Our adversaries said, “They will not know or see, until we come in among them and kill them, and cause the work to cease.”
Parallel translations
- KJV And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come in the midst among them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease.
- BSB And our enemies said, “Before they know or see a thing, we will come into their midst, kill them, and put an end to the work.”
- NKJV And our adversaries said, “They will neither know nor see anything, till we come into their midst and kill them and cause the work to cease.”
- NASB And our enemies said, “They will not know or see until we come among them, kill them, and put a stop to the work.”
- NLT Meanwhile, our enemies were saying, “Before they know what’s happening, we will swoop down on them and kill them and end their work.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The enemies plan a stealth attack to kill the builders and halt the work. Their boast reveals a deadly, calculated hostility.
Overview
The adversaries scheme to strike unseen, hoping surprise will paralyze the rebuilding. Their words expose the murderous intent behind the conspiracy. The verse heightens the tension and underscores that the survival of God's covenant community in Jerusalem rested ultimately on the Lord's protection rather than human vigilance alone.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Ps 56:6They conspire and lurk, watching my steps, they are eager to take my life.
- Acts 23:12When it was day, some of the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul.
- Isa 47:11Therefore disaster will come on you. You won’t know when it dawns. Mischief will fall on you. You won’t be able to put it away. Desolation will come on you suddenly, which you don’t understand.
- 1 Th 5:2For you yourselves know well that the day of the Lord comes like a thief in the night.
- Acts 23:21Therefore don’t yield to them, for more than forty men lie in wait for him, who have bound themselves under a curse neither to eat nor to drink until they have killed him. Now they are ready, looking for the promise from you.”
- 2 Sam 17:2I will come on him while he is weary and exhausted, and will make him afraid. All the people who are with him will flee. I will strike the king only,
- Judg 20:29–48Israel set ambushes all around Gibeah.
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Christ at the center
The rebuilt walls and renewed covenant community foreshadow the greater builder who gathers and secures a people for God, the one who declares 'I will build my church.'
How Nehemiah 4:11 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.