Introduction: The Final Battle over the Wall
Chapter 6 of Nechemya depicts a war without swords. The wall already stands, and the enemies now realize they lack the power to halt the work by force of arms. They therefore turn to a different tactic: libel, deceptive invitations, threatening letters, and even a hired false prophet. All that remains for them is to attempt to bring down Nechemya himself: either by assassinating him, causing him to sin, or ruining his reputation. And Nechemya, in his wisdom and fortitude of spirit, withstands all these trials.
Verse 1 - The Wall Stands, but the Doors Are Still Missing
וַיְהִי כַאֲשֶׁר נִשְׁמַע לְסַנְבַלַּט וְטוֹבִיָּה וּלְגֶשֶׁם הָעַרְבִי וּלְיֶתֶר אֹיְבֵינוּ כִּי בָנִיתִי אֶת־הַחוֹמָה וְלֹא־נוֹתַר בָּהּ פָּרֶץ, גַּם עַד־הָעֵת הַהִיא דְּלָתוֹת לֹא־הֶעֱמַדְתִּי בַשְּׁעָרִים׃ - Now it came to pass, when it was reported to Sanballat, Toviyah, Geshem the Arabian, and the rest of our enemies, that I had built the wall and that no breach was left in it, though up to that time I had not set up doors in the gates:
We have already encountered these men: Sanballat, Toviyah, Geshem the Arabian, and the rest of the enemies. It displeased them greatly that Nechemya and his men had rebuilt the wall, and it frustrated them deeply that their hands were now tied and they could no longer disrupt the work by force. Even so, a glimmer of hope remained that the matter was not yet settled: true, the wall was standing, but there were no doors yet. The gateways were open, allowing free entry. Upon this hope they based their next move: if the work cannot be stopped, we will try to stop the man.
Verses 2-4 - The Invitation to the Valley of Ono
וַיִּשְׁלַח סַנְבַלַּט וְגֶשֶׁם אֵלַי לֵאמֹר: לְכָה וְנִוָּעֲדָה יַחְדָּו בַּכְּפִירִים בְּבִקְעַת אוֹנוֹ, וְהֵמָּה חֹשְׁבִים לַעֲשׂוֹת לִי רָעָה׃ - Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying: 'Come, let us meet together in Kefirim in the valley of Ono.' But they were scheming to do me harm.
When they saw that they could not disrupt Nechemya's plans, since the wall was already established, they decided to assassinate him. "Kefirim" is the name of a place, and we find such a location named Kefirah in the portion of Binyamin, as recorded in the Book of Yehoshua. They invited him to a seemingly innocent summit in the Valley of Ono, but Nechemya testifies about himself: I know they are planning to do me harm; I know they are scheming to murder me there.
וָאֶשְׁלְחָה עֲלֵיהֶם מַלְאָכִים לֵאמֹר: מְלָאכָה גְדוֹלָה אֲנִי עֹשֶׂה וְלֹא אוּכַל לָרֶדֶת, לָמָּה תִשְׁבַּת הַמְּלָאכָה כַּאֲשֶׁר אַרְפֶּהָ וְיָרַדְתִּי אֲלֵיכֶם׃ - So I sent messengers to them, saying: 'I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?'
Nechemya's reply is couched in diplomatic courtesy: I apologize, but I have prior obligations; on account of the work, I am unable to come. If I abandon the work to come down to you, the project will grind to a halt - and why should it cease? Therefore, please excuse me, for this meeting cannot take place.
וַיִּשְׁלְחוּ אֵלַי כַּדָּבָר הַזֶּה אַרְבַּע פְּעָמִים, וָאָשִׁיב אוֹתָם כַּדָּבָר הַזֶּה׃ - And they sent to me in this manner four times, and I replied to them in the same manner.
Four times they repeated the same request: Come, let us meet in Kefirim in the Valley of Ono, we have matters to discuss with you. And four times Nechemya gave them the very same answer: I have a great work upon me, and I cannot abandon it.
Verses 5-7 - The Open Letter and the Slander
וַיִּשְׁלַח אֵלַי סַנְבַלַּט כַּדָּבָר הַזֶּה פַּעַם חֲמִישִׁית אֶת־נַעֲרוֹ, וְאִגֶּרֶת פְּתוּחָה בְּיָדוֹ׃ - Sanballat sent his servant to me in this same manner a fifth time, with an open letter in his hand.
The fifth time, Sanballat changes his tactics. He sends his attendant - meaning both a written letter and oral messages - conveying the message that a meeting is critically urgent. And to persuade him, he includes the contents of the letter:
כָּתוּב בָּהּ: בַּגּוֹיִם נִשְׁמָע וְגַשְׁמוּ אֹמֵר, אַתָּה וְהַיְּהוּדִים חֹשְׁבִים לִמְרוֹד, עַל־כֵּן אַתָּה בוֹנֶה הַחוֹמָה, וְאַתָּה הֹוֶה לָהֶם לְמֶלֶךְ כַּדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה׃ - In it was written: It is reported among the nations, and Gashmu says, that you and the Jews are plotting to rebel, which is why you are building the wall, and according to these reports, you are to become their king.
"It is reported among the nations" - rumors are circulating among the peoples, and Geshem the Arab confirms it: that you are building the wall in order to rebel against the king, and that you have a plan to make yourself king. Sanballat says to him: Even if we were to claim that the rumors among the nations are baseless nonsense, I see that you are erecting a wall, doors, and bars, and that in itself provides grounds to suspect there is truth to the rumor. It is readily apparent from your actions that you wish to establish a kingdom for yourself, no longer subordinate to Artaxerxes, refusing to take orders, but rather rising up in revolt.
וְגַם־נְבִיאִים הֶעֱמַדְתָּ לִקְרֹא עָלֶיךָ בִירוּשָׁלַ͏ִם לֵאמֹר: מֶלֶךְ בִּיהוּדָה, וְעַתָּה יִשָּׁמַע לַמֶּלֶךְ כַּדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה, וְעַתָּה לְכָה וְנִוָּעֲצָה יַחְדָּו׃ - And you have also appointed prophets to proclaim concerning you in Jerusalem, saying: There is a king in Judah! Now these matters will be reported to the king; so now, come, and let us take counsel together.
Here the fabrication reaches its peak. Not only that, Sanballat claims, but you even hired people to come and prophesy, preparing the ground among the people: standing in the marketplaces and streets, declaring they received a prophecy from Hashem that Nechemya is destined to be king. You hired Shemaiah - whom we will meet later - to publicize this about you. And if this reaches the king, you will be deemed a rebel, and the very construction of the wall will serve as evidence against you: If you are not rebelling, why build a wall? The wall was meant to fortify the rebellion, so that if the king of Babylon comes, he will not be able to do anything to you. Therefore, Sanballat says, we should meet and see how to avert this catastrophe. Ostensibly, a touching and sincere concern. Yet as we will see later, Sanballat and his associates were the very ones who hired Shemaiah to prophesy falsely in the Name of Hashem that Nechemya would be king, precisely so this plot would backfire against Nechemya: so they could claim, look, Nechemya hired a prophet to proclaim him king.
Verses 8-9 - Nechemya's Reply: You Are Fabricating Them from Your Own Heart
וָאֶשְׁלְחָה אֵלָיו לֵאמֹר: לֹא נִהְיָה כַּדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה אוֹמֵר, כִּי מִלִּבְּךָ אַתָּה בוֹדָאם׃ - Then I sent word to him, saying: Nothing of what you are saying has happened, for you are fabricating them entirely from your own heart.
A complete lie, Nechemya responds. Nothing of the sort ever occurred. I never hired anyone to say that I am to be king; it is all a figment of your own imagination.
כִּי כֻלָּם מְיָרְאִים אוֹתָנוּ לֵאמֹר: יִרְפּוּ יְדֵיהֶם מִן־הַמְּלָאכָה וְלֹא תֵעָשֶׂה, וְעַתָּה חַזֵּק אֶת־יָדָי׃ - For they were all trying to intimidate us, saying: Their hands will slacken from the work and it will not be done. And now, strengthen my hands!
Furthermore, Nechemya says: You invite me to consult on how to avert the fear that Artaxerxes, king of Persia, will come and take issue with me, pretending to be a close friend looking out for my welfare in times of trouble. Yet all of Judah's adversaries who harass us, including you, have been intimidating us until now so that our hands would slacken from the work and it would not be completed. You disrupted us, you tried to terrify us, you came with an army - to the point that we were forced to have half work on the construction while the other half held spears. And now suddenly you have turned from an enemy into a friend? "And now, strengthen my hands" - now suddenly you have come to strengthen my hands? Do you really think I will believe this?
This is how the Malbim explains it. And this was Sanballat's entire strategy: he was troubled that Nechemya had arrived, gathered the people, united them, and built them a wall. It suited him when the Jews were disunited, so he could enter at will, steal, plunder, harass, and distress them. And once we took a stand for our lives, he realized that the stumbling block was Nechemya himself - he was the one who united them, he was the one who built them a wall. And when you see an arm you cannot break, embrace it, and when he lets his guard down - break his arm. "Let us meet, I will help you, Artachshasta might become angry." But Nechemya does not buy it.
Rashi interprets differently: "And now strengthen my hands" is an exclamation mark, not a question mark. Sanballat is telling him: See how everyone around us burdens us and tries to interfere with us; therefore, do a favor and strengthen my hands, come and help us. In other words, words of appeasement, and such is also the opinion of the Ibn Ezra: he came to appease him, suggesting, come and help us instead of getting in the way.
Verses 10 - 11: Shemaya the False Prophet and His Counsel
וַאֲנִי־בָאתִי בֵּית שְׁמַעְיָה בֶן־דְּלָיָה בֶּן־מְהֵיטַבְאֵל וְהוּא עָצוּר, וַיֹּאמֶר: נִוָּעֵד אֶל־בֵּית הָאֱלֹהִים אֶל־תּוֹךְ הַהֵיכָל וְנִסְגְּרָה דַּלְתוֹת הַהֵיכָל, כִּי בָּאִים לְהָרְגֶךָ, וְלַיְלָה בָּאִים לְהָרְגֶךָ׃ - And I arrived at the house of Shemaya the son of Delayah the son of Meheitavel, and he was confined. And he said, "Let us meet at the House of God, inside the Sanctuary, and let us close the doors of the Sanctuary, for they are coming to kill you; indeed, by night they are coming to kill you."
Who was this Shemaya? He was a false prophet hired by Sanballat and his associates, so that it would look as though Nechemya had hired him to proclaim him king. Nechemya went to his house to investigate the prophecy: from where is Shemaya drawing these stories that I will be king in Yehudah? What are his sources? "And he was confined" - he was ill and shut up in his home, so Nechemya could not summon him as a leader normally summons a person, but was forced to go to him.
Then Shemaya offers him "good advice": You should know that I have inside sources, and according to them, the adversaries of Yehudah are plotting to kill you tonight, laying a trap for you. Therefore, I advise you: let us enter the Sanctuary and shut the Sanctuary's doors. And why specifically there? For as we saw at the beginning of the chapter, although the city was surrounded by a wall on all sides, the gates still lacked doors, and there was no secure place in the city. The Sanctuary, whose doors could be closed, was seemingly the only secure location.
וָאֹמְרָה: הַאִישׁ כָּמוֹנִי יִבְרָח? וּמִי כָמוֹנִי אֲשֶׁר־יָבֹא אֶל־הַהֵיכָל וָחָי? לֹא אָבוֹא׃ - And I said, "Should a man like me flee? And who is there like me that would go into the Sanctuary and live? I will not go in."
Nechemya gave two reasons. The first: "Should a man like me flee?" - if I flee, what impression will I make? That of a coward, someone fainthearted. I am supposed to lead my congregation and guide them in battle, and shall I flee like a weakling? This would strike fear into the hearts of the entire nation. Who united them to go out, fight, and build the wall without fearing their tormentors? Nechemya. And if they see him flee now, they will say: Nechemya, too, evidently realizes there is no hope, and has fled for his life. And the second: "And who is there like me that would go into the Sanctuary and live?" - I am not a Kohen, and an unauthorized person who approaches shall be put to death. How can I enter the Sanctuary and remain alive? I will not go in.
Verses 12 - 13: Recognizing the Deceit and the Internal Contradiction
וָאַכִּירָה וְהִנֵּה לֹא־אֱלֹהִים שְׁלָחוֹ, כִּי הַנְּבוּאָה דִּבֶּר עָלַי, וְטוֹבִיָּה וְסַנְבַלַּט שְׂכָרוֹ׃ - And I discerned that God had not sent him, but that he pronounced this prophecy concerning me because Toviyyah and Sanballat had hired him.
Nechemya now took note and recognized that he was a false prophet. It was impossible that Hashem would send him such a command, to enter the Sanctuary - an act contrary to the Torah. How could a prophet tell me to commit such a transgression? Until now he still harbored doubts, thinking perhaps it was a true prophecy; and one must realize that in those days, false prophets looked and dressed just like true prophets, and it was all an act to win the people's hearts. But now it was clear to him: God had not sent him, but Toviyyah and Sanballat had hired him - both regarding the prophecy that I would be king over Israel, and regarding the terrible advice to flee into the Sanctuary.
Furthermore, there was an internal contradiction here. If you tell me in the name of Hashem that I will be king over Israel, and the Holy One, blessed be He, does not retract a favorable prophecy, why do you come now and tell me in the name of Hashem to flee because they want to kill me? On the contrary, you should have told me: stand firm and do not flee, you will rule and you will be king. On the one hand kingship, and on the other hand fleeing from death - from this I understood that it was all fabricated from his own heart.
לְמַעַן שָׂכוּר הוּא, לְמַעַן־אִירָא וְאֶעֱשֶׂה־כֵּן וְחָטָאתִי, וְהָיָה לָהֶם לְשֵׁם רָע לְמַעַן יְחָרְפוּנִי׃ - For this reason was he hired, so that I would fear and act accordingly and sin, and it would serve them for an evil name so that they might reproach me.
Now both motives become clear. Why did they hire him to prophesy that I would become king? So that they could frame me, claiming that I had hired him. That was the goal: take money, prophesy that Nechemya will be king - and afterward they would spread a rumor that Nechemya paid Shemaya to prophesy about him, which would serve as proof that he planned to rebel against Artaxerxes, king of Persia.
And why did they hire him for the second counsel, that I enter the Heichal of Hashem? "So that I would fear and act accordingly" - to terrify me, so that I would heed his words and enter the Sanctuary. And what would they gain from this? First, "and sin" - I would bear guilt, and guilt can cause my downfall. When an enemy cannot defeat a Jew directly, he causes him to sin: when Bilaam could not curse Israel, what did he do? He brought the daughters of Midyan and the idol worship of Pe'or. Second, "and it would serve them for an evil name so that they might reproach me" - so that they could defame me as someone who desecrated the Temple of Hashem: look at Nechemya, what insolence, entering the Sanctuary as if he were a kohen! There were two objectives here: that I would be punished by Hashem, and that I would lose favor in the eyes of the people, who would come to view me as an offender who desecrated the Temple of Hashem.
Verse 14 - Remember, My God
זָכְרָה אֱלֹהַי לְטוֹבִיָּה וּלְסַנְבַלַּט כְּמַעֲשָׂיו אֵלֶּה, וְגַם לְנוֹעַדְיָה הַנְּבִיאָה וּלְיֶתֶר הַנְּבִיאִים אֲשֶׁר הָיוּ מְיָרְאִים אוֹתִי׃ - Remember, my God, to Toviyah and Sanvalat according to these deeds of theirs, and also to Noadyah the prophetess, and to the rest of the prophets who tried to frighten me.
Master of the Universe, Nechemya pleaded, remember Toviyah according to these deeds of his, for hiring false prophets against me - both Shemaya and Noadyah the prophetess. They had a male prophet and a female prophetess; evidently, the prophetess was meant to conduct propaganda among the women, and the prophet among the men. "Remember" - meaning, hold them accountable for attempting to frighten me.
Verse 15 - Fifty-Two Days
וַתִּשְׁלַם הַחוֹמָה בְּעֶשְׂרִים וַחֲמִשָּׁה לֶאֱלוּל, לַחֲמִשִּׁים וּשְׁנַיִם יוֹם׃ - So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days.
On the twenty-fifth of Elul the wall was completed, after fifty-two days. Record speed, something truly supernatural. And this was not a matter of drywall, but of stones and masonry forming a massive wall encircling all of Yerushalayim - while the walls we know today are Ottoman, we must appreciate what this was: an immense, mighty wall, and its entire construction was completed in under two months.
Verse 16 - All Concede That It Was from Our God
וַיְהִי כַּאֲשֶׁר שָׁמְעוּ כָּל־אוֹיְבֵינוּ, וַיִּרְאוּ כָּל־הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר סְבִיבֹתֵינוּ, וַיִּפְּלוּ מְאֹד בְּעֵינֵיהֶם, וַיֵּדְעוּ כִּי מֵאֵת אֱלֹהֵינוּ נֶעֶשְׂתָה הַמְּלָאכָה הַזֹּאת׃ - And it came to pass, when all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations around us saw it, that they fell greatly in their own eyes, for they perceived that this work was accomplished by our God.
When the enemies saw the astounding speed at which the wall was built, and saw that it was not within their power to halt the work, and that all their schemes had come to nothing - they had planned to attack and their counsel was foiled, they had planned to summon him to the valley of Ono and assassinate him and by Hashem's kindness he was saved from them - then "they fell greatly in their own eyes." A collapse of morale. Rashi explains: they despised themselves because fear of the Jews had fallen upon them. They realized that from this point forward, they could only fear the Jews, while striking fear into them was no longer possible. The Jews were no longer afraid - they had a wall.
Verses 17-19 - The Fifth Column from Within
גַּם בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם מַרְבִּים חֹרֵי יְהוּדָה אִגְּרֹתֵיהֶם הוֹלְכוֹת עַל־טוֹבִיָּה, וַאֲשֶׁר לְטוֹבִיָּה בָּאוֹת אֲלֵיהֶם׃ - In those days also, the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and those of Tobiah came to them.
Here Nechemya provides an introduction to the next chapter, where we will see that he appointed his brother to guard the wall. He explains that the trouble had not yet completely departed, and that there was a serious problem with Sanballat and Tobiah, because they were well-connected and networked among the Jews. Even though the fear of God fell upon the surrounding nations, within our midst was a fifth column: the nobles of Judah, the dignitaries of the people, sent letters to Tobiah and received letters back from him - they were his allies and took his directives. People from among our own ranks joined forces with that corrupt, wicked man who sought to halt the rebuilding of the wall and torment us.
כִּי־רַבִּים בִּיהוּדָה בַּעֲלֵי שְׁבוּעָה לוֹ, כִּי־חָתָן הוּא לִשְׁכַנְיָה בֶן־אָרַח, וִיהוֹחָנָן בְּנוֹ לָקַח אֶת־בַּת־מְשֻׁלָּם בֶּן בֶּרֶכְיָה׃ - For many in Judah were bound by oath to him, because he was the son-in-law of Shechaniah son of Arach, and his son Yehochanan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berechiah.
And why? "For many in Judah were bound by oath to him" - bound to him in an alliance and by oath, due to marriage ties: he was the son-in-law of Shechaniah son of Arach, and his son Yehochanan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berechiah. Shechaniah son of Arach and Meshullam were prominent men in Judah, great and honored ministers, and through these marriages they had a vested interest in assisting him. They sold out the interests of the Jewish people in exchange for family ties.
גַּם טוֹבֹתָיו הָיוּ אֹמְרִים לְפָנַי, וּדְבָרַי הָיוּ מוֹצִיאִים לוֹ, אִגְּרוֹת שָׁלַח טוֹבִיָּה לְיָרְאֵנִי׃ - Also they spoke of his virtues before me, and reported my words to him; and Tobiah sent letters to frighten me.
Not only that, but they would speak his praises before me: "Listen, Nechemya, he is not as you think; he is an upright and decent man, do not believe the rumors." Furthermore, they would take my words and convey them to him, and even defame Nechemya, as if Nechemya were the one in the wrong. And Tobiah continually sent me letters to frighten me - enumerating all kinds of troubles and disasters that would befall me if I did not halt the construction of the wall. And all of this, Nechemya says, made no impression on me and had no effect on me, nor did I fear him, for the Holy One, Blessed is He, was helping us, until ultimately our fear fell upon them, and not their fear upon us as had initially been feared.
In summary:
Chapter 6 teaches what warfare looks like when fought without a sword. Sanballat and Tobiah try five times to lure Nechemya into a meeting designed to end in murder, concoct a libel of rebellion against him, hire a false prophet to prophesy about his monarchy in order to bring him down, and then hire him again to terrify him into fleeing into the Sanctuary - so that he would sin, be punished, and be discredited. Nechemya withstands them all: he does not descend from the scaffold for a dubious meeting, detects the lie from the internal contradiction in the prophecy, and refuses to flee so as not to melt the hearts of the people and not violate "the stranger who approaches shall be put to death." And in just fifty-two days the wall stands complete, until the enemies themselves fall in their own eyes and admit, "for this work was accomplished by our God." And even though traitorous ties lingered from within, and intimidating letters continued to flow, Nechemya remained undaunted - for the Holy One, Blessed is He, was our help.