Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.
Then I answered them and said, 'The God of heaven will make us successful. That's why we, His servants, will get up and build. But you have no share, no right, and no remembered place in Jerusalem.'
Nehemiah is boldly telling his opponents that God will help him succeed in rebuilding Jerusalem's walls, and that they have no rightful claim or connection to the holy city.
📚 Historical Context
In the 5th century BC, Nehemiah, a Jewish exile serving as a cupbearer to the Persian king Artaxerxes, was granted permission to return to Jerusalem to rebuild its walls, which had been destroyed during the Babylonian exile. Upon arriving, he faced strong opposition from regional leaders like Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arab, who mocked and threatened the rebuilding project as a potential act of rebellion. Nehemiah's response in this verse affirmed his reliance on God's protection and declared that these outsiders had no rightful claim to the city.
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