Bible Commentaries
Nehemiah 4

Introduction

Nehemiah Chapter 4

Nehemiah 4:1 "But it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews."

This was the troublemaker, we read about earlier. He did not want Jerusalem with this wall of protection. He had even accused Nehemiah of wanting to revolt against the king. They were actually mocking the Jews for taking on so large a task by so few people.

Nehemiah 4:2 "And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned?"

The Samaritans had been enemies of Judah. Most of it came from jealousy. They felt the Jews were fortifying themselves against them. He could not believe that so large a task could be accomplished by this fragment of Jews, that came back from Babylonian captivity. He did not believe they would sacrifice their time and energy enough to get this job done. He was not even aware that the king had given authority to Nehemiah to cut down trees in the forest for their building materials. There is always someone saying the task the LORD has given you is an impossibility. Sanballat had underestimated the power of God working through Nehemiah.

Nehemiah 4:3 "Now Tobiah the Ammonite [was] by him, and he said, Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall even break down their stone wall."

The Ammonites had, also, always been enemies of the people of Judah. They were saying, that the wall was built so weakly that just anything at all could tear it down. It was pretty obvious that Tobiah was listening to Sanballat. He was just agreeing with him, and trying to add something to show how weak the Jews were.

Nehemiah 4:4 "Hear, O our God; for we are despised: and turn their reproach upon their own head, and give them for a prey in the land of captivity:"

Nehemiah called out to God. He brought it to the attention of God that these Ammonites and Samaritans were opposed to the work on the wall. The thing that Nehemiah asked God for was for the hate to be turned again to them. Actually, Nehemiah would be pleased, if these people, who are trying to stop the work, would be taken captive themselves, so the work could continue without harassment.

Nehemiah 4:5 "And cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee: for they have provoked [thee] to anger before the builders."

Nehemiah was telling God that these enemies were not just the enemies of Judah, but they were God’s enemies, as well. They were trying to stop God’s work on the wall, but they were actually insulting the name of God in the process. They were trying to cause the builders to lose confidence in the finishing of the wall.

Nehemiah 4:6 "So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work."

All of the insults and troublemaking these two evil men did, could not stop the work on the wall. The entire wall was completed to half the height they had planned. The people had it in their hearts to do this, and no insults could stop them.

Nehemiah 4:7 "But it came to pass, [that] when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, [and] that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth,"

All of these were the enemies of Jerusalem and Judah. They knew that with the wall it would be much harder to overthrow Jerusalem. Jealousy burned in their hearts that God had allowed the wall to be re-built. Their anger was great against Jerusalem, and Nehemiah in particular.

Nehemiah 4:8 "And conspired all of them together to come [and] to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it."

The Arabians, Ammonites, and Samaritans had decided they must stop these men of Judah now, before they built the other half of the wall. They would even attack Jerusalem, if necessary to stop this wall.

Nehemiah 4:9 "Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them."

The work was temporarily stopped to fight off their enemies, if they came. Nehemiah prayed and asked God to help. He, also, put men up and down the wall to warn of any attack.

Nehemiah 4:10 "And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and [there is] much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall."

The bearers of burdens had been reduced to a small number. Most of them were set as guards on the wall, and they could not continue the work. In this sense, the enemies had won for a time. The work on the wall stopped.

Nehemiah 4:11 "And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come in the midst among them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease."

The enemy was still threatening to come in, and kill all of those working on the wall.

Nehemiah 4:12 "And it came to pass, that when the Jews which dwelt by them came, they said unto us ten times, From all places whence ye shall return unto us [they will be upon you]."

There were Jews who lived outside of the wall. It seemed, the people opposed to the building of the wall had told them, that they would not be strong enough to finish the building of the wall. They threatened these people by telling them, they had ten times as many as Judah, and Judah would not stand under such pressure.

Nehemiah 4:13 "Therefore set I in the lower places behind the wall, [and] on the higher places, I even set the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows."

This warning from the adversaries caused Nehemiah to gather the people, and place them on the wall, and behind the wall armed with sword, spears, and bows. All of these threats were accomplishing the stopping of the work on the wall.

Nehemiah 4:14 "And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, [which is] great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses."

Nehemiah had even found out the side the attack was supposed to come from. He alerted the rulers of people of what was planned, and then he reminded them that they should not fear, because God would fight for them. The wall would now help everyone, not just those who had been working on it. Everyone must take up arms and fight off their mutual enemy.

Nehemiah 4:15 "And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known unto us, and God had brought their counsel to nought, that we returned all of us to the wall, every one unto his work."

When the enemy found that Nehemiah and all of Judah knew of their plans and were prepared to fight, the enemy decided not to fight them. There seemed to be just a short pause for the preparation for war. As soon as the threat was over, Nehemiah and all of the workers went back to work on the wall.

Nehemiah 4:16 "And it came to pass from that time forth, [that] the half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the habergeons; and the rulers [were] behind all the house of Judah."

It seemed, the threat of war had drawn all of the people together as one. Half of the people worked on the wall, while the other half stood prepared for war. All of those, who had not been willing to work on the wall, were now standing ready to defend Jerusalem.

Nehemiah 4:17 "They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, [every one] with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other [hand] held a weapon."

This is saying, that even those who were working on the wall, had a weapon ready beside them to use in case it was needed.

Nehemiah 4:18 "For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and [so] builded. And he that sounded the trumpet [was] by me."

This blowing of the trumpet in a certain area, would call the people to that area to fight. Even though the threat of war remained, they built on the wall. The men strapped their weapons to their sides and worked with their weapons where they could instantly get their hands on them. If the trumpet blew, they would all stop working and prepare for war.

Nehemiah 4:19 "And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The work [is] great and large, and we are separated upon the wall, one far from another."

Nehemiah 4:20 "In what place [therefore] ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither unto us: our God shall fight for us."

The wall went completely around the city with people every few feet working on building it up. Those of Judah and Benjamin, who had come back from Babylon, were not a large number of people. The blowing of the trumpet would be necessary to bring the greatest number together to fight, wherever the war broke out.

Nehemiah 4:21 "So we laboured in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared."

They were actually ready 24 hours a day, but they worked about a 12 hour shift from sunup to sundown. Half were working, and half were standing guard at all times.

Nehemiah 4:22 "Likewise at the same time said I unto the people, Let every one with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and labour on the day."

This was for the safety of Jerusalem, but it would, also, be safer for the workers to not leave the safety of the walls. One or two men could easily be stopped and killed, when they were away from the others. This way, they would all be together all the time.

Nehemiah 4:23 "So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard which followed me, none of us put off our clothes, [saving that] every one put them off for washing."

This is just saying, they slept in their clothes. The only time they had their clothes off, was to wash them and put them right back on. These had to be dedicated people to sacrifice like this to build the wall. Notice, Nehemiah did this, as well as the men. He set the example for them.

Nehemiah 4 Questions

1. Who was angry about them building the wall?

2. How were they mocking the Jews?

3. What description of the Jews did he use in Nehemiah 4:2?

4. What questions were they asking in a mocking way?

5. Why were the Samaritans upset about the wall?

6. There is always someone saying the task the LORD has given you to do is an _____________.

7. How weak were they saying the wall was?

8. Tobiah was listening to ___________.

9. The ___________ and the ___________ are opposed to the building of the wall.

10. What does Nehemiah ask God for?

11. Who were they provoking to anger, besides the workers?

12. In verse 6, we see that _________ of the wall is finished?

13. Who became angry, along with Tobiah and Sanballat, when they heard the Jews were building the wall?

14. What did they all conspire together to do?

15. What did Nehemiah do first?

16. What did they do, besides pray?

17. What hindered them from finishing the wall?

18. What were the adversaries threatening to do?

19. What did they tell the Jews, who lived out of Jerusalem?

20. What did Nehemiah do as a show of force?

21. What did Nehemiah say to the nobles?

22. As soon as the enemy had word of all they were doing to protect themselves, what did Nehemiah have his people do?

23. _______ of the men worked on the wall and ________ stood guard.

24. Those who worked on the wall had what weapons nearby to use, if necessary.

25. How would they bring the majority of the people to one area, if there was an attack?

26. How long were their workdays?

27. What did they do, when they slept?

28. This was for the safety of ____________.

29. What did Nehemiah tell those who lived out of the walls of Jerusalem to do?

30. __________ set the example for them.

Verses 1-6

Neh 4:1-6

Introduction

BITTER ENEMIES OF ISRAEL OPPOSE REBUILDING THE WALL

Two false interpretations of Nehemiah thus far must be rejected. One we have already noted, namely, the allegation that Nehemiah 3 was not written by Nehemiah and that it was "injected" into Nehemiah’s narrative. The other is the inaccurate allegation that Nehemiah 3:3-6 "suggest the completion of the wall." No such suggestion is found in Nehemiah 3. Oh yes, it says various workers "repaired!" this or that section of the wall; but that only designates the different assignments to the forty different companies of workers; and there’s not a word in the whole chapter that even hints that the walls were completed. If Nehemiah had intended this third chapter to indicate the completion of the wall, the dedication of it would have followed at once.

This chapter records the hostility and bitterness of Israel’s neighbors when they became aware of Nehemiah’s rebuilding the city’s fortifications. "Sanballat in Samaria on the north, Tobiah and the Ammonites on the east, Geshem and his Arabs to the south, and the Ashdodites and all the Philistines who had hated Israel from the times of Saul and David," - all of these surrounding neighbors were outraged and disgusted with the prospect of Jerusalem’s restoration; and they opposed it in every way possible.

Nehemiah 4:1-6

THE ENEMIES BEGIN THEIR ATTACK WITH RIDICULE AND MOCKERY

"But it came to pass that, when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews. And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What are these feeble Jews doing? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, seeing they are burned? Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they are building, if a fox go up, he shall break down their stone wall. Hear, O our God; for we are despised: and turn back their reproach upon their own head, and give them up for a spoil in a land of captivity; and cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee; for they have provoked thee to anger before the builders. So we built the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto half the height thereof: for the people had a mind to work."

This was only the first phase of Sanballat’s efforts to stop the fortification of Jerusalem. When this failed, he would try other measures. However, except for the remarkable ability and skill of Nehemiah, this initial opposition of laughter, ridicule and insults might have proved successful. "Nothing makes the enemies of the Lord’s work any more indignant than the success of God’s people."

The nature of the insults heaped upon the Jews here was calculated to discourage them. They were called, "feeble Jews"; "will they fortify themselves"? was asked in a tone of unbelief. "The very idea that these people would contemplate such a thing." "Will they sacrifice"? was a way of asking, "Do they expect their God to do this for them’? "Will they revive the stones ... seeing they are burned"? "The effect of fire is to crack and weaken stone"; and this insult was merely a charge that the Jews did not have the material to rebuild the walls. Insults hurt, even if they are untrue. This one was only true in a very limited frame of reference. The stones from the vast majority of the ruined walls were in excellent condition. Only those ruined by the burned wooden gates would have been affected.

"If a fox go up, he shall break down their stone wall" (Nehemiah 4:3). "Foxes were mentioned, perhaps, from their having been known in large numbers to infest the ruined walls of Jerusalem, as recorded in Lamentations 5:18)." This insult was that of Tobiah.

"Hear, O our God, for we are despised ..." (Nehemiah 4:4-5). This writer agrees with Jamieson that, "This prayer is not marked by hatred, vengeance, nor any other sinful passion, and that it exhibits a pious and patriotic zeal for the glory of God and the success of his cause." As we noted in our discussion of the so-called imprecatory Psalms, many of the things that current scholars are saying about such prayers evidences a claim of superior righteousness that we believe is unjustified.

Rawlinson wrote that, "Before men were taught to love their enemies and to bless them that cursed them (Matthew 5:44), they gave vent to their natural feelings of anger and indignation by the utterance of maledictions in their prayers." "The violence of Nehemiah’s imprecations here (Nehemiah 4:4) grates harshly on modern ears; but it should be remembered that such vehemence against enemies appears repeatedly in the Psalms (Psalms 79:4-12; Psalms 123:3-4, and Psalms 137:7-9)." (We have discussed this fully under those references in our Commentary on The Psalms.)

Christians should remember that when they pray for God’s will to be done, for righteouness and truth to prevail, and for the righteous to be protected and blessed, that there is most certainly a corollary to such a prayer; and that is that falsehood shall be repudiated, the wicked defeated, frustrated, and checkmated, and that the wicked shall indeed be cast into hell. There was nothing in Nehemiah’s prayer that is not contained embryonically in every prayer of a Christian today.

"Nehemiah’s short prayer here is parenthetical; and such prayers form one of the most striking characteristics of Nehemiah’s history. This is the first one, and others are in Nehemiah 5:19; Nehemiah 6:9; Nehemiah 6:14; and Nehemiah 13:14; Nehemiah 13:22; Nehemiah 13:29; Nehemiah 13:31."

"So we built the wall ... unto half the height thereof" (Nehemiah 4:6). "This means that the entire continuous wall had been constructed up to one half the contemplated height." The taunting ridicule and mockery of the neighboring enemies had not succeeded in stopping construction.

E.M. Zerr:

Nehemiah 4:1. Sanballat was the man who expressed his displeasure at first hearing of the coming of Nehemiah. He had no good feeling for the Jews and was grieved at the mere thought that anyone would do a favor for them. Now he was still more worked up over the fact that the wall was being built. He knew of the letters of authority that Nehemiah had from the king, and knew he would have no right to interfere. But he mocked or made fun of the work.

Nehemiah 4:2. Sanballat feared lest his people become interested in the project of the Jews and perhaps lend them moral support at least. To prevent this, he tried to belittle the work, or to make it appear that they were undertaking that which was impossible. Make an end in a day is figurative, and implied that Nehemiah expected to accomplish the work in a very short time. He intimated that it would be an almost endless task to clear away the rubbish and get such a great wall built again. He failed to consider that the Jews had a God who was above all others, and that he would be a source of strength to his people in times of need or adversity.

Nehemiah 4:3. It is almost amusing to observe how the enemy tried to encourage each the other. They were really feeling sorry for one another, but pretended to think the work of the Jews was a useless fabrication. Tobiah was near Sanballat when he was making his belittling speech. So he added his mite of condolence with the extravagant statement that a fox could overthrow the work. When a man will make such a ridiculous statement as that, it is evident that he is really concerned about the very thing he is belittling and pretending to regard as of no importance.

Nehemiah 4:4. We are despised means they were being treated with contempt. Nehemiah heard of the reproachful sayings, and prayed to God that their reproach be turned back upon themselves. That is, be made to feel the sting of their own spiteful words.

Nehemiah 4:5. The Bible teaches that God will always forgive when the guilty ones become penitent and comply with the terms of pardon. These enemies of the Jews were not God’s People and would not be inclined to make the proper approach to him for the securing of forgiveness. If God did cover or blot out their iniquity and sin, it would be by sheer favor. Such forgiveness was what Nehemiah prayed God not to grant them.

Nehemiah 4:6. All the wall was joined together unto the half thereof. Moffatt’s translation words this, "So we built the wall to half its height all round." The versions are both correct, but having the two, the thought is more clarified. The meaning is that all the parts of the wall were joined together as the work progressed. At the time referred to, the wall had been built up to half its proper height. The explanation for the success was the fact that the people had a mind to work. And it does not mean simply that they were active in the sense of being workfrenzied, but they were in tune with each other and cooperated in the whole proposition. Had that not been the case, the wall would have been built up at places, and lagging at others. As it was, every man worked in fellowship with his neighbor, and hence the wall was all joined together. This is a wonderful lesson to us on the advantage of cooperation in the work of the Lord. See Romans 12:16; 1 Corinthians 1:10; 1 Corinthians 3:9; 2 Corinthians 13:11.

Verses 7-14

Neh 4:7-14

Nehemiah 4:7-14

SANBALLAT THREATENS VIOLENCE AGAINST THE BUILDERS

"And it came to pass that, when Sanballat and Tobiah, and the Arabians and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem went forward, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth; and they conspired, all of them together, to come and fight against Jerusalem, and to cause confusion therein. But we made our prayer unto God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them. And Judah said, the strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall. And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come into the midst of them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease. And it came to pass that, when the Jews that dwelt by them came, they said unto us ten times from all places, ye must return unto us. Therefore set I in the lowest parts of the space behind the walls, in the open places, I set there the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows. And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not afraid of them: remember the Lord who is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses."

"The Arabians" (Nehemiah 4:7). The identity of these is questionable. "Some believe they were the descendants of one of the racial groups that Sargon planted in Samaria. This is possible, but they might also have been one of the desert tribes of Arabians induced to come forward in the hope of plunder, being influenced by the Ammonites, their neighbors."

Oesterley has a summary of the crisis presented in these verses:

"This was a very critical time. The Jews were getting weary of the ceaseless work; their enemies had planted fear in the workers living beyond the walls by telling them of their plans suddenly to appear and kill the workers; the Jews from the surrounding area appealed to their neighbors at work on the wall to return home, abandoning the work. Nehemiah’s presence of mind and firmness alone saved the situation."

Note the manner in which Nehemiah moved to meet this crisis: (1) He prayed to God (Nehemiah 4:9). (2) He set a watch day and night (Nehemiah 4:9). (3) He set armed men at "the lowest parts," places were the walls might be most easily attacked (Nehemiah 4:13). (4) He brought in the Jews with their families from the outlying areas, armed them and kept them overnight in the city. (5) He stationed armed men throughout the city near the construction workers. (6) He kept a close eye himself upon the situation. (7) He kept a trumpeter by his side, so that in case of an attack, he could promptly order all hands to repel it (Nehemiah 4:18). (8) He called the whole assembly together, saying, "Be not afraid of them ... Remember the Lord who is great and terrible" (Nehemiah 4:14). (9) He commanded the people to be ready to fight (Nehemiah 4:14). (10) And he ordered the work to go on full speed ahead! What a leader he proved to be!

"Nehemiah with faith in God, skillfully arming and arranging his men, drove straight ahead with the work; and in spite of all obstacles, the Wall was finished in 52 days; and Jerusalem was again a fortified city, 142 years after its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C."

"We prayed ... and set a watch" (Nehemiah 4:9). Prayer to God does not eliminate the need for Christians to be alert and prepared to face emergencies. The old song from World War II, was, Praise the Lord, and Pass the Ammunition.

"They shall not know, or see, till we come and slay them" (Nehemiah 4:11). Sanballat by these threats was speaking as if he had an army at his disposal; but, "This was probably nothing more than the customary armed guard by which the satraps protected themselves; and Sanballat probably gambled that the king of Persia might overlook a skirmish between such a band and the Jews." As it turned out, his threatening words were only a bluff.

This chapter has some of the text that is corrupted, and "The chronology of the things mentioned here is not fully clear."

"They said unto us ten times ... Ye must return unto us" (Nehemiah 4:12). "Ten Times is the equivalent here of over and over, or repeatedly." The Jews from the surrounding area were being intimidated and frightened by Sanballat. Nehemiah countered this by bringing the people into Jerusalem.

E.M. Zerr:

Nehemiah 4:7. The persons named were a mixture of various clans and tribes of idolatrous people inhabiting Palestine at the time Nehemiah came to repair the walls. They had been living in unmolested enjoyment of the country for many years, and it grieved them to see the prospect of having their reign of iniquity disturbed. Were made up does not mean the walls were completed. The marginal translation combines the three words into one word, "ascended," and the lexicon agrees with it. Also, it agrees with the language in the preceding verse. Seeing the successful progress of the wall, these men were filled with wrath.

Nehemiah 4:8. To conspire means to join together for some unlawful purposes. In this case it was with intent of fighting against the work at Jerusalem.

Nehemiah 4:9. This verse combines the same items as a command of Christ to his disciples in Matthew 26:41. One duty cannot take the place of another, and in spiritual matters the same person can watch and pray at the same time. But there was a special reason for different forces to be assigned to the separate items in the case of Nehemiah. The work was of a material nature, although being done for the sake of the Lord’s cause. The watching, therefore, was also literal, because they had to be on the alert for a possible physical attack from the enemy.

Nehemiah 4:10. Even some of the Jews became discouraged. They imagined that the work of removing the rubbish was too strenuous for those who were supposed to carry it away.

Nehemiah 4:11. Nehemiah had to hear the boasts of the enemy as well as the complaints of the men of Judah. They said that before the Jews realized it, they would be among them to kill the workmen and thus put a stop to the work.

Nehemiah 4:12. There were some Jews living by the enemies referred to in the preceding verse. They caught the discouraging spirit of the enemy and came to Nehemiah with their tale of woe. Ten times is figurative, meaning they repeated their disconsolate speech over and over again. I like Moffatt’s rendering of the latter part of this verse, which is as follows: "they kept telling us, ’They are gathering against us from all quarters.’ "

Nehemiah 4:13. Nehemiah was not entirely indifferent to the threats of the enemies. He began to strengthen his defenses by placing some families in the low and high places, and armed them with swords and other means of combat.

Nehemiah 4:14. Nehemiah spoke to the heads of the people in behalf of their families. Having them there in their sight, they should be impressed with the necessity of defending them. He bade them trust in the Lord who is great. Under him they could fight for their wives and children, with assurance that victory would be theirs.

Verses 15-20

Neh 4:15-20

Nehemiah 4:15-20

IN SPITE OF THREATENING ENEMIES THE WORK WENT ON

"And it came to pass when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and God brought their counsel to naught, that we returned all of us to the wall every one unto his work. And it came to pass from that time forth, that half of my servants wrought in the work, and half of them held the spears, and the shields, and the bows, and the coats of mail; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah. They that builded the wall and they that bare burdens laded themselves; every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with his other held his weapon; and the builders every one had his sword girded by his side, and so builded. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me. And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The work is great and large, and we are separated upon the wall, one from another: in what place soever ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither unto us; our God will fight for us."

"God brought their counsel to naught" (Nehemiah 4:15). This simply means that Sanballat, hearing and observing Nehemiah’s preparations and determination to fight, backed down from his ugly threats. In his mind, no doubt, was the knowledge that the king of Persia was also behind Nehemiah’s fortifying Jerusalem. "That no conflict came about shows that when the enemy approached, and saw from a distance, the whole people awaiting them in perfect order with all equipment and weapons at the ready, they simply lost heart and turned back."

"Half of my servants wrought in the work" (Nehemiah 4:16). These are generally understood to have been "official servants that pertained to Nehemiah"; but there remains the possibility that the military escort provided by the king of Persia was yet with Nehemiah, there having been no report of its return to Persia. Therefore there is the possibility that these were meant.

"Every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other held his weapon" (Nehemiah 4:17). This expression is obviously somewhat figurative, as explained by the next clause, "Everyone had his sword girded by his side, and so builded." The great London preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon published a paper called Sword and Trowel, named after what is written here.

"The coats of mail" (Nehemiah 4:16). "Coats of mail were common in Assyria from the 9th century B.C., and even earlier in Egypt; they were made of thin leaves of bronze or iron sewed upon leather or linen and overlapping one another."

"The sound of the trumpet" (Nehemiah 4:20). "When an attack was made, the trumpet sounded at that point; all the workers rallied, and the enemy was either frightened or driven away. Even those who lived beyond the city came into Jerusalem at night to sleep."

E.M. Zerr:

Nehemiah 4:15. The "war scare" was over as soon as the enemy learned that the Jews were preparing for the worst. They ceased their threatening for the time being, and the men resumed their work on the wall.

Nehemiah 4:16. While Nehemiah was not frightened by the threats of the enemy, he decided not to take any chances. From that time he used a special plan for the work. It was especially arranged for the men of Judah to strengthen their morale, as they were the ones who had been foremost in the complaints. As a greater precaution, half of the servants of Nehemiah were released from active duty on the wall so that they could be on constant guard. They were prepared for this defense with various weapons, and also were covered with a habergeon. That was a sort of metallic coat that was worn over the other clothing for protection from the darts of the enemy.

Nehemiah 4:17. There were the masons and others who worked on the wall. They had to be furnished with materials that were borne on the shoulders of men called "burden bearers," and some others were needed to lay the materials on the shoulders of the bearers. These three classes of workmen are meant in the forepart of this verse. Even all of these men were directed to carry a weapon in one hand. That would explain why they needed some to lay the load on the shoulders of the carriers.

Nehemiah 4:18. We thus see that all the classes of workers, whether engaged directly on the wall or in attending on them, were armed and prepared to fight if need be, as well as to work. The same principle is taught in the New Testament. Christians are commanded to work (Philippians 2:12), and to fight (1 Timothy 6:12). The use of the trumpeter standing by Nehemiah will be shown in the following paragraph.

Nehemiah 4:19-20. The wall was very great and the workers were necessarily scattered so that not many would be in any one section. Should the enemy observe that fact, he might select some one of the more scattered groups and direct his attack there. The trumpeter was therefore expected to sound an alarm and all the others were to rush to the place attacked and help in the defense. This is another principle taught in the New Testament. See Romans 12:15; 1 Corinthians 12:26; 1 Thessalonians 5:14. Nehemiah taught his people the idea of being coworkers with God; that man’s efforts were required, but they alone would not win. Hence they were told that "our God shall fight for us."

Verses 21-23

Neh 4:21-23

Nehemiah 4:21-23

WORKED DAY AND NIGHT; EVEN SLEPT IN THEIR CLOTHES

"So we wrought in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared. Likewise at the same time I said unto the people, Let everyone with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that at night they may be a guard to us, and may labor in the day. So neither I nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor my men of the guard that followed me, none of us put off our clothes, everyone went with his weapon to the water."

"Half of them held the spears ... till the stars appeared" (Nehemiah 4:21). "These three verses are a summary of what was said above. Half of the servants and the guard worked in the daytime, and the other half stood guard at night." Note also that the work continued without intermission throughout all the daylight hours.

"Let everyone ... lodge within Jerusalem" (Nehemiah 4:22). "This means let none return to his own village or city at night, but let all take their rest in Jerusalem."

"Everyone went with his weapon to the water" (Nehemiah 4:23). All scholars speak of the damaged text in this verse. "As it stands, it is quite meaningless." The footnote in our version (the ASV) reads, "The text is obscure." "Keil translated it, `Each laid his weapon at the right,’ that is, when he slept, his weapon was ready at hand."

Various translations are:

"None of us put off our clothes, saving that everyone put them of for washing" (KJV).

"(We) did not put off our clothes; only every man stripped himself when he was to be washed" (Douay).

"Each kept his weapon in his hand" (Moffatt).

"We all kept our weapons at hand" (Good News Bible).

"Each kept his weapon in his hand" (Revised Standard Version).

"Each kept his weapon in his right hand" (New Revised Standard Version).

E.M. Zerr:

Nehemiah 4:21. The spears were already mentioned in Nehemiah 4:16. The added detail is given here as to the hours put in at the work. They were from daylight to full darkness. There was no such thing as "overtime" on that project.

Nehemiah 4:22. When active duties had subsided on account of the nightfall, there was still the necessity for the presence of the servants to act as guards. There never was a time when they could be said to be free from danger of the enemy. That is the same lesson that is taught in 1 Peter 5:8.

Nehemiah 4:23. The emergency created by the necessity of washing their clothes is what was referred to at Nehemiah 3:23. See the comments at that place.