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Nehemiah 6:12

in Nehemiah 6

I 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.

This verse in Nehemiah 6

Commentary

4 notes on this verse
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

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

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 & Brown

1802–1910

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.
Rashi: France, 1040–1105 · Rashi on Nehemiah 6:12:1, via Sefaria, The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg
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?
Rashi: France, 1040–1105 · Rashi on Nehemiah 6:11:1, via Sefaria, The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg

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 words

Every 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.

  • וָאַכִּ֕ירָהand I recognized !

    vaakirahH5234

  • וְהִנֵּ֥הand there!

    vehinehH2009843 times

  • לֹֽא־not

    lo'-H38085168 times

  • אֱלֹהִ֖יםGod

    ʾelohimH4302601 times

  • שְׁלָח֑וֹhe had sent him

    shelachoH7971845 times

  • כִּ֤יfor

    kiH35884482 times

  • הַנְּבוּאָה֙the prophecy

    hanevuahH5016

  • דִּבֶּ֣רhe had spoken

    diberH16961141 times

  • עָלַ֔יon me

    ʾalaiH59215755 times

  • וְטוֹבִיָּ֥הand Tobiah

    vetoiyahH290018 times

  • וְסַנְבַלַּ֖טand Sanballat

    vesanvalatH557110 times

  • שְׂכָרֽוֹ׃he had hired him

    sekharoH793621 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

The walk

8 stops

Each 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 5:2

    Be 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.

  • Through

    1 Corinthians 2:15

    The 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.

  • Through

    Ezekiel 13:22

    Because 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.…

  • Through

    Revelation 18:13

    of 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.

Where this verse is studied

On this page

About Nehemiah

Nehemiah Views the Ruins of Jerusalem's Walls — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain
Nehemiah Views the Ruins of Jerusalem's Walls — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain

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.