Nehemiah 4

Nehemiah · Chapter 4

Nehemiah 4:1

1But it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews.2And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned?3Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall even break down their stone wall.4Hear, O our God; for we are despised: and turn their reproach upon their own head, and give them for a prey in the land of captivity:5And cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee: for they have provoked thee to anger before the builders.6So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work.7But it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth,8And conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it.9Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.10And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall.11And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come in the midst among them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease.12And it came to pass, that when the Jews which dwelt by them came, they said unto us ten times, From all places whence ye shall return unto us they will be upon you.13Therefore set I in the lower places behind the wall, and on the higher places, I even set the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows.14And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not ye afraid of them: remember the LORD, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.15And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known unto us, and God had brought their counsel to nought, that we returned all of us to the wall, every one unto his work.16And it came to pass from that time forth, that the half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the habergeons; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah.17They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon.18For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so builded. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me.19And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The work is great and large, and we are separated upon the wall, one far from another.20In what place therefore ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither unto us: our God shall fight for us.21So we laboured in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared.22Likewise at the same time said I unto the people, Let every one with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and labour on the day.23So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard which followed me, none of us put off our clothes, saving that every one put them off for washing.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
1But it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews.Now when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he was furious and filled with indignation. He ridiculed the JewsBut it came to pass that, when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews.

In context

Who is speaking and to whom, what is happening, when and where, and why it matters, each with its sources. Coming with the context cards.

Original Hebrew words

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
and it wasוַיְהִ֞יva-ye-HIH1961
to be

הָיָה (ha.yah) 1) to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out 1a) (Qal) 1a1) --- 1a1a) to happen, fall out, occur, take place, come about, come to pass 1a1b) to come about, come to pass 1a2) to come into being, become 1a2a) to arise, appear, come 1a2b) to become 1a2b1) to become 1a2b2) to become like 1a2b3) to be instituted, be established 1a3) to be 1a3a) to exist, be in existence 1a3b) to abide, remain, continue (with word of place or time) 1a3c) to stand, lie, be in, be at, be situated (with word of locality) 1a3d) to accompany, be with 1b) (Niphal) …

just whenכַּאֲשֶׁ֧רka-'a-SHERH0834D
as which

כַּאֲשֶׁר (ka.a.sher) conj 1) according as, as, when 1a) according to that which, according as, as 1b) with a causal force: in so far as, since 1c) with a temporal force: when

he heardשָׁמַ֣עsha-MA'H8085G
to hear: hear

שָׁמַע (sha.ma) : hear v 1) to hear, listen to, obey 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to hear (perceive by ear) 1a2) to hear of or concerning 1a3) to hear (have power to hear) 1a4) to hear with attention or interest, listen to 1a5) to understand (language) 1a6) to hear (of judicial cases) 1a7) to listen, give heed 1a7a) to consent, agree 1a7b) to grant request 1a8) to listen to, yield to 1a9) to obey, be obedient 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be heard (of voice or sound) 1b2) to be heard of 1b3) to be regarded, be obeyed 1c) (Piel) to cause to hear, call to hear, summon 1d) (Hiphil) 1d1) to cause to hear, tell, proclaim, utter a sound …

Sanballatסַנְבַלַּ֗טsan-va-LATH5571
Sanballat

סַנְבַלַּט (san.val.lat) A man living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at Neh.2.10 § Sanballat = "strength" a Moabite of Horonaim and the opponent of Nehemiah and the returned exiles in their goal of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem

thatכִּֽי־ki-H3588A
for

כִּי (ki) 1) that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since 1a) that 1a1) yea, indeed 1b) when (of time) 1b1) when, if, though (with a concessive force) 1c) because, since (causal connection) 1d) but (after negative) 1e) that if, for if, indeed if, for though, but if 1f) but rather, but 1g) except that 1h) only, nevertheless 1i) surely 1j) that is 1k) but if 1l) for though 1m) forasmuch as, for therefore

weאֲנַ֤חְנוּ'a-NACH-nuH0587
we

אֲנוּ (a.nu) we (first pers. pl. -usually used for emphasis) Another spelling of a.nach.nu (אֲנַ֫חְנוּ "we" H0587)

[were] rebuildingבוֹנִים֙vo-NIMH1129
to build

בְּנָה (be.nah) 1) to build 1a) (P'al) to build 1b) (Ithp'il) to be built

the wallהַ֣חוֹמָ֔הha-cho-MAHH2346G
wall

חוֹמָה (cho.mah) wall

and it burnedוַיִּ֣חַרvai-YI-charH2734
to be incensed

חָרָה (cha.rah) 1) to be hot, furious, burn, becomeangry, be kindled 1a) (Qal) to burn, kindle (anger) 1b) (Niphal) to be angry with, be incensed 1c) (Hiphil) to burn, kindle 1d) (Hithpael) to heat oneself in vexation

and he was angryוַיִּכְעַ֖סvai-yikh-'ASH3707
to provoke

כָּעַס (ka.as) 1) to be angry, be vexed, be indignant, be wroth, be grieved, provoke to anger and wrath 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to be vexed, be indignant 1a2) to be angry 1b) (Piel) to provoke to anger 1c) (Hiphil) 1c1) to vex 1c2) to vex, provoke to anger

greatlyהַרְבֵּ֑הhar-BEHH7235A
to multiply

רָבָה (ra.vah) 1) be or become great, be or become many, be or become much, be or become numerous 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to become many, become numerous, multiply (of people, animals, things) 1a2) to be or grow great 1b) (Piel) to make large, enlarge, increase, become many 1c) (Hiphil) 1c1) to make much, make many, have many 1c1a) to multiply, increase 1c1b) to make much to do, do much in respect of, transgress greatly 1c1c) to increase greatly or exceedingly 1c2) to make great, enlarge, do much Aramaic equivalent: re.vah (רְבָה "to grow great" H7236)

and he mockedוַיַּלְעֵ֖גvai-yal-'EGH3932
to mock

לָעַג (la.ag) 1) to mock, deride, ridicule 1a) (Qal) to mock, deride, have in derision 1b) (Niphal) to stammer 1c) (Hiphil) to mock, deride

onעַל־'al-H5921A
upon

עַל (al) prep 1) upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against 1a) upon, on the ground of, on the basis of, on account of, because of, therefore, on behalf of, for the sake of, for, with, in spite of, notwithstanding, concerning, in the matter of, as regards 1b) above, beyond, over (of excess) 1c) above, over (of elevation or pre-eminence) 1d) upon, to, over to, unto, in addition to, together with, with (of addition) 1e) over (of suspension or extension) …

the Jewsהַיְּהוּדִֽים׃hai-ye-hu-DIMH3064
Jew

יְהוּדִי (ye.hu.di) Someone descended from Judah (H3063) and possibly other tribes, first mentioned at 2Ki.25.25 § Jew

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.