Nehemiah Inspects the Walls and Faces Opposition
Nehemiah 2:11-20
Neh.2.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואבוא: VERB,qal,imprf,1,_,sg
- אל: NEG
- ירושלם: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ואהי: VERB,qal,impf,1,ms,sg
- שם: ADV
- ימים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- שלשה: NUM,m
Parallels
- Ezra 7:8 (verbal): Ezra’s arrival in Jerusalem is described with the same three‑day stay after coming up from Babylon, a close verbal/structural parallel in the return‑leader tradition.
- Nehemiah 2:12 (structural): Immediate narrative continuation — Nehemiah waits three days in Jerusalem and then privately inspects the walls at night; the three‑day interval functions as a pause before action.
- Genesis 22:4 (thematic): Abraham’s three‑day journey before reaching the place of testing/decision echoes the motif of a three‑day interval preceding a decisive act.
- Jonah 1:17 (thematic): The motif of ‘three days’ as a period of confinement/preparation before deliverance (Jonah’s three days in the fish) parallels the biblical use of a three‑day interval as formative or preparatory.
Alternative generated candidates
- And I came to Jerusalem, and I was there three days.
- And I came to Jerusalem, and I was there three days.
Neh.2.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואקום: VERB,qal,impf,1,m,sg
- לילה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- ואנשים: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- מעט: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עמי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+1s
- ולא: CONJ
- הגדתי: VERB,hif,perf,1,_,sg
- לאדם: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מה: PRON,int
- אלהי: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- נתן: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- לבי: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1cs
- לעשות: VERB,qal,inf
- לירושלם: PREP+NOUN,prop,f,sg
- ובהמה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אין: PART,neg
- עמי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+1s
- כי: CONJ
- אם: CONJ
- הבהמה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- רכב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
Parallels
- Ezra 1:1 (allusion): God 'stirred/moved the heart' of Cyrus to permit the return and rebuilding of Jerusalem — parallels Nehemiah’s claim that God put the project into his heart (divine initiative behind restoration).
- Ezra 7:27 (verbal): Uses the same idiom of God 'putting into the king’s heart' (or 'put such a thing into the king’s heart'), closely mirroring Nehemiah’s language about what God put in his heart to do for Jerusalem (shared verbal motif of divine prompting).
- Isaiah 44:28 (cf. 45:13) (thematic): Isaiah speaks of God directing Cyrus to rebuild Jerusalem; thematically parallels Nehemiah’s report that God moved him to act for Jerusalem’s restoration (divine commissioning of a leader to rebuild).
- Nehemiah 4:19-20 (structural): Describes working and keeping watch at night with a small band and readiness for attack — parallels Nehemiah 2:12’s nighttime movements, the presence of only a few men, and precautions while beginning the restoration.
Alternative generated candidates
- I rose up by night, I and a few men with me; I did not tell any man what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem, and there was no beast with me except the beast that I rode on.
- And I rose up at night, I and a few men with me; I did not tell anyone what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem, and there was no beast with me but the beast on which I rode.
Neh.2.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואצאה: VERB,qal,impf,1,c,sg
- בשער: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הגיא: NOUN,m,sg,def
- לילה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ואל: CONJ+PREP
- פני: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- עין: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- התנין: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ואל: CONJ+PREP
- שער: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- האשפת: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ואהי: VERB,qal,impf,1,ms,sg
- שבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בחומת: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,cons
- ירושלם: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- הם: PRON,personal,3,m,pl
- פרוצים: ADJ,m,pl
- ושעריה: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אכלו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- באש: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Nehemiah 1:3 (verbal): Same language and concern: reports that the remnant in Jerusalem are in trouble and 'the wall of Jerusalem is broken down,' providing the background reason for Nehemiah's inspection and later rebuilding.
- Jeremiah 52:13-14 (verbal): Describes the city's destruction at the Babylonian conquest — walls broken down and the gates burned with fire — closely echoing Neh 2:13's wording about broken walls and gates consumed by fire.
- 2 Kings 25:9 (thematic): Narrates the burning and destruction of Jerusalem's houses and the temple by the Babylonian army, thematically paralleling Nehemiah's observation of ruined, fire‑damaged gates and walls.
- Nehemiah 3 (esp. vv. 1ff.) (structural): Chapter-long catalogue of repairing the gates and sections of the wall; serves as the direct structural counterpart to Neh 2:13's report of ruined gates/walls and the subsequent rebuilding program.
- Psalm 74:3-7 (thematic): Poetic lament over the destruction and profaning of God's sanctuary and the city by hostile enemies, thematically echoing the devastation and loss described in Neh 2:13.
Alternative generated candidates
- I went out by the Valley Gate at night toward the Dragon's Well and the Dung Gate, and I inspected the breaches in the wall of Jerusalem and its gates, which were burned with fire.
- And I went out by the Valley Gate at night, toward the Dragon's Well and the Dung Gate, and I inspected the wall of Jerusalem that was broken down and its gates that had been consumed by fire.
Neh.2.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואעבר: VERB,qal,perf,1,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- שער: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- העין: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ואל: CONJ+PREP
- ברכת: NOUN,f,sg,const
- המלך: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ואין: CONJ+PART,exist
- מקום: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לבהמה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לעבר: INF,qal
- תחתי: PREP+PRON,1,c,sg
Parallels
- Nehemiah 2:13 (structural): Immediate context — the same survey sequence: earlier inspection of the Valley Gate and Refuse Gate that introduces the circuit of ruined gates and walls.
- Nehemiah 2:15 (structural): Direct continuation — describes the subsequent night inspection of the valley and the broken wall, part of the same reconnaissance of gates and passages.
- Nehemiah 3:15 (verbal): Mentions the King's Pool (Siloam) by the king's garden — the same water feature referenced in 2:14, linking the survey to later repair efforts.
- 2 Chronicles 32:2-4 (thematic): Hezekiah's defensive measures: strengthening the city and stopping up external springs — parallels the concern with gates, pools, and securing water supplies in Jerusalem.
- Isaiah 22:9-11 (allusion): Speaks of counting houses, towers, and making a reservoir between walls for the old pool — thematically echoes references to the pool/fountain and urban fortification in Nehemiah's survey.
Alternative generated candidates
- I passed on to the Fountain Gate and to the King's Pool, and there was no place for the animal I rode to pass beneath me.
- And I went on to the Gate of the Fountain and to the King's Pool, and there was no place for the animal to pass beneath me.
Neh.2.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואהי: VERB,qal,impf,1,ms,sg
- עלה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- בנחל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,const
- לילה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ואהי: VERB,qal,impf,1,ms,sg
- שבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בחומה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ואשוב: VERB,qal,imperf,1,sg
- ואבוא: VERB,qal,imprf,1,_,sg
- בשער: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הגיא: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ואשוב: VERB,qal,imperf,1,sg
Parallels
- Nehemiah 2:11-16 (structural): Immediate context — the same episode describing Nehemiah’s secret nocturnal inspection of Jerusalem’s broken walls and his route by the valley gate (verse 15 is part of this passage).
- Joshua 2:1 (thematic): Rahab shelters spies who come secretly to reconnoiter Jericho’s walls — a parallel motif of clandestine night reconnaissance of a city’s fortifications.
- Isaiah 62:6-7 (allusion): God’s commissioning of watchmen on Jerusalem’s walls who must keep vigil until restoration echoes the concern for watching and repairing the city’s walls and gates.
- Nehemiah 4:9 (thematic): During the rebuilding the people set guards 'day and night' and remained vigilant against enemies — connects to Nehemiah’s own night survey and the theme of protective vigilance around the walls.
- Nehemiah 3:13 (verbal): This chapter lists repairs of specific gates including the 'valley gate' — a direct verbal/structural parallel to Nehemiah’s reference to entering by the gate of the valley in 2:15.
Alternative generated candidates
- So I went up by night by the ravine and inspected the wall; then I turned back and entered again by the Valley Gate and returned.
- So I climbed up by the ravine at night and inspected the wall; then I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and I returned.
Neh.2.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והסגנים: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,def
- לא: PART_NEG
- ידעו: VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
- אנה: ADV,interrog
- הלכתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,c,sg
- ומה: CONJ+PRON,int
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- וליהודים: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ולכהנים: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ולחרים: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ולסגנים: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- וליתר: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- המלאכה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- עד: PREP
- כן: ADV
- לא: PART_NEG
- הגדתי: VERB,hif,perf,1,_,sg
Parallels
- Nehemiah 2:11-12 (verbal): Immediate context: Nehemiah states he went to Jerusalem 'by night' and inspected the walls secretly before telling the Jews and officials—same episode and closely parallel wording about secrecy and initial reconnaissance.
- Nehemiah 2:17 (structural): Direct continuation: after keeping the plan, Nehemiah reveals the situation to the Jews and calls them to rebuild—contrasts the prior secrecy with the moment he discloses his intent and summons the workforce.
- Nehemiah 4:6 (thematic): Describes that 'the people had a mind to work' and that workers were organized—connects to 2:16's listing of priests, nobles, and officials 'who were to do the work,' emphasizing organization and communal labor for rebuilding.
- Nehemiah 6:15 (thematic): Reports the wall's completion in fifty-two days despite opposition—serves as outcome parallel showing the effectiveness of Nehemiah's cautious planning and the mobilized workforce mentioned in 2:16.
- Mark 8:30 (thematic): Jesus' command to the disciples to tell no one about his identity (and their holding the matter to themselves) parallels the motif of withholding information until the proper time—a broader biblical pattern of strategic secrecy before a public disclosure.
Alternative generated candidates
- The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing; for as yet I had not told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, or the rest who would do the work.
- The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing; and to the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, and the rest who did the work I had not revealed it, for up to that time I had said nothing to anyone.
Neh.2.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואומר: VERB,qal,impf,1,m,sg
- אלהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- אתם: PRON,2,m,pl
- ראים: VERB,qal,part,?,m,pl
- הרעה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- אנחנו: PRON,1,pl
- בה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- אשר: PRON,rel
- ירושלם: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- חרבה: ADJ,f,sg,abs
- ושעריה: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- נצתו: VERB,nip,perf,3,m,pl
- באש: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לכו: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,pl
- ונבנה: VERB,qal,impf,1,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- חומת: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- ירושלם: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ולא: CONJ
- נהיה: VERB,niphal,impf,1,pl
- עוד: ADV
- חרפה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Neh.1.3 (verbal): Same report earlier in the book: the remnant in Jerusalem are in distress, the wall is broken down and the gates are burned — Nehemiah repeats this language when calling for rebuilding.
- Isa.61.4 (thematic): Promise of rebuilding ruined places and raising up former devastations — parallels Nehemiah’s call to rebuild Jerusalem’s wall to remove reproach and restore the city.
- Lam.2.9 (thematic): Lament over Jerusalem’s ruined gates and broken bars; both passages portray the city’s desolation and loss of security prompting a response.
- Ps.74.3-8 (thematic): Communal lament describing enemies’ destruction and burning of sacred places and attacks on walls — thematically akin to Nehemiah’s depiction of devastation and shame.
- Hag.1.2-4 (thematic): Prophetic rebuke urging the people to consider the ruined house and to rebuild; echoes Nehemiah’s exhortation to act and restore what is desolate.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then I said to them, "You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies desolate, and its gates have been consumed by fire. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach."
- Then I said to them, “You see the distress we are in, that Jerusalem lies in ruins and its gates are burned with fire; come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach.”
Neh.2.18 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואגיד: VERB,qal,impf,1,NA,sg
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- יד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אלהי: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- אשר: PRON,rel
- היא: PRON,dem,3,f,sg
- טובה: ADJ,f,sg,abs
- עלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- ואף: CONJ+ADV
- דברי: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,1,c,sg
- המלך: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- ויאמרו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,pl
- נקום: VERB,qal,imperfect,1,c,pl
- ובנינו: VERB,qal,imperfect,1,c,pl
- ויחזקו: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,pl
- ידיהם: NOUN,f,pl,abs+3,m,pl
- לטובה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Nehemiah 2:17 (structural): Immediate context; Nehemiah’s appeal to the people to rebuild the wall and his description of Jerusalem’s shame precedes the response recorded in 2:18.
- Nehemiah 4:6 (verbal): Echoes the idea of the people’s renewed strength and resolve in building (the people’s hearts/minds were set to work; the wall was joined together).
- Ezra 1:1-4 (thematic): Like Nehemiah’s report of the king’s favor enabling the project, Cyrus’s decree and royal support in Ezra prompt the return and rebuilding of the house of God.
- Ezra 3:11 (thematic): Describes the builders’ joyful response and praise to God when the foundation was laid, paralleling the positive communal reaction and encouragement to build in Neh 2:18.
- Haggai 1:14 (allusion): Attributes the initiative to rebuild to the Lord’s action in stirring leaders (Zerubbabel) and people’s spirits—paralleling Nehemiah’s claim of the ‘hand of my God’ being good upon him and spurring the work.
Alternative generated candidates
- I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me, and of the king's words that he had spoken to me. And they said, "Let us rise up and build." So they strengthened their hands for the good work.
- And I told them of the hand of my God that had been good upon me, and of the king's words that he had spoken to me. They said, “Let us rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work.
Neh.2.19 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וישמע: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- סנבלט: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- החרני: ADJ,m,sg,def
- וטביה: NOUN,prop,sg,m
- העבד: NOUN,m,sg,def
- העמוני: NOUN,m,sg,def
- וגשם: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הערבי: NOUN,m,sg,def
- וילעגו: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,pl
- לנו: PREP+PRON,1,pl
- ויבזו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- עלינו: PREP+PRON,1,pl
- ויאמרו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,pl
- מה: PRON,int
- הדבר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- אשר: PRON,rel
- אתם: PRON,2,m,pl
- עשים: VERB,qal,inf
- העל: NOUN,m,sg,def
- המלך: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אתם: PRON,2,m,pl
- מרדים: VERB,qal,pres,2,m,pl
Parallels
- Nehemiah 4:1-3 (verbal): Same opponents (Sanballat, Tobiah) openly mock and despise the builders, scoffing at the work and insulting the people — a direct continuation of hostile taunts against the rebuilding.
- Ezra 4:4-5 (thematic): Local adversaries protest and ridicule the builders and seek to frustrate the work; shows the recurring pattern of ridicule and opposition to Jerusalem's restoration in the postexilic period.
- Isaiah 36:4-5 (thematic): Rabshakeh taunts Jerusalem and accuses Hezekiah of misplaced trust, using mockery and political intimidation — a parallel example of enemies’ scorn and charges of disloyalty toward a ruler.
- Psalm 2:1-2 (thematic): The nations and their rulers rage and plot against God’s anointed, echoing the hostile mockery and political opposition faced by God’s people when asserting a divinely sanctioned project.
Alternative generated candidates
- When Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite servant, and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they mocked us and despised us, and said, "What is this thing you are doing? Will you rebel against the king?"
- But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite servant, and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they mocked us and despised us, and said, “What is this thing you are doing? Will you rebel against the king?”
Neh.2.20 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואשיב: VERB,qal,impf,1,sg
- אותם: PRON,3,m,pl,obj
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ואומר: VERB,qal,impf,1,m,sg
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- אלהי: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- השמים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- יצליח: VERB,qal,imf,3,m,sg
- לנו: PREP+PRON,1,pl
- ואנחנו: CONJ+PRON,1,pl
- עבדיו: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3ms
- נקום: VERB,qal,impf,1,_,pl
- ובנינו: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,1,_,pl
- ולכם: CONJ+PREP+PRON,2,m,pl
- אין: PART,neg
- חלק: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- וצדקה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וזכרון: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בירושלם: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Nehemiah 4:14 (thematic): Nehemiah exhorts the people not to fear and reminds them that God will protect and enable their work—same assurance that God will prosper their building efforts.
- Nehemiah 6:16 (structural): Reports the completion of the wall and notes that enemies recognized the work as done with the help of God—directly echoes the claim that God gave success to the builders.
- Haggai 2:4-5 (thematic): Prophetic encouragement to Zerubbabel and the people to be strong because the LORD is with them—parallels the confidence that God will prosper the rebuilding.
- Psalm 127:1 (thematic): Affirms that unless the LORD builds the house, builders labor in vain—shares the theme that success in building depends on God's favor.
- Ezra 6:14-15 (structural): Narrates the finishing of the temple under Cyrus/Darius—parallel account of postexilic building completed with official sanction and divine purpose, related to the claim that the returned servants will build.
Alternative generated candidates
- And I answered them, "The God of heaven will prosper us; therefore we, his servants, will arise and build. But you have no portion, right, or memorial in Jerusalem."
- Then I answered them and said, “The God of heaven will give us success; and we his servants will arise and build. But you have no portion, right, or memorial in Jerusalem.”
And I came to Jerusalem, and I was there three days.
I rose up at night—myself and a few men with me—and I told no one what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem; there was no beast with me except the beast on which I rode.
I went out by the Valley Gate at night, toward the Dragon's Well and the Dung Gate, and I inspected the breach in the wall of Jerusalem, which had been broken down, and its gates burned with fire.
I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King's Pool, but there was no place for the beast that carried me to pass. So I went up by the ravine at night and viewed the wall, then I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate and returned.
The officials did not know where I had gone or what I had done; and to the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, and the rest who did the work I had not told—until then. And I said to them, 'You see the distress we are in: Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach.'
I told them of the good hand of my God upon me and of the king's words that he had spoken to me, and they said, 'Let us rise up and build.' So they strengthened their hands for the good work. But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite and Geshem the Arab heard it, they mocked us and despised us, and said, 'What is this thing you are doing? Will you rebel against the king?'
Then I answered them and said, 'The God of heaven will prosper us; and we his servants will rise up and build. But you have no portion, right, or memorial in Jerusalem.'