Nehemiah 6

The Pulpit Commentary - Nehemiah 6:9

Prayer for strength. "Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands." Another instance of Nehemiah's prayerfulness. In every difficulty he calls upon God, and not in vain. Thus he obtains strength, and teaches us where to seek it, with assurance of finding it. The manner in which the prayer is recorded is noticeable. He does not say, Then I offered this prayer, etc; but abruptly writes down the .prayer itself. It seems as if, while recording the events of those times, he lived them m... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Nehemiah 6:10

A Shemaiah appears in the list of priests who afterwards signed the covenant ( Nehemiah 10:8 ); but the names in that list do not appear to be personal. There is a Shemaiah also among the priests who took part in the dedication of the wall ( Nehemiah 12:42 ); he is not said, however, to be "the son of Delaiah." Shut up . Prevented, i.e; by some legal impurity from taking part in the temple service, or even entering the temple. In the house of God, within the temple . Rather,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Nehemiah 6:10-19

Enemies within. I. FALSE PROPHETS . Who prostituted their office by hiring themselves to the enemies without. For they "loved the wages of unrighteousness." 1. One tempted him to break the law by fleeing into the holy place, and shutting himself up there, where no one but a priest or Levite might enter. This he did on the pretence that Nehemiah's life was in danger (verse 10); and he hoped that the governor, consenting to the proposal, would bring himself into disgrace with the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Nehemiah 6:10-19

Trial and victory. Defeated again, the enemy has recourse to other schemes. It would be interesting to know what were the expectations with which Nehemiah set out from Susa to enter upon the work before him. If we could tell what was then in his mind, we should probably find there anticipations very unlike indeed to his actual experiences. Probably, if he could have foreseen his difficulties, he might have shrunk from the task. Happily we do not foresee the perplexities of Christian toil;... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Nehemiah 6:11

Should such a man as I flee? i.e. Should a man in my position, the head of the state, bound to set an example to others, fly from danger and hide myself? Surely not. And who is there, that, being as I am, would go into the temple to save his life? Rather, "could go into the temple and live?" Dean Stanley compares Becket's noble words,—"I will not turn the cathedral into a castle,"—but the parallel is not close. Nehemiah feels, not that he would profane the temple by making it into a... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Nehemiah 6:11

Regard for special obligations. "Should such a man as I flee?" Thus magnanimously Nehemiah gave one reason for not following the counsel of the lying prophet. The words remind us of the special obligations under which some are laid to avoid evil and practise good. Indeed every one of us has some specialty in his case which he should feel as binding him peculiarly to a right course. I. SOME SPECIAL OBLIGATIONS TO CHRISTIAN CONSISTENCY . May be expressed thus: "Should such a... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Nehemiah 6:12

And, lo, I perceived , etc. Rather, "And I considered; and lo! God had not sent him." I reflected on the whole matter, and came to the conclusion that, though he might be a prophet, he had not on this occasion exercised his prophetical office—he had not declared to me God's will (compare the case of the "old prophet," 1 Kings 13:11-18 ). And I was right, "for (in fact) he had pronounced this prophecy against me, because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him ." "Tobiah and Sanballat"... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Nehemiah 6:13

Therefore was he hired , etc. Their motive for bribing him was, that I might be induced by-fear to do as Shemaiah suggested, and so to commit sin; whereby they would have a just ground for spreading an evil report concerning me, and making my misconduct a constant reproach to me. Nehemiah's influence depended greatly on the weight of his moral character. One false step, and he would have been lost; his influence would have been gone; and the work on which his heart was set would have come... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Nehemiah 6:14

Tobiah and Sanballat . See Nehemiah 6:12 , with the comment . The prophetess Noadiah is not elsewhere mentioned. She has been supposed to have succumbed to a bribe, like Shemaiah (Ewald); but this is wholly uncertain. We only know that, together with certain soi-disant prophets, she endeavoured to "put Nehemiah in fear." It is clear that she was unsuccessful. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Nehemiah 6:15

So the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty and two days . According to Josephus ('Ant. Jud.,' Nehemiah 11:5 , § 8), the work of restoration occupied two years and four months, or 840 days, instead of fifty-two. And this period has been thought so much more probable than the smaller one, that moderns generally have accepted it, while some have even proposed to alter our present text of Nehemiah by the insertion of u-shnathayim, "and two years," at the... read more

The Pulpit Commentary - Nehemiah 6:9

The Pulpit Commentary - Nehemiah 6:10

The Pulpit Commentary - Nehemiah 6:10-19

The Pulpit Commentary - Nehemiah 6:10-19

The Pulpit Commentary - Nehemiah 6:11

The Pulpit Commentary - Nehemiah 6:11

The Pulpit Commentary - Nehemiah 6:12

The Pulpit Commentary - Nehemiah 6:13

The Pulpit Commentary - Nehemiah 6:14

The Pulpit Commentary - Nehemiah 6:15

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