Nehemiah 6

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Nehemiah 6

The cries of oppressed poverty being stilled, we are now to enquire how the building of the wall goes forward, and in this chapter we find it carried on with vigour and finished with joy, notwithstanding the restless attempts of the gates of hell to hinder it. How the Jews? enemies were baffled in their design to put a stop to it by force we read before, Neh. 4:1-23 Here we find how their endeavours to drive Nehemiah off from it were frustrated. I. When they courted him to an interview, with... read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Nehemiah 6:1-9

Two plots upon Nehemiah we have here an account of, how cunningly they were laid by his enemies and how happily frustrated by God's good providence and his prudence. I. A plot to trepan him into a snare. The enemies had an account of the good forwardness the work was in, that all the breaches of the wall were made up, so that they considered it as good as done, though at that time the doors of the gates were off the hinges (Neh. 6:1); they must therefore now or never, by one bold stroke, take... read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Nehemiah 6:10-14

The Jews? enemies leave no stone unturned, no way untried, to take Nehemiah off from building the wall about Jerusalem. In order to this they had tried to fetch him into the country to them, but in vain; now they try to drive him into the temple for his own safety; let him be any where but at his work. Observing him to be a cautious man, they will endeavour to gain their point by making him cowardly. Observe, I. How basely the enemies managed this temptation. 1. That which they designed was to... read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Nehemiah 6:15-19

Nehemiah is here finishing the wall of Jerusalem, and yet still has trouble created him by his enemies. I. Tobiah, and the other adversaries of the Jews, had the mortification to see the wall built up, notwithstanding all their attempts to hinder it. The wall was begun and finished in fifty-two days, and yet we have reason to believe they rested on the sabbaths, Neh. 6:15. Many were employed, and there was room for them; what they did they did cheerfully, and minded their business because they... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Nehemiah 6

INTRODUCTION TO NEHEMIAH 6 Sanballat and his brethren, hearing the wall was finished, sent to Nehemiah, to have a meeting with him at a place named, which he refused, Nehemiah 6:1 , then they sent him a terrifying letter, suggesting that he, and the Jews with him, would be treated as rebels, since their intention, as reported, was to make him king, which letter he regarded not, Nehemiah 6:3 , then they employed some that pretended to be prophets to advise him to flee to the temple for... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Nehemiah 6:1

Now it came to pass, when Sanballat and Tobiah, and Geshem the Arabian, and the rest of our enemies, heard that I had builded the wall ,.... Quite finished it: and that there was no breach left therein ; but all was made up firm and strong: though at that time I had not set up the doors upon the gates ; not upon all of them, though some might by the particular builders of them; and they all of them might be ready made, though not as yet put upon the hinges. read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Nehemiah 6:2

Then Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me ,.... Messengers: saying, come, let us meet together in some one of the villages ; in Cephirim, which Jarchi takes to be the name of a place, perhaps the same with Cephirah, a city in the tribe of Benjamin, Joshua 18:26 in the plain of Ono ; which was in the same tribe, see 1 Chronicles 8:12 , they might pretend a friendly meeting, to accommodate differences between them, or to converse together about the general interest of the king of... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Nehemiah 6:3

And I sent messengers unto them ,.... He did not show any open contempt of them, nor did he even return answer by the messenger that came from them, but sent some of his own people to them: saying, I am doing a great work ; was about an affair of great importance, very busy, and not at leisure to give them a meeting: so that I cannot come down ; Jerusalem being built on an eminence, and the place proposed to meet at in a plain, going thither is expressed by coming down: why should... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Nehemiah 6:4

Yet they sent unto me four times after this sort ,.... Being very desirous of getting him into their hands, and therefore were very pressing and importunate: and I answered them after the same manner ; every time as before, he being as much bent on finishing the work as they were to divert him from it. read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Nehemiah 6:5

Then sent Sanballat his servant unto me in like manner the fifth time ,.... In his own name, neither Tobiah nor Geshem joining with him, he being more solicitous and anxious to get him into his hands than any of them; and it may be, as some think, pretending more friendship for him than the rest, and therefore writes alone, as if they knew nothing of his writing: with an open letter in his hand : which having in it an intimation of Nehemiah being guilty of treason, anyone that would... read more

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