Nehemiah
Chapter 4
Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites saw that the repair of the wall was advancing and that we had begun covering the holes.
They were greatly enraged. All of them agreed to attack Jerusalem and humiliate me.
So we prayed to God and set a guard day and night.
The people of Judah said: “The strength of the bearers is already failing, and much debris remains; we can never rebuild the wall.”
Our enemies said: “We will take them by surprise before they know it. We will kill them and stop their work.”
But some Jews who lived with them came to notify us about this. Ten times, they told us: “From all the places where they live, they shall set out against us.”
So I ordered that people be stationed behind the wall, there, in the lowest part. I stationed them by families with their swords, spears, and bows.
They were afraid, but I stood up and told the nobles, the counselors, and the rest of the people: “Remember the Lord, great and magnificent, and fight for your brothers, sons and daughters, wives and homes.”
When our enemies learned that we had been notified and that God would thwart their plans, we all returned to the wall, each one to his work.
But from that day on, only half of my men worked while the other half, with bows, spears, shields, and armor, stood behind all the people of Judah
building the wall. The bearers picked up their loads with one hand because they held a weapon in the other hand.
Each of the builders had his sword girded at his side as he worked. Beside me was the man assigned to sound the trumpet.
I told the nobles, the counselors, and the rest of the people:“The extent of the work is great, and we are scattered along the wall, far from one another,
so when you hear the sound of the horn, come to our aid at once and our God shall fight for us.”
So we scheduled the work from daybreak until the stars came out, with half of us armed.
I also told the people: “Everyone shall spend the night within Jerusalem, with his servants. So we may keep guard by night and work by day.”
Yet my brothers, my men, the men of the guard who followed me, and I did not take off our clothes when we slept. Everyone kept their weapon with them.
Commentaries
Reconstruction of the Wall.
In 3:1-32, the author provides a list of names and sections of work. This may be an archival document or organizational notes. The task is divided into 42 parts. Nehemiah was a layman. With his authority, he enlists the high priest to work on the wall as well, and by consecrating a gate, he imparts a sacred character to the project. The author then describes the difficulties that made the construction a dramatic effort. The reasons given by Shambal and his friends seem to be envy, and perhaps fear. The best way to respond to the mockery is through constant activity and visible results. The mockery escalates into threats, but Nehemiah remains undaunted and prepares his people to defend against any possible attack. The phrase in v. 4:11 has become famous for its concise expressiveness rather than its realism. The author describes the situation with satisfaction, noting that the threats, far from scaring him, make him stronger. And when he has done everything he can, he places his full trust in God.