What Does Nehemiah 6:14 Mean?
Remember, my God, Tobiah and Sanballat according to these their works, and Noadiah the prophetess, and the rest of the prophets who were making me afraid.
Key words are shown with the Hebrew or Greek and what each word meant.
Selah Decoded Version The Selah Decoded Version renders what the Hebrew and Greek words meant to the people who first heard them.
King James wording
King James Version
My God, think thou upon Tobiah and Sanballat according to these their works, and on the prophetess Noadiah, and the rest of the prophets, that would have put me in fear.THE KEY
The prayer names fear itself as part of their work and asks that the work be remembered.
THE MEANING
This prayer makes intimidation nameable: it treats the attempt to produce fear as a deed and brings the people and their works into God’s regard. It does not erase the threat; it speaks of it plainly while entrusting its accounting to God.
THE ROOT
זָכְרָה
zāḵərāh
GROWS FROM
זכר
Remember, call to mind.
“think thou upon” in this verse is zāḵərāh. The Hebrew verb is zakar, “remember”; here the prayer brings both the people and their deeds into view. Its branches show remembrance taking shape as a memorial or as something spoken aloud.
ALSO GROWS
zikkārôn: Memorial, remembrance.
זִכָּרוֹן
A memorial makes remembering something held in view; the prayer asks that these deeds not pass unseen.
hizkîr: Mention, bring to mind.
הִזְכִּיר
The prayer itself names the people and their works, bringing the record into speech.
מְיָרְאִים
məyarʾîm
GROWS FROM
ירא
Fear, be afraid; in a causative form, make afraid.
“making me afraid” in this verse is məyarʾîm. The verb describes people producing fear in someone else, so the verse treats intimidation as an action, not just a feeling. The root can name fear or dread; here it concerns danger from people, not awe of God.
ALSO GROWS
yirʾāh: Fear, awe.
יִרְאָה
It shows the root can name the state of fearing; here the verse focuses on those trying to cause that state.
môrāʾ: Dread, fear.
מוֹרָא
This branch makes the threat’s force visible: the work described aims to make Nehemiah afraid.
THE PATTERN
Threats and deeds are named before God rather than concealed under fear.
Remember me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people.And now, LORD, look upon their threats, and give your servants to speak your word with all boldness.THE THREAD
Remember me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people.Both prayers use zakar (זכר), “remember.” One asks God to remember the speaker’s good work; the other asks God to remember the opponents according to theirs, putting both requests in terms of deeds brought into view.
Read the SDV Bible.
Every verse has a Deep Dive in the app.
The iPhone Bible app with the Selah Decoded Version.
Does something in this reading look wrong? Tell us