EasyEnglish Bible 2018
Nehemiah 6:3
3So I sent this message back to them: ‘I am too busy to come and meet you. The work here is too important. I cannot stop the work here to come and meet you.’
Nehemiah 6:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?
- New International Version (NIV)so I sent messengers to them with this reply: “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?”
- English Standard Version (ESV)And I sent messengers to them, saying, "I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?"
- New King James Version (NKJV)So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?”
Context of Nehemiah 6:3
1We had finished building the city's wall. There were no holes in it now, but we had not fixed the doors in the gates. Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem (the Arab) and all our enemies heard that we had finished building the wall. 2Sanballat and Geshem sent this message to me: ‘Come and meet with us in a village on the low land of Ono.’ I realized that they wanted to cause trouble for me. So I sent this message back to them: ‘I am too busy to come and meet you. The work here is too important. I cannot stop the work here to come and meet you.’ 4They sent me the same message four times. Each time, I refused. 5Then Sanballat sent his officer to me with a fifth message. He carried a letter that was open for anyone to read.
Read all of Nehemiah 6Nehemiah 6:3 word by word
וָאֶשְׁלְחָ֨ה עֲלֵיהֶ֤ם מַלְאָכִים֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר מְלָאכָ֤ה גְדוֹלָה֙ אֲנִ֣י עֹשֶׂ֔ה וְלֹ֥א אוּכַ֖ל לָרֶ֑דֶת לָ֣מָּה תִשְׁבַּ֤ת הַמְּלָאכָה֙ כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר אַרְפֶּ֔הָ וְיָרַדְתִּ֖י אֲלֵיכֶֽם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And I sentשָׁלַחshâlach · to send: departH7971
- messengersמַלְאָךְmal'âk · messengerH4397
- unto them, sayingאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- doingעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
- a greatגָּדוֹלgâdôl gâdôl · great: largeH1419
- workמְלָאכָהmelâ'kâh · workH4399
- so that I cannotיָכֹלyâkôl yâkôl · be ableH3201
- come downיָרַדyârad · to go downH3381
- ceaseשָׁבַתshâbath · to ceaseH7673
- whilstכַּאֲשֶׁר'ăsher · as whichH834
- I leaveרָפָהrâphâh · to slackenH7503
Cross-references for Nehemiah 6:3
- Proverbs 14:15A silly person will believe anything. But a careful person will think before he does anything.
- Matthew 10:16Jesus then said to his disciples, ‘Listen well. I am sending you to people who will want to kill you. You will be like sheep among wild animals. You must watch carefully, like snakes do. But you must also be good and kind like doves.
- Ecclesiastes 9:10Use all your strength to do the work that you are doing. One day you will die and you will go into your grave. Then you will not have any work, or ideas, or knowledge or wisdom. So do your work well while you are alive.
- Luke 14:30“That man is a fool. He started to build, but he could not finish the work.” ’
- John 9:4While it is still day, we must continue to work. God has sent me and we must do his work. We must work now because it will be night soon. Then nobody can work.
- 1 Timothy 4:15Be careful to do all these things well. Then everyone will see that you are serving God better and better.
Commentaries on Nehemiah 6:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3I am doing a great work - Though he knew their design, he does not think it prudent to mention it. Had he done so, they would probably have gone to extremities, finding that they were discovered; and perhaps in a formidable body attacked Jerusalem, when ill provided to sustain such a shock. They wished to effect their purpose rather by treachery than by open violence. I know not any language which a man who is employed on important labors can use more…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-19After solving the financial crisis (see Nehemiah 5), the story shifts back to how those against rebuilding tried to scare or stop Nehemiah.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-192-4. Then Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me--The Samaritan leaders, convinced that they could not overcome Nehemiah by open arms, resolved to gain advantage over him by deceit and stratagem. With this in view, under pretext of terminating their differences in an amicable manner, they invited him to a conference. The place of rendezvous was fixed "in some one of the villages in the plain of Ono." "In the villages" is, Hebrew, "in Cephirim," or "Chephirah,"…Read the comment
Topics related to Nehemiah 6:3
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Nehemiah 6
- 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
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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