1 While the enemies scoff, Nehemiah prays and continues the work
7 Understanding the wrath and secrets of the enemy, he sets a watch
13 He arms the labourers
19 and gives military precepts

Sanballat 2:10,19 Ezr 4:1-5 Ac 5:17

mocked Ps 35:15,16 44:13,14 Mt 27:29 Heb 11:36

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 army Ezr 4:9,10

feeble 1Sa 14:11,12 17:43,44 Zec 12:8 1Co 1:27

fortify themselves. Heb. leave to themselves. sacrifice 12:27,43

revive 10 Eze 37:3-13 Hab 3:2

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.

Tobiah 2:10,19 6:1 1Ki 20:10,18 2Ki 18:23

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:

Hear Ps 123:3,4

despised. Heb. despite. turn 1Sa 17:26 Ps 79:12 Pr 3:34 Ho 12:14

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.

cover not Ps 59:5-13 69:27 109:14 Jer 18:23 2Ti 4:14

their sin Ps 51:1,9 Isa 43:25 44:22

before the builders Isa 36:11,12

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.

and all the wall (That is, the whole circuit of the wall was completed unto half the intended height.)

for the people (The original is very emphatic, wyhee laiv leam laasoth, 'for the people had a heart to work.' Their heart was engaged in it, and they went about it cheerfully and vigorously.)

had a mind 6:15 1Ch 29:3,14,17,18 2Ch 29:36 Ps 110:3 2Co 8:16,17 Php 2:13 Heb 13:21

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,

Sanballat 1 2:10,19

the Ammonites Jud 10:7 11:12 1Sa 11:2 2Sa 10:1-5 2Ki 24:2 2Ch 20:1 Eze 25:3-7 Am 1:13

Ashdodites 13:23,24 1Sa 5:1,2 2Ch 26:6-8 Jer 25:20 Am 1:8 3:9 Zec 9:5,6

heard Ezr 4:4-16 5:8

were made up. Heb. ascended. then Ge 3:15 Ac 4:17,18 5:33 Re 12:12,13,17

8 And conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it.

all Ps 2:1-3 83:3-11 Isa 8:9,10 Ac 23:12,13

hinder it. Heb. make an error to it Jer 20:10

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

Nevertheless 11 Ge 32:9-12,28 2Ki 19:14-19 Ps 50:15 55:16-22 Lu 6:11,12 Ac 4:24-30

set a watch Mt 26:41 Lu 21:36 1Pe 5:8

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 strength Nu 13:31 32:9 Ps 11:1,2 Hag 1:2

bearers 2Ch 2:18 Eze 29:18

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.

They shall not Jud 20:29 2Sa 17:2 Ps 56:6 Isa 47:11 Ac 23:12,21 1Th 5:2

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.

ten times Ge 31:7,41 Nu 14:22 Job 19:3

From all places, etc. or, That from all places ye must return to us. ye shall return (Houbigant, Michaelis, and Dathe contend, that instead of tashoovoo, 'ye shall return,' we should read chalshevoo, 'they designed.'

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.

Therefore Ge 32:13-20 2Ch 32:2-8 Ps 112:5 Mt 10:16 1Co 14:20

in the lower places. Heb. from the lower parts of the place, etc. their swords 17,18 So 3:7,8 Eph 6:11-20

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.

Be ye not afraid Nu 14:9 De 1:21,29,30 20:3,4 Jos 1:9 2Ch 20:15-17 32:7 Ps 27:1 Ps 46:11 Isa 41:10-14 Mt 10:28 Heb 13:6

remember Ps 20:7 77:10-20 143:5 Isa 51:12,13 63:11-13

great 1:5 De 10:17 Job 37:22 Ps 65:5 66:3,5 Isa 64:1-3 Na 1:2-7 Heb 12:20,21,28,29

fight 2Sa 10:12

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.

God 2Sa 15:31 17:14 Job 5:12,13 Ps 33:10,11 Pr 21:30 Isa 8:10 44:25 La 3:37,38 1Co 3:19,20

every one Mr 13:34 Ro 12:11 1Th 4:11

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.

my servants 23 5:15,16 Ps 101:6

and the other half (This is no unusual thing in Palestine, even at the present day; people sowing their seed are often attended by armed men, to prevent the Arabs from robbing them of it.)

habergeons (Habergeon, from the Teutonic hals, the neck, and bergen, to cover, defend, may be considered as signifying a breast-plate, though the Franco-Gallic hautbergon signifies a coat of mail; the original shiryon, we have already seen, denotes a corslet.)

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.

bare burdens 10

every one (That is, he had his arms at hand; and was as fully prepared to fight as to work. The builders could not possibly have made any progress, if they had literally held a weapon in one of their hands; but the expression is evidently figurative, implying that every man was a much a soldier as a builder.)

with one Da 9:25 1Co 9:12 16:9,13 2Co 6:7 Eph 6:11 Php 1:28 2Ti 2:3 4:7

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.

by his side. Heb. on his loins. he that sounded Nu 10:9 2Ch 13:12-17

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.

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

our God Ex 14:14,25 De 1:30 3:22 20:4 Jos 23:10 Zec 14:3

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

So we 1Co 15:10,58 Ga 6:9 Col 1:29

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.

every one 11:1,2

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.

So neither I 5:16 7:2 Jud 9:48 1Co 15:10

saving that, etc. or, every one went with his weapon for water Jud 5:11 (The original of this obscure clause is ish shilcho hammayim, which is rendered by Montanus, vir missile suum aquas, 'a man his dart to the waters,' of which it is difficult to make sense. It is wholly omitted by the LXX.; and one of De Rossi's MSS. reads, meshallachah al hammayim, 'in order to send them to the water.')