Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Nehemiah 4:2
And he spoke before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned?
2. And he spake before his brethren ] Sanballat’s ‘brethren’ would be the chiefs of the Samaritan community.
and the army of Samaria ] ‘the army’ (LXX. ): the word here used is the one generally employed for ‘armed forces,’ see Neh 2:9; Ezr 8:22; Est 1:3. The Samaritans seem to have hastily summoned their forces to consider whether it would be practicable to compel the Jews by a sudden onslaught to desist from an undertaking so menacing to Samaritan independence. ‘The army’ therefore is not equivalent to ‘an assembly (Vulg. frequentia),’ but to the population trained in war and capable of bearing arms, collected in face of a sudden emergency. Some have supposed that a body of regular Persian troops stationed at Samaria under a Governor (Neh 2:7) is intended.
What do these feeble Jews? ] The word rendered ‘feeble’ only occurs here in the O.T. It denotes the languor of weakness. It is akin to a word found in 1Sa 2:5, ‘And she that hath many children languisheth ’ (A.V. ‘is waxed feeble’).
will they fortify themselves? ] so R.V. text. R.V. marg. ‘Or, will they leave to themselves aught? Or, will men let them alone? ’
This short interrogative clause has occasioned much difficulty, on account of the word rendered ‘fortify,’ the natural rendering of which (as in Neh 3:8, where see note) would be ‘leave.’ The versions, LXX. , Vulg. num dimittent eos gentes, fail to throw any light upon the passage.
( a) The rendering of the English versions gives a clear and intelligible meaning. But (1) the use of the word in the sense of ‘fortify’ belongs to late Hebrew and is very rare: (2) in Biblical Hebrew it can only be supported by the uncertain testimony of Neh 3:8: (3) there is no mockery in such a question, corresponding to the tone of the other queries.
( b) ‘will they leave to themselves aught?’ This rendering which preserves the usual meaning of the disputed word, is open to the two very strong objections that, (1) the point of the question is conveyed by a word which is not found in the text, i.e. ‘aught,’ (2) the full meaning, obtained from this rendering (i.e. ‘do they expect to survive such an attempt? the Persian Empire will extirpate a people of such presumption; and nothing will be left to them’), is read into the words rather than derived from them.
( c) ‘will men let them alone?’ i.e. will the Persian Government or the neighbouring races permit the Jews to carry out their design? Against this rendering, which gives a very intelligible meaning, it must be urged, that (1) it necessitates an awkward change of subject introducing a new subject between two clauses in which ‘the Jews’ are the subject, (2) it treats the Jewish project with serious indignation instead of with the contempt expressed in the other queries.
( d) ‘will they commit themselves unto them?’ i.e. will the Jews entrust themselves and so great a work to their leaders? But we should expect a greater definiteness of expression in a short scornful question.
( e) ‘will they on their own behalf (lit. for themselves) commit themselves (i.e. unto God)?’ According to this rendering Sanballat is quoting a cant Jewish phrase ‘to commit oneself,’ leaving his hearers to understand its special application. This use of the word may be illustrated from Psa 10:14, ‘the helpless committeth (lit. leaveth) himself unto thee.’ The mockery of such a question is quite in harmony with the general tone of Sanballat’s question.
( f) But it is more probable that the great obscurity of the words arises from an early error in the text, a scribe omitting two syllables very similar to those which followed, and writing ‘lhem’ = ‘to them’ for ‘llheyhem’ = ‘to their God.’ The sense then would be, ‘Will they commit themselves to their God?’ The same textual error occurs in 1Sa 3:13 (see R.V. marg.). It may then be compared with Rabshakeh’s words in 2Ki 18:30; 2Ki 18:32 ; 2Ki 18:35.
will they sacrifice? ] A mocking question; equivalent to ‘do the Jews imagine that they have only to collect together and propitiate their God with sacrifices, and their work will be done?’
will they make an end in a day? ] Is it to be all done so simply and so quickly? ‘In a day’ might be rendered ‘in the day,’ as if they said, ‘will they make a beginning and an end in this day?’ (LXX. , Vulg. in una die).
will they revive ? ] Are they going to work miracles? The LXX. renders ‘will they heal?’ ( ). Cf. ‘the repairing’ (R.V.) in Neh 4:7.
of the heaps of the rubbish which are burnt ] R.V. out of the heaps of rubbish, seeing they are burned? The word ‘burned’ refers to ‘the stones.’ Compare on the accumulation of rubbish Sir C. Warren’s statements respecting the excavations at Jerusalem, e.g. in his paper ‘The site of the Temple of the Jews’ ( Trans. Bibl. Arch. vol. vii. p. 320), ‘We found that the old wall exists to the enormous depth of 125 feet below the rubbish, with stones of very great size.’
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 2. The army of Samaria] As he was governor, he had the command of the army, and he wished to excite the soldiers to second his views against Nehemiah and his men.
What do these feeble Jews?] We may remark here, in general, that the enemies of God’s work endeavour by all means to discredit and destroy it, and those who are employed in it.
1. They despise the workmen: What do these feeble Jews?
2. They endeavour to turn all into ridicule: Will they fortify themselves?
3. They have recourse to lying: If a fox go up, he shall even break down their stone wall.
4. They sometimes use fair but deceitful speeches; see Ne 6:2, &c.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Before his brethren; Neh 4:3, and Geshem, Neh 2:19, and others, whom he calls
his brethren, because of their conjunction with him in office and interest.
The army of Samaria; whom he designed hereby to incense against them, or at least to understand their minds herein.
Will they make an end in a day? do they intend to begin and finish the work, and keep the feast of dedication by sacrifice, all in one day? for if they spend any long time about it, they cannot think that we, and the rest of their neighbours, will suffer them to do it. Thus he persuaded himself and his companions that their attempt was ridiculous; and this mistake kept him from giving them any disturbance till it was too late. So God infatuated him to his own grief and shame, and to the advantage of his people.
Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish? will they pick up their broken stones out of the ruins, and patch them together? for other materials they want.
Which are burned, i.e. which stones were burned, and broken, or consumed to powder, to wit, by the Chaldeans when they took the city. See Poole “Neh 1:3“.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And he spake before his brethren,…. Tobiah the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, and perhaps some other governors of the king of Persia in those parts:
and before the army of Samaria: which, and the inhabitants of it, were implacable enemies of the Jews:
and said, what do these feeble Jews? what do they pretend to do, or what can they do?
will they fortify themselves? by building a wall about their city; can they think they shall ever be able to do this, or that it will be allowed?
will they sacrifice? meaning not their daily sacrifice, as Jarchi, that they had done a long time, but for the dedication of their building, as Aben Ezra:
will they make an end in a day? they seem to be in as great a hurry and haste as if they meant it; and indeed, unless they can do it very quickly, they never will: they will soon be stopped:
will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burnt? where will they find materials? do they imagine that they can make burnt stones firm and strong again, or harden the dust and rubbish into stones, or make that, which is as if dead, alive? to do this is the same as to revive a dead man, and they may as well think of doing the one as the other; burnt stones being reckoned as dead, as Eben Ezra observes.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(2) His brethren and the army of Samaria.The counsellors and body-guard of Sanballat.
Will they fortify themselves?Rather, will they leave them to themselves? The nations are referred to; but contempt is not scrupulous or precise.
Will they sacrifice?This is the provocation of God mentioned in Neh. 4:5.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
2. His brethren His associates in office.
The army of Samaria Of which he seems to have been the chief commander.
Will they fortify themselves Literally, Will they leave to them? The meaning is not clear, but seems most naturally brought out if we allow the verb a passive sense: Shall they be left to themselves? This is the thought conveyed both by the Septuagint and Vulgate, although those versions present no literal translation of the Hebrew. The Septuagint has the following: “Is this the power of Samaria, that these Jews build their city?” Vulgate: “Shall the nations let them go?” that is, shall the surrounding nations let them go on with their building their city walls?
Will they sacrifice Will they presume to renew and perpetuate their ancient cultus?
Make an end in a day Do they imagine they can so speedily rebuild their city that no one will find it out before it is complete?
Revive the stones He speaks of the great stones of Jerusalem as having been destroyed by fire, broken, and ruined, so that the attempt of a feeble band of exiles to restore them (Hebrews, make them live) from their heaps of rubbish was to his mind the height of folly.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Neh 4:2. What do these feeble Jews, &c. Mr. Peters observes upon this passage, which is remarkable for its phraseology, that it seems to give no obscure intimation, that the doctrine of the resurrection was the popular belief of the Jews in these days. “Reviving of stones,” says he, “is a very easy metaphor to those who are acquainted with the doctrine of the resurrection; but, otherwise, not so easy or obvious.” The word hayechaiiu, vivisicabunt, is the very same that is used for raising the dead. Out of the heaps of rubble, is, in the Hebrew, heaps of dust areimoth apar, another word often used when speaking of a resurrection; and what follows with an emphasis, and yet these same stones are burnt, points out to us the method of funeral [by burning] used particularly among those who had no belief or expectation of a resurrection.
The Jews to this day charge the poor remnant of the sect of Samaritans with the disbelief of a future resurrection; though, on the other hand, they deny and disavow the charge. It is highly probable, that in our Saviour’s time they believed it; for they worshipped the same God, and had the same expectation of a Messiah, as appears from the Samaritan woman’s discourse with our Lord, Joh 4:25. But in the days of Nehemiah they seem to have been little better than heathens; a sort of mixed breed, out of the scum of many nations. Nehemiah tells them, ch. Neh 2:20 that they had no right or portion in Jerusalem, being of a different religion from the Jews; it is highly probable, therefore, that they disbelieved a resurrection. Now if Sanballat, in that vein of mirth and buffoonery which he and his friend Tobiah appear at this time to be in, meant to ridicule this doctrine of the Jewish faith, as well as laugh at their attempt in building, we see a plain reason of that indignation which Nehemiah presently conceived at it, and which drew from him that solemn address to God, Neh 4:4. Hear O our God; for we, thy worshippers, are despised, &c. Had there been no more in Sanballat’s speech than in that of Tobiah which follows, (who with a scorn, perhaps, more affected than real, says, that a fox, if he were to jump upon it, might break down their stone walls,) so wise and good a man as Nehemiah, probably, would have treated it with silence and contempt: but we find, that he resents it in another manner; beseeches God to turn their reproach upon their own head; speaks of it as a sin or iniquity of the first magnitude; Neh 4:5 for they have provoked thee to anger before the builders; that is, in the most public manner, and in the face of God’s people, had dared to utter their impieties, and ridicule that faith which they professed.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Neh 4:2 And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned?
Ver. 2. And he spake before his brethren ] i.e., before his companions and acomplices, who would second him and say the same, his Aiones and Negones, as one calleth such.
And the army of Samaria
What do these feeble Jews?
Will they fortify themselves?
Will they sacrifice?
Will they make an end in a day?
Praecipita tempus; mors atra impendet agenti (Sil. Ital.).
Will they revive the stones, &c.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
army = force.
What . . . ? Figure of speech Erotesis. App-6.
fortify. Hebrew. Homonym, ‘azab. See note on Exo 23:5. Margin note of Authorized Version and Revised Version neither needed nor correct.
will they sacrifice? Showing that no altar was as yet built or sacrificial worship being carried on.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
the army: Ezr 4:9, Ezr 4:10
feeble: 1Sa 14:11, 1Sa 14:12, 1Sa 17:43, 1Sa 17:44, Zec 12:8, 1Co 1:27
fortify themselves: Heb. leave to themselves
sacrifice: Neh 12:27, Neh 12:43
revive: Neh 4:10, Eze 37:3-13, Hab 3:2
Reciprocal: 1Sa 17:42 – disdained 2Ki 18:23 – I will deliver 1Ch 11:8 – repaired Neh 6:15 – fifty Psa 14:6 – Ye Psa 102:14 – General Psa 123:3 – for we are Psa 137:3 – wasted us Pro 11:12 – that Ecc 9:10 – thy hand Isa 36:8 – and I Jer 9:11 – Jerusalem Jer 26:18 – Jerusalem Jer 33:24 – thus Lam 3:14 – General Zec 4:10 – despised Joh 4:9 – for Joh 18:35 – Amos I
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
4:2 And he spake before his {a} brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these {b} feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned?
(a) Of his companions who dwelt in Samaria.
(b) Thus the wicked who do not consider that God’s power is always ready to defend his, mock them as thought they were weak and feeble.