Nehemiah 4:1-5

Opposition to the Work

1 ^[a] Now when ¹Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and greatly enraged, and he jeered at the Jews.

2 And he said in the presence of his brothers and of the army of ²Samaria, "What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore it for themselves?^[b] Will they sacrifice? Will they finish up in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, and burned ones at that?"

3 ³Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, "Yes, what they are building--⁴if a fox goes up on it he will break down their stone wall!"

4 ⁵Hear, O our God, for we are despised. ⁶Turn back their taunt on their own heads and give them up to be plundered in a land where they are captives.

5 ⁷Do not cover their guilt, and let not their sin be blotted out from your sight, for they have provoked you to anger in the presence of the builders.

Nehemiah 4:1-5 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO NEHEMIAH 4

This chapter relates, how the Jews, while building, were mocked by their enemies, to which no answer was returned but by prayer to God, and they went on notwithstanding in their work, Ne 4:1-6 and how that their enemies conspired against them, to hinder them by force of arms, Ne 4:7-12 to oppose which, both spiritual and temporal weapons were made use of, so that the work was still carried on, Ne 4:13-23.

Cross References

• 1. ver. 7; Nehemiah 2:10, 19
• 2. 1 Kings 16:24
• 3. [See ver. 1 above]
• 4. [Lamentations 5:18]
• 5. Psalms 123:3, 4
• 6. Psalms 79:12
• 7. Psalms 69:27, 28; Psalms 109:14, 15; Jeremiah 18:23

Footnotes

• [a]. Ch 3:33 in Hebrew
• [b]. Or Will they commit themselves to God?