The Meaning of Nehemiah 6:8 Explained

Nehemiah 6:8

KJV: Then I sent unto him, saying, There are no such things done as thou sayest, but thou feignest them out of thine own heart.

YLT: And I send unto him, saying, 'It hath not been according to these words that thou art saying, for from thine own heart thou art devising them;'

Darby: And I sent to him, saying, There are no such things done as thou sayest, but thou feignest them out of thine own heart.

ASV: Then I sent unto him, saying, There are no such things done as thou sayest, but thou feignest them out of thine own heart.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Then I sent  unto him, saying,  There are  no such things  done  as thou sayest,  but thou feignest  them out of thine own heart. 

What does Nehemiah 6:8 Mean?

Context Summary

Nehemiah 6:1-19 - A Great Task-A Safeguard From Danger
How often Satan tries to call us off from our work for God! He cannot endure to see us engaged so eagerly on our Master's business and therefore raises up all sorts of hindrances and hostilities. Amid all these we have but one duty to perform. We must lose ourselves in our work. Ours to reply, "I am doing a great work, I cannot come down; why should the work cease?" If we will see to God's business, He will see to our safety. False friends, who prophesy in God's name, are more to be dreaded than open foes. We must learn to discern the spirits. The counsel which savors of self is always to be suspected. Note that Nehemiah considered that to have fear would have been to sin. But God was with the little band through dangers, and the wall was finished in spite of all opposition, 1 Corinthians 15:58. [source]

Chapter Summary: Nehemiah 6

1  Sanballat practices by craft, by rumors, and by hired prophecies, to terrify Nehemiah
15  The work is finished, to the terror of the enemies
17  Secret intelligence passes between the enemies and the nobles of Judah

What do the individual words in Nehemiah 6:8 mean?

And I sent to him saying Not are being done things these as you say but in your own heart invent them
וָאֶשְׁלְחָ֤ה אֵלָיו֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר לֹ֤א נִֽהְיָה֙ כַּדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֔לֶּה אֲשֶׁ֖ר אַתָּ֣ה אוֹמֵ֑ר כִּ֥י מִֽלִּבְּךָ֖ בוֹדָֽאם‪‬

וָאֶשְׁלְחָ֤ה  And  I  sent 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, first person common singular, third person feminine singular
Root: שָׁלַח  
Sense: to send, send away, let go, stretch out.
אֵלָיו֙  to  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
לֵאמֹ֔ר  saying 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
נִֽהְיָה֙  are  being  done 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
כַּדְּבָרִ֣ים  things 
Parse: Preposition-k, Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: דָּבָר  
Sense: speech, word, speaking, thing.
הָאֵ֔לֶּה  these 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, common plural
Root: אֵהֶל 
Sense: these.
אוֹמֵ֑ר  say 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
מִֽלִּבְּךָ֖  in  your  own  heart 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: לֵב 
Sense: inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding.
בוֹדָֽאם‪‬  invent  them 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: בָּדָא  
Sense: to devise, contrive, invent (bad sense).