Then I sent unto him, saying, There are no such things done as thou sayest, but thou feignest them out of thine own heart.
Parallel translations
- WEB Then I sent to him, saying, “There are no such things done as you say, but you imagine them out of your own heart.”
- BSB Then I sent him this reply: “There is nothing to these rumors you are spreading; you are inventing them in your own mind.”
- NKJV Then I sent to him, saying, “No such things as you say are being done, but you invent them in your own heart.”
- NASB Then I sent a message to him saying, “Nothing like these things that you are saying has been done, but you are inventing them in your own mind.”
- NLT I replied, “There is no truth in any part of your story. You are making up the whole thing.”
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
Nehemiah flatly denies the charges, telling Sanballat he has invented them in his own mind. He answers slander with plain, calm truth.
Overview
Nehemiah refuses to be drawn into fear or negotiation, simply exposing the accusations as fabrications. His direct, composed denial neither overreacts nor concedes ground. This steadfast honesty before false accusation models how God's people may stand firm, entrusting their reputation to the Lord who knows the truth (1 Peter 2:23).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Ps 52:2Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.
- Job 13:4But ye are forgers of lies, ye are all physicians of no value.
- John 8:44Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
- Acts 25:7And when he was come, the Jews which came down from Jerusalem stood round about, and laid many and grievous complaints against Paul, which they could not prove.
- Matt 12:34O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
- Ps 36:3The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit: he hath left off to be wise, and to do good.
- Acts 25:10Then said Paul, I stand at Caesar’s judgment seat, where I ought to be judged: to the Jews have I done no wrong, as thou very well knowest.
- Acts 24:12–13And they neither found me in the temple disputing with any man, neither raising up the people, neither in the synagogues, nor in the city:
- Isa 59:4None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.
- Dan 11:27And both these kings’ hearts shall be to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall not prosper: for yet the end shall be at the time appointed.
- Ps 38:12They also that seek after my life lay snares for me: and they that seek my hurt speak mischievous things, and imagine deceits all the day long.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 6:8 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.