The Meaning of Nehemiah 6:10 Explained

Nehemiah 6:10

KJV: Afterward I came unto the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabeel, who was shut up; and he said, Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple: for they will come to slay thee; yea, in the night will they come to slay thee.

YLT: And I have entered the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabeel -- and he is restrained -- and he saith, 'Let us meet at the house of God, at the inside of the temple, and we shut the doors of the temple, for they are coming in to slay thee -- yea, by night they are coming in to slay thee.'

Darby: And I came to the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabeel, who had shut himself up. And he said, Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple; for they are coming to kill thee; even in the night are they coming to kill thee.

ASV: And I went unto the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabel, who was shut up; and he said, Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple: for they will come to slay thee; yea, in the night will they come to slay thee.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Afterward I came  unto the house  of Shemaiah  the son  of Delaiah  the son  of Mehetabeel,  who [was] shut up;  and he said,  Let us meet together  in the house  of God,  within  the temple,  and let us shut  the doors  of the temple:  for they will come  to slay  thee; yea, in the night  will they come  to slay  thee. 

What does Nehemiah 6:10 Mean?

Context Summary

Nehemiah 6:1-19 - A Great Task-A Safeguard From Danger
How often Satan tries to call us off from our work for God! He cannot endure to see us engaged so eagerly on our Master's business and therefore raises up all sorts of hindrances and hostilities. Amid all these we have but one duty to perform. We must lose ourselves in our work. Ours to reply, "I am doing a great work, I cannot come down; why should the work cease?" If we will see to God's business, He will see to our safety. False friends, who prophesy in God's name, are more to be dreaded than open foes. We must learn to discern the spirits. The counsel which savors of self is always to be suspected. Note that Nehemiah considered that to have fear would have been to sin. But God was with the little band through dangers, and the wall was finished in spite of all opposition, 1 Corinthians 15:58. [source]

Chapter Summary: Nehemiah 6

1  Sanballat practices by craft, by rumors, and by hired prophecies, to terrify Nehemiah
15  The work is finished, to the terror of the enemies
17  Secret intelligence passes between the enemies and the nobles of Judah

What do the individual words in Nehemiah 6:10 mean?

And afterward I came to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabel and he [was] a secret informer and he said let us meet together in the house of God inside within the temple and let us close the doors of the temple for they are coming to kill you and indeed at night they will come to kill you
וַאֲנִי־ בָ֗אתִי בֵּ֣ית שְֽׁמַֽעְיָ֧ה בֶן־ דְּלָיָ֛ה בֶּן־ מְהֵֽיטַבְאֵ֖ל וְה֣וּא עָצ֑וּר וַיֹּ֡אמֶר נִוָּעֵד֩ אֶל־ בֵּ֨ית הָאֱלֹהִ֜ים אֶל־ תּ֣וֹךְ הַֽהֵיכָ֗ל וְנִסְגְּרָה֙ דַּלְת֣וֹת הַהֵיכָ֔ל כִּ֚י בָּאִ֣ים לְהָרְגֶ֔ךָ וְלַ֖יְלָה בָּאִ֥ים לְהָרְגֶֽךָ

וַאֲנִי־  And  afterward  I 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, first person common singular
Root: אֲנִי  
Sense: I (first pers.
בָ֗אתִי  came 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
בֵּ֣ית  to  the  house 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
שְֽׁמַֽעְיָ֧ה  of  Shemaiah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: שְׁמַעְיָה 
Sense: a prophet of the Lord in the reign of king Rehoboam of Judah.
בֶן־  son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
דְּלָיָ֛ה  of  Delaiah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: דְּלָיָה 
Sense: a priest in the time of David, leader of the 23rd course.
בֶּן־  the  son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
מְהֵֽיטַבְאֵ֖ל  of  Mehetabel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: מְהֵיטַבְאֵל  
Sense: the ancestor of Shemaiah, the false prophet who was hired against Nehemiah by Tobiah and Sanballat.
וְה֣וּא  and  he  [was] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, third person masculine singular
Root: הוּא 
Sense: he, she, it.
עָצ֑וּר  a  secret  informer 
Parse: Verb, Qal, QalPassParticiple, masculine singular
Root: עָצַר  
Sense: to restrain, retain, close up, shut, withhold, refrain, stay, detain.
וַיֹּ֡אמֶר  and  he  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
נִוָּעֵד֩  let  us  meet  together 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperfect Cohortative if contextual, first person common plural
Root: יָעַד  
Sense: to fix, appoint, assemble, meet, set, betroth.
בֵּ֨ית  the  house 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
הָאֱלֹהִ֜ים  of  God 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
אֶל־  inside 
Parse: Preposition
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
תּ֣וֹךְ  within 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: תָּוֶךְ  
Sense: midst, middle.
הַֽהֵיכָ֗ל  the  temple 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: הֵיכָל  
Sense: palace, temple, nave, sanctuary.
וְנִסְגְּרָה֙  and  let  us  close 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive imperfect Cohortative, first person common plural
Root: סָגוּר 
Sense: to shut, close.
דַּלְת֣וֹת  the  doors 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: דַּל 
Sense: door, gate.
הַהֵיכָ֔ל  of  the  temple 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: הֵיכָל  
Sense: palace, temple, nave, sanctuary.
בָּאִ֣ים  they  are  coming 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
לְהָרְגֶ֔ךָ  to  kill  you 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct, second person masculine singular
Root: הָרַג  
Sense: to kill, slay, murder, destroy, murderer, slayer, out of hand.
וְלַ֖יְלָה  and  indeed  at  night 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: לַיִל 
Sense: night.
בָּאִ֥ים  they  will  come 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
לְהָרְגֶֽךָ  to  kill  you 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct, second person masculine singular
Root: הָרַג  
Sense: to kill, slay, murder, destroy, murderer, slayer, out of hand.