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 of Judah began to complain, “The workers are getting tired, and there is so much rubble to be moved. We will never be able to build the wall by ourselves.” 11Meanwhile, our enemies were saying, “Before they know what’s happening, we will swoop down on them and kill them and end their work.” The Jews who lived near the enemy came and told us again and again, “They will come from all directions and attack us!” 13So I placed armed guards behind the lowest parts of the wall in the exposed areas. I stationed the people to stand guard by families, armed with swords, spears, and bows. 14Then as I looked over the situation, I called together the nobles and the rest of the people and said to them, “Don’t be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes!”

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 he has cheated me, changing my wages ten times. But God has not allowed him to do me any harm.
• Numbers 14:22not one of these people will ever enter that land. They have all seen my glorious presence and the miraculous signs I performed both in Egypt and in the wilderness, but again and again they have tested me by refusing to listen to my voice.
• Job 19:3You have already insulted me ten times. You should be ashamed of treating me so badly.

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