Text -- Nehemiah 4:10-23 (NET)

4:10 Then those in Judah said, “The strength of the laborers has failed! The debris is so great that we are unable to rebuild the wall.” 4:11 Our adversaries also boasted, “Before they are aware or anticipate anything, we will come in among them and kill them, and we will bring this work to a halt!” 4:12 So it happened that the Jews who were living near them came and warned us repeatedly about all the schemes they were plotting against us. 4:13 So I stationed people at the lower places behind the wall in the exposed places. I stationed the people by families, with their swords, spears, and bows. 4:14 When I had made an inspection, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the great and awesome Lord, and fight on behalf of your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your families!” 4:15 It so happened that when our adversaries heard that we were aware of these matters, God frustrated their intentions. Then all of us returned to the wall, each to his own work. 4:16 From that day forward, half of my men were doing the work and half of them were taking up spears, shields, bows, and body armor. Now the officers were behind all the people of Judah 4:17 who were rebuilding the wall. Those who were carrying loads did so by keeping one hand on the work and the other on their weapon. 4:18 The builders to a man had their swords strapped to their sides while they were building. But the trumpeter remained with me. 4:19 I said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, “The work is demanding and extensive, and we are spread out on the wall, far removed from one another. 4:20 Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, gather there with us. Our God will fight for us!” 4:21 So we worked on, with half holding spears, from dawn till dusk. 4:22 At that time I instructed the people, “Let every man and his coworker spend the night in Jerusalem and let them be guards for us by night and workers by day. 4:23 We did not change clothes– not I, nor my relatives, nor my workers, nor the watchmen who were with me. Each had his weapon, even when getting a drink of water.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Neh 4:10

¹ tn Heb “burden-bearers.”

NET Notes: Neh 4:11

¹ tn Heb “said.”

² tn Heb “see.”

NET Notes: Neh 4:12

¹ tn Heb “ten times.”

² tc The MT reads the anomalous מִכָּל־הַמְּקֹמוֹת (mikkol hammÿqomot, “from every place”) but the BHS editors propose כָּל־הַמְּזִמּוֹת (kol hammÿzimmot, “about every scheme”). The initial mem (מ) found in the MT may have been added accidentally due to dittography with the final mem (ם) on the immediately preceding word, and the MT qof (ק) may have arisen due to orthographic confusion with the similar looking zayin (ז). The emendation restores sense to the line in the MT, which makes little sense and features an abrupt change of referents: “Wherever you turn, they will be upon us!” The threat was not against the villagers living nearby but against those repairing the wall, as the following context indicates. See also the following note on the word “plotting.”

³ tc The MT reads תָּשׁוּבוּ (tashuvu, “you turn”) which is awkward contextually. The BHS editors propose emending to חָשְׁבוּ (hashÿvu, “they were plotting”) which harmonizes well with the context. This emendation involves mere orthographic confusion between similar looking ח (khet) and ת (tav), and the resultant dittography of middle vav (ו) in MT. See also the preceding note on the word “schemes.”

NET Notes: Neh 4:13

¹ tc The MT preserves the anomalous Kethib form צְחִחִיִּים (tsÿkhikhiyyim); the Qere reads צְחִיחִים (tsÿkhikhim) which is preferred (BDB 850 s.v. צָהִיחַ; HALOT 1018 s.v. *צָהִיחַ).

tn The meaning of the Hebrew term צְחִיחִים (tsÿkhikhim) here is uncertain. Elsewhere (Ezek 24:7, 8; 26:4, 14) it refers to a shining or glaring surface of a rock (BDB 850 s.v. צָהִיחַ; HALOT 1018 s.v. *צָהִיחַ), but here it refers to an exposed or vulnerable portion of the wall: “open positions of the wall” (HALOT 1018 s.v. 2).

NET Notes: Neh 4:14

¹ tn Heb “And I saw.”

² tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

³ tn Heb “houses.”

NET Notes: Neh 4:15

¹ tn Heb “it was known to us.”

NET Notes: Neh 4:16

¹ tc The MT reads “and spears.” The conjunction should be deleted.

² tn Heb “all the house.”

NET Notes: Neh 4:17

¹ tn The first words of v. 17, “who were rebuilding the wall,” should be taken with the latter part of v. 16.

² tn Heb “were carrying loads.” The LXX reads ἐν ὅπλοις (en hoplois, “with weapons”).

NET Notes: Neh 4:18

¹ tn Heb “the one blowing the shophar.”

NET Notes: Neh 4:19

¹ tn Heb “much.”

NET Notes: Neh 4:21

¹ tn Heb “and we were doing the work.”

² tn Heb “half of them.”

³ tn Heb “from the coming up of the dawn till the coming forth of the stars.”

NET Notes: Neh 4:22

¹ tn Heb “said [to].”

NET Notes: Neh 4:23

¹ tn Heb “strip off our garments.”

² tc Heb “a man, his weapon, the waters.” The MT, if in fact it is correct, is elliptical and difficult. Some scholars emend the MT reading הַמָּיִם (hammayim, “the waters”) to בִּמִנוֹ (bimino, “in his right hand”; cf. NAB, NRSV) or מִינוּ(י)הֵ (heminu, “they held on the right side”).