Nehemiah 6:13 (WEB)

Passage

He hired so that I would be afraid, do so, and sin, and that they might have material for an evil report, that they might reproach me.

Nearby Context

Nehemiah 6:11 I said, “Should a man like me flee? Who is there that, being such as I, would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in.”

Nehemiah 6:12 I discerned, and behold, God had not sent him; but he pronounced this prophecy against me. Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.

Nehemiah 6:13 He hired so that I would be afraid, do so, and sin, and that they might have material for an evil report, that they might reproach me.

Nehemiah 6:14 “Remember, my God, Tobiah and Sanballat according to these their works, and also the prophetess Noadiah, and the rest of the prophets, that would have put me in fear.”

Nehemiah 6:15 So the wall was finished in the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in fifty-two days.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "hired", "afraid", "might", "material", "evil", "report", and "reproach". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "hired" and "afraid", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "I discerned and behold God had not..." into verse 14's "Remember my God Tobiah and Sanballat according...", so "hired" and "afraid" 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 "hired" and "afraid" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.