Nehemiah 6:4

4 Soothly they sent to me by this word by four times, and I answered to them by the former word. (And they sent this request to me four times, and each time I answered to them what I had said before.)

Nehemiah 6:4 Meaning and Commentary

Nehemiah 6:4

Yet they sent unto me four times after this sort
Being very desirous of getting him into their hands, and therefore were very pressing and importunate:

and I answered them after the same manner;
every time as before, he being as much bent on finishing the work as they were to divert him from it.

Nehemiah 6:4 In-Context

2 and Sanballat, and Tobiah, and Geshem of Arabia sent to me, and said, Come thou into a field, and smite we bond of peace in (one of the) villages; certainly they thought to do evil to me. (and Sanballat, and Tobiah, and Geshem the Arab sent word to me, and said, Come thou, and strike we a covenant, in one of the villages on the Plain of Ono; but truly they thought to do evil to me.)

3 Therefore I sent messengers to them, and I said, I make a great work, and I may not go down therefore (And so I sent messengers to them, and I said, I am doing important work here, and so I cannot go down there), lest peradventure it be done recklessly/lest peradventure it be done negligently, when I come, and go down to you.

4 Soothly they sent to me by this word by four times, and I answered to them by the former word. (And they sent this request to me four times, and each time I answered to them what I had said before.)

5 And Sanballat sent to me the fifth time by the former word his servant; and he had in his hand a letter, (And the fifth time, Sanballat sent his servant to me with the same request; and he had a letter in his hand,)

6 written in this manner; It is heard among heathen men, and Gashmu said, that thou and the Jews think for to rebel, and therefore ye build (again) the wall, and thou wilt raise thee (up as) king on them; (written in this manner; It is heard among the heathen, and Gashmu said, that thou and the Jews plan to rebel, and so ye rebuild the wall, and soon thou wilt raise thyself up as a king over them;)