Nehemiah 6:7

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

Nehemiah 6:7 Meaning and Commentary

Nehemiah 6:7

And thou hast also appointed prophets to preach of thee at
Jerusalem
This he said to cover what he and Tobiah had been doing, tampering with, corrupting, and hiring the prophets to discourage him, and put him upon methods, whereby the work would cease:

saying, there is a king in Judah;
besides Artaxerxes, whose yoke they were casting off, having got a king of their own, and among them:

and now shall it be reported to the king, according to these words;
such a report as this, and in those very words, will soon reach the ears of the king of Persia:

come now, therefore, and let us take counsel together;
contrive the best method to put a stop to this report, if a false one, and to wipe off the reproach that is upon thee, and may affect us; and thus partly terrifying him, and partly pretending friendship to him, hoped to get him into his hands.

Nehemiah 6:7 In-Context

5 Then sent Sanballat his servant to me in this manner the fifth time, with an open letter in his hand,

6 in which was written: It is reported among the nations, and Gashmu says [it, that] thou and the Jews think to rebel, for which cause thou buildest the wall, and according to these words thou wilt become their king.

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

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

9 For they all would have made us afraid, saying, Their hands shall be slackened from the work, that it be not carried out. -- Now therefore strengthen my hands!