Nehemiah 6:10

In the house of God, within the temple— Hereby is meant the sanctuary. Shemaiah had a good pretence to advise Nehemiah to retreat thither, because it was both a strong and a sacred place; being defended by a guard of Levites, and by its holiness privileged from all rude approaches: but his real design herein might be, not only to disgrace Nehemiah, and dishearten the people, when they saw their governor's cowardice, but to prepare the way likewise for the enemy's assaulting and taking the city, when there was no leader to oppose them; to give countenance to the calumny which had been spread abroad, of his affecting to be king, because he fled at the report of it; and perhaps, by the assistance of some other priests who were his confederates, either to destroy him, or to secure his person till the city was betrayed into the enemy's hand. See Bishop Patrick.