Nehemiah 6:4 (DBY)

Passage

And they sent to me four times after this sort; and I answered them in the same manner.

Nearby Context

Nehemiah 6:2 that Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, Come, let us meet together in the villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me mischief.

Nehemiah 6:3 And I sent messengers to them, saying, I am doing a great work, and I cannot come down. Why should the work cease, whilst I leave it and come down to you?

Nehemiah 6:4 And they sent to me four times after this sort; and I answered them in the same manner.

Nehemiah 6:5 Then sent Sanballat his servant to me in this manner the fifth time, with an open letter in his hand,

Nehemiah 6:6 in which was written: It is reported among the nations, and Gashmu says [it, that] thou and the Jews think to rebel, for which cause thou buildest the wall, and according to these words thou wilt become their king.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "sent", "four", "times", "after", "sort", "answered", "same", and "manner". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "sent" and "four", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "And I sent messengers to them saying..." into verse 5's "Then sent Sanballat his servant to me...", so "sent" and "four" 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 "sent" and "four" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.