45 matching verse commentaries
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
INTRODUCTION TO Nehemiah 4 This chapter relates, how the Jews, while building, were mocked by their enemies, to which no answer was returned but by prayer to God, and they went on notwithstanding in their work, Ne 4:1 and how that their enemies conspired against them, to hinder them by force of arms, Ne 4:7 to oppose which, both spiritual and...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
But it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall,.... Or were building it; for as yet it was not finished, see Ne 4:6, he was wroth, and took great indignation; inwardly, though outwardly he pretended to treat the work with contempt, as if it never would be accomplished, which yet he feared: and mocked the Jews; as a set of...
Matthew Henry - Complete Commentary - Matthew Henry
We left all hands at work for the building of the wall about Jerusalem. But such good work is not wont to be carried on without opposition; now here we are told what opposition was given to it, and what methods Nehemiah took to forward the work, notwithstanding that opposition. I. Their enemies reproached and ridiculed their undertaking, but their...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
But it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews. It was needful to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, which had been lying in ruins. They went on pretty briskly, for everyone had a mind to work. There never was a good work yet but what there were some to oppose it,...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And he spake before his brethren,.... Tobiah the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, and perhaps some other governors of the king of Persia in those parts: and before the army of Samaria: which, and the inhabitants of it, were implacable enemies of the Jews: and said, what do these feeble Jews? what do they pretend to do, or what can they do? will...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? The enemies of God’s people generally take to sneering. It is a very easy way of showing opposition. Will they fortify themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they make an end in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him,.... Who was one of his brethren he spake before, Ne 4:2, and he said; in the like contemptuous and scoffing manner; even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall break down their stone wall; signifying not only that it was so low that a fox could easily get up to it, or leap over it; but that the...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall even break down their stone wall. Such a man as Sanballat never lacks friends. If there is a bad man anywhere, there is sure to be another close at hand. The devil does not make a fire with one stick. When he has set the first one alight, he can...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Hear, O our God, for we are despised,.... Here begins the prayer of Nehemiah, who had been informed of what these men said in contempt of him, and his builders, and to whom he sent no answer, but applied to God: and turn their reproach upon their own head; as they have despised and reproached us, let them be despised and reproached by their...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
Hear, O our God; for we are despised: and turn their reproach upon their own head, and give them for a prey in the land of captivity; and cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee: for they have provoked thee to anger before the builders. This was righteous indignation; but Nehemiah is not a perfect model for...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee,.... Let it not go unpunished, and even let it not be pardoned; which is spoken, not from a private spirit of revenge, but from a public spirit for the glory of God, and his justice; and not as a mere imprecation, but as a prophecy of what would be the case, in...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
So built we the wall,.... Went on in building it, notwithstanding their scoffs and threats: and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof; it was carried all round the city to half the height of it: for the people had a mind to work; their heart was in it, they had a good will to it, and they made haste to finish it.
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
So built we the wall. You half expected to read, “So we stopped building the wall, and answered Sanballat and Tobiah.” Not a bit of it. They kept to their work and let these two men scoff as they pleased. Neh_4:6. And all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work. They built the wall as high as they...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And it came to pass that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians,.... Who were under and influenced by Geshem the Arabian: and the Ammonites; over whom Tobiah was governor: and the Ashdodites; who were of Ashdod or Azotus, one of the principalities of the Philistines, who were always enemies to the Jews: heard that the walls of Jerusalem were...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
But it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth They were “wroth” before; now they were “very wroth.” If a work has no opposition from Satan, we may be half afraid it is...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And conspired all of them together,.... All the above men and people entered into a confederacy and combination: to come and to fight against Jerusalem; to bring an army with them, and by force cause the Jews to desist; the Jews (e) pretend they came to war, and brought with them an army of 180,000 men, which is not probable: and to hinder it; the...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
And conspired all of them together to come and fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it. It is wonderful how unanimous bad men can be. It has always struck me as a very startling thing, that you have never heard of any division among the devils in hell. There are no sects among the devils; they seem to work together with an awful unanimity of...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Nevertheless, we made our prayer unto our God,.... Spread their case before him in prayer, entreating direction and help from him: and set a watch against them day and night, because of them; to give notice of their approach, that they might prepare to defend themselves; though they prayed to God, and trusted in him for deliverance, they did not...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them. And Judah said, — Judah, you know, was the lion tribe. Christ is “the Lion of the tribe of Judah.” But Judah, instead of being lion-hearted, made a noise more like a mouse than a lion, for Judah said, —
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And Judah said,.... Several of the men of Judah: the strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed; through much labour, in carrying heavy loads of stone and timber to the builders, and yet more through fear of the enemy: and there is much rubbish; which ought to be removed, but that the labourers were so weak that they could not do it: so that we...