“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?”
My Notes
What Does Nehemiah 4:2 Mean?
Sanballat mocks the rebuilding Jews before his allies and the Samaritan army with a barrage of rhetorical questions: What are these feeble Jews doing? Can they really fortify themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish in a day? Can they make burned stones live again?
Each question is designed to demoralize. "Feeble" attacks their strength. "Will they sacrifice?" mocks their religion. "In a day?" mocks their timeline. "Revive the stones?" mocks their materials. Sanballat is systematically dismantling every source of hope the builders might have — physical, spiritual, temporal, and material.
The mockery is actually a sophisticated form of psychological warfare. Sanballat doesn't need to attack the wall physically if he can convince the builders that the project is impossible. Discouragement is cheaper than war and often more effective. If the builders internalize these questions, they'll stop themselves.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What 'Sanballat' voice is mocking what you're trying to build?
- 2.Which of Sanballat's questions resonates most with your own inner doubts?
- 3.How does Nehemiah's response — prayer plus progress — serve as a model for handling opposition?
- 4.Why is mockery often more effective than direct attack against what God is building?
Devotional
"What are these feeble Jews doing?" Sanballat's mockery hits every insecurity the builders carry. You're weak. Your religion is useless. Your timeline is laughable. Your materials are garbage. He doesn't need to swing a sword — he just needs the builders to believe him.
This is how opposition usually works against what God is building. Not frontal assault but verbal assault. Not an army at the wall but voices in your head: What are you doing? You're not strong enough. This project will never work. You're working with burned stones — broken, damaged, inadequate material. Who do you think you are?
Sanballat's questions are the exact questions every rebuilder faces internally. That's what makes them effective. He's not introducing new doubts; he's amplifying existing ones. Every builder already wonders if they're strong enough, if the timeline is realistic, if the materials will hold. Sanballat just gives those private doubts a public voice.
Nehemiah's response is instructive: he prays (verse 4) and keeps building (verse 6). He doesn't argue with the mockery. He doesn't try to prove the doubters wrong with words. He talks to God and picks up a brick. That's the answer to every Sanballat in your life: prayer and progress. Let the mockery bounce off a wall that's getting taller every day.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And he spake before his brethren,.... Tobiah the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, and perhaps some other governors of…
The army of Samaria - As he was governor, he had the command of the army, and he wished to excite the soldiers to second…
Here is, I. The spiteful scornful reflection which Sanballat and Tobiah cast upon the Jews for their attempt to build…
And he spake before his brethren Sanballat's -brethren" would be the chiefs of the Samaritan community.
and the army of…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture