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Nehemiah 6

KJV · Chapter 6/13

1Now it came to pass, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and Geshem the Arabian, and the rest of our enemies, heard that I had builded the wall, and that there was no breach left therein; (though at that time I had not set up the doors upon the gates;)

2That Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me, saying, Come, let us meet together in some one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me mischief.

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 after this sort; and I answered them after the same manner.

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 Gashmu saith it, that thou and the Jews think to rebel: for which cause thou buildest the wall, that thou mayest be their king, according to these words.

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

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 made us afraid, saying, Their hands shall be weakened from the work, that it be not done. Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.

10Afterward I came unto the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabeel, who was shut up; and he said, Let us meet together in the house of God, within 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.

11And I said, Should such a man as I flee? and who is there, that, being as I am, would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in.

12And, lo, I perceived that God had not sent him; but that he pronounced this prophecy against me: for Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.

13Therefore was he hired, that I should be afraid, and do so, and sin, and that they might have matter for an evil report, that they might reproach me.

14My God, think thou upon Tobiah and Sanballat according to these their works, and on the prophetess Noadiah, and the rest of the prophets, that would have put me in fear.

15So the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty and two days.

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 cast down in their own eyes: for they perceived that this work was wrought of our God.

17Moreover in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters unto Tobiah, and the letters of Tobiah came unto them.

18For there were many in Judah sworn unto him, because he was the son in law of Shechaniah the son of Arah; and his son Johanan had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah.

19Also they reported his good deeds before me, and uttered my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters to put me in fear.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Sanballat and Tobiah try several times to lure Nehemiah out of Jerusalem to harm him, then try to intimidate him with false accusations and a false prophecy. Nehemiah resists every trap, and the wall is completed in 52 days.

Explanation

The opposition shifts tactics once more: now it is psychological and political, with suspicious invitations, slanderous letters spreading rumors of rebellion, and even a false prophet hired to frighten Nehemiah into making a mistake that would ruin his reputation. Nehemiah recognizes each trap and responds with a line that has become famous: 'I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down.' The wall's completion in just 52 days, an impressively short time, is credited to God's help and the people's collective determination — something even the enemies themselves recognized, losing confidence in the face of the people's success. The practical application is the importance of staying focused and not letting distractions and threats derail important work.

Fun facts

  • The speed of the wall's construction (52 days) is historically remarkable even considering that Nehemiah likely rebuilt on already-existing foundations, rather than raising everything from scratch.
  • Tobiah, even though a declared enemy, had relatives by marriage among the Jews themselves, showing how the lines between allies and opponents could be complicated and full of conflicting interests.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Nehemiah 6:1The opponents realize that the wall is nearly finished, with only the doors left to install — and it is precisely at this final stage that they try a new kind of attack, this time not a military one.
  2. Nehemiah 6:2Sanballat invites Nehemiah to a meeting in a distant village, but the text makes clear that the real intention was to do him harm. Nehemiah refuses four times in a row, understanding that leaving Jerusalem at that moment would mean abandoning the work and exposing himself to attack.
  3. Nehemiah 6:3This is Nehemiah's most famous answer to his enemies: he refuses to meet with them because he is doing a great work and cannot come down. He repeats this same answer four more times, without changing a word.
  4. Nehemiah 6:4Sanballat and his allies press the invitation four more times in a row, and Nehemiah answers in exactly the same way every time, without yielding to the pressure of repetition.
  5. Nehemiah 6:5On the fifth attempt, Sanballat changes strategy and sends a deliberately open letter, unsealed, so that anyone could read its contents along the way.
  6. Nehemiah 6:6The letter spreads a serious rumor: that Nehemiah was planning to become king of Judah, an accusation of treason against the Persian empire itself.
  7. Nehemiah 6:7The letter goes on to invent that Nehemiah had hired prophets to proclaim him king, and suggests, as if it were a favor, that they meet to talk about it before the news reached the king.
  8. Nehemiah 6:8Nehemiah denies everything directly, saying that Sanballat had simply invented these accusations out of his own head.
  9. Nehemiah 6:9He understands that the real goal of these threats was to discourage the people to the point of abandoning the work, and he responds with a short prayer asking for strength to continue.
  10. Nehemiah 6:10A man named Shemaiah, shut up in his house, tries to convince Nehemiah to hide inside the temple, claiming there was a plot to kill him.
  11. Nehemiah 6:11Nehemiah refuses the suggestion, saying that a leader like him should not flee and hide — and that, besides, only a priest was allowed to enter that part of the temple.
  12. Nehemiah 6:12Nehemiah realizes that the supposed prophecy of danger, coming from inside the temple itself, was not from God, but had been commissioned by Tobiah and Sanballat to frighten him and make him commit a mistake. It is an episode of religious manipulation used as a political weapon.
  13. Nehemiah 6:13Nehemiah realizes that the real plan was to make him commit a serious religious error, entering where he should not, so they could later use it against his reputation.
  14. Nehemiah 6:14He reveals that even a prophetess named Noadiah was involved in this scheme of intimidation, showing that the opposition used even religious figures to attack Nehemiah.
  15. Nehemiah 6:15The wall is finished in just fifty-two days, a short timeframe for a project of that size, which impresses even the surrounding enemies. The text attributes this quick result to the people's recognition that it was God who had done the work, not human effort alone.
  16. Nehemiah 6:16When the neighboring peoples see the wall finished so quickly, even they recognize that it could only have been the work of God, not human effort alone.
  17. Nehemiah 6:17The chapter reveals something unexpected: nobles from Judah itself kept up regular correspondence with Tobiah, Nehemiah's declared enemy.
  18. Nehemiah 6:18Even after the wall was completed, several nobles of Judah kept up family ties and correspondence with Tobiah, the Ammonite adversary. This shows that opposition to Nehemiah did not come only from outside: there were people within the Jewish elite itself connected to the enemy.
  19. Nehemiah 6:19These nobles even praised Tobiah in front of Nehemiah and reported back to him everything Nehemiah said, forming a network of informants that Tobiah used to keep trying to intimidate him.

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