Nehemiah 6:5 (DBY)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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.

Nehemiah 6:7 And thou hast also appointed prophets to proclaim concerning thee at Jerusalem saying, There is a king in Judah! And now it will be reported to the king according to these words. Come now therefore, and let us take counsel together.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "sent", "sanballat", "servant", "manner", "fifth", "time", "open", and "letter". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "sent" and "sanballat", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "And they sent to me four times..." into verse 6's "in which was written It is reported...", so "sent" and "sanballat" 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 "sanballat" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.