Nehemiah 4:7

And it came to pass that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians,.... Who were under and influenced by Geshem the Arabian: and the Ammonites; over whom Tobiah was governor: and the Ashdodites;

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

That the breaches began to be stopped, i.e. that the breaches which the Chaldeans had made and left in the walls were well-nigh stopped up.

Nehemiah 4:7 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, Ver. 7. And the Arabians’ and the Ammonites] A rabble of malignants meet and make head. Sanballat, by the help of Tobiah, had now gotten a great band of soldiers, and specially of Arabians, Ammonites, and Ashdodites, to fight for him against this feeble folk, but yet armed with God, and that had him for their champion. So we may see how readily one wicked man will be drawn to help another; and how the wickedness of one will infect another that will give ear to it. Read Psalms 83:6-8 Revelation 16:16-17, &c. Heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up] Heb. That health (or as the old translation hath it, a salve) ascended upon the walls. A metaphor from surgeons, who when they heal wounds by salves or plasters, join the flesh together again which before was cut in sunder: so the breaches of the walls, which afore lay gaping open, were joined together, and made sound, as though it were one entire wall, et quasi tota moles in tantam magnitudinem ex unico ingenti lapide tam magnifice consurgeret. Then they were very wroth] That old enmity, Genesis 3:15, stirred in them, and they were soon kindled; Satan being the boute-feu, or kindle coal. See Nehemiah 4:1.

(7) Were made up.—Arose to the height before mentioned. Began to be stopped.—The wall, they heard, was continuous. The tribes here enumerated were only small parties under the immediate influence of Sanballat: nothing beyond that would have been likely to occur among subjects in common of Persia.

Verse 7. The walls of Jerusalem were made up] That is, they were made up to the half height of the wall; for the preceding verse seems to intimate that the whole wall was thus far built; not half of the wall completed, but the whole wall built to half its height.

7. In most editions of the Hebrew Bible, this is the 1st verse of the ivth Chapter. Sanballat … Ashdodites] Here we have a complete list of the foes of Jerusalem. See notes on Nehemiah 2:10; Nehemiah 2:19. The Ammonites were the fellow-countrymen of Tobiah, the Arabians of Geshem (Nehemiah 2:19). With them are classed the dwellers by the coast (the Shephκlah) represented by the, Ashdodites or inhabitants of Ashdod (Azotus, modern Esdϋd). Ashdod was one of the principal Philistine cities (1 Samuel 5). It occupied a strong position near the sea, and once seems to have commanded a seaport only 3 miles distant. The mention of Ashdod here is peculiar. It was, we may suppose, the chief town on the Philistine coast, and resented an undertaking which threatened to revive the power and importance of Jerusalem. On the intermixture of the Ashdodite or Philistine element with the Jews, see Nehemiah 13:23. ‘Ashdod’ was said to have been captured by Uzziah (2 Chronicles 26:6). It commanded the caravan route into Egypt. It was captured by the Assyrians in 715 (Isaiah 20:1), and by the Egyptians under Psammetichus after a long siege (Herod. II. 157). Ashdod was captured by the Maccabees and partially destroyed (cf. 1Ma 5:68; 1Ma 10:84; 1Ma 11:4). It was restored by Gabinius. Philips the Evangelist preached there (Acts 8:40). It has been objected that a hostile coalition of different races, Samaritan, Arabian, Ammonite, Philistine, against the Jews of Jerusalem would have been impossible in a district subject to Persian rule. But it is a mistake to suppose that the internal administration of the Persian Empire would be sufficient to prevent petty feuds among the subject races. The satraps took little notice of the ceaseless disputes between the tributary towns and nationalities on the frontier. The suggestion is needless that ‘the Arabians, Ammonites, Ashdodites’ are only names of the communities most largely represented in the mixed concourse which followed Sanballat. that the walls of Jerusalem were made up] R.V. that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem went forward. R.V. marg. ‘Heb. healing went up upon the walls’. The literal rendering is given in the R.V. marg., the metaphor is that of an open wound or cut to which a bandage is applied, bringing relief and restoration (LXX. ὄτιἀνέβηἡφυὴτοῖςτείχεσινἹερ.: Vulg. quod obducta esset cicatrix muri Jer.). The same words occur in 2 Chronicles 24:13 ‘the work was perfected by them,’ (R.V. marg. healing went up upon the work), and in Jeremiah 8:22; Jeremiah 30:17. and that the breaches began to be stopped] These words explain the metaphor of the previous clause. ‘Breaches,’ the same word that occurs in ‘Perez-Uzzah’ and ‘Baal Perazim.’ The verb derived from the same root is used of a wall ‘broken down’ (Nehemiah 1:3; 2 Chronicles 32:5). LXX. διασφαγαὶἀναφράσσεσθαι: Vulg. interrupta concludi. to be stopped] Literally ‘to be closed.’ then they were very wroth] Their anger mentioned in Nehemiah 4:1 reached a higher pitch on hearing of the successful progress of the work.

The Arabians ... - Probably a band, composed largely of Arabians, Ammonites, and Ashdodites, which Sanballat maintained as a guard to his person, and which formed a portion of “the army of Samaria” Nehemiah 4:2.

7. The Arabians — Headed probably by Geshem. See on chapter Nehemiah 2:19. Ashdodites — Inhabitants of Ashdod, one of the great cities of the Philistine plain.