With the use of the term rebel,
these three enemies sought to plant the thought that Nehemiah and the leaders with him are in fact planning to incite a rebellion against King Artaxerxes. It should be noted that the same charge was levelled some years earlier (Ezra 4:11–16), with successful results (from the enemies’ perspective). They are sowing the seeds for the same line of attack again. It should further be noted that the pronoun you
is plural, indicating that their attack is directed not simply at Nehemiah but at the very people whom Nehemiah had encouraged to build and who in turn had agreed eagerly to do so (Nehemiah 2:18).
19 But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they jeered at us and despised us and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?”