Nehemiah 6

Nehemiah 6 concludes the account of the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem in the first part of the book of Nehemiah. After the external opposition of Nehemiah 4 and the internal problem of poverty in Nehemiah 5, the wall is completed amid the enemies' final schemes.

Outline

• Verses 1–4 After the wall has been built but before the doors have been set in the gates, Sanballat and Geshem ask four times to meet with Nehemiah in the plain of Ono. Nehemiah refuses, saying that he is doing a great work.
• Verses 5–9 The fifth time, an open letter arrives. It contains a report that Nehemiah is plotting rebellion and intends to make himself king. Nehemiah replies that these claims are invented, and he prays that his hands would be strengthened.
• Verses 10–14 Shemaiah urges Nehemiah to hide inside the temple of God (the inner part of the sanctuary). Nehemiah refuses and realizes that Shemaiah has been hired by Tobiah and Sanballat. He prays that God would remember the deeds of those who tried to make him afraid, including the prophetess Noadiah.
• Verses 15–16 The wall is completed on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, after fifty-two days, and the enemies are disheartened, recognizing that this work was accomplished by God.
• Verses 17–19 Nobles of Judah who are bound to Tobiah by marriage exchange letters with him and put pressure on Nehemiah.

Key Verses

• Nehemiah 6:3 "I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down" – illustrates a refusal to abandon one's assigned work even in the face of obstruction.
• Nehemiah 6:9 "Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands" – a brief prayer offered in the face of threats.
• Nehemiah 6:15 "So the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty and two days" – identifies when the rebuilding of the wall was completed.

People and Places

• Nehemiah: The governor of Judah who led the rebuilding of the wall.
• Sanballat: A Horonite (Nehemiah 2:10) and the chief opponent of the rebuilding.
• Tobiah: An Ammonite (Nehemiah 2:10) who had marriage ties with noble families of Judah.
• Geshem: An Arabian. "Gashmu" in verse 6 is regarded as a variant form of his name.
• Shemaiah: The son of Delaiah, who took a bribe and prophesied falsely.
• Noadiah: A prophetess who tried to make Nehemiah afraid.
• Plain of Ono: The plain the enemies proposed as a meeting place, located northwest of Jerusalem.

Points for Reflection

Many interpreters connect Nehemiah's refusal to enter the temple with the law forbidding anyone who was not a priest to enter the sanctuary (Numbers 18:7). The phrase "and sin" in verse 13 is cited in support of this reading. Regarding the duration of the work, Scripture records fifty-two days, whereas Josephus reportedly states that it took two years and four months. Prayers asking God to "remember," as in verse 14, recur throughout the book of Nehemiah. This chapter is not directly quoted in the New Testament.

In the Korean Church

Nehemiah 6:3 is frequently cited in sermons urging believers to focus on the mission entrusted to them, and Nehemiah's rebuilding of the wall is a common sermon text on leadership and building up the community.