Nehemiah 6
Nehemiah 6 is the sixth chapter of the Book of Nehemiah in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible, or the 16th chapter of the book of Ezra-Nehemiah in the Hebrew Bible, which treats the book of Ezra and the book of Nehemiah as one book. Jewish tradition states that Ezra is the author of Ezra-Nehemiah as well as the Book of Chronicles, but modern scholars generally accept that a compiler from the 5th century BCE is the final author of these books. This chapter records the continuing opposition to Nehemiah from sources both external and internal.
Text
The original text of this chapter is in Hebrew language. This chapter is divided into 19 verses.Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text, which includes Codex Leningradensis.There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus, Codex Sinaiticus, and Codex Alexandrinus.
The pretense of peace (6:1-4)
As a leader, Nehemiah holds his motives and conduct blameless, but at the same time, he must understand and deal wisely with the opposition 'who seek to compromise God's work'.Verses 1–2
Tobiah is described as an Ammonite in- "Geshem": or "Gashmu".
- "Among the villages": or "in Kephirim", exact location unknown.
The trap of intimidation (6:5-9)
Sanballat hoped that Nehemiah would follow the logical action against the rumors of threats, the way he and his allies would do, that is, 'given to ambition, opportunistic maneuvering, and dedicated to self-preservation', but Nehemiah 'refused to become distracted by the ploy of politics' and kept his devotion to God.Verse 5
Sanballat sent his fifth letter as an open letter, because he is 'well aware of the possibility that popular sentiment will stand behind a claim to restore an independent Judah', and uses it to launch an accusation that Nehemiah is sponsoring prophetic supports.Verse 6
The lure of safety (6:10-14)
In this section, Nehemiah remembers that the will of God is eternal and has primacy over any individual.Verse 10
- "Confined to his home": from, , "a secret informer", or "shut in", but the reason for his confinement is not stated, although BDB 783 s.v. עָצַר suggests that 'it had to do with the fulfillment of a vow or was related to an issue of ceremonial uncleanness'.
Continued opposition (6:15-19)
The establishment of fortifications does not provide full security, as continued opposition remains in place; dangers can always threaten the community of faith, but... the godly character of the people is the greatest defense against the threats.Verse 15
- "Elul": The month in Hebrew calendar, which is the same as the Assyrian month U-lu-lu and corresponds to the end of August and beginning of September in the Gregorian calendar.
- "Fifty and two days" would cover a period from July 25 to September 15, which may correspond to the 25th of Elul. The Jerusalem Bible suggests that the completion date may have been early October, 445 BC.
Verse 17
- "The nobles" were the leaders of the Jews; they continued to have correspondence with Tobiah, apparently because there were intermarriages with Tobiah's family. Tobiah continues to be a threat as he is closely related to the people with whom Nehemiah must deal later.