1Sanballat practiseth against Nehemiah by insidious attempts, 5false rumours, 10and hired prophecies. 15The wall is finished to the great dismay of the enemy. 17The nobles of Judah hold traitorous intelligence with Tobiah.
1NOW it came to pass, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and Geshem the Arabian, and the rest of 1our enemies, heard that I had builded the wall, and that there was no breach left therein; (though at that time I had 2not set up the doors upon the gates;)
1 Hebr. the remnant of our enemies.
2 Compare Neh. 3 on verse 3.
2That Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me, saying, Come, let us meet together in some one of the 3villages in the plain of 4Ono. But they thought to do me 5mischief.
3 See Judges 12 on verse 7. Other, Chephirim, holding it to be a proper name of a place, as Chephirah is, Neh. 7:29.
4 Situated in Benjamin, Neh. 11:35.
5 That is, to kill.
3And 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?
4Yet they sent unto me four times 6after this sort; and I answered them after the same manner.
6 Hebr. after this same word; and thus further in this verse, and in the next verse.
5Then sent Sanballat his servant unto me in like manner the fifth time with an open letter in his hand;
6Wherein was written, It is reported among the heathen, and 7Gashmu saith it, that thou and the Jews think to rebel: for which cause thou buildest the wall, that thou mayest be their king, 8according to these words.
7 Called in verse 1 Geshem the Arabian.
8 That is, according as these things are considered. Other, according to these words or according as the speech goeth. Hebr. according to these words or matters, things.
7And thou hast also appointed prophets to preach of thee at Jerusalem, saying, 9There is a king in Judah: and now shall it be reported to the king 10according to these words. Come now therefore, and let us 11take counsel together.
9 Hebr. A king in Judah; that is, we have now a king of our own among us.
10 That is, as these things have passed. Other, according as these things are.
11 How shall we prevent that the king of Persia, upon hearing this, may not be enraged against us, and intend great mischief against you and against us all?
8Then I sent unto him, saying, There are no such things done as thou sayest, but thou feignest them out of thine own heart.
9For they all 12made us afraid, 13saying, Their hands shall be weakened from the work, that it be not done. Now therefore, O God, 14strengthen my hands.
12 Hebr. they all made us fearful; namely, as much as was in them; it was the entire aim in all this that they endeavored to make us afraid, to put us in fear. Also verse 14. Compare Psalm 56 on verse 1; Jer. 2 on verse 3.
13 Namely, by himself, that is, thinking.
14 This is taken by many as Nehemiah’s prayer against the plots and devices of his enemies. Some take it thus: But now, I will strengthen mine hands. Or, it is to strengthen mine hands; that is, I will be the more vigilant and courageous against them.
1015Afterward I came unto the house of Shemaiah the son of 16Delaiah the son of Mehetabeel, who was 17shut up; and he said, Let us meet together in the house of God, 18within 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.
15 In the preceding the enemies had done from without; here Nehemiah relates what he experienced from his false brethren within.
16 In 1 Chron. 24:18 there is mention made of one Delaiah, that he was the most prominent priest of the 23rd division, of whose posterity, some are of the opinion, was this Shemaiah.
17 Feigning that he kept himself alone in his chambers at or in the temple (as may be suspected, since the priests had their chambers there) because of devotion, or some religious vow, so that he might the better deceive Nehemiah, under a show and pretense of holiness, with his prophecy (as if it came from God) whereof mention is made in the sequel. Compare 1 Sam. 21:7.
18 That is, in the temple.
11And I said, Should such a man 19as I flee? and who is there, that, being as I am, would go into the temple to 20save his life? I will not go in.
19 I, having a good conscience, am fully assured that my work and calling is of God. From this Nehemiah may conclude that his prophecy was not of God.
20 As sometimes malefactors seem to save themselves in the house of God. See Exod. 21:14; 1 Kings 1:51; 2:28. Neither were the doors yet hung, Neh. 7:1, so that, there being appearance of danger for Nehemiah by night, this Shemaiah feigns as if he, out of a good affection toward Nehemiah, would hide him in the temple, but it was mere deceit. Other, and live, or, remain alive, as if he said: I must surely have cause to fear or expect death, if I would go into the temple against the command of God.
12And, lo, I perceived that God had not sent him; but that he pronounced this prophecy 21against me: for Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.
21 Not for my good, as he feigned himself, but by the instigation of mine enemies to make me afraid, and to bring me to shame, as follows.
13Therefore was he hired, that I should be afraid, and do so, and 22sin, and that they might have matter 23for an evil report, that they might reproach me.
22 Against the law of God, and my calling. See on verse 11.
23 That is, to make me have an ill name; or, to scatter an ill report of me abroad. Compare Eccl. 7 on verse 1.
14My God, think thou upon Tobiah and Sanballat according to these 24their works, and on the 25prophetess Noadiah, and 26the rest of the prophets, that would have 27put me in fear.
24 Hebr. his; that is, that one may apply to one or either of these or to Shemaiah, who permitted himself to be hired by them for these wicked works.
25 Who did falsely assume this title unto herself.
26 Hebr. the remainder of the prophets.
27 As verse 9; see there.
15¶So the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth day of the month 28Elul, 29in fifty and two days.
28 The sixth month of the Jews, agreeing partly with our August and partly with our September.
29 After they had begun to build. This circumstance serves for the magnification of the grace of God, shown to His people in spite of their foes.
16And 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 30cast down in their own eyes: for they perceived that this work was wrought of our God.
30 That is, their countenance dropped by reason of discouragement, or they thought to themselves that they would have no power anymore to contend with the Jews. Compare Job 12:3 with the annotation.
17¶Moreover in those days the 31nobles of Judah 32sent many letters unto Tobiah, and 33the letters of Tobiah came unto them.
31 Hebr. white ones. See Neh. 2 on verse 16.
32 Hebr. multiplied their letters.
33 Namely, the letters which Tobiah wrote back again.
18For there were many in Judah 34sworn unto him, because he was the 35son in law of Shechaniah the son of Arah; and his son Johanan had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah.
34 Hebr. lords or masters of the oath; that is, associated and engaged by oath. These were the fruits of forbidden marriages, which are related here in this verse.
35 Other, brother in law.
19Also they 36reported his 37good deeds before me, and uttered my words to him. And 38Tobiah sent letters to put me in 39fear.
36 Hebr. they were saying.
37 Hebr. goodnesses.
38 Other, that Tobiah had sent letters, etc., taking it for the words which Nehemiah had spoken unto them.
39 As verse 9.