Nehemiah 4:2

_AND HE SPAKE BEFORE HIS BRETHREN AND THE ARMY OF SAMARIA, AND SAID, WHAT DO THESE FEEBLE JEWS? WILL THEY FORTIFY THEMSELVES? WILL THEY SACRIFICE? WILL THEY MAKE AN END IN A DAY? WILL THEY REVIVE THE STONES OUT OF THE HEAPS OF THE RUBBISH WHICH ARE BURNED?_ No JFB commentary on this verse....

1-6 Many a good work has been looked upon with contempt by proud and haughty scorners. Those who disagree in almost every thing, will unite in persecution. Nehemiah did not answer these fools according to their folly, but looked up to God by prayer. God's people have often been a despised people, but he hears all the slights that are put upon them, and it is their comfort that he does so. Nehemiah had reason to think that the hearts of those sinners were desperately hardened, else he would not have prayed that their sins might never be blotted out. Good work goes on well, when people have a mind to it. The reproaches of enemies should quicken us to our duty, not drive us from it....

Verse Nehemiah 4:2. _THE ARMY OF SAMARIA_] As he was _governor_, he had the command of the army, and he wished to excite the soldiers to second his views against Nehemiah and his men. _WHAT DO THESE FEEBLE JEWS?_] We may remark here, in general, that the enemies of God's work endeavour by all means to _discredit_ and _destroy_ it, and _those_ who are employed in it. 1. They _despise_ the _workmen_: _What do these feeble Jews_? 2. They endeavour to turn all into _ridicule_: _Will they fortify themselves_? 3. They have recourse to _lying_: _If a fox go up, he shall even break down their_ _stone wall_. 4. They sometimes use _fair_ but _deceitful speeches_; see Nehemiah 6:2,

EXPOSTION OPEN OPPOSITION OFFERED TO THE WORK BY SANBALLAT AND TOBIAH, AND ARRANGEMENTS MADE BY NEHEMIAH TO MEET IT (Nehemiah 4:1.). It would seem that Sanballat and his friends, when they first heard that the wall was actually being restored, the working parties formed, and the work taken in hand, could scarcely bring themselves to believe it. "What! These feeble Jews undertake so heavy a task, attempt a work that must occupy so long a time, and for which they had not even the necessary materials? ...

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

ARMY. force. WHAT... ? Figure of speech _Erotesis._ App-6. FORTIFY. Hebrew. _Homonym, 'azab._ See note on Exodus 23:5. Margin note of Authorized Version and Revised Version neither needed nor correct. WILL THEY SACRIFICE? Showing that no altar was as yet built or sacrificial worship being carried on....

_And he spake before his brethren_ Sanballat's -brethren" would be the chiefs of the Samaritan community. _and the army of Samaria_ -the army" (LXX. δύναμις): the word here used is the one generally employed for -armed forces," see Nehemiah 2:9; Ezra 8:22; Esther 1:3. The Samaritans seem to have hastily summoned their forces to consider whether it would be practicable to compel the Jews by a sudden onslaught to desist from an undertaking so menacing to Samaritan independence. -The army" therefore is not equivalent to -an assembly (Vulg. _frequentia_)," but to the population trained in war and capable of bearing arms, collected in face of a sudden emergency. Some have supposed that a body of regular Persian troops stationed

WHAT DO THESE FEEBLE JEWS, &C.— Mr. Peters observes upon this passage, which is remarkable for its phraseology, that it seems to give no obscure intimation, that the doctrine of the resurrection was the popular belief of the Jews in these days. _"Reviving of stones,"_ says he, "is a very easy metaphor to those who are acquainted with the doctrine of the resurrection; but, otherwise, not so easy or obvious." The word היחיו _hayechaiiu, vivisicabunt,_ is the very same that is used for _raising the dead. Out of the heaps of rubble,_ is, in the Hebrew, _heaps of dust_ עפר ערמות _areimoth apar,_ another word often used when speaking of a resurrection; and what follows with an emphasis, _and yet these same stones are burnt,_ points out to us the method of funeral [by burning] used particularly among those who had no belief or expectation of a resurrection. The Jews to this day charge the poor...

TEXT AND VERSE-BY-VERSE COMMENT D. The enemies try ridicule and rumor to block construction. 1. Their enemies try to block them with ridicule. TEXT, NEHEMIAH 4:1-6 1. Now it came about that when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became furious and very angry and mocked the Jews. 2. And he spoke in the presence of his brothers and the wealthy men of Samaria and said, What are these feeble Jews doing? Are they going to restore it for themselves? Can they offer sacrifices? Can they finish in a day? Can they revive the stones from the dusty rubble even the burned ones? 3. Now Tobiah the Ammonite was near him and he said, Even what they are buildingif a fox should jump on it, he would break their stone wall down! 4. Hear, O our God, how we are despised! Return their reproach on their own heads and give th