Nehemiah 4:11

Nehemiah 4:11 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come in the midst among them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease.
• New International Version (NIV)Also our enemies said, “Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)And our enemies said, "They will not know or see till we come among them and kill them and stop the work."
• New Living Translation (NLT)Meanwhile, our enemies were saying, “Before they know what’s happening, we will swoop down on them and kill them and end their work.”

Context of Nehemiah 4:11

9Nevertheless we made our prayer to our God, and because of them we set a watch against them day and night. 10Then Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is failing, and there is so much rubbish that we are not able to build the wall.” And our adversaries said, “They will neither know nor see anything, till we come into their midst and kill them and cause the work to cease.” 12So 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.” 13Therefore I positioned men behind the lower parts of the wall, at the openings; and I set the people according to their families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows.

Nehemiah 4:11 word by word

וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ צָרֵ֗ינוּ לֹ֤א יֵדְעוּ֙ וְלֹ֣א יִרְא֔וּ עַ֛ד אֲשֶׁר־נָב֥וֹא אֶל־תּוֹכָ֖ם וַהֲרַגְנ֑וּם וְהִשְׁבַּ֖תְנוּ אֶת־הַמְּלָאכָֽה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And our adversariesצַרtsar tsâr · enemyH6862
• saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• They shall not knowיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
• neither seeרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
• till we comeבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
• in the midstתָּ֫וֶךְtâvek · midstH8432
• them, and slayהָרַגhârag · to killH2026
• them, and cause the workמְלָאכָהmelâ'kâh · workH4399
• to ceaseשָׁבַתshâbath · to ceaseH7673

Cross-references for Nehemiah 4:11

• Judges 20:29Then Israel set men in ambush all around Gibeah.
• 2 Samuel 17:2I will come upon him while he is weary and weak, and make him afraid. And all the people who are with him will flee, and I will strike only the king.
• Psalms 56:6They gather together, They hide, they mark my steps, When they lie in wait for my life.
• Isaiah 47:11Therefore evil shall come upon you; You shall not know from where it arises. And trouble shall fall upon you; You will not be able to put it off. And desolation shall come upon you suddenly, Which you shall not know.
• Acts 23:12And when it was day, some of the Jews banded together and bound themselves under an oath, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul.
• 1 Thessalonians 5:2For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.

Commentaries on Nehemiah 4:11

• 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. 11The constant psychological attacks from Israel's enemies were lowering morale.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

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