Nehemiah 4:1-23. The Opposition to the Work. (_a_) 1 6. The ridicule of the Samaritans. (_b_) 7 23. The menaces of the foe, and the precautions taken by Nehemiah 1. The IVth Chapter in ordinary editions of the Hebrew text does not begin till Nehemiah 4:7. _and took great indignation_ The form of th... [ Continue Reading ]
_And he spake before his brethren_ Sanballat's -brethren" would be the chiefs of the Samaritan community. _and the army of Samaria_ -the army" (LXX. δύναμις): the word here used is the one generally employed for -armed forces," see Nehemiah 2:9; Ezra 8:22; Esther 1:3. The Samaritans seem to have has... [ Continue Reading ]
_Even_that _which they build_&c. Whatever they are trying to build. _a fox_ R.V. marg. -Or, _jackal_". The light tread of some creeping animal was enough to bring down their weak wall stone though it was. The - _shuâl_" or fox is elsewhere mentioned in Judges 15:4; Psalms 63:10; Ezekiel 13:4; Lament... [ Continue Reading ]
Nehemiah's Soliloquy and Prayer. A parenthesis 4. This is the first of the parenthetical addresses to the Almighty, which are a characteristic feature of Nehemiah's writing. See also Nehemiah 5:19; Nehemiah 6:9; Nehemiah 6:14; Nehemiah 13:14; Nehemiah 13:22. _Hear, O our God_ Cf. Lamentations 3:61... [ Continue Reading ]
_and cover not their iniquity_ i.e. forgive it not. Cf. Psalms 85:2, -Thou hast _forgiven_the iniquity of thy people, thou hast _covered_all their sin" i.e. so as not to see and visit it. _and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee_ i.e. let its record remain for ever in the book of divi... [ Continue Reading ]
_So built we_ R.V. SO WE BUILT. No emphasis on -we." _unto the half thereof_ R.V. UNTO HALF the height THEREOF. -All the wall was joined together." The circumvallation was complete. There were no gaps or breaches. The wall had been raised to half its height all the way round. The most ancient wall,... [ Continue Reading ]
In most editions of the Hebrew Bible, this is the 1st verse of the ivth Chapter. _Sanballat … Ashdodites_ Here we have a complete list of the foes of Jerusalem. See notes on Nehemiah 2:10; Nehemiah 2:19. The Ammonites were the fellow-countrymen of Tobiah, the Arabians of Geshem (Nehemiah 2:19). With... [ Continue Reading ]
_and conspired all of them_ R.V. AND THEY CONSPIRED ALL OF THEM. R.V. makes a stronger pause at the close of Nehemiah 4:7, substituting a semicolon for the comma. -Conspired." The word here used is the usual term for secret treachery. _to come_and _to fight_ R.V. TO COME AND FIGHT. Literally -to com... [ Continue Reading ]
_Nevertheless_ R.V. BUT. The simple copula in the original introduces the contrast between the plan of the enemy and the defensive measures adopted by the Jews. -Nevertheless" is too strong an adversative. The thought is merely -and on our side, we made our prayer." On the prominence of prayer in th... [ Continue Reading ]
_And Judah said_ i.e. the Jewish community speaking, by their rulers or representatives, to Nehemiah. _The strength of the bearers of burdens_, &c. Literally -the strength of the bearer of burdens, &c.," referring to the whole class of the working population. The LXX. wrongly ἡ ἰσχὺς τῶν ἐχθρῶν. _s... [ Continue Reading ]
_our adversaries said_ -adversaries," cf. Ezra 4:1. After mentioning the source of weakness within the walls, Nehemiah describes the danger from without. -Said." He gives, as if in their own words, their secret project of a surprise attack upon Jerusalem, either reporting the information brought by... [ Continue Reading ]
The translation of the last clause of this verse presents a great difficulty, and leaves us doubtful with what intention the Jews here spoken of addressed their countrymen. The verse stands in very loose connexion with the two previous verses. It represents a fresh complication in the difficult pos... [ Continue Reading ]
_Therefore set I_, &c. Nehemiah's action recorded in this verse was intended to meet the needs of the situation generally. -Therefore" must not be limited in application to Nehemiah 4:12. The difficulties which beset him on so many sides compelled him to suspend part of the building operations, and... [ Continue Reading ]
_And I looked, and rose up_ Nehemiah's -look" seems to denote his inspection of the guards which he had stationed. _unto the nobles, and to the rulers_ R.V. marg. -Or, _deputies_". Upon the difference of these two classes see note on Nehemiah 2:16. _the Lord_ R.V. THE LORD. The sacred name here us... [ Continue Reading ]
Success of Nehemiah's precautions. _our enemies_ a different word in the original from that rendered -adversaries" in Nehemiah 4:11. _that it was known unto us_ i.e. their project of a sudden attack. _God had brought their counsel to nought_ i.e. through the precautionary measures taken by Nehemi... [ Continue Reading ]
_the half of my servants wrought in the work_ R.V. HALF OF, &c. Literally -half of my young men." The LXX. by a strange error τῶν ἐκτετιναγμένων. These were probably the bodyguard attached to the person of Nehemiah as the governor. They are mentioned again in Nehemiah 4:23; Nehemiah 5:10; Nehemiah 5... [ Continue Reading ]
_They which builded on the wall_ R.V. THEY THAT BUILDED THE WALL. The Hebrew preposition rendered -on" in the A.V. occurs also e.g. in Nehemiah 4:6, -So we built the wall," and merely expresses the object. (_a_) These words are sometimes taken in conjunction with the conclusion of the previous vers... [ Continue Reading ]
_For the builders_ R.V. AND THE BUILDERS. Not, as A.V., a fresh explanatory sentence, but a continuation of the foregoing, a description of the other class of those engaged in the work. _his sword girded by his side_ Both hands were occupied in the work of laying the stones, which would be done chi... [ Continue Reading ]
_nobles … rulers_&c. as in Nehemiah 4:14, and Nehemiah 2:16, where see note. _large_ literally -wide," referring to the extensive character of the building operations, which caused the defenders to be so scattered.... [ Continue Reading ]
_In what place_therefore] R.V. IN WHAT PLACE SOEVER. _resort ye thither_ literally -thither shall ye collect or assemble yourselves together". _our God shall fight for us_ The Jews shall fight, and even against foes superior in numbers and strength shall prevail. Their God shall fight for them. See... [ Continue Reading ]
_So we laboured_ R.V. SO WE WROUGHT. The word in the original being the same as that rendered -wrought" in Nehemiah 4:16, it is best to adhere to the same English equivalent. -We:" the pronoun is emphatic, i.e. I and my servants. The verse refers to Nehemiah and his men alone, as is shown by the men... [ Continue Reading ]
_Likewise … said I unto the people_ Another prudent regulation is enacted by Nehemiah. He addresses -the people," namely the common people capable of bearing arms, as distinguished from the nobles on the one hand and Nehemiah's servants on the other. The object of the fresh enactment is to secure th... [ Continue Reading ]
_my brethren … servants … men of the guard which followed me_ Nehemiah mentions in detail those in whom he had complete confidence and upon whose faithfulness the success of his project depended. These shared their leader's vigilance and imitated his endurance. Not one of them put off his clothes th... [ Continue Reading ]