Now it came to pass, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and Geshem the Arabian, and the rest of our enemies, heard that I had builded the wall, and that there was no breach left therein; (though at that time I had not set up the doors upon the gates;)
Now when Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arabian, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had built the wall and that there were no gaps left in it (though at that time I had not yet hung the doors on the gates),
Nehemiah is reporting that his enemies found out the wall around Jerusalem was nearly complete, with only the gates left to finish.
📚 Historical Context
In the 5th century BC, during the Persian Empire's rule, Nehemiah, a Jewish leader and cupbearer to the king, was commissioned to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, which had been destroyed by the Babylonians decades earlier. This project faced strong opposition from neighboring leaders like Sanballat of Samaria, Tobiah the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, who viewed it as a threat to their regional influence and sought to undermine it. At this moment in the narrative, Nehemiah had successfully repaired the wall with no gaps, though the gates were not yet installed, highlighting the progress amid ongoing threats.
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