Nehemiah 4:1 (DRB)

Passage

And it came to pass, that when Sanaballat heard that we were building the wall he was angry: and being moved exceedingly he scoffed at the Jews.

Nearby Context

Nehemiah 4:1 And it came to pass, that when Sanaballat heard that we were building the wall he was angry: and being moved exceedingly he scoffed at the Jews.

Nehemiah 4:2 And said before his brethren, and the multitude of the Samaritans: What are the silly Jews doing? Will the Gentiles let them alone? will they sacrifice and make an end in a day? are they able to raise stones out of the heaps of the rubbish, which are burnt?

Nehemiah 4:3 Tobias also the Ammonite who was by him said: Let them build: if a fox go up, he will leap over their stone wall.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "came", "pass", "sanaballat", "heard", "building", "wall", "angry", and "moved". 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 next verse adds "And said before his brethren and the...", so "came" and "pass" should be read forward into that movement. 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.