthen my hands to help me with the building of the wall.</html>

Verse 10

<html>and he was confined for he found him at home. and he said, “Let us meet Shemaiah was a false prophet who had received a bribe from Sanballat and his colleagues to frighten Nehemiah in order to stop the work. for they are coming to assassinate you for Sanballat and his colleagues will come to assassinate you. and tonight they are coming Therefore, he warned him to enter the Temple and to close the doors about himself, because the doors of the gates of the city had not been made, as it says at the beginning of the chapter (verse 1): “Also that until that time, I had not erected doors in the gates.”</html>

Verse 11

<html>Will a man like me flee This is a question: Will a man like me flee to enter the Temple? I will not enter I will not enter there because of fear of death, and I will not transgress the commandments of the Holy One, blessed be He, that a stranger (a non-Kohen) may not enter His Temple.</html>

Verse 12

<html>And I discerned I discerned in his words that the Holy One, blessed be He, had not sent him on this mission, but that he wanted me to commit a transgression because of fear of death. for he spoke prophesy concerning me for he spoke these words concerning me in the name of prophecy. had hired him Heb. שְּׂכָרוֹ. Each one of them had hired him and given him pay to frighten me and to curtail the building of the wall.</html>

Verse 13

<html>Because he was hired he told me these things. in order that I fear in order that I fear them, to do this to enter the Temple and sin. so that they should have this for a scandal in order that they should have this as a scandal to reproach me with this sin.</html>

Verse 14

<html>and also Noadiah the prophetess She and the rest of the false prophets received pay from Sanballat and his cohorts in order to frighten me with their false prophecies.</html>

Verse 15

<html>on the twenty-fifth day of the month of Ellul, in the twentieth year of King Darius, for in the twentieth year of Darius, Nehemiah went up from Babylon, and in that year he built the ruins of Jerusalem. after fifty-two days The construction of the wall was completed fifty-two days after they had started building it.</html>

Verse 16

<html>Now it came to pass when all our enemies heard this matter, that the construction of the wall was completed. that all the nations became frightened when all the nations saw that the construction of the wall of the city had been completed. and they fell very low in their own eyes They themselves fell in their own eyes; they despised themselves, for the fear of the Jews had fallen upon them.</html>

Verse 17

<html>the rulers of Judea Heb. חֹרֵי, the princes of Judea. to Tobiah Heb. עַל-טוֹבִיָה. He was a renegade Israelite. and Tobiah’s i.e., Tobiah’s letters.</html>

Verse 18

<html>For many in Judea Heb. רַבִּים, who were great rulers in Judea, were partners in a covenant and an oath with him. for he was the son-in-law Tobiah [was the son-in-law] of Shechaniah. and Jehohanan his son [the son] of Tobiah. the daughter of Meshullam Meshullam was a great man and a ruler.</html>

Verse 19

<html>also of his good qualities His confederates and his kinsmen would speak of them before me. his good qualities Heb. טוֹבֹתְָיו ses proezes, in Old French, his gallant exploits. they divulged to him to tell Tobiah. Tobiah sent letters He constantly sent letters to frighten me so that we would not build the wall.</html>

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Table of Contents

Nehemiah 6

Nehemiah 6

Notes

Cross Reference

Concordance

Commentary

Rashi

Verse 1

Verse 2

Verse 3

Verse 5

Verse 6

Verse 7

Verse 8

Verse 9

Verse 10

Verse 11

Verse 12

Verse 13

Verse 14

Verse 15

Verse 16

Verse 17

Verse 18

Verse 19