The Meaning of Nehemiah 6:2 Explained

Nehemiah 6:2

KJV: That Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me, saying, Come, let us meet together in some one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me mischief.

YLT: that Sanballat sendeth, also Geshem, unto me, saying, 'Come and we meet together in the villages, in the valley of Ono;' and they are thinking to do to me evil.

Darby: that Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, Come, let us meet together in the villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me mischief.

ASV: that Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me, saying, Come, let us meet together in one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me mischief.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

That Sanballat  and Geshem  sent  unto me, saying,  Come,  let us meet  together  in [some one of] the villages  in the plain  of Ono.  But they thought  to do  me mischief. 

What does Nehemiah 6:2 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 6:2 mean?

That sent Sanballat and Geshem to me saying come and let us meet together among the villages in the plain of Ono But they thought to do me harm
וַיִּשְׁלַ֨ח סַנְבַלַּ֤ט וְגֶ֙שֶׁם֙ אֵלַ֣י לֵאמֹ֔ר לְכָ֞ה וְנִֽוָּעֲדָ֥ה יַחְדָּ֛ו בַּכְּפִירִ֖ים בְּבִקְעַ֣ת אוֹנ֑וֹ וְהֵ֙מָּה֙ חֹֽשְׁבִ֔ים לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת לִ֖י רָעָֽה

וַיִּשְׁלַ֨ח  That  sent 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁלַח  
Sense: to send, send away, let go, stretch out.
סַנְבַלַּ֤ט  Sanballat 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: סַנְבַלַּט  
Sense: a Moabite of Horonaim and the opponent of Nehemiah and the returned exiles in their goal of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem.
וְגֶ֙שֶׁם֙  and  Geshem 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: גֶּשֶׁם 
Sense: an Arabian foe of Nehemiah.
אֵלַ֣י  to  me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
לֵאמֹ֔ר  saying 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
לְכָ֞ה  come 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
וְנִֽוָּעֲדָ֥ה  and  let  us  meet 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Nifal, Conjunctive imperfect Cohortative, first person common plural
Root: יָעַד  
Sense: to fix, appoint, assemble, meet, set, betroth.
יַחְדָּ֛ו  together 
Parse: Adverb
Root: יַחַד 
Sense: union, unitedness adv.
בַּכְּפִירִ֖ים  among  the  villages 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: כְּפִיר 
Sense: young lion.
בְּבִקְעַ֣ת  in  the  plain 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: בִּקְעָה  
Sense: valley.
אוֹנ֑וֹ  of  Ono 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֹונׄו  
Sense: city in Benjamin.
וְהֵ֙מָּה֙  But  they 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, third person masculine plural
Root: הֵם 
Sense: they, these, the same, who.
חֹֽשְׁבִ֔ים  thought 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: חָשַׁב 
Sense: to think, plan, esteem, calculate, invent, make a judgment, imagine, count.
לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת  to  do 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
לִ֖י  me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
רָעָֽה  harm 
Parse: Adjective, feminine singular
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.