Nehemiah 4 11

Nehemiah 4:11 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.

Nehemiah 4:11 nkjv

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."

Nehemiah 4:11 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."

Nehemiah 4:11 esv

And our enemies said, "They will not know or see till we come among them and kill them and stop the work."

Nehemiah 4:11 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."

Nehemiah 4 verses

Nehemiah 4 11 Meaning

Nehemiah 4:11 reveals the malicious intent and precise plan of the adversaries – Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem, and their allies – to launch a sudden, unexpected attack on the Jewish builders in Jerusalem. Their strategy was to infiltrate the working areas without warning, physically harm and kill the workers, and thereby bring the reconstruction of the wall to a definitive halt. This verse exposes their deep-seated hostility, cunning, and the extreme measures they were willing to take to obstruct the divine work.

Nehemiah 4 11 Context

Nehemiah 4 describes the intense opposition faced by the Jewish people as they meticulously rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem under Nehemiah's leadership. The chapter opens with Sanballat and Tobiah's scorn and ridicule, escalating to anger and conspiracy (Neh 4:1-2, 7-8). As the work progressed despite their mockery, the adversaries shifted from verbal attacks to planning a direct, violent assault. Nehemiah responded to the earlier taunts with prayer and continued the work, but this verse marks a crucial escalation of the threat to physical violence. The adversaries' intent to "kill them and stop the work" underscores the high stakes of the rebuilding effort. Historically, the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls under the Persian Empire was a re-establishment of Jewish identity and security. This was perceived as a political threat by the surrounding regional governors and peoples—namely, Sanballat (governor of Samaria), Tobiah (governor of Ammon), and Geshem the Arab—who benefited from a weakened and unfortified Jerusalem. Their opposition was a desperate attempt to maintain their regional dominance and prevent the resurgence of a strong Jewish state. There is an indirect polemic against those who believe human efforts or political power can ultimately thwart divine will, as their plotting directly targeted a God-ordained task.

Nehemiah 4 11 Word analysis

• And our adversaries said (וְאֹיְבֵ֞ינוּ אָמְר֖וּ - v'oyeveinu am'ru):
  • וְאֹיְבֵ֞ינוּ (v'oyeveinu): "And our enemies," "our adversaries." This highlights the defined opposition, not just casual disagreement, but active, hostile parties who view the Jewish people and their project as a threat. The term emphasizes deep-seated enmity.
  • אָמְר֖וּ (am'ru): "They said." This is a declarative verb, showing their plot was not merely conceived but explicitly articulated, possibly within their own counsel. It signifies a clear, shared intention.
• “They will not know (לֹֽא־יֵדְע֣וּ - lo yed'u):
  • לֹֽא (lo): "Not." A clear negative particle.
  • יֵדְע֣וּ (yed'u): "They will know" or "perceive" (from yada'). The adversaries intend for the Jews to be completely oblivious to their impending attack. This emphasizes the element of surprise, which is crucial for their plan's success. It speaks to a lack of awareness, intelligence, or foresight on the part of the victims.
• or see (וְלֹ֣א יִרְא֔וּ - v'lo yir'u):
  • וְלֹ֣א (v'lo): "And not" or "or not."
  • יִרְא֔וּ (yir'u): "They will see" (from ra'ah). This complements "know" (yada'). "Know" refers to mental comprehension or prior warning, while "see" refers to physical perception. The combination signifies complete sensory and intellectual unawareness, meaning the attack would come without any visual or intellectual sign, suddenly.
• till we come among them (עַ֣ד אֲשֶׁר־נָב֣וֹא בְתֽוֹכָם - ad asher navo b'tokham):
  • עַ֣ד אֲשֶׁר (ad asher): "Until that" or "until which." Sets a timing for their intended action.
  • נָב֣וֹא (navo): "We come," "we will enter" (from bo'). Indicates physical infiltration, suggesting a clandestine entry or a direct, rapid approach to engage the builders at close quarters.
  • בְתֽוֹכָם (b'tokham): "In their midst," "among them." This signifies that the attack would not be from a distance, but directly within the work areas, amidst the workers themselves, making escape difficult and maximizing chaos.
• and kill them (וַהֲרַגְנוּם - va'haragnu):
  וַהֲרַגְנוּם (va'haragnu): "And we will kill them" (from harag). This is the brutal and explicit core of their plan. Their aim was not merely to scare or injure, but to inflict death upon the workers. This reveals the extreme animosity and ruthlessness of the adversaries.

• Words-group analysis:
  “They will not know or see”: This phrase emphasizes the adversaries’ reliance on complete surprise. Their strategy hinges on striking the builders when they are most vulnerable, unprepared, and utterly unaware of the impending danger. It is a psychological as well as physical warfare tactic.
• “till we come among them and kill them”: This chilling sequence highlights the rapid progression from stealth to lethal action. There would be no warning or chance to flee; the attack would be immediate, close-range, and aimed at the lives of the workers.
• “and stop the work”*: This final clause explicitly states the ultimate goal behind their violent intentions. The killing was a means to an end: the complete cessation of the reconstruction project, which they saw as a threat to their own regional power and agenda. It underlines that their primary objective was to hinder God’s work.

Nehemiah 4 11 Bonus section

The enemies' plan in Nehemiah 4:11 was not just about murder but psychological terror. By emphasizing "surprise" and "infiltration into their midst," the intention was to instill deep fear, destroy morale, and render future work impossible, even for those who survived. This foreshadows patterns of spiritual warfare where the adversary seeks to demoralize and distract God's people to cease their kingdom work. The clarity of the enemies' intentions, verbally expressed, indicates a shared conspiracy and commitment among Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem, and their confederates to a policy of extreme violence. This stark declaration underscores the necessity for Nehemiah's subsequent dual strategy of maintaining armed guards alongside the laborers (Neh 4:16-18), showing that faithful vigilance involves both prayer and practical defensive measures against explicit threats.

Nehemiah 4 11 Commentary

Nehemiah 4:11 lays bare the desperate and ruthless heart of the opposition to God's work. The adversaries, having failed with ridicule, now resorted to the ultimate tool of suppression: covert, lethal force. Their strategy centered on absolute surprise—"they will not know or see"—designed to catch the unsuspecting builders in the act of labor, allowing them to infiltrate "among them" and then brutally "kill them." The explicit goal was not merely violence for its own sake, but to "stop the work," to sever the progress of rebuilding Jerusalem's walls, thereby halting God's purpose for His people. This illustrates a recurring biblical truth: those engaged in God's will often face calculated, vicious resistance. Nehemiah's response, though not fully detailed in this single verse, elsewhere demonstrates a combination of fervent prayer and shrewd vigilance (Neh 4:9, 13-23), illustrating that godly leadership discerns the threats and takes necessary precautions while maintaining faith in divine protection. This verse reminds believers that opposition, even insidious and deadly, is often part of the spiritual battle against what God is doing.