Nehemiah 4:7

SANBALLAT THREATENS VIOLENCE AGAINST THE BUILDERS

"And it came to pass that, when Sanballat and Tobiah, and the Arabians and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem went forward, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth; and they conspired, all of them together, to come and fight against Jerusalem, and to cause confusion therein. But we made our prayer unto God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them. And Judah said, the strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall. And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come into the midst of them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease. And it came to pass that, when the Jews that dwelt by them came, they said unto us ten times from all places, ye must return unto us. Therefore set I in the lowest parts of the space behind the walls, in the open places, I set there the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows. And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not afraid of them: remember the Lord who is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses."

"The Arabians" (Nehemiah 4:7). The identity of these is questionable. "Some believe they were the descendants of one of the racial groups that Sargon planted in Samaria. This is possible, but they might also have been one of the desert tribes of Arabians induced to come forward in the hope of plunder, being influenced by the Ammonites, their neighbors."[11]

Oesterley has a summary of the crisis presented in these verses:

"This was a very critical time. The Jews were getting weary of the ceaseless work; their enemies had planted fear in the workers living beyond the walls by telling them of their plans suddenly to appear and kill the workers; the Jews from the surrounding area appealed to their neighbors at work on the wall to return home, abandoning the work. Nehemiah's presence of mind and firmness alone saved the situation." [12]

Note the manner in which Nehemiah moved to meet this crisis: (1) He prayed to God (Nehemiah 4:9). (2) He set a watch day and night (Nehemiah 4:9). (3) He set armed men at "the lowest parts," places were the walls might be most easily attacked (Nehemiah 4:13). (4) He brought in the Jews with their families from the outlying areas, armed them and kept them overnight in the city. (5) He stationed armed men throughout the city near the construction workers. (6) He kept a close eye himself upon the situation. (7) He kept a trumpeter by his side, so that in case of an attack, he could promptly order all hands to repel it (Nehemiah 4:18). (8) He called the whole assembly together, saying, "Be not afraid of them ... Remember the Lord who is great and terrible" (Nehemiah 4:14). (9) He commanded the people to be ready to fight (Nehemiah 4:14). (10) And he ordered the work to go on full speed ahead! What a leader he proved to be!

"Nehemiah with faith in God, skillfully arming and arranging his men, drove straight ahead with the work; and in spite of all obstacles, the Wall was finished in 52 days; and Jerusalem was again a fortified city, 142 years after its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C."[13]

"We prayed ... and set a watch" (Nehemiah 4:9). Prayer to God does not eliminate the need for Christians to be alert and prepared to face emergencies. The old song from World War II, was, Praise the Lord, and Pass the Ammunition.

"They shall not know, or see, till we come and slay them" (Nehemiah 4:11). Sanballat by these threats was speaking as if he had an army at his disposal; but, "This was probably nothing more than the customary armed guard by which the satraps protected themselves; and Sanballat probably gambled that the king of Persia might overlook a skirmish between such a band and the Jews."[14] As it turned out, his threatening words were only a bluff.

This chapter has some of the text that is corrupted, and "The chronology of the things mentioned here is not fully clear."[15]

"They said unto us ten times ... Ye must return unto us" (Nehemiah 4:12). "Ten Times is the equivalent here of over and over, or repeatedly."[16] The Jews from the surrounding area were being intimidated and frightened by Sanballat. Nehemiah countered this by bringing the people into Jerusalem.