Nehemiah 4:11

11 And our enemies said, Know they not, and know they not, till we come into the middle of them, and slay them, and make the work to cease. (And our enemies said, Let them know nothing, until we suddenly come into their midst, and kill them all, and stop the work.)

Nehemiah 4:11 Meaning and Commentary

Nehemiah 4:11

And our adversaries said, they shall not know
Our designs upon them:

neither see;
or perceive what we are about to do:

till we come in the midst of them;
with an army suddenly, at an unawares, and unexpected:

and slay them;
they being unarmed, and not prepared to defend themselves:

and cause the work to cease;
as it must in course, the builders being slain.

Nehemiah 4:11 In-Context

9 And we prayed the Lord our God, and we setted keepers on the wall day and night against them. (And we prayed to the Lord our God, and we put guards on the wall day and night, to protect against them.)

10 And Judah said, The strength of the bearer is made feeble, and the earth is full much, and we be not able to build the wall. (But the men of Judah said, The strength of the workers hath become feeble, and there is just too much rubble, and so we cannot rebuild the wall.)

11 And our enemies said, Know they not, and know they not, till we come into the middle of them, and slay them, and make the work to cease. (And our enemies said, Let them know nothing, until we suddenly come into their midst, and kill them all, and stop the work.)

12 Forsooth it was done, when [the] Jews came, that dwelled beside them, and said to us by ten times, from all places from which they came to us, (And it was done, that the Jews who lived beside them came, and told us ten times, that our enemies would soon be upon us, from all the places from which they had come to us,)

13 I ordained the people in order, with their swords, and spears, and bows, in a place behind the wall by compass. (and so I ordained the people in order, with their swords, and spears, and bows, in places all around behind the wall.)