Nehemiah 6:6

among the heathen R.V. among the nations, i.e. among the nations who surrounded the Jews, and were at this time combined against the Jews under Sanballat's leadership.

and Gashmu saithit] i.e. it is no mere vague rumour. It is asserted by individuals of position and influence. -Gashmu" is generally assumed to be identical with Geshem (ch. Nehemiah 2:19; Nehemiah 6:1-2). It is very probable that the difference of pronunciation preserves a variation of the Arabian dialect. Compare the interchange of -Jether" (Exodus 4:18) with -Jethro" (Exodus 3:1).

think to rebel Cf. the charge in Ezra 4:12-16. -Think," cf. Nehemiah 6:2. This is the substance of the first rumour reported -among the nations."

thou buildest the wall This is the first indication of rebellion; and it is to be noted the blame is credited to Nehemiah alone (-thou buildest," &c.), not to the people.

that thou mayest be their king R.V. and thou wouldest be king. The words might be rendered -and thou art becoming their king." The A.V. is wrong in making the words depend upon the previous clause. They represent the second rumour reported -among the nations," that Nehemiah, if not actually king, was on the point of becoming so.

according to these words A peculiar and unexpected termination to the sentence which recurs in the following verse. According to Rashi the expression refers back to the opening words of the letter, -It is reported;" and the majority of commentators take the same view, considering it equivalent to -according to the tenour of these reports." Another explanation, which is more probable, regards it as a technical expression equivalent to -and so forth," -&c. &c.", inserted to abbreviate the extract from the letter. If so, it should be compared with the phrase -and so forth" in Ezra 4:10-11; Ezra 4:17. Accepting this explanation, the phrase may be Nehemiah's, to save himself the transcript of a long letter. But it may also have been inserted by Sanballat himself in the original letter. A general -&c. &c." would suggest that there were other similar reports in the background, which he did not at present choose to particularize.