Nehemiah 4:1 Made Simple

KJV ORIGINAL

But it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews.

Close to the original. Clear modern English.

✦ MADE SIMPLE

But when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he became furious and extremely angry, and he mocked the Jews.

⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE

This verse shows how Sanballat became enraged and started ridiculing the Jewish people when he learned they were rebuilding Jerusalem's wall.

📚 Historical Context

In the book of Nehemiah, the Jewish people had returned from exile in Babylon and were working to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, which had been destroyed during the Babylonian conquest, as a means to restore their city's security and identity. Nehemiah, a Jewish leader and cupbearer to the Persian king Artaxerxes, organized this effort after gaining royal permission, facing external opposition from neighboring groups who saw it as a threat. Sanballat, a Samaritan governor, reacted with anger and mockery upon hearing of the progress, reflecting the common regional rivalries and political tensions of the Persian Empire era.

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Explore Similar Verses

Nehemiah 2:10

When Sanballat from Horon and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about this, they were deeply upset that someone had come to help and improve things for the people of Israel.

Nehemiah 4:7

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.

Nehemiah 4:3

Now Tobiah the Ammonite was standing next to him, and he said, 'What they're building is so weak that even if a fox climbed up on it, the fox would knock down their stone wall.'

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