CHAPTER VI _Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem, insidiously desire a conference_ _with Nehemiah, which he refuses_, 1-4. _They then charge him with the design of rebelling, and causing_ _himself to be made king_, 5-7; _which he denies, and prays to God for support_, 8, 9. _A false prophet is hired... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Nehemiah 6:2. _COME, LET US MEET TOGETHER IN - THE PLAIN OF ONO._] They wished to get him out of Jerusalem from among his friends, that they might either carry him off, or murder him. _Ono_ is supposed to have been in the tribe of Benjamin, near Jordan.... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Nehemiah 6:3. _I_ AM _DOING A GREAT WORK_] Though he knew their design, he does not think it prudent to mention it. Had he done so, they would probably have gone to extremities, finding that they were discovered; and perhaps in a formidable body attacked Jerusalem, when ill provided to sustai... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Nehemiah 6:5. _WITH AN OPEN LETTER IN HIS HAND_] This was an insult to a person of Nehemiah's quality: as letters sent to chiefs and governors in the East are always carefully folded up, and put in costly silken bags, and these carefully sealed. The circumstance is thus marked to show the cont... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Nehemiah 6:6. _AND GASHMU SAITH_ IT] You are accused of crimes against the state, and _Geshem_, the Arabian, is your accuser.... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Nehemiah 6:7. _THOU HAST ALSO APPOINTED PROPHETS_] Persons who pretend to be commissioned to preach to the people, and say, _Nehemiah reigneth_! _COME NOW THEREFORE, AND LET US TAKE COUNSEL_] Come and justify yourself before me. This was a trick to get Nehemiah into his power.... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Nehemiah 6:8. _THERE ARE NO SUCH THINGS DONE_] You well know that what you say is false: I shall not, therefore, trouble myself about a false charge.... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Nehemiah 6:10. _WHO_ WAS _SHUT UP_] Lived in a sequestered, solitary state; pretending to sanctity, and to close intercourse with God. _LET US MEET TOGETHER IN THE HOUSE OF GOD_] The meaning is, "Shut yourself up in the temple; appear to have taken sanctuary there, for in it alone can you fin... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Nehemiah 6:11. _SHOULD SUCH A MAN AS I FLEE?_] Shall _I_, who am governor of the people, appointed both by God and the king, shall I betray my trust, and leave the flock without a shepherd? Shall I be a traitor, and abandon the office to which I am appointed? - No! Who, in my situation, with s... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 14. _AND ON THE PROPHETESS NOADIAH_] Whether this was a _prophet_ or _prophetess_, we cannot tell; the _Hebrew_ text only makes her a _prophetess_; all the _versions_ have _Noadiah the prophet,_ except the _Arabic_ which has [Arabic] _Younadaa the prophet_. I think the ה _he_ at the end of נבי... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 15. _THE TWENTY AND FIFTH - OF - ELUL_] This Jewish month answers to a part of our _August_ and _September_. _FIFTY AND TWO DAYS._] I see no difficulty in supposing that several thousand workmen, each of whom was working _as for God_, should be able to complete this wall in _fifty-two_ days.... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 16. _THIS WORK WAS WROUGHT OF OUR GOD._] This is an additional reason why we should not wonder at the _shortness_ of the time in which so great a work was done, for God helped them by an especial providence; and this was so very observable, that their _carnal_ enemies could discover it.... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 17. _THE NOBLES OF JUDAH SENT MANY LETTERS_] The circumstances marked in this and the following verses show still more clearly the difficulties which Nehemiah had to encounter; he had enemies _without_ and false friends _within_. A treacherous correspondence was carried on between the nobles o... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Nehemiah 6:18. _HE WAS THE SON-IN-LAW OF SHECHANIAH_] Previously to the coming of Nehemiah, the Jews seemed to be fast intermixing with the heathen, by _intermarriages_ with _Ashdodites, Ammonites_, and _Moabites_; see Nehemiah 13:23. Ezra had many evils of this kind to redress, (Ezra 9:3, c.,... [ Continue Reading ]