Yet they sent unto me four times after this sort; and I answered them after the same manner.
Parallel translations
- WEB They sent to me four times like this; and I answered them the same way.
- BSB Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave the same reply.
- NKJV But they sent me this message four times, and I answered them in the same manner.
- NASB Then they sent messages to me four times worded in this way, and I answered them with the same wording.
- NLT Four times they sent the same message, and each time I gave the same reply.
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
Four times they send the same invitation, and four times Nehemiah gives the same answer. He stands firm under persistent pressure.
Overview
The enemies' repeated approaches test Nehemiah's resolve, but he refuses to waver. His consistent reply shows that faithfulness often requires steady, unflinching refusal to compromise. Persistence in temptation calls for persistence in resistance, a steadfastness Scripture commends to all who would finish the work God assigns.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Luke 18:5Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.
- Judg 16:6And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee.
- Judg 16:10And Delilah said unto Samson, Behold, thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: now tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be bound.
- Gal 2:5To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.
- Judg 16:15–20And she said unto him, How canst thou say, I love thee, when thine heart is not with me? thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast not told me wherein thy great strength lieth.
- Prov 7:21With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him.
- 1 Cor 15:58Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
- Prov 14:15The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 6:4 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.