Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible
Nehemiah 4:10-12
Three Attitudes Which Nehemiah Had To Contend With (Nehemiah 4:10).
Nehemiah's firm response is now set against the background of three attitudes which were in danger of halting the work. The first was the growth of discouragement among the builders as they considered the task in hand (and Judah said' -verse 10); the second was the intention of their adversaries to make a number of surprise murderous attacks on the builders, which no doubt became known to them (‘and our adversaries said' - Nehemiah 4:11); and the third was the feeding of the discouragement by their fellow-Jews who had not been willing to involve themselves in the work (‘the Jews who dwelt by them came, they said' - Nehemiah 4:12). They were beset with doubts from all sides.
‘And Judah said,
“The strength of the burden-bearers is failing,
And there is much rubble,
In consequence we are not able,
To build the wall.”
That the activities of Sanballat and his allies, together with the difficulties being faced, were undoubtedly beginning to have an effect on the morale of many of the men of Judah comes out in a song that began to be spread among the builders and their families which expressed their feelings. It was a song of hopelessness. Things were getting too much for them. Their strength was failing because of the enormity of the tasks. They were finding things too much for them. The obstacles were enormous. So much rubble still had to be removed. As a consequence they were beginning themselves to doubt their ability to complete the building of the wall.
‘And our adversaries said, “They will not know, nor see, till we come into their midst, and slay them, and cause the work to cease.”
Meanwhile their adversaries were planning to increase their discouragement by surprise, unexpected attacks, with murderous bands arriving suddenly among them causing havoc and death. Their whole aim was to make the work to cease in the light of what they had learned concerning the morale of the builders (the song would have become common knowledge).
‘And it came about that, when the Jews who dwelt by them came, they said to us ten times from all sides, “You must return to us.”
Meanwhile their fellow-Jews, presumably some who had not been willing to involve themselves in the work, repeatedly (‘ten times') said to them on all sides, ‘give up and come back to your normal lives among us'. The temptation must have been enormous. There was a clear recognition that any violence would only be carried out against the builders in Jerusalem. Any who disentangled themselves from them would be safe.
‘Said to us ten times.' Compare a similar use of ‘ten times' in Genesis 31:41, ‘you have changed my wages ten times'. Compare also Daniel 1:12. It is clear that here it is not intended to be taken literally. It simply means ‘a number of times'.
It is apparent therefore that there was a great danger that the work would grind to halt with the walls still unfinished, and Jerusalem still a prey to marauders. It was then that Nehemiah stepped into the breach and persuaded them to carry on in the face of all the obstacles because God was with them, bolstering his arguments by organising their defences against incursions so that they could see that there was hope even if they remained in Jerusalem in order to complete the work.
It should be noted that Nehemiah 4:12 in the Hebrew is clearly connected with Nehemiah 4:13. Thus Nehemiah's response is linked with, and contrasted with, the attitude of their fellow-Jews (something which our division of the verses hides). On the one hand their fellow-Jews said, ‘you may as well give up and join us in a place of safety', and on the other Nehemiah acted vigorously in order to ensure that they were encouraged and did not.