Bible Strands
Nehemiah 6:2
Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono.” But they were planning to harm me.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Sanballat and Geshem send a message to Nehemiah while the wall rebuilding is complete except for the uninstalled gate doors. They propose a meeting in a village on the plain of Ono under the guise of fellowship.
The words — The verb וַ/יִּשְלַ֨ח (va/i.yish.Lach) literally means "and he sent," marking the deliberate dispatch of the invitation. The imperative לְכָ֞/ה (le.Kha/h) translates as "come!" and joins with וְ/נִֽוָּעֲדָ֥ה (ve./ni.va.'a.Dah) to form the direct phrase "let us meet together."
The thread — The plain of Ono is identified in 1 Chronicles 8:12 as a settlement founded by Eber and reappears in Nehemiah 11:35 among the post-exilic communities. The concealed hostility mirrors the pattern in Psalm 37:12 where the wicked scheme against the righteous.
Why it lands — The text states that the invitation was a cover for a plot to harm Nehemiah, prompting him to refuse the meeting and remain at his work. A reader must recognize when social or political overtures mask destructive purposes and prioritize the assigned task over compelled compliance.
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
That Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me, saying, Come, let us meet together in some one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me mischief.
Cross-references
- 1 Chronicles 8:12 The sons of Elpaal: Eber, Misham, Shemed (who built Ono and Lod with its villages),
- Psalms 37:12 The wicked scheme against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them,
- Nehemiah 11:35 Lod, and Ono; and in the Valley of the Craftsmen.
- 2 Samuel 3:27 When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab pulled him aside into the gateway, as if to speak to him privately, and there Joab stabbed him in the stomach. So Abner died on account of the blood of Joab’s brother Asahel.
- 2 Samuel 20:9 “Are you well, my brother?” Joab asked Amasa. And with his right hand Joab grabbed Amasa by the beard to kiss him.
- Psalms 12:2 They lie to one another; they speak with flattering lips and a double heart.
- Psalms 37:32 Though the wicked lie in wait for the righteous, and seek to slay them,
- Proverbs 26:24 A hateful man disguises himself with his speech, but he lays up deceit in his heart.
- Ecclesiastes 4:4 I saw that all labor and success spring from a man’s envy of his neighbor. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
- Jeremiah 41:2 Then Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the ten men who were with him got up and struck down Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, with the sword, killing the one whom the king of Babylon had appointed to govern the land.