Nehemiah 4:12

Nehemiah 4:12 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And it came to pass, that when the Jews which dwelt by them came, they said unto us ten times, From all places whence ye shall return unto us they will be upon you.
• New International Version (NIV)Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)At that time the Jews who lived near them came from all directions and said to us ten times, "You must return to us."
• New King James Version (NKJV)So it was, when the Jews who dwelt near them came, that they told us ten times, “From whatever place you turn, they will be upon us.”

Context of Nehemiah 4:12

10Then the people in Judah complained, ‘Our workers are becoming weak. There are so many stones and rubbish! We cannot finish the work on the wall!’ 11At the same time, our enemies were boasting, ‘Before the Jews even see us, we will attack them. We will kill them before they know what is happening. That will be the end of their work on the wall!’ The Jews who lived near our enemies warned us many times. They told us that our enemies would attack us wherever we went. 13So I put some men behind the lowest part of the wall where there were holes. Each of the families had guards with swords, spears, bows and arrows. 14I went round the city and I looked at everything. I said to the leaders, the officers and the people, ‘Do not be afraid of our enemies. Remember that our Lord God is great and powerful. Fight on behalf of your brothers, your sons, your daughters and your wives. Fight to keep your homes safe.’

Nehemiah 4:12 word by word

וַֽיְהִי֙ כַּאֲשֶׁר־בָּ֣אוּ הַיְּהוּדִ֔ים הַיֹּשְׁבִ֖ים אֶצְלָ֑ם וַיֹּ֤אמְרוּ לָ֙נוּ֙ עֶ֣שֶׂר פְּעָמִ֔ים מִכָּל־הַמְּקֹמ֖וֹת אֲשֶׁר־תָּשׁ֥וּבוּ עָלֵֽינוּ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And it came to pass, that when the Jewsיְהוּדִיyehûdîy · JewH3064
• which dweltיָשַׁבyâshab · to dwellH3427
• by themאֵ֫צֶל'êtsel · besideH681
• cameבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
• they saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• unto us tenעֶשֶׂר‛eώer ‛ăώârâh · tenH6235
• timesפַּ֫עַםpa‛am pa‛ămâh · beatH6471
• From all placesמָקוֹםmâqôm mâqôm meqômâh meqômâh · placeH4725
• whence ye shall returnשׁוּבshûb · to return: returnH7725

Cross-references for Nehemiah 4:12

• Genesis 31:7But your father has cheated me many times. He has changed what I receive for my work at least ten times. But God has protected me from him.
• Numbers 14:22All these people have seen my glory. They have seen the miracles that I did in Egypt and in the desert. But they have tested me many times now to see if I would punish them. They still do not obey me.
• Job 19:3You have insulted me many, many times. You should be ashamed to attack me like that.

Commentaries on Nehemiah 4:12

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 12From all places whence ye shall return unto us - This verse is extremely difficult. Our translators have supplied the words, they will be upon you, which have nothing correspondent in the Hebrew. The Septuagint have given a good sense, ' ̔, They come up from all places against us. The sense appears to be this: the Jews which dwelt among the Samaritans, etc., came often to Nehemiah from all quarters, where they sojourned, and told him the designs of his…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 12Ten times - i. e. repeatedly. From all places … - Better as in the margin. The Jews who dwelt on the Samaritan border, came to Jerusalem and tried to withdraw their contingents of workmen from the work, representing to them the impending danger, and saying, “You must return to your homes, and so escape it.”Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 7-15Verses 7-15 The hindering good work is what bad men aim at, and promise themselves success in; but good work is God's work, and it shall prosper. God has many ways of bringing to light, and so of bringing to nought, the devices and designs of his church's enemies. If our enemies cannot frighten us from duty, or deceive us into sin, they cannot hurt us. Nehemiah put himself and his cause under the Divine protection. It was the way of this good man, and…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12Wherever you turn, they will attack us: Jews from nearby areas might have urged the people working in Jerusalem to return to their villages to avoid being killed in an attack.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 7-237-21. But ... when Sanballat ... heard that the walls ... were made up, and ... the breaches ... stopped--The rapid progress of the fortifications, despite all their predictions to the contrary, goaded the Samaritans to frenzy. So they, dreading danger from the growing greatness of the Jews, formed a conspiracy to surprise them, demolish their works, and disperse or intimidate the builders. The plot being discovered, Nehemiah adopted the most energetic…Read the comment

In the dictionaries

• Armour
• Sanballat
• Ammon; Ammonites
• Esdras, the First Book of
• Number
• spear, spearmen

Commentaries on Nehemiah 4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings