Bible Strands
Nehemiah 2:20
So I answered them and said, “The God of heaven is the One who will grant us success. We, His servants, will start rebuilding, but you have no portion, right, or claim in Jerusalem.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Nehemiah replies directly to Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab, who have just mocked him and accused him of rebelling against the king (v. 19).
The words — yatzliach (יַצְלִ֣יחַ, H6743) is the yiqtol of a root meaning "to prosper, succeed," here in a confident future: "he will grant success." The subject is not Nehemiah but the God of heaven, marked by the emphatic hu' (ה֚וּא, "he").
The thread — The "no portion" formula echoes Ezra 4:3 ("You have no part with us in building a house to our God") and recurs in Acts 8:21 ("You have no part or share in our ministry").
Why it lands — It refuses to meet the accusation on its own terms; the dispute is not political but theological, and the boundary is drawn by divine appointment, not by argument.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.
Cross-references
- Ezra 4:3 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the other heads of the families of Israel replied, “You have no part with us in building a house for our God, since we alone must build it for the LORD, the God of Israel, as Cyrus king of Persia has commanded us.”
- Acts 8:21 You have no part or share in our ministry, because your heart is not right before God.
- Nehemiah 2:4 “What is your request?” replied the king. So I prayed to the God of heaven
- Isaiah 56:5 I will give them, in My house and within My walls, a memorial and a name better than that of sons and daughters. I will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off.
- Acts 10:31 and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your gifts to the poor have been remembered before God.
- Psalms 35:27 May those who favor my vindication shout for joy and gladness; may they always say, “Exalted be the LORD who delights in His servant’s well-being.”
- Ecclesiastes 7:18 It is good to grasp the one and not let the other slip from your hand. For he who fears God will follow both warnings.
- Psalms 20:5 May we shout for joy at your victory and raise a banner in the name of our God. May the LORD grant all your petitions.
- Psalms 51:18 In Your good pleasure, cause Zion to prosper; build up the walls of Jerusalem.
- Zechariah 6:14 The crown will reside in the temple of the LORD as a memorial to Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and the gracious son of Zephaniah.