Nehemiah 6: Group Study Handout

How to use: read Nehemiah 6 aloud together, then take the questions in order. One page is enough for an evening.

Overview

Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem hear that Nehemiah has built the wall, with no breach left in it (vv. 1-2). They invite him to meet in Ono, intending to harm him.

Key verse

“So the wall was finished in the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in fifty-two days.”
Nehemiah 6:15 (WEB)

Outline

Nehemiah 6:1–2 Enemies Plot Against Nehemiah
Nehemiah 6:3–4 Nehemiah Rejects the Invitation
Nehemiah 6:5–9 Accusations in an Open Letter
Nehemiah 6:10–12 False Prophecy and Discernment
Nehemiah 6:13–14 Prayer for Justice
Nehemiah 6:15–16 Completion of the Wall
Nehemiah 6:17–19 Continued Opposition

Discussion questions

In v2, what does Sanballat ask Nehemiah to do in the plain of Ono?
What does Nehemiah do in v15 after finishing the wall?
Nehemiah's discernment in v12: how does he determine that Shemaiah's prophecy is false?
In v19, what does the phrase 'put me in fear' suggest about Nehemiah's challenges?
When have you faced pressure to abandon a commitment like Nehemiah did in v3?

Go deeper

Passages that echo Nehemiah 6: Nehemiah 2, Nehemiah 4, Nehemiah 3.

Before next time: read Nehemiah 7.