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.
Parallel translations
- WEB Our adversaries said, “They will not know or see, until we come in among them and kill 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 gather themselves together, they hide themselves, they mark my steps, when they wait for my soul.
- Acts 23:12And when it was day, certain of the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul.
- Isa 47:11Therefore shall evil come upon thee; thou shalt not know from whence it riseth: and mischief shall fall upon thee; thou shalt not be able to put it off: and desolation shall come upon thee suddenly, which thou shalt not know.
- 1 Th 5:2For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
- Acts 23:21But do not thou yield unto them: for there lie in wait for him of them more than forty men, which have bound themselves with an oath, that they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him: and now are they ready, looking for a promise from thee.
- 2 Sam 17:2And I will come upon him while he is weary and weak handed, and will make him afraid: and all the people that are with him shall flee; and I will smite the king only:
- Judg 20:29–48And Israel set liers in wait round about 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.