But it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth,
But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the people from Ashdod heard that the walls of Jerusalem were being repaired and the gaps were being filled in, they became very angry.
The enemies of Jerusalem became furious when they saw that the Jewish people were successfully rebuilding their city's protective walls.
📚 Historical Context
In the 5th century BC, after the Jews returned from Babylonian exile, Nehemiah was appointed by the Persian king to lead the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls, which symbolized the restoration of the city's security and the Jewish people's identity. Sanballat, a Samaritan governor, Tobiah, an Ammonite official, and leaders from Arabians, Ammonites, and Ashdodites opposed this project because it threatened their regional power and alliances. This verse captures the growing hostility as these enemies reacted with anger upon learning that the walls were being repaired successfully.
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