Nehemiah 6:9

For they all made us afraid, saying, Their hands shall be weakened from the work, that it be not done. Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.

King James Version · Read in your translation · Open the Explore console

Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
afraid	מְיָֽרְאִ֤ים me.ya.re.'Im	H3372	to fear · verb, piel active participle, masculine plural absolute
saying	לֵאמֹ֔ר le.Mor	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · preposition + verb, qal infinitive construct
hands	יְדֵיהֶ֛ם ye.dei.Hem	H3027	a hand (the open one (indicating power · noun, common both genders dual construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine plural
weakened	יִרְפּ֧וּ yir.Pu	H7503	to slacken (in many applications · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural
work	הַמְּלָאכָ֖ה ha.me.la.Khah	H4399	properly · definite article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
done	תֵעָשֶׂ֑ה te.'a.Seh	H6213	to do or make · verb, niphal imperfect, 3rd person feminine singular
strengthen	חַזֵּ֥ק cha.Zek	H2388	to fasten upon · verb, piel imperative, 2nd person masculine singular
hands	יָדָֽי ya.Dai	H3027	a hand (the open one (indicating power · noun, common both genders dual construct + pronominal suffix

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Psalms 138:3 In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.
1 Samuel 30:6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his son…
Nehemiah 4:10-14 And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall.
Isaiah 41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee…
2 Corinthians 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory…
Ephesians 3:16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Nehemiah 6:1-9

Two plots upon Nehemiah we have here an account of, how cunningly they were laid by his enemies and how happily frustrated by God's good providence and his prudence. I. A plot to trepan him into a snare. The enemies had an account of the good forwardness the work was in, that all the breaches of the wall were made up, so that they considered it as good as done, though at that time the doors of the gates were off the hinges (Neh 6:1); they must therefore now or never, by one bold stroke, take off Nehemiah. They heard how well guarded he was, so that there was no attacking him upon the spot; they will therefore try by all the arts of wheedling to get him among them. Observe, 1. With what helli…

Read the whole note in the console

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Nehemiah 6:5

Then sent Sanballat his servant . . . the fifth time with an open letter in his hand--In Western Asia, letters, after being rolled up like a map, are flattened to the breadth of an inch; and instead of being sealed, they are pasted at the ends. In Eastern Asia, the Persians make up their letters in the form of a roll about six inches long, and a bit of paper is fastened round it with gum, and sealed with an impression of ink, which resembles our printers' ink, but it is not so thick. Letters were, and are still, sent to persons of distinction in a bag or purse, and even to equals they are enclosed--the tie being made with a colored ribbon. But to inferiors, or persons who are to be treated c…

Read the whole note in the console

Adam Clarke on Nehemiah 6:8

There are no such things done - You well know that what you say is false: I shall not, therefore, trouble myself about a false charge.

John Gill on Nehemiah 6:9

For they all made us afraid,.... Or you all, as Aben Ezra interprets it; or all the Heathen nations, as Jarchi; this was the design of all those scandalous reports, to intimidate them, and with this they pleased themselves, as follows: their hands shall be weakened from the work, that it be not done; this they hoped would be the effect of those reports sent to them: now, therefore, O God, strengthen my hands; and let them not have what they will, and hope for; according to Aben Ezra, these words are directed to Sanballat, that if he was a friend, as he pretended, that instead of weakening, he would strengthen his hands by a sincere reconciliation; so Vatablus; but they are an address to Go…

The Church Fathers

But all these terrify us, etc. Therefore, in the spiritual structure, because the cunning enemy always tries to hinder our hands, let us always strive to strengthen them in good action with divine help.
— Bede, Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Tobiah · .Conspires to injure and intimidate Nehemiah — .Conspires to injure and intimidate Nehemiah

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Nehemiah 6:9

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Nehemiah 6:1-9

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Nehemiah 6:5

Adam Clarke on Nehemiah 6:8

John Gill on Nehemiah 6:9

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Nehemiah 6:9

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Nehemiah 6:1-9

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Nehemiah 6:5

Adam Clarke on Nehemiah 6:8

John Gill on Nehemiah 6:9

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Keil & Delitzsch on Nehemiah 6:1-9

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Nehemiah 6:6-7

Rashi on Nehemiah 6:9