Also in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and the letters of Tobiah came to them.
Parallel translations
- WEB Moreover in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah’s letters came to them.
- KJV Moreover in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters unto Tobiah, and the letters of Tobiah came unto them.
- BSB Also in those days, the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah’s letters came back to them.
- NASB Also in those days many letters went from the nobles of Judah to Tobiah, and Tobiah’s letters came to them.
- NLT During those fifty-two days, many letters went back and forth between Tobiah and the nobles of Judah.
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
Even after the wall is built, nobles of Judah keep up a steady correspondence with Tobiah. Compromised loyalties remain a lingering danger.
Overview
Despite Tobiah's hostility, influential men in Judah continued exchanging letters with him, revealing divided allegiances within the community. This internal compromise posed an ongoing threat to the reform Nehemiah sought. It illustrates how entangling alliances with the enemies of God's work can persist even after outward victories are won.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Neh 13:28One of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite; therefore I chased him from me.
- Neh 3:5Next to them, the Tekoites made repairs; but their nobles didn’t put their necks to the Lord’s work.
- Neh 5:7Then I consulted with myself, and contended with the nobles and the rulers, and said to them, “You exact usury, everyone of his brother.” I held a great assembly against them.
- Matt 24:10–12Then many will stumble, and will deliver up one another, and will hate one another.
- Mic 7:1–6Misery is mine! Indeed, I am like one who gathers the summer fruits, as gleanings of the vineyard: There is no cluster of grapes to eat. My soul desires to eat the early fig.
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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 6:17 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.