Nehemiah 5:6

5:6 I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these complaints. ¹ 

Nehemiah 7:1

7:1 When the wall had been rebuilt and I had positioned the doors, and the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been appointed,

Nehemiah 4:1

Opposition to the Work Continues

4:1 (3:33) ²  Now when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall he became angry and was quite upset. He derided the Jews,

Nehemiah 4:12

4:12 So it happened that the Jews who were living near them came and warned us repeatedly ³  about all the schemes ⁴  they were plotting ⁵  against us.

Nehemiah 5:12

5:12 They replied, “We will return these things, ⁶  and we will no longer demand anything from them. We will do just as you say.” Then I called the priests and made the wealthy and the officials ⁷  swear to do what had been promised. ⁸ 

Nehemiah 6:3

6:3 So I sent messengers to them saying, “I am engaged in ⁹  an important work, and I am unable to come down. Why should the work come to a halt when I leave it to come down to you?”

Nehemiah 4:7

4:7 (4:1) ¹⁰  When Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the people of Ashdod heard that the restoration of the walls of Jerusalem ¹¹  had moved ahead and that the breaches had begun to be closed, they were very angry.

Nehemiah 4:15

4:15 It so happened that when our adversaries heard that we were aware of these matters, ¹²  God frustrated their intentions. Then all of us returned to the wall, each to his own work.

Nehemiah 6:1

Opposition to the Rebuilding Efforts Continues

6:1 When Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall and no breach remained in it (even though up to that time I had not positioned doors in the gates),

Nehemiah 6:16

6:16 When all our enemies heard and all the nations who were around us saw ¹³  this, they were greatly disheartened. ¹⁴  They knew that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.

Nehemiah 13:19

13:19 When the evening shadows ¹⁵  began to fall on the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I ordered ¹⁶  the doors to be closed. I further directed that they were not to be opened until after the Sabbath. I positioned ¹⁷  some of my young men at the gates so that no load could enter on the Sabbath day.

[5:6]  ¹ tn Heb “words.”

[4:1]  ² sn Beginning with 4:1, the verse numbers through 4:23 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 4:1 ET = 3:33 HT, 4:2 ET = 3:34 HT, 4:3 ET = 3:35 HT, 4:4 ET = 3:36 HT, 4:5 ET = 3:37 HT, 4:6 ET = 3:38 HT, 4:7 ET = 4:1 HT, etc., through 4:23 ET = 4:17 HT. Thus in the Hebrew Bible chap. 3 of the Book of Nehemiah has 38 verses, while chap. 4 has only 17 verses.

[4:12]  ³ tn Heb “ten times.”

[4:12]  ⁴ tc The MT reads the anomalous מִכָּל־הַמְּקֹמוֹת (mikkol hammÿqomot, “from every place”) but the BHS editors propose כָּל־הַמְּזִמּוֹת (kol hammÿzimmot, “about every scheme”). The initial mem (מ) found in the MT may have been added accidentally due to dittography with the final mem (ם) on the immediately preceding word, and the MT qof (ק) may have arisen due to orthographic confusion with the similar looking zayin (ז). The emendation restores sense to the line in the MT, which makes little sense and features an abrupt change of referents: “Wherever you turn, they will be upon us!” The threat was not against the villagers living nearby but against those repairing the wall, as the following context indicates. See also the following note on the word “plotting.”

[4:12]  ⁵ tc The MT reads תָּשׁוּבוּ (tashuvu, “you turn”) which is awkward contextually. The BHS editors propose emending to חָשְׁבוּ (hashÿvu, “they were plotting”) which harmonizes well with the context. This emendation involves mere orthographic confusion between similar looking ח (khet) and ת (tav), and the resultant dittography of middle vav (ו) in MT. See also the preceding note on the word “schemes.”

[5:12]  ⁴ tn The words “these things” are not included in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[5:12]  ⁵ tn Heb “took an oath from them”; the referents (the wealthy and the officials, cf. v. 7) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:12]  ⁶ tn Heb “according to this word.”

[6:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “[am] doing.”

[4:7]  ⁶ sn Chapter 4 begins here in the Hebrew text (BHS). See the note at 4:1.

[4:7]  ⁷ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[4:15]  ⁷ tn Heb “it was known to us.”

[6:16]  ⁸ tc The MT understands the root here to be יָרֵא (yare’, “to fear”) rather than רָאָה (ra’ah, “to see”).

[6:16]  ⁹ tn Heb “they greatly fell [i.e., were cast down] in their own eyes.” Some scholars suggest emending the reading of the MT, וַיִּפְּלוּ (vayyipÿlu) to וַיִּפָּלֵא (vayyippale’, “it was very extraordinary in their eyes”).

[13:19]  ⁹ tn Heb “the gates of Jerusalem grew dark.”

[13:19]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “said” (so also in v. 22).

[13:19]  ¹¹ tn Heb “caused to stand.”