Nehemiah 4:16
in Nehemiah 4And from that day on, half of my servants did the work while the other half held spears, shields, bows, and armor. The officers stationed themselves behind all the people of Judah
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And it came to pass from that time forth, that half of my servants wrought in the work, and half of them held the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the coats of mail; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah.
KJV
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 rulers were behind all the house of Judah.
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This verse in Nehemiah 4
Commentary
7 notes on this verseHalf - 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 them of their seed, which they will not fail to do if not protected. Habergeons - In the Franco-Gallic, hautbergon signifies a coat of mail; but as in Teutonic hais signifies the neck, and bergen, to cover or defend; it may be considered rather as signifying a breastplate, or armor for the breast.
This site's exposition
half of my servants did the work
on Nehemiah 4:16-18
Half of Nehemiah's men work while the other half hold "spears, shields, bows, and armor" (4:16). The carriers work "with one hand and held a weapon with the other," and every builder has "his sword strapped at his side" (4:18). Work and defense are carried by the same hands.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
It is probable that they changed services at stated hours, which would relieve the fatigue of both, and particularly would be an ease to the bearers of burdens, whose strength had decayed (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
2 And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned?
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-scripture
And it came to pass from that time forth,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
Nehemiah's vigilance anticipated every difficulty, his prudent measures defeated every obstruction, and with astonishing rapidity this Jerusalem was made again "a city fortified."
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
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.
The words behind it
19 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיְהִ֣י׀ | vayhi | and it was | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| מִן־ | min- | from | H4480 → | 1188 times |
| הַיּ֣וֹם | haiyom | the day | H3117 → | 2304 times |
| הַה֗וּא | hahu' | <the> that | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| חֲצִ֣י | chatzi | <the> half of | H2677 → | 125 times |
| נְעָרַי֮ | nearai | young men my | H5288 → | 239 times |
| עֹשִׂ֣ים | ʾosim | [were] doing | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| בַּמְּלָאכָה֒ | bamelakhah | <in> the work | H4399 → | 167 times |
| וְחֶצְיָ֗ם | vechetzyam | and half of them | H2677 → | 125 times |
| מַחֲזִיקִים֙ | machazikim | [were] holding | H2388 → | 291 times |
| וְהָרְמָחִ֣ים | veharemachim | and the spears | H7420 → | 15 times |
| הַמָּגִנִּ֔ים | hamaginim | the shields | H4043 → | |
| וְהַקְּשָׁת֖וֹת | vehakeshatot | and the bows | H7198 → | |
| וְהַשִּׁרְיֹנִ֑ים | vehashiryonim | and the body armor<s> | H8302 → | |
| וְהַ֨שָּׂרִ֔ים | vehasarim | and the commanders | H8269 → | 421 times |
| אַחֲרֵ֖י | ʾacharei | [were] behind | H310 → | 715 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| בֵּ֥ית | beit | [the] house of | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| יְהוּדָֽה׃ | yehudah | Judah | H3063 → | 819 times |
וַיְהִ֣י׀and it was
vayhiH1961 →3559 times
מִן־from
min-H4480 →1188 times
הַיּ֣וֹםthe day
haiyomH3117 →2304 times
הַה֗וּא<the> that
hahu'H1931 →1879 times
חֲצִ֣י<the> half of
chatziH2677 →125 times
נְעָרַי֮young men my
nearaiH5288 →239 times
עֹשִׂ֣ים[were] doing
ʾosimH6213 →2628 times
בַּמְּלָאכָה֒<in> the work
bamelakhahH4399 →167 times
וְחֶצְיָ֗םand half of them
vechetzyamH2677 →125 times
מַחֲזִיקִים֙[were] holding
machazikimH2388 →291 times
וְהָרְמָחִ֣יםand the spears
veharemachimH7420 →15 times
הַמָּגִנִּ֔יםthe shields
hamaginimH4043 →
וְהַקְּשָׁת֖וֹתand the bows
vehakeshatotH7198 →
וְהַשִּׁרְיֹנִ֑יםand the body armor<s>
vehashiryonimH8302 →
וְהַ֨שָּׂרִ֔יםand the commanders
vehasarimH8269 →421 times
אַחֲרֵ֖י[were] behind
ʾachareiH310 →715 times
כָּל־all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
בֵּ֥ית[the] house of
beitH1004 →2046 times
יְהוּדָֽה׃Judah
yehudahH3063 →819 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Psalms 101:6My eyes favor the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in the way of integrity shall minister to me.
it leads to
- Psalms 119:63
I am a friend to all who fear You, and to those who keep Your precepts.
- Revelation 21:3
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will…
- Luke 12:43–44
Blessed is that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.
- John 12:26
If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, My servant will be as well. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.
- Psalms 119:1–3
Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the Law of the LORD.
- Psalms 119:63
Through
Nehemiah 4:23So neither I nor my brothers nor my servants nor the guards with me changed out of our clothes; each carried his weapon, even to go for water.
it leads to
- Judges 5:11
the voices of the singers at the watering places. There they shall recount the righteous acts of the LORD, the righteous deeds of His villagers in Israel. Then the people of the LORD went…
- 1 Corinthians 15:10
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me was not in vain. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of…
- Nehemiah 7:2
Then I put my brother Hanani in charge of Jerusalem, along with Hananiah the commander of the fortress, because he was a faithful man who feared God more than most.
- Judges 5:11
About Nehemiah
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Charles Spurgeon, The Sword and the Trowel (magazine, founded 1865); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.