Nehemiah

Nehemiah 4:1–2

1Now when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he was furious and filled with indignation. He ridiculed the Jews 2before his associates and the army of Samaria, saying, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Can they restore the wall by themselves?a Will they offer sacrifices? Will they complete it in a day? Can they bring these burnt stones back to life from the mounds of rubble?”

Footnotes

  • a 4:2 Or Will they commit themselves to God?

Read all of Nehemiah 4

Word by word

Each English word or phrase beside the Hebrew it translates, in the order of the English. Choose a number to open that word’s study.

Nehemiah 4:1

EnglishHebrewSounds likeGrammarWord study
Nowוַיְהִ֞יyə·hîConjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singularH1961 fall out, come to pass, become, be
whenכַּאֲשֶׁ֧רka·’ă·šerPreposition-k; Pronoun - relativeH834 particle of relation
Sanballatסַנְבַלַּ֗טsan·ḇal·laṭNoun - proper - masculine singularH5571 Sanballat
heardשָׁמַ֣עšā·ma‘Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singularH8085 hear
thatכִּֽי־kî-ConjunctionH3588 burning, branding
weאֲנַ֤חְנוּ’ă·naḥ·nūPronoun - first person common pluralH587 we
were rebuildingבוֹנִים֙ḇō·w·nîmVerb - Qal - Participle - masculine pluralH1129 build
the wallהַ֣חוֹמָ֔הha·ḥō·w·māhArticle; Noun - feminine singularH2346 wall
he was furiousוַיִּ֣חַרway·yi·ḥarConjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singularH2734 burn, be kindled
and filled with indignationוַיִּכְעַ֖סway·yiḵ·‘asConjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singularH3707 be vexed, angry
He ridiculedוַיַּלְעֵ֖גway·yal·‘êḡConjunctive waw; Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singularH3932 mock, deride
the Jewsהַיְּהוּדִֽים׃hay·yə·hū·ḏîmArticle; Noun - proper - masculine pluralH3064 Jewish

Nehemiah 4:2

EnglishHebrewSounds likeGrammarWord study
beforeלִפְנֵ֣יlip̄·nêPreposition-l; Noun - common plural constructH6440 face, before
his associatesאֶחָ֗יו’e·ḥāwNoun - masculine plural construct; third person masculine singularH251 brother
and the armyוְחֵיל֙wə·ḥêlConjunctive waw; Noun - masculine singular constructH2428 strength, efficiency, wealth, army
of Samariaשֹֽׁמְר֔וֹןšō·mə·rō·wnNoun - proper - feminine singularH8111 Shomeron
sayingוַיֹּ֣אמֶר׀way·yō·merConjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singularH559 utter, say
Whatמָ֛הmāhInterrogativeH4100 what? how? aught
are these feebleהָאֲמֵלָלִ֖יםhā·’ă·mê·lā·lîmArticle; Adjective - masculine pluralH537 id.
Jewsהַיְּהוּדִ֥יםhay·yə·hū·ḏîmArticle; Noun - proper - masculine pluralH3064 Jewish
doingעֹשִׂ֑ים‘ō·śîmVerb - Qal - Participle - masculine pluralH6213 do, make
Can they restoreהֲיַעַזְב֨וּhă·ya·‘az·ḇūVerb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine pluralH5800 leave, forsake, loose
by themselvesלָהֶ֤םlā·hemPreposition-l; Pronoun - third person masculine plural
Will they offer sacrificesהֲיִזְבָּ֙חוּ֙hă·yiz·bā·ḥūVerb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine pluralH2076 slaughter for sacrifice
Will they complete itהַיְכַלּ֣וּhay·ḵal·lūVerb - Piel - Imperfect - third person masculine pluralH3615 be complete, at an end, finished, accomplished, spent
in a dayבַיּ֔וֹםḇay·yō·wmPreposition-b, Article; Noun - masculine singularH3117 day
theseוְהֵ֥מָּהwə·hêm·māhConjunctive waw; Pronoun - third person masculine pluralH1992 they, them
burntשְׂרוּפֽוֹת׃śə·rū·p̄ō·wṯVerb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - feminine pluralH8313 burn
stonesהָאֲבָנִ֛יםhā·’ă·ḇā·nîmArticle; Noun - feminine pluralH68 stone
back to lifeהַיְחַיּ֧וּhay·ḥay·yūVerb - Piel - Imperfect - third person masculine pluralH2421 live
from the moundsמֵעֲרֵמ֥וֹתmê·‘ă·rê·mō·wṯPreposition-m; Noun - feminine plural constructH6194 heap, sheaf
of rubbleהֶעָפָ֖רhe·‘ā·p̄ārArticle; Noun - masculine singularH6083 dry earth, dust

Cross-references

Other passages that speak to the same thing. Point at one to read it.

Nehemiah 4:1 Nehemiah 2:10 · Hebrews 11:36 · Psalm 35:15–16 · Acts 5:17 · Nehemiah 2:19 · Matthew 27:29

Nehemiah 4:2 1 Corinthians 1:27 · Ezra 4:9–10 · 1 Samuel 17:43–44 · Zechariah 12:8 · Nehemiah 4:10 · Ezekiel 37:3–13

Cross-references from OpenBible.info, used under CC BY 4.0. The best-supported references for each verse are shown.

Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible.