Nehemiah 4:11

What does Nehemiah 4:11 mean?

A plain-English look at Nehemiah 4:11 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.

What Nehemiah 4:11 means

The adversaries plan a stealth attack, hoping to slip in unnoticed, kill, and stop the work. Their goal is total disruption through terror. This heightens the danger beyond mockery and even open battle; secrecy preys on vulnerability and distance between workers. The threat illuminates why Nehemiah’s watchfulness is essential. Evil seeks opportunities where vigilance lapses. The enemies confess by their plot that success hinges on surprising the builders. But as the story will show, God exposes their counsel. Instead of paralyzing the people, the plot leads to better organization and greater dependence on the Lord.

Parallel translations

WEB

World English Bible · 2000

And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come into the midst of them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease.

KJV

King James Version · 1611

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.

ASV

American Standard Version · 1901

And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come into the midst of them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease.

BBE

Bible in Basic English · 1949

And those who were against us said, Without their knowledge and without their seeing us, we will come among them and put them to death, causing the work to come to a stop.

YLT

Young's Literal Translation · 1862

And our adversaries say, `They do not know, nor see, till that we come in to their midst, and have slain them, and caused the work to cease.'

DRA

Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752

And our enemies said: Let them not know, nor understand, till we come in the midst of them, and kill them, and cause the work to cease.

DBY

Darby Bible · 1890

And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come into the midst of them and kill them, and put an end to the work.

Context

Following the discouragement of verse 10, verse 11 records the enemies’ plan for a covert assault, aiming to amplify fear. Verse 12 will show how widespread and repeated the warnings become. These accumulating reports drive Nehemiah to adjust tactics in verse 13, stationing families with weapons at vulnerable spots. The flow moves from rumor of attack to concrete defensive placement, punctuated by a powerful exhortation in verse 14 that reorients the people to God and to their loved ones.

v.10And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall.

v.11This passage

v.12And it came to pass that, when the Jews that dwelt by them came, they said unto us ten times from all places, Ye must return unto us.

Cross references

Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

Psalms 56:6
They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, They mark my steps, Even as they have waited for my soul.
1 Thessalonians 5:2
For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
Acts 23:21
Do not thou therefore yield unto them: for there lie in wait for him of them more than forty men, who have bound themselves under a curse, neither to eat nor to drink till they have slain him: and now are they ready, looking for the promise from thee.
Acts 23:12
And when it was day, the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul.
Judges 20:29
And Israel set liers-in-wait against Gibeah round about.
2 Samuel 17:2
and 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;

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