Nehemiah 6:12 (ASV)

Passage

And I discerned, and, lo, God had not sent him; but he pronounced this prophecy against me: and Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.

Nearby Context

Nehemiah 6:10 And I went unto the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabel, who was shut up; and he said, Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple: for they will come to slay thee; yea, in the night will they come to slay thee.

Nehemiah 6:11 And I said, Should such a man as I flee? and who is there, that, being such as I, would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in.

Nehemiah 6:12 And I discerned, and, lo, God had not sent him; but he pronounced this prophecy against me: and Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.

Nehemiah 6:13 For this cause was he hired, that I should be afraid, and do so, and sin, and that they might have matter for an evil report, that they might reproach me.

Nehemiah 6:14 Remember, O my God, Tobiah and Sanballat according to these their works, and also the prophetess Noadiah, and the rest of the prophets, that would have put me in fear.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "discerned", "sent", "pronounced", "prophecy", "against", "tobiah", "sanballat", and "hired". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "discerned" and "sent", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "And I said Should such a man..." into verse 13's "For this cause was he hired that...", so "discerned" and "sent" belong inside that flow. In Nehemiah context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "discerned" and "sent" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.