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Nehemiah
Chapter Four
New King James Version
(NKJV)
Nehemiah 4:1. But
it so happened
when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall
that he
was furious and very indignant
and mocked the Jews.
YLT And it cometh to pass
when Sanballat hath heard that we are
building the wall
that it is displeasing to him
and he is very angry and
mocketh at the Jews
But it came to
pass
that when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall
....
Or were building it; for
as yet it was not finished
see Nehemiah 4:6
he was wroth
and took great indignation;
inwardly
though outwardly
he pretended to treat the work with contempt
as if it never would be
accomplished
which yet he feared:
and mocked the
Jews;
as a set of foolish
builders
and unable to finish what they had begun.
Nehemiah 4:2.
And he spoke
before his brethren and the army of Samaria
and said
“What are these feeble
Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they
complete it in a day? Will they revive the stones from the heaps of rubbish—stones
that are burned?”
YLT and saith before his brethren and the force of Samaria
yea
he
saith
`What [are] the weak Jews doing? are they left to themselves? do they
sacrifice? do they complete in a day? do they revive the stones out of the
heaps of the rubbish? -- and they burnt!'
And he spake
before his brethren
....
Tobiah the Ammonite
and
Geshem the Arabian
and perhaps some other governors of the king of Persia in
those parts:
and before the
army of Samaria:
which
and the inhabitants
of it
were implacable enemies of the Jews:
and said
what
do these feeble Jews?
what do they pretend to
do
or what can they do?
will they
fortify themselves?
by building a wall about
their city; can they think they shall ever be able to do this
or that it will
be allowed?
will they
sacrifice?
meaning not their daily
sacrifice
as Jarchi
that they had done a long time
but for the dedication of
their building
as Aben Ezra:
will they make
an end in a day?
they seem to be in as
great a hurry and haste as if they meant it; and indeed
unless they can do it
very quickly
they never will: they will soon be stopped:
will they
revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burnt?
where will they find
materials? do they imagine that they can make burnt stones firm and strong
again
or harden the dust and rubbish into stones
or make that
which is as if
dead
alive? to do this is the same as to revive a dead man
and they may as
well think of doing the one as the other; burnt stones being reckoned as dead
as Eben Ezra observes.
Nehemiah 4:3.
Now Tobiah the
Ammonite was beside him
and he said
“Whatever they build
if even a
fox goes up on it
he will break down their stone wall.”
YLT And Tobiah the Ammonite [is] by him and saith
`Also
that which
they are building -- if a fox doth go up
then it hath broken down their stone
wall.'
Now Tobiah the
Ammonite was by him
....
Who was one of his
brethren he spake before
Nehemiah 4:2
and he said;
in the like contemptuous
and scoffing manner:
even that which
they build
if a fox go up
he shall break down their stone wall;
signifying not only that
it was so low that a fox could easily get up to it
or leap over it; but that
the materials were so bad
and the work so poorly done
that the weight of a
fox would break it down; of which creatures many were thereabout
since
Jerusalem was desolate
see Lamentations 5:18.
Nehemiah 4:4.
Hear
O our
God
for we are despised; turn their reproach on their own heads
and give them
as plunder to a land of captivity!
YLT Hear
O our God
for we have been despised; and turn back their
reproach on their own head
and give them for a spoil in a land of captivity;
Hear
O our
God
for we are despised
....
Here begins the prayer of
Nehemiah
who had been informed of what these men said in contempt of him
and
his builders
and to whom he sent no answer
but applied to God:
and turn their
reproach upon their own head;
as they have despised and
reproached us
let them be despised and reproached by their neighbours:
give them for a
prey in the land of captivity;
let them be carried
captive
as we have been
and become a prey and booty to their enemies.
Nehemiah 4:5.
Do not cover
their iniquity
and do not let their sin be blotted out from before You; for
they have provoked You to anger before the builders.
YLT and do not cover over their iniquity
and their sin from before
Thee let not be blotted out
for they have provoked to anger -- over-against
those building.
And cover not
their iniquity
and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee
....
Let it not go unpunished
and even let it not be pardoned; which is spoken
not from a private spirit of
revenge
but from a public spirit for the glory of God
and his justice; and
not as a mere imprecation
but as a prophecy of what would be the case
in like
manner as many of David's petitions in the Psalms; and for this there was a
good foundation
since God had threatened the Moabites and Ammonites with utter
destruction:
for they have
provoked thee to anger before the builders;
by despising his people
and mocking at the work the Lord had called them to; and this they did
publicly
and on purpose to discourage the workmen.
Nehemiah 4:6.
So we built the
wall
and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height
for
the people had a mind to work.
YLT And we build the wall
and all the wall is joined -- unto its
half
and the people have a heart to work.
So built we the
wall
....
Went on in building it
notwithstanding their scoffs and threats:
and all the
wall was joined together unto the half thereof;
it was carried all round
the city to half the height of it:
for the people
had a mind to work;
their heart was in it
they had a good will to it
and they made haste to finish it.
Nehemiah 4:7.
Now it
happened
when Sanballat
Tobiah
the Arabs
the Ammonites
and the Ashdodites
heard that the walls of Jerusalem were being restored and the gaps were
beginning to be closed
that they became very angry
YLT And it cometh to pass
when Sanballat hath heard
and Tobiah
and
the Arabians
and the Ammonites
and the Ashdodites
that lengthening hath gone
up to the walls of Jerusalem
that the breeches have begun to be stopped
then
it is very displeasing to them
And it came to
pass that when Sanballat
and Tobiah
and the Arabians
....
Who were under and
influenced by Geshem the Arabian:
and the
Ammonites;
over whom Tobiah was
governor:
and the
Ashdodites;
who were of Ashdod or
Azotus
one of the principalities of the Philistines
who were always enemies
to the Jews:
heard that the
walls of Jerusalem were made up;
or "the length of
them went up"F4עלתה ארוכה "ascendisset longitudo"
Montanus; so
Coeceius in rad. ארך. ; that is
the height of them;
that they rose up high apace
and were got up to
or almost to their proper
height:
and that the
breaches began to be stopped;
for the walls were not all
thrown down by the Chaldeans
but breaches made here and there
which were now
repaired:
then they were
very wroth;
and could not avoid
showing it; before they mocked them
as attempting what they could not go
through with; but now
perceiving the work went on with great success
they
were enraged.
Nehemiah 4:8.
and all of them
conspired together to come and attack Jerusalem and create confusion.
YLT and they conspire
all of them together
to come in to fight
against Jerusalem
and to do to it injury.
And conspired
all of them together
....
All the above men and
people entered into a confederacy and combination:
to come and to
fight against Jerusalem;
to bring an army with
them
and by force cause the Jews to desist; the JewsF5Pirke
Eliezer
c. 38. pretend they came to war
and brought with them an army of
180
000 men
which is not probable:
and to hinder
it;
the building of the walls
of it; or "to make a wandering for him"F6לעשות לו תועה
"ad faciendum ei errorem"
Montanus; "ei aberrationem"
Genevenses; "vagationem et palationem"
alii apud De Dieu. ; for
Nehemiah
or the people
or both
to
cause them to stray from their work
to
frighten them from it
that they might become like men at their wits end
not
knowing what to do
where to turn themselves
or what course to steer
but to
wander about as persons out of their senses; so Aben Ezra. De Dieu joins this
clause to the next verse
to cause everyone of them to wander
we prayed
&c.
Nehemiah 4:9.
Nevertheless we
made our prayer to our God
and because of them we set a watch against them day
and night.
YLT And we pray unto our God
and appoint a watch against them
by day
and by night
because of them.
Nevertheless
we made our prayer unto our God
....
Spread their case before
him in prayer
entreating direction and help from him:
and set a watch
against them day and night
because of them;
to give notice of their
approach
that they might prepare to defend themselves; though they prayed to
God
and trusted in him for deliverance
they did not neglect the use of means.
Nehemiah 4:10.
Then Judah
said
“The strength of the laborers is failing
and there is so much
rubbish that we are not able to build the wall.”
YLT And Judah saith
`The power of the burden-bearers hath become
feeble
and the rubbish [is] abundant
and we are not able to build on the
wall.'
And Judah said
....
Several of the men of
Judah:
the strength of
the bearers of burdens is decayed;
through much labour
in
carrying heavy loads of stone and timber to the builders
and yet more through
fear of the enemy:
and there is
much rubbish;
which ought to be removed
but that the labourers were so weak that they could not do it:
so that we are
not able to build the wall;
to finish it before the
enemy comes to attack us.
Nehemiah 4:11. And
our adversaries said
“They will neither know nor see anything
till we come
into their midst and kill them and cause the work to cease.”
YLT And our adversaries say
`They do not know
nor see
till that we
come in to their midst
and have slain them
and caused the work to cease.'
And our
adversaries said
they shall not know
....
Our designs upon them:
neither see;
or perceive what we are
about to do:
till we come in
the midst of them;
with an army suddenly
at
an unawares
and unexpected:
and slay them;
they being unarmed
and
not prepared to defend themselves:
and cause the
work to cease;
as it must in course
the
builders being slain.
Nehemiah 4:12.
So it was
when
the Jews who dwelt near them came
that they told us ten times
“From whatever
place you turn
they will be upon us.”
YLT And it cometh to pass
when the Jews have come who are dwelling
near them
that they say to us ten times from all the places whither ye return
-- [they are] against us.
Near Samaria
Arabia
and
Ashdod
and had intelligence of their designs:
came
they said
to us ten times;
that is
they came to them
at Jerusalem
and often told them
as this phrase "ten times"
signifies; see Gill on Genesis 31:7
from all places
whence ye shall return unto us:
they will be upon you
come which way you will
so that ye are in the utmost danger: or "from all
places"; where you are repairing and rebuilding:
return to us;
that ye may enjoy peace
and prosperity with us under Sanballat
&c. and escape the wrath and fury
you are now exposed to; or "from all places we come
that ye may return to
us"; so De Dieu; these Jews
though they pretended to be friends
to their
brethren
yet seemed to be in friendship with their enemies
and sought to
discourage them
and weaken their minds
and cause them to cease building.
Nehemiah 4:13.
Therefore I
positioned men behind the lower parts of the wall
at the openings; and
I set the people according to their families
with their swords
their spears
and their bows.
YLT And I appoint at the lowest of the places
at the back of the
wall
in the clear places
yea
I appoint the people
by their families
with
their swords
their spears
and their bows.
Therefore set I
in the lower places behind the wall
....
Where the wall was lowest
and the enemy could more easily break it down
or get over it:
and on the
higher places;
where the wall was higher;
or rather on the towers upon the walls
as the word signifies the tops of
rocks
which are dry and smooth
see Ezekiel 24:2.
I even set the
people after their families;
according to their rank
number
strength
and valour:
with their
swords
their spears
and their bows;
with weapons they could
use both near
and at a distance.
Nehemiah 4:14.
And I looked
and arose and said to the nobles
to the leaders
and to the rest of the
people
“Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord
great and awesome
and
fight for your brethren
your sons
your daughters
your wives
and your
houses.”
YLT And I see
and rise up
and say unto the freemen
and unto the
prefects
and unto the rest of the people
`Be not afraid of them; the Lord
the great and the fearful
remember ye
and fight for your brethren
your sons
and your daughters
your wives
and your houses.'
And I looked
....
Took a view of the people
and observed that they were in their proper place
and sufficiently armed
and
also whether the enemy was coming:
and rose up and
said unto the nobles
and to the rulers
and to the rest of the people;
who were under their
nobles and rulers
as their captains and commanders:
be not ye
afraid of them;
of their enemies
their
numbers
and their threats:
remember the
Lord
which is great and terrible;
who is greater than they
and is to be feared and trusted in by his people
and is terrible even to the
kings of the earth:
and fight for
your brethren
your sons and your daughters
your wives and your houses;
intimating
that they were in danger of
losing all that was near and dear
valuable and precious to them
if they did
not fight for them; and therefore it became them to quit themselves like men
and be strong.
Nehemiah 4:15.
And it
happened
when our enemies heard that it was known to us
and that God
had brought their plot to nothing
that all of us returned to the wall
everyone to his work.
YLT And it cometh to pass
when our enemies have heard that it hath
been known to us
and God doth frustrate their counsel
and we turn back
all
of us
unto the wall
each unto his work;
And it came to
pass
when our enemies heard it was known unto us
....
What they intended
as
might be reported to them from the preparations made by the Jews to receive
them
and defend themselves:
and God had
brought their counsel to naught;
which was to come upon
them secretly and unawares; but being discovered
they dropped their design
and their scheme came to nothing:
so that we
returned all of us to the wall
every man to his work;
to that part of it where
he wrought
in order to finish it.
Nehemiah 4:16.
So it was
from
that time on
that half of my servants worked at construction
while the
other half held the spears
the shields
the bows
and wore armor; and
the leaders were behind all the house of Judah.
YLT yea
it cometh to pass
from that day
half of my servants are
working in the business
and half of them are keeping hold of both the spears
the shields
and the bows
and the coats of mail; and the heads [are] behind
all the house of Judah.
And it came to
pass from that time forth
....
That they were thus
alarmed of danger from their enemies:
that the half
of my servants wrought in the work;
of building the wall; his
domestic servants
his guards
or mighty men
as Jarchi
men of war
the
soldiers:
and the other
half of them held both the spears
the shields
and the bows;
some offensive
others
defensive weapons; some to fight with at a distance
others near at hand:
and the
habergeons;
coats of mail
which they
took and clothed themselves with:
and the rulers
were behind all the house of Judah;
the Jews that were working
at the wall
to animate and encourage them
protect and defend them.
Nehemiah 4:17.
Those who built
on the wall
and those who carried burdens
loaded themselves so that with one
hand they worked at construction
and with the other held a weapon.
YLT The builders on the wall
and the bearers of the burden
those
lading
[each] with one of his hands is working in the business
and one is
laying hold of the missile.
That laid the mortar and
stones upon it
and timber where it was necessary:
and they that
bore burdens;
that carried the mortar
stones
and timber to the builders
and served them:
with those that
laded;
which prepared the above
for them
and laid them on their shoulders:
everyone with
one of his hands wrought in the work
and with the other hand held a weapon;
which is not to be
understood strictly and literally
for without both hands they could not well
perform either of the above works; but proverbially
signifying that they were
intent on both working and fighting
and were ready and prepared to do the
latter
as well as the former
having weapons lying by them
or girt about
them
as is explained in the following verse.
Nehemiah 4:18.
Every one of
the builders had his sword girded at his side as he built. And the one who
sounded the trumpet was beside me.
YLT And the builders [are] each with his sword
girded on his loins
and building
and he who is blowing with a trumpet [is] beside me.
For the
builders had everyone his sword girded by his side
and so builded
....
Thus accoutred he wrought
and was prepared for either service:
and he that
sounded the trumpet was by me;
to give the alarm of war
that everyone might lay aside his work
and prepare for the battle: this
officer stood by Nehemiah
that when he found it necessary
might give him
orders to sound his trumpet
for the men to gather to him.
Nehemiah 4:19.
Then I said to
the nobles
the rulers
and the rest of the people
“The work is great
and extensive
and we are separated far from one another on the wall.
YLT And I say unto the freemen
and unto the prefects
and unto the
rest of the people
`The work is abundant
and large
and we are separated on
the wall
far off one from another;
And I said unto
the nobles
and to the rulers
and to the rest of the people
....
See Gill on Nehemiah 4:14
the work is
great and large;
the building of the wall
all around the city of Jerusalem:
and we are
separated upon the wall one far from another;
some at work on one part
of it
and some at another
so that the distance between one another
at least
in the further part
was very considerable.
Nehemiah 4:20.
Wherever you
hear the sound of the trumpet
rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.”
YLT in the place that ye hear the voice of the trumpet thither ye are
gathered unto us; our God doth fight for us.'
In what place
therefore ye hear the sound of the trumpet
....
Be it what part of the
wall soever they were at work
even the most distant:
resort ye
thither to us;
to Nehemiah
and the half
of his servants armed
where the trumpet was blown; that was to be the place of
rendezvous:
our God shall
fight for us;
and give us victory over
our enemies; none have any reason to be intimidated
when they shall hear the
sound of the trumpet.
Nehemiah 4:21. So
we labored in the work
and half of the men[a] held the
spears from daybreak until the stars appeared.
YLT And we are working in the business
and half of them are keeping
hold of the spears
from the going up of the dawn till the coming forth of the
stars.
So we laboured
in the work
....
Of building the wall: and
half of them held the spears; and other weapons before mentioned
Nehemiah 4:16
from the rising
of the morning till the stars appeared;
that is
from morning to
evening
the space of time the builders and labourers worked.
Nehemiah 4:22.
At the same
time I also said to the people
“Let each man and his servant stay at night in
Jerusalem
that they may be our guard by night and a working party by day.”
YLT Also
at that time I said to the people
`Let each with his
servant lodge in the midst of Jerusalem
and they have been to us by night a guard
and by day [for] the work:'
Likewise at the
same time said I unto the people
....
That were at work upon the
wall:
let everyone
with his servant lodge within Jerusalem;
every builder had a
servant
or a lad
as the word signifies
to wait upon him
to bring mortar or
stone
or what he wanted; and some of these builders
with their lads
came out
of the country towns and villages in the morning
and returned at night; now
Nehemiah proposed
for the safety of the city and its walls
that for the present
they would lodge in Jerusalem:
that in the
night they may be a guard unto us
and labour on the day;
might help to protect them
in the night
should they be surprised with the enemy
and be ready for their
work in the daytime.
Nehemiah 4:23.
So neither I
my brethren
my servants
nor the men of the guard who followed me took off our
clothes
except that everyone took them off for washing.
YLT and there are none -- I and my brethren and my servants
the men
of the guard who [are] after me -- there are none of us putting off our
garments
each [hath] his vessel of water.
So neither I
nor my brethren
....
The nobles and rulers:
nor my servants;
his domestic servants that
waited upon him:
nor the men of
the guard which followed me;
his bodyguard
which
attended him as a commissioner of the king of Persia for state and grandeur:
none of us put
off our clothes;
at night when they laid
themselves down to sleep
but laid in
them
that they might be ready upon an
alarm made:
saving that
everyone put them off for washing;
not for common washing
because dirty
but for washing on account of ceremonial uncleanness
which
required washing both of bodies and garments
see Leviticus 15:5
&c. and the Vulgate Latin version expresses it by baptism
as the apostle
calls such ceremonial ablutions in Hebrews 6:2. It is
in the margin of our Bibles
"everyone went with his weapon for
water"; when he went to Siloam
or any other place
for water
he took a
weapon with him to defend himself upon occasion; which is no bad sense of the
words. NoldiusF7Ebr. Concord. Partic. p. 322. renders the words
"everyone with his weapon (and) water"; both were at his bolster
ready
if wanted
see 1 Samuel 26:11.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New
King James Version (NKJV)
a.
Nehemiah 4:21
Literally them