Nehemiah 6:16 (DRB)

Passage

And it came to pass when all our enemies heard of it, that all nations which were round about us, were afraid, and were cast down within themselves, for they perceived that this work was the work of God.

Nearby Context

Nehemiah 6:14 Remember me, O Lord, for Tobias and Sanaballat, according to their works of this kind: and Noadias the prophet, and the rest of the prophets that would have put me in fear.

Nehemiah 6:15 But the wall was finished the five and twentieth day of the month of Elul, in two and fifty days.

Nehemiah 6:16 And it came to pass when all our enemies heard of it, that all nations which were round about us, were afraid, and were cast down within themselves, for they perceived that this work was the work of God.

Nehemiah 6:17 Moreover in those days many letters were sent by the principal men of the Jews to Tobias, and from Tobias there came letters to them.

Nehemiah 6:18 For there were many in Judea sworn to him, because he was the son in law of Sechenias the son of Area, and Johanan his son had taken to wife the daughter of Mosollam the son of Barachias.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "came", "pass", "enemies", "heard", "nations", "round", "afraid", and "cast". 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 nearby context moves from verse 15's "But the wall was finished the five..." into verse 17's "Moreover in those days many letters were...", so "came" and "pass" 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 "came" and "pass" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.