Nehemiah 4:1--6:19 
Context4:1 (3:33) 1 Now when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall he became angry and was quite upset. He derided the Jews, 4:2 and in the presence of his colleagues 2 and the army of Samaria 3 he said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they be left to themselves? 4 Will they again offer sacrifice? Will they finish this in a day? Can they bring these burnt stones to life again from piles of dust?”
4:3 Then Tobiah the Ammonite, who was close by, said, “If even a fox were to climb up on what they are building, it would break down their wall of stones!”
4:4 Hear, O our God, for we are despised! Return their reproach on their own head! Reduce them to plunder in a land of exile! 4:5 Do not cover their iniquity, and do not wipe out their sin from before them. For they have bitterly offended 5 the builders! 6
4:6 So we rebuilt the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height. 7 The people were enthusiastic in their work. 8
4:7 (4:1) 9 When Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the people of Ashdod heard that the restoration of the walls of Jerusalem 10 had moved ahead and that the breaches had begun to be closed, they were very angry. 4:8 All of them conspired together to move with armed forces 11 against Jerusalem and to create a disturbance in it. 4:9 So we prayed to our God and stationed a guard to protect against them 12 both day and night. 4:10 Then those in Judah said, “The strength of the laborers 13 has failed! The debris is so great that we are unable to rebuild the wall.”
4:11 Our adversaries also boasted, 14 “Before they are aware or anticipate 15 anything, we will come in among them and kill them, and we will bring this work to a halt!”
4:12 So it happened that the Jews who were living near them came and warned us repeatedly 16 about all the schemes 17 they were plotting 18 against us.
4:13 So I stationed people at the lower places behind the wall in the exposed places. 19 I stationed the people by families, with their swords, spears, and bows. 4:14 When I had made an inspection, 20 I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the great and awesome Lord, 21 and fight on behalf of your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your families!” 22
4:15 It so happened that when our adversaries heard that we were aware of these matters, 23 God frustrated their intentions. Then all of us returned to the wall, each to his own work. 4:16 From that day forward, half of my men were doing the work and half of them were taking up spears, 24 shields, bows, and body armor. Now the officers were behind all the people 25 of Judah 4:17 who were rebuilding the wall. 26 Those who were carrying loads did so 27 by keeping one hand on the work and the other on their weapon. 4:18 The builders to a man had their swords strapped to their sides while they were building. But the trumpeter 28 remained with me.
4:19 I said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, “The work is demanding 29 and extensive, and we are spread out on the wall, far removed from one another. 4:20 Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, gather there with us. Our God will fight for us!”
4:21 So we worked on, 30 with half 31 holding spears, from dawn till dusk. 32 4:22 At that time I instructed 33 the people, “Let every man and his coworker spend the night in Jerusalem and let them be guards for us by night and workers by day. 4:23 We did not change clothes 34 – not I, nor my relatives, nor my workers, nor the watchmen who were with me. Each had his weapon, even when getting a drink of water. 35
5:1 Then there was a great outcry from the people and their wives against their fellow Jews. 36 5:2 There were those who said, “With our sons and daughters, we are many. We must obtain 37 grain in order to eat and stay alive.” 5:3 There were others who said, “We are putting up our fields, our vineyards, and our houses as collateral in order to obtain grain during the famine.” 5:4 Then there were those who said, “We have borrowed money to pay our taxes to the king 38 on our fields and our vineyards. 5:5 And now, though we share the same flesh and blood as our fellow countrymen, 39 and our children are just like their children, 40 still we have found it necessary to subject our sons and daughters to slavery. 41 Some of our daughters have been subjected to slavery, while we are powerless to help, 42 since our fields and vineyards now belong to other people.” 43
5:6 I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these complaints. 44 5:7 I considered these things carefully 45 and then registered a complaint with the wealthy 46 and the officials. I said to them, “Each one of you is seizing the collateral 47 from your own countrymen!” 48 Because of them I called for 49 a great public assembly. 5:8 I said to them, “To the extent possible we have bought back our fellow Jews 50 who had been sold to the Gentiles. But now you yourselves want to sell your own countrymen, 51 so that we can then buy them back!” They were utterly silent, and could find nothing to say.
5:9 Then I 52 said, “The thing that you are doing is wrong! 53 Should you not conduct yourselves 54 in the fear of our God in order to avoid the reproach of the Gentiles who are our enemies? 5:10 Even I and my relatives 55 and my associates 56 are lending them money and grain. But let us abandon this practice of seizing collateral! 57 5:11 This very day return to them their fields, their vineyards, their olive trees, and their houses, along with the interest 58 that you are exacting from them on the money, the grain, the new wine, and the olive oil.”
5:12 They replied, “We will return these things, 59 and we will no longer demand anything from them. We will do just as you say.” Then I called the priests and made the wealthy and the officials 60 swear to do what had been promised. 61 5:13 I also shook out my garment, 62 and I said, “In this way may God shake out from his house and his property every person who does not carry out 63 this matter. In this way may he be shaken out and emptied!” All the assembly replied, “So be it!” and they praised the LORD. Then the people did as they had promised. 64
5:14 From the day that I was appointed 65 governor 66 in the land of Judah, that is, from the twentieth year until the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes – twelve years in all – neither I nor my relatives 67 ate the food allotted to the governor. 68 5:15 But the former governors who preceded me had burdened the people and had taken food and wine from them, in addition to 69 forty shekels of silver. Their associates were also domineering over the people. But I did not behave in this way, due to my fear of God. 5:16 I gave myself to the work on this wall, without even purchasing 70 a field. All my associates were gathered there for the work.
5:17 There were 150 Jews and officials who dined with me routinely, 71 in addition to those who came to us from the nations 72 all around us. 5:18 Every day one ox, six select sheep, and some birds were prepared for me, and every ten days all kinds of wine in abundance. Despite all this I did not require the food allotted to the governor, for the work was demanding on this people.
5:19 Please remember me for good, O my God, for all that I have done for this people.
6:1 When Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall and no breach remained in it (even though up to that time I had not positioned doors in the gates), 6:2 Sanballat and Geshem sent word to me saying, “Come on! Let’s set up a time to meet together at Kephirim 73 in the plain of Ono.” Now they intended to do me harm.
6:3 So I sent messengers to them saying, “I am engaged in 74 an important work, and I am unable to come down. Why should the work come to a halt when I leave it to come down to you?” 6:4 They contacted 75 me four times in this way, and I responded the same way each time. 76
6:5 The fifth time that Sanballat sent his assistant to me in this way, he had an open letter in his hand. 6:6 Written in it were the following words:
“Among the nations it is rumored 77 (and Geshem 78 has substantiated 79 this) that you and the Jews have intentions of revolting, and for this reason you are building the wall. Furthermore, according to these rumors 80 you are going to become their king. 6:7 You have also established prophets to announce 81 in Jerusalem 82 on your behalf, ‘We have a king in Judah!’ Now the king is going to hear about these rumors. So come on! Let’s talk about this.” 83
6:8 I sent word back to him, “We are not engaged in these activities you are describing. 84 All of this is a figment of your imagination.” 85
6:9 All of them were wanting 86 to scare us, supposing, “Their hands will grow slack from the work, and it won’t get done.”
So now, strengthen my hands! 87
6:10 Then I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel. He was confined to his home. 88 He said, “Let’s set up a time to meet in the house of God, within the temple. Let’s close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you. It will surely be at night that they will come to kill you.”
6:11 But I replied, “Should a man like me run away? Would someone like me flee to the temple in order to save his life? 89 I will not go!” 6:12 I recognized the fact that God had not sent him, for he had spoken the prophecy against me as a hired agent of Tobiah and Sanballat. 90 6:13 He had been hired to scare me so that I would do this and thereby sin. They would thus bring reproach on me and I 91 would be discredited. 92
6:14 Remember, O my God, Tobiah and Sanballat in light of these actions of theirs – also Noadiah the prophetess and the other prophets who were trying to scare me!
6:15 So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in just fifty-two days. 6:16 When all our enemies heard and all the nations who were around us saw 93 this, they were greatly disheartened. 94 They knew that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.
6:17 In those days the aristocrats of Judah repeatedly sent letters to Tobiah, and responses from Tobiah were repeatedly coming to them. 6:18 For many in Judah had sworn allegiance to him, 95 because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah son of Arah. His son Jonathan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berechiah. 6:19 They were telling me about his good deeds and then taking back to him the things I said. 96 Tobiah, on the other hand, sent letters in order to scare 97 me.
1 sn Beginning with 4:1, the verse numbers through 4:23 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 4:1 ET = 3:33 HT, 4:2 ET = 3:34 HT, 4:3 ET = 3:35 HT, 4:4 ET = 3:36 HT, 4:5 ET = 3:37 HT, 4:6 ET = 3:38 HT, 4:7 ET = 4:1 HT, etc., through 4:23 ET = 4:17 HT. Thus in the Hebrew Bible chap. 3 of the Book of Nehemiah has 38 verses, while chap. 4 has only 17 verses.
2 tn Heb “brothers.”
3 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
4 tc The Hebrew text is difficult here. The present translation follows the MT, but the text may be corrupt. H. G. M. Williamson (Ezra, Nehemiah [WBC], 213-14) translates these words as “Will they commit their cause to God?” suggesting that MT לָהֶם (lahem, “to them”) should be emended to לֵאלֹהִים (lelohim, “to God”), a proposal also found in the apparatus of BHS. In his view later scribes altered the phrase out of theological motivations. J. Blenkinsopp’s translation is similar: “Are they going to leave it all to God?” (Ezra–Nehemiah [OTL], 242-44). However, a problem for this view is the absence of external evidence to support the proposed emendation. The sense of the MT reading may be the notion that the workers – if left to their own limited resources – could not possibly see such a demanding and expensive project through to completion. This interpretation understands the collocation עָזַב (’azav, “to leave”) plus לְ (lÿ, “to”) to mean “commit a matter to someone,” with the sense in this verse “Will they leave the building of the fortified walls to themselves?”
5 tn The Hiphil stem of כָּעַס (ka’as) may mean: (1) “to provoke to anger”; (2) “to bitterly offend”; or (3) “to grieve” (BDB 495 s.v. Hiph.; HALOT 491 s.v. כעס hif). The Hebrew lexicons suggest that “bitterly offend” is the most appropriate nuance here.
6 tn Heb “before the builders.” The preposition נֶגֶד (neged, “before”) here connotes “in the sight of” or “in the view of” (BDB 617 s.v. 1.a; HALOT 666 s.v. 1.a).
7 tn Heb “up to its half.”
8 tn Heb “the people had a heart to work.”
9 sn Chapter 4 begins here in the Hebrew text (BHS). See the note at 4:1.
10 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
11 tn Heb “to fight.”
12 tn Heb “against them.” The words “to protect” are added in the translation for the sake of clarity and smoothness. Some emend MT עֲלֵיהֶם (’alehem, “against them”) to עָלֶיהָ (’aleha, “against it,” i.e., Jerusalem).
13 tn Heb “burden-bearers.”
14 tn Heb “said.”
15 tn Heb “see.”
16 tn Heb “ten times.”
17 tc The MT reads the anomalous מִכָּל־הַמְּקֹמוֹת (mikkol hammÿqomot, “from every place”) but the BHS editors propose כָּל־הַמְּזִמּוֹת (kol hammÿzimmot, “about every scheme”). The initial mem (מ) found in the MT may have been added accidentally due to dittography with the final mem (ם) on the immediately preceding word, and the MT qof (ק) may have arisen due to orthographic confusion with the similar looking zayin (ז). The emendation restores sense to the line in the MT, which makes little sense and features an abrupt change of referents: “Wherever you turn, they will be upon us!” The threat was not against the villagers living nearby but against those repairing the wall, as the following context indicates. See also the following note on the word “plotting.”
18 tc The MT reads תָּשׁוּבוּ (tashuvu, “you turn”) which is awkward contextually. The BHS editors propose emending to חָשְׁבוּ (hashÿvu, “they were plotting”) which harmonizes well with the context. This emendation involves mere orthographic confusion between similar looking ח (khet) and ת (tav), and the resultant dittography of middle vav (ו) in MT. See also the preceding note on the word “schemes.”
19 tc The MT preserves the anomalous Kethib form צְחִחִיִּים (tsÿkhikhiyyim); the Qere reads צְחִיחִים (tsÿkhikhim) which is preferred (BDB 850 s.v. צָהִיחַ; HALOT 1018 s.v. *צָהִיחַ).
tn The meaning of the Hebrew term צְחִיחִים (tsÿkhikhim) here is uncertain. Elsewhere (Ezek 24:7, 8; 26:4, 14) it refers to a shining or glaring surface of a rock (BDB 850 s.v. צָהִיחַ; HALOT 1018 s.v. *צָהִיחַ), but here it refers to an exposed or vulnerable portion of the wall: “open positions of the wall” (HALOT 1018 s.v. 2).
20 tn Heb “And I saw.”
21 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
22 tn Heb “houses.”
23 tn Heb “it was known to us.”
24 tc The MT reads “and spears.” The conjunction should be deleted.
25 tn Heb “all the house.”
26 tn The first words of v. 17, “who were rebuilding the wall,” should be taken with the latter part of v. 16.
27 tn Heb “were carrying loads.” The LXX reads ἐν ὅπλοις (en hoplois, “with weapons”).
28 tn Heb “the one blowing the shophar.”
29 tn Heb “much.”
30 tn Heb “and we were doing the work.”
31 tn Heb “half of them.”
32 tn Heb “from the coming up of the dawn till the coming forth of the stars.”
33 tn Heb “said [to].”
34 tn Heb “strip off our garments.”
35 tc Heb “a man, his weapon, the waters.” The MT, if in fact it is correct, is elliptical and difficult. Some scholars emend the MT reading הַמָּיִם (hammayim, “the waters”) to בִּמִנוֹ (bimino, “in his right hand”; cf. NAB, NRSV) or מִינוּ(י)הֵ (heminu, “they held on the right side”).
36 tn Heb “their brothers the Jews.”
37 tn Heb “take” (so also in v. 3).
38 tn Heb “for the tax of the king.”
39 tn Heb “according to the flesh of our brothers is our flesh.”
40 tn Heb “like their children, our children.”
41 tn Heb “to become slaves” (also later in this verse).
42 tn Heb “there is not power for our hand.” The Hebrew expression used here is rather difficult.
43 sn The poor among the returned exiles were being exploited by their rich countrymen. Moneylenders were loaning large amounts of money, and not only collecting interest on loans which was illegal (Lev 25:36-37; Deut 23:19-20), but also seizing pledges as collateral (Neh 5:3) which was allowed (Deut 24:10). When the debtors missed a payment, the moneylenders would seize their collateral: their fields, vineyards and homes. With no other means of income, the debtors were forced to sell their children into slavery, a common practice at this time (Neh 5:5). Nehemiah himself was one of the moneylenders (Neh 5:10), but he insisted that seizure of collateral from fellow Jewish countrymen was ethically wrong (Neh 5:9).
44 tn Heb “words.”
45 tn Heb “my heart was advised upon me.”
46 tn Heb “nobles.”
47 tn Heb “taking a creditor’s debt.” The Hebrew noun מַשָּׁא (masha’) means “interest; debt” and probably refers to the collateral (pledge) collected by a creditor (HALOT 641-42 s.v.). This particular noun form appears only in Nehemiah (5:7, 10; 10:32); however, it is related to מַשָּׁאָה (masha’ah, “contractual loan; debt; collateral”) which appears elsewhere (Deut 24:10; Prov 22:26; cf. Neh 5:11). See the note on the word “people” at the end of v. 5. The BHS editors suggest emending the MT to מָשָׂא (masa’, “burden”), following several medieval Hebrew
48 tn Heb “his brothers.”
49 tn Heb “I gave.”
50 tn Heb “our brothers, the Jews.”
51 tn Heb “your brothers.”
52 tc The translation reads with the Qere and the ancient versions וָאוֹמַר (va’omar, “and I said”) rather than the MT Kethib, וַיֹּאמֶר (vayyo’mer, “and he said”).
53 tn Heb “not good.” The statement “The thing…is not good” is an example of tapeinosis, a figurative expression which emphasizes the intended point (“The thing…is wrong!”) by negating its opposite.
54 tn Heb “[should you not] walk.”
55 tn Heb “brothers.”
56 tn Heb “lads.”
57 tn Heb “this debt.” This expression is a metonymy of association: “debt” refers to the seizure of the collateral of the debt.
58 tc The MT reads וּמְאַת (umÿ’at, “and the hundredth”) which is somewhat enigmatic. The BHS editors suggest emending to וּמַשַּׁאת (umasha’t, “and the debt”) which refers to the interest or collateral (pledge) seized by a creditor (Deut 24:10; Prov 22:26; see HALOT 641-42 s.v. מַשָּׁא). The term מַשַּׁאת (masha’t) is related to the noun מָשָּׁא (masha’, “debt”) in 5:7, 10.
59 tn The words “these things” are not included in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for clarity.
60 tn Heb “took an oath from them”; the referents (the wealthy and the officials, cf. v. 7) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
61 tn Heb “according to this word.”
62 tn Heb “my bosom.”
63 tn Heb “cause to stand.”
64 tn Heb “according to this word.”
65 tc The BHS editors suggest reading צֻוֵּאתִי (tsuvve’ti, “and I was appointed”) rather than the reading of the MT, אֹתִי צִוָּה (tsivvah ’oti, “he appointed me”).
66 tc The translation reads with one medieval Hebrew
67 tn Heb “brothers.”
68 tn Heb “the food of the governor.” Cf. v. 18.
69 tc The Hebrew term אַחַר (’akhar) is difficult here. It normally means “after,” but that makes no sense here. Some scholars emend it to אַחַד (’akhad) and supply the word “day,” which yields the sense “daily.” Cf. TEV “40 silver coins a day for food and wine.”
70 tn Heb “we did not purchase.”
71 tn Heb “who were gathered around us at my table.”
72 tn Or “from the Gentiles.” The same Hebrew word can refer to “the Gentiles” or “the nations.” Cf. the phrase in 6:16.
73 tn It is not entirely clear whether the Hebrew word כְּפִירִים (kÿfirim) is a place-name not mentioned elsewhere in the OT (as indicated in the present translation; so also NAB, NASB) or whether it means “in [one of] the villages” (so, e.g., NIV, NRSV, NLT; see BDB 499 s.v.; HALOT 493 s.v.). The LXX and Vulgate understand it in the latter sense. Some scholars connect this term with the identically spelled word כּפירים (“lions”) as a figurative description of princes or warriors (e.g., Pss 34:11; 35:17; 58:7; Jer 2:15; Ezek 32:2, 13; Nah 2:14; see HALOT 493 s.v.): “let us meet together with the leaders in the plain of Ono.”
74 tn Heb “[am] doing.”
75 tn Heb “sent to.”
76 tn Heb “and I answered them according to this word.”
77 tn Heb “heard.”
78 tn Heb “Gashmu”; in Neh 2:19 this name appears as Geshem. Since it is important for the modern reader to recognize that this is the same individual, the form of the name used here in the translation is the same as that in v. 19.
79 tn Heb “is saying.”
80 tn Heb “words.” So also in v. 7.
81 tn Heb “call.”
82 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
83 tn Heb “Let us consult together.”
84 tn Heb “We are not according to these matters that you are saying.”
85 tn Heb “For from your heart you are inventing them.”
86 tn The participle has a desiderative nuance here, describing the desire of the subject and not necessarily the actual outcome. See also v. 14.
87 tn The statement “So now, strengthen my hands” is frequently understood as an implied prayer, but is taken differently by NAB (“But instead, I now redoubled my efforts”).
88 tn Heb “shut in.” The reason for his confinement is not stated. BDB 783 s.v. עָצַר suggests that it had to do with the fulfillment of a vow or was related to an issue of ceremonial uncleanness.
89 tn Heb “go into the temple and live.”
90 tn Heb “and Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.”
91 tc The translation reads לִי (li, “to me”) rather than the MT reading לָהֶם (lahem, “to them”).
92 tn Heb “would have a bad name.”
93 tc The MT understands the root here to be יָרֵא (yare’, “to fear”) rather than רָאָה (ra’ah, “to see”).
94 tn Heb “they greatly fell [i.e., were cast down] in their own eyes.” Some scholars suggest emending the reading of the MT, וַיִּפְּלוּ (vayyipÿlu) to וַיִּפָּלֵא (vayyippale’, “it was very extraordinary in their eyes”).
95 tn Heb “were lords of oath.”
96 tn Heb “my words.”
97 tn Or “to intimidate” (so NIV, NRSV, NLT).
