Nehemiah 4:12

_AND 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._ When the Jews which dwelt by them came, they said unto us ten times (i:e., repeatedly). From all places whence ye shall return unto us, they will be upon you. The plot being discovered, Nehemiah adopted the most energetic measures for ensuring the common safety as well as the uninterrupted building of the walls. Hitherto the governor, for the sake of despatch, had set all his attendants and guards on the work-now half of them were withdrawn to be constantly in arms. The workmen laboured with a trowel in one hand and a sword in the other; and as, in so large a circuit, they were far removed from each other, Nehemiah, who was night and day on the spot, and, by his pious exhortations and example, animated the minds of his peo...

7-15 The hindering good work is what bad men aim at, and promise themselves success in; but good work is God's work, and it shall prosper. God has many ways of bringing to light, and so of bringing to nought, the devices and designs of his church's enemies. If our enemies cannot frighten us from duty, or deceive us into sin, they cannot hurt us. Nehemiah put himself and his cause under the Divine protection. It was the way of this good man, and should be our way. All his cares, all his griefs, all his fears, he spread before God. Before he used any means, he made his prayer to God. Having prayed, he set a watch against the enemy. If we think to secure ourselves by prayer, without watchfulness, we are slothful, and tempt God; if by watchfulness, without prayer, we are proud, and slight God: either way, we forfeit his protection. God's care of our safety, should engage and encourage us to...

Verse Nehemiah 4:12. _FROM ALL PLACES WHENCE YE SHALL RETURN UNTO US_] This verse is extremely difficult. Our translators have supplied the words, _they will be upon you_, which have nothing correspondent in the Hebrew. The Septuagint have given a good sense, Αναβαινουσιν εκ παντων των τοπων εφ' ἡμας, _They come up from all places against_ _us_. The sense appears to be this: the Jews which dwelt among the Samaritans, c., came often to Nehemiah from all quarters, where they sojourned, and told him the _designs_ of his enemies against him: therefore, he set people with their swords, spears, and bows, to defend the walls. It is probable that instead of תשובו _tashubu_, "ye shall _return_," we should read חשבו _chashebu_, "they _designed_ or _meditated_." This word is very similar to the other, and makes the sense very clear. "The Jews w...

TEN TIMES - i. e. repeatedly. FROM ALL PLACES ... - Better as in the margin. The Jews who dwelt on the Samaritan border, came to Jerusalem and tried to withdraw their contingents of workmen from the work, representing to them the impending danger, and saying, “You must return to your homes, and so escape it.”...

EXPOSITION NEHEMIAH 4:7 IT CAME TO PASS, THAT WHEN SANBALLAT, AND TOBIAH, at Samaria, AND THE ARABIANS, AND THE AMMONITES, AND THE ASHDODITES, in their respective residences, HEARD THAT THE WALLS OF JERUSALEM WERE MADE UP, or "that the (entire) wall of Jerusalem was of a (good) height," THEY WERE WROTH. Observe that Tobiah is here quite separated from the nation of the Ammonites, and in no way represented as their leader. Jealousy of Jerusalem on the part of the Ammonites and Philistines is quite natural; and, if the Arabs are the Edomites, their opposition would be equally a matter of course (Psalms 137:7; Ezekiel 25:12

CHAPTER 4 _ 1. The indignation and sneers of the enemies (Nehemiah 4:1)_ 2. Nehemiah's ejaculatory prayer (Nehemiah 4:4) 3. Conspiracy, and more prayer (Nehemiah 4:7) 4. Nehemiah's precautions and confidence (Nehemiah 4:10) Nehemiah 4:1. Sanballat (hate in disguise) having heard of the successful building of the wall, became very angry and mocked the Jews. And Tobiah the Ammonite used sarcasm. He said that which they build will be so weak that one of the foxes, which infested the broken-down walls ...

SAMARITAN ATTEMPT TO FRUSTRATE THE BUILDING OF THE WALLS. In Nehemiah 4:2 f. the text is very corrupt, though the general sense of the passage is fairly clear, viz. the Samaritans mock the efforts made by the Jews in building the walls; Sanballat's wrath in conjunction with his contempt is a little incongruous. The mention of the Samaritan army is difficult to account for; if an army had really been there some attempt would assuredly have been made there and then to stop the building; probably we must picture a crowd of Samaritans and not warriors. But the corrupt state of the text makes it impossible to feel sure what the meaning really is. Nehemiah 4:2. will they fortify themselves? The Heb. will they leave to them? is meaningless; Ryle emends the text so as to read, will they commit themselves t

BY. close to. TEN TIMES. Compare Genesis 31:7. THEY WILL BE UPON YOU. Figure of speech _Ellipsis_ (App-6). Render: "From all quarters to which ye will turn [they will be] upon us"....

The translation of the last clause of this verse presents a great difficulty, and leaves us doubtful with what intention the Jews here spoken of addressed their countrymen. The verse stands in very loose connexion with the two previous verses. It represents a fresh complication in the difficult position which confronted Nehemiah. To discontent within, and the schemes of the foe without, is added the panic of the Jews in the outlying districts. _the Jews which dwelt by them_ By this expression are apparently intended the Jewish dwellers in towns and districts adjacent to the territory of the Samaritans, Ammonites, Arabians and Philistines, who had sent contingents to assist in the rebuilding of the walls e.g. Jericho, Tekoah, Gibeon, Mizpah, Zanoah (chap. Nehemiah 3:2; Nehemiah 3:5;...

THEY SAID UNTO US TEN TIMES, &C.— _They told us frequently from all places that which they designed against us._ Houbigant....