Nehemiah 6:13 (YLT)

Passage

so that he <FI>is<Fi> an hireling, that I may fear and do so, and I had sinned, and it had been to them for an evil name that they may reproach me.

Nearby Context

Nehemiah 6:11 And I say, `A man such as I--doth he flee? and who as I, that doth go in unto the temple, and live? --I do not go in.'

Nehemiah 6:12 And I discern, and lo, God hath not sent him, for in the prophecy he hath spoken unto me both Tobiah and Sanballat hired him,

Nehemiah 6:13 so that he <FI>is<Fi> an hireling, that I may fear and do so, and I had sinned, and it had been to them for an evil name that they may reproach me.

Nehemiah 6:14 Be mindful, O my God, of Tobiah, and of Sanballat, according to these his works, and also, of Noadiah the prophetess, and of the rest of the prophets who have been making me afraid.

Nehemiah 6:15 And the wall is completed in the twenty and fifth of Elul, on the fifty and second day;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "hireling", "fear", "sinned", "been", "evil", "name", and "reproach". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "hireling" and "fear", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "And I discern and lo God hath..." into verse 14's "Be mindful O my God of Tobiah...", so "hireling" and "fear" 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 "hireling" and "fear" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.