And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned?

NEHEMIAH 4:2KJV
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Nehemiah 4:2 (KJV)

What does Nehemiah 4:2 mean?

Nehemiah 4:2 describes how an enemy leader mocked the Jews as they tried to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls, questioning their strength and ability to succeed. The verse shows the speaker’s scorn, suggesting the Jews are weak and their efforts are hopeless, especially given the ruined state of the city.

The speaker in Nehemiah 4:2 is Sanballat, who addresses his allies and the army of Samaria as he ridicules the Jews’ rebuilding work. He asks sarcastic questions about whether these “feeble Jews” can really restore the city, offer sacrifices, finish quickly, or reuse burned stones from the rubble. This moment highlights the opposition and discouragement the Jews faced from those around them as they tried to restore their community.

The Hebrew behind Nehemiah 4:2

  • The word “feeble” (נַּ֫בֶל, nabel) is used here to mean “weak” or “withered,” emphasizing how powerless Sanballat thinks the Jews are.
  • “Fortify” (עָזַב, azav) in this context means to strengthen or secure, so Sanballat is doubting whether the Jews can really make the walls strong again.
  • “Revive” (חָיָה, chayah) means to bring back to life, so the question about reviving the stones from the “heaps of the rubbish” (עָפָר, aphar) paints the rebuilding as almost impossible, as if trying to bring dead, burned stones back to life.

Why Nehemiah 4:2 matters

  • Nehemiah 4:2 helps readers understand the level of ridicule and discouragement the Jews faced from their neighbors, which was not just physical opposition but also emotional and psychological.
  • The verse sets the stage for the perseverance and faith required by the builders, highlighting the contrast between the scorn of outsiders and the determination of the Jewish community.
  • This verse connects to the broader narrative of Nehemiah, showing that rebuilding the walls was not just a construction project, but a struggle against those who doubted and opposed the restoration of Jerusalem.

Where else these words appear

“heaps” Hebrew H6194 · used in 10 verses

  • Ruth 3:7 And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of corn: and she came softly, and uncovered his feet, and laid her down.
  • 2 Chronicles 31:8 And when Hezekiah and the princes came and saw the heaps, they blessed the LORD, and his people Israel.
  • Song of Solomon 7:2 Thy navel is like a round goblet, which wanteth not liquor: thy belly is like an heap of wheat set about with lilies.

“Jews” Hebrew H3064 · used in 70 verses

  • 2 Kings 16:6 At that time Rezin king of Syria recovered Elath to Syria, and drave the Jews from Elath: and the Syrians came to Elath, and dwelt there unto this day.
  • Esther 6:13 And Haman told Zeresh his wife and all his friends every thing that had befallen him. Then said his wise men and Zeresh his wife unto him, If Mordecai be of the seed of the Jews, before whom thou hast begun to fall, thou shalt not prevail against him, but shalt surely fall before him.
  • Esther 9:20 And Mordecai wrote these things, and sent letters unto all the Jews that were in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, both nigh and far,

“Samaria” Hebrew H8111 · used in 101 verses

  • 1 Kings 13:32 For the saying which he cried by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel, and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, shall surely come to pass.
  • 2 Kings 10:36 And the time that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty and eight years.
  • 2 Chronicles 28:8 And the children of Israel carried away captive of their brethren two hundred thousand, women, sons, and daughters, and took also away much spoil from them, and brought the spoil to Samaria.

“rubbish” Hebrew H6083 · used in 103 verses

  • Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
  • Job 4:19 How much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth?
  • Psalms 103:14 For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.