Nehemiah 6:7

thou hast also appointed prophets to preach of thee There were doubtless prophets in Jerusalem who supported Nehemiah as well as prophets who opposed him (Nehemiah 6:10-14). Sanballat suggests firstly that Nehemiah had bribed prophets to support him, and secondly that their support was of a treasonable nature. Rashi, perhaps jealous of the sacred term -prophets," says that the word here denotes -eloquent" speakers. The prophet Malachi may well have been one of the prophets referred to.

It would be a mistake to attach too much importance to Sanballat's malicious words, or to suppose that they contain a popular misrepresentation of such expressions as Zechariah 9:9, -Behold, thy King cometh."

to the king Implying that the real king Artaxerxes would take summary vengeance for this assumption of royalty by a petty governor.

according to these words It is natural as in the A.V. and R.V. to take these words closely with -shall it be reported." If however, as is not unlikely, the phrase occurs here, as in Nehemiah 6:6, to summarize this part of the letter, we must place a comma after -king." -Now shall it be reported to the king, and so forth," i.e. the sentences describing the results of the report and the king's vengeance need not be transcribed at length.

let us take counsel together As much as to say, we offer you the opportunity of an interview, in the course of which you can clear yourself of these charges which are the talk of every bazaar; and we will do all in our power to contradict them in your name.