Nehemiah 6:12
in Nehemiah 6I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had uttered this prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And I discerned, and, lo, God had not sent him; but he pronounced this prophecy against me: and Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.
KJV
And, lo, I perceived that God had not sent him; but that he pronounced this prophecy against me: for Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.
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This verse in Nehemiah 6
Commentary
4 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
The existence of a party among the Jews who sided with Sanballat and lent themselves to his schemes, is here for the first time indicated. Compare Neh 6:14, Neh 6:17-19; Neh 13:4-5, Neh 13:28.
This site's exposition
who was shut up
on Nehemiah 6:10-12
Nehemiah visits Shemaiah, a man shut up in his own house who claims fear of assassination and urges a plan that sounds like safety: let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us shut the doors. The advice is a trap, since only a priest could lawfully enter that part of the temple and Nehemiah was not one. His answer is the chapter's sharpest line: should such a man as I flee, and who is there, being as I am, would go into the temple to save his life. Then comes the discernment that closes the scene: I perceived that God had not sent him, for Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him, a plain man reading a false prophecy by the counsel it served rather than by any sign.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Two things Nehemiah says he dreaded in that which he was advised to:-- (1.) Offending God: That I should be afraid, and do so, and sin. Note, Sin is that which above any thing we should dread; and a good preservative it is against sin to be afraid of nothing but sin.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
on Nehemiah 6:10-14
Afterward I came unto the house of Shemaiah, &c.--This man was the son of a priest, who was an intimate and confidential friend of Nehemiah. The young man claimed to be endowed with the gift of prophecy.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
And I discerned I discerned in his words that the Holy One, blessed be He, had not sent him on this mission, but that he wanted me to commit a transgression because of fear of death.
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
Will a man like me flee This is a question: Will a man like me flee to enter the Temple?
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 3 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
12 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וָאַכִּ֕ירָה | vaakirah | and I recognized ! | H5234 → | |
| וְהִנֵּ֥ה | vehineh | and there! | H2009 → | 843 times |
| לֹֽא־ | lo'- | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| אֱלֹהִ֖ים | ʾelohim | God | H430 → | 2601 times |
| שְׁלָח֑וֹ | shelacho | he had sent him | H7971 → | 845 times |
| כִּ֤י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| הַנְּבוּאָה֙ | hanevuah | the prophecy | H5016 → | |
| דִּבֶּ֣ר | diber | he had spoken | H1696 → | 1141 times |
| עָלַ֔י | ʾalai | on me | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| וְטוֹבִיָּ֥ה | vetoiyah | and Tobiah | H2900 → | 18 times |
| וְסַנְבַלַּ֖ט | vesanvalat | and Sanballat | H5571 → | 10 times |
| שְׂכָרֽוֹ׃ | sekharo | he had hired him | H7936 → | 21 times |
וָאַכִּ֕ירָהand I recognized !
vaakirahH5234 →
וְהִנֵּ֥הand there!
vehinehH2009 →843 times
לֹֽא־not
lo'-H3808 →5168 times
אֱלֹהִ֖יםGod
ʾelohimH430 →2601 times
שְׁלָח֑וֹhe had sent him
shelachoH7971 →845 times
כִּ֤יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
הַנְּבוּאָה֙the prophecy
hanevuahH5016 →
דִּבֶּ֣רhe had spoken
diberH1696 →1141 times
עָלַ֔יon me
ʾalaiH5921 →5755 times
וְטוֹבִיָּ֥הand Tobiah
vetoiyahH2900 →18 times
וְסַנְבַלַּ֖טand Sanballat
vesanvalatH5571 →10 times
שְׂכָרֽוֹ׃he had hired him
sekharoH7936 →21 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
1 Peter 5:2Be shepherds of God’s flock that is among you, watching over them not out of compulsion, but because it is God’s will; not out of greed, but out of eagerness;
it leads to
- Titus 1:7
As God’s steward, an overseer must be above reproach—not self-absorbed, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not greedy for money.
- 1 Timothy 3:8
Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued or given to much wine or greedy for money.
- Titus 1:7
Through
1 Corinthians 2:15The spiritual man judges all things, but he himself is not subject to anyone’s judgment.
it leads to
- 1 Thessalonians 5:21
but test all things. Hold fast to what is good.
- Proverbs 28:5
Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD comprehend fully.
- Hebrews 5:14
But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained their senses to distinguish good from evil.
- 1 John 4:1
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:21
Through
Ezekiel 13:22Because you have disheartened the righteous with your lies, even though I have caused them no grief, and because you have encouraged the wicked not to turn from their evil ways to save their…
it leads to
- Jeremiah 23:14
And among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing: They commit adultery and walk in lies. They strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns his back on wickedness.…
- Jeremiah 23:14
Through
Revelation 18:13of cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, and frankincense; of wine, olive oil, fine flour, and wheat; of cattle, sheep, horses, and chariots; of slaves and souls of men.
it leads to
- Ezekiel 27:13
Javan, Tubal, and Meshech were your merchants. They exchanged slaves and bronze utensils for your merchandise.
- Ezekiel 27:13
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Nehemiah

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
