Nehemiah 6:16 (ASV)

Passage

And it came to pass, when all our enemies heard [thereof], that all the nations that were about us feared, and were much cast down in their own eyes; for they perceived that this work was wrought of our God.

Nearby Context

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.

Nehemiah 6:15 So the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth [day] of [the month] Elul, in fifty and two days.

Nehemiah 6:16 And it came to pass, when all our enemies heard [thereof], that all the nations that were about us feared, and were much cast down in their own eyes; for they perceived that this work was wrought of our God.

Nehemiah 6:17 Moreover in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters unto Tobiah, and [the letters] of Tobiah came unto them.

Nehemiah 6:18 For there were many in Judah sworn unto him, because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah the son of Arah; and his son Jehohanan had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah to wife.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "came", "pass", "enemies", "heard", "thereof", "nations", "feared", and "much". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "came" and "pass", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "So the wall was finished in the..." into verse 17's "Moreover in those days the nobles of...", so "came" and "pass" 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 "came" and "pass" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.