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Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

Nehemiah 4:16

Habergeons - Or, “coats of mail.” Coats of mail were common in Assyria from the ninth century B.C., and in Egypt even earlier. They were made of thin laminae of bronze or iron, sewn upon leather or linen, and overlapping one another.

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See also Nehemiah 4:16 in other biblical comments:

  • Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

    Verse 16. _HALF-WROUGHT IN THE WORK_] This is no unusual thing, even in the present day, in Palestine: people sowing their seed are often attended by an armed man, to prevent the Arabs from robbing th...

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    CHAPTER 4 _ 1. The indignation and sneers of the enemies (Nehemiah 4:1)_ 2. Nehemiah's ejaculatory prayer (Nehemiah 4:4) 3. Conspiracy, and more prayer (Nehemiah 4:7) 4. Nehemiah's precautions and...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    SAMARITAN ATTEMPT TO FRUSTRATE THE BUILDING OF THE WALLS. In Nehemiah 4:2 f. the text is very corrupt, though the general sense of the passage is fairly clear, viz. the Samaritans mock the efforts mad...

  • Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

    SERVANTS. young men. HABERGEONS. corselets or coats of mail. RULERS. princes. Hebrew sar. BEHIND. To encourage, and help if needed....

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    _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 pers...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    3. Work progresses in the midst of precautions. TEXT, NEHEMIAH 4:15-23 15 And it happened when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and that God had frustrated their plan, then all of us retu...

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    _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._ No JFB commentary on these...

  • Darby's translation notes (1890)

    4:16 shields, (b-26) Small shields....

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    HABERGEONS] RV 'coats of mail.'...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    THE MACHINATIONS OF THE ENEMIES OF THE JEWS 1. Sanballat] His irritation at Nehemiah's arrival (Nehemiah 2:10) was increased by the work accomplished by the latter....

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    THE *JEWS BUILD JERUSALEM’S CITY WALL AGAIN NEHEMIAH _ROBERT BRYCE AND ROBERT BETTS_ CHAPTER 4 V1 Sanballat heard that we were building the wall again. So he became very angry. He laughed at the...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    Nehemiah decided to change the arrangements for the work. He wanted to make sure that everybody was ready for an attack. Now, even the men who worked on the wall had their own *weapons. But only half...

  • Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

    MY SERVANTS. — The building was resumed with special precautions, very minutely described. “Nehemiah’s own servants” are distinguished from “all the house of Judah.” The former were divided into two p...

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    _[Nehemiah 4:10]_ וַ יְהִ֣י ׀ מִן ־הַ יֹּ֣ום...

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    Nehemiah 2:19 ON GUARD Nehemiah 2:10; Nehemiah 2:19; Nehemiah 4:1 ALL his arrangements for rebuilding the walls of Jerusale

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    THE TRIUMPH OF COURAGE AND DEVOTION Nehemiah 4:13 The work of rebuilding the ruins of Zion is typical of our efforts as Christians to counteract the deterioration which is ever at work in our own hea...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    As the work proceeded, the opposition of outsiders turned from derision to anger, but rose no higher at the moment than contempt. However, Nehemiah was conscious of the menace of this attitude, and li...

  • Geneva Study Bible Commentary

    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 ru...

  • George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

    _Their. Hebrew, "my servants," (Menochius) half of whom only wrought, while the rest stood guard. If we adhere to the Vulgate, we must suppose that Nehemias altered his first plan, and ordered almost...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    (16) В¶ 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...

  • John Brown Commentaries Selected Books of the Bible

    Fighting and Building I. INTRODUCTION A. Last week in our study of Nehemiah, we saw that no spiritual re-building can be done effectively without first removing the rubbish. 1. Sin makes a lousy fo...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY COVERS CHAPTER S 2, 3, 4, 5, AND 6. The time in which Nehemiah laboured for the good of his people was not one of those brilliant phases which, if faith be there, awaken even...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    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 ru...

  • Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    _It came to pass from that time forth_ Lest our enemies should repeat their enterprise; _that the half of my servants wrought in the work_ Of my domestic servants, and of my guards, who should have at...

  • KJV Original Language Details

    1 While the enemies scoffe, Nehemiah prayeth and continueth the worke. 7 Vnderstanding the wrath and secrets of the enemy, hee setteth a watch. 13 Hee armeth the labourers, 19 and giueth military p...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    And it came to pass from that time forth that the half of my servants, the special detachment under his command, WROUGHT IN THE WORK, AND THE OTHER HALF OF THEM HELD BOTH THE SPEARS, THE SHIELDS, AND...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    Nehemiah's Precautions...

  • Leslie M. Grant's Commentary on the Bible

    DECISION IN THE FACE OF OPPOSITION (vv. 1-23) The diligent labor of the Jews drew out more bitter anger on the part of the enemy. Sanballat was furious and resorted to the moral weakness of mockery,...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    16-23 We must watch always against spiritual enemies, and not expect that our warfare will be over till our work is ended. The word of God is the sword of the Spirit, which we ought to have always at...

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    FROM THAT TIME FORTH, lest our enemies should repeat their enterprise. THE HALF OF MY SERVANTS; of my domestic servants, and of my guards, who should have attended upon my own person. THE SPEARS, THE...

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Nehemiah 4:16 time H3117 half H2677 servants H5288 worked H6213 (H8802) construction H4399 half H2677 held H2388 ...

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    NEHEMIAH'S PROVISION FOR THE DEFENCE OF THE BUILDERS (NEHEMIAH 4:16). Nehemiah now called on his own specialist troops, fully armed with mail and shields, to act as a protective force for Jerusalem. T...

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    SANBALLAT AND HIS ALLIES DETERMINE VIOLENCE AGAINST THE BUILDERS OF THE WALLS WITH THE AIM OF PREVENTING THEIR COMPLETION ONLY TO BE THWARTED BY NEHEMIAH'S PRECAUTIONS (NEHEMIAH 4:7). Their derision h...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: Opposition by ridicule, anger and discouragement. CHARACTERS: God, Nehemiah, Sanballat, Tobiah. CONCLUSION: God's people are often a despised people, loaded with contempt, but the reproach...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    Nehemiah 4:2. _He spake before his brethren;_ that is, before Tobias, &c. his brother governors, and other great officers whom he had convened for counsel against the Jews. Nehemiah 4:5. _Let not thei...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _But it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and Tobtah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls. .. conspired all of them together._ FOES OF THE FAITH It is well...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    NEHEMIAH 4:1 Opposition Intensifies, but the People Continue Watchfully. While the building continues, Sanballat and his allies resort to direct action in order to stop it, but their plot is foiled....

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    NEHEMIAH—NOTE ON NEHEMIAH 4:16 EACH LABORED ON THE WORK WITH ONE HAND AND HELD HIS WEAPON WITH THE OTHER. Though Nehemiah and the people prayed and trusted God for protection (see vv....

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    EXPLANATORY NOTES.] Nehemiah 4:1 are in the Hebrew v. 33–38 of chap. Nehemiah 3:1 NEHEMIAH 4:1. SANBALLAT] See on chap. Nehemiah 2:10. That

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION NEHEMIAH 4:7 IT CAME TO PASS, THAT WHEN SANBALLAT, AND TOBIAH, at Samaria, AND THE ARABIANS, AND THE AMMONITES, AND THE ASHDODITES, in their respective residences, HEARD THAT THE WALLS OF...

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    Now it came to pass, when [this antagonist] Sanballat [and Tobiah] learned that they had started building the wall, they were very angry, and they began to mock the Jews (Nehemiah 4:1). And they gath...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    Nehemiah 4:23; Nehemiah 5:15; Nehemiah 5:16; Psalms 101:6...

  • Wesley's Explanatory Notes

    From that time forth — Lest our enemies should repeat their enterprize. My servants — Of my domestick servants, and of my guards. Held, &c. — All their weapons: they stood in their arms prepared for b...

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