Nehemiah 6:13 (DBY)

Passage

Therefore was he hired, that I should be afraid, and do so, and sin, and that they might have wherewith to spread an evil report, that they might reproach me.

Nearby Context

Nehemiah 6:11 And I said, Should such a man as I flee? and who is there, that, being as I am, could go into the temple, and live? I will not go in.

Nehemiah 6:12 And I perceived, and behold, God had not sent him; for he pronounced this prophecy against me; and Tobijah and Sanballat had hired him.

Nehemiah 6:13 Therefore was he hired, that I should be afraid, and do so, and sin, and that they might have wherewith to spread an evil report, that they might reproach me.

Nehemiah 6:14 My God, remember Tobijah and Sanballat according to these their works, and also the prophetess Noadiah, and the rest of the prophets who would have put me in fear.

Nehemiah 6:15 So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "therefore", "hired", "should", "afraid", "might", "wherewith", "spread", and "evil". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "therefore" and "hired", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "And I perceived and behold God had..." into verse 14's "My God remember Tobijah and Sanballat according...", so "therefore" and "hired" 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 "therefore" and "hired" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.