Nehemiah 4:11 (DRB)

Passage

And our enemies said: Let them not know, nor understand, till we come in the midst of them, and kill them, and cause the work to cease.

Nearby Context

Nehemiah 4:9 And we prayed to our God, and set watchmen upon the wall day and night against them.

Nehemiah 4:10 And Juda said: The strength of the bearer of burdens is decayed, and the rubbish is very much, and we shall not be able to build the wall.

Nehemiah 4:11 And our enemies said: Let them not know, nor understand, till we come in the midst of them, and kill them, and cause the work to cease.

Nehemiah 4:12 And it came to pass, that when the Jews that dwelt by them came and told us ten times, out of all the places from whence they came to us,

Nehemiah 4:13 I set the people in the place behind the wall round about in order, with their swords, and spears, and bows.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "enemies", "said", "understand", "till", "come", "midst", "kill", and "cause". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "enemies" and "said", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 10's "And Juda said The strength of the..." into verse 12's "And it came to pass that when...", so "enemies" and "said" 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 "enemies" and "said" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.