Nehemiah 2:10When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly, because a man had come to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.
The setting
Samaria and Ammon regions (modern West Bank and Jordan), ~445 BC. Local power brokers realize their influence is threatened...
The emotion here: unsurprised but documenting the predictable opposition
The original word
yēraʿ (יֵרַע) — grieved, but more like 'it was evil to them,' showing their malicious intent
Why it matters
Sanballat governed Samaria under Persian authority, making him technically Nehemiah's peer
Read with care
What most readers miss in Nehemiah 2:10
They weren't angry about the wall — they were angry that someone came to help the Jews prosper
Common misconceptionPeople think opposition means you're doing something wrong, but here the enemies were angry specifically because someone came to help God's people.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Nehemiah 2:10
Bible Genome reading
Nehemiah 2:10 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Nehemiah 2:10 comes from the book of Nehemiah, written during the Post-Exile period. These words are attributed to Nehemiah. The dominant emotion in this verse is anxious, with a comfort power of 20% and a tone that is urgent. It belongs to the narrative genre of biblical literature. Key themes include opposition, spiritual warfare. Notable phrases: it grieved them exceedingly; seek the welfare.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same anxious
“And no wonder, for even Satan masquerades as an angel of light.”
— 2 Corinthians 11:14
“Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”
— 2 Timothy 3:12
“The evil spirit answered, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?"”
— Acts 19:15
“I fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?'”
— Acts 22:7
“When we had all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is har…”
— Acts 26:14
Your reflection
What does Nehemiah 2:10 mean to you, today?
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