Nehemiah 4:17
in Nehemiah 4who were rebuilding the wall. The laborers who carried materials worked with one hand and held a weapon with the other.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
They that builded the wall and they that bare burdens laded themselves; every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other held his weapon;
KJV
They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon.
⋯
This verse in Nehemiah 4
Commentary
9 notes on this verseWith one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon - That is, he had his arms at hand, and was as fully prepared to fight as to work. So Ovid, Epist. xi., Canace Macario, ver. 1: - Si qua tamen caecis errabunt scripta lituris, Oblitus a dominae caede libellus erit: Dextra tenet calamum; strictum tenet altera ferrum: Et jacet in gremio charta soluta meo. If streaming blood my fatal letter stain, Imagine, ere you read, the writer slain.
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.
This site's exposition
worked with one hand and held a weapon
Wesley reads the one hand and the other as a proverb for readiness, like a man who carries bread in one hand and a stone. Clarke takes it plainly: each laborer kept his weapon at hand.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
A Weapon - This is to be taken figuratively; being a proverbial speech, as when they say of a man pretending kindness, he carries bread in one hand, and a stone in another. Thus must we work out our salvation, with the weapons of our warfare in our hands.
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
), which cannot be understood literally, for the work would require both hands; but it intimates that they were equally employed in both. Thus must we work out our salvation with the weapons of our warfare in our hand; for in every duty we must expect to meet with opposition from our spiritual enemies, against whom we must still be fighting the good fight of faith.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
That laid the mortar and stones upon it, and timber where it was necessary: and they that bore burdens; that carried the mortar, stones, and timber to the builders, and served them: with those that laded; which prepared the above for them, and laid them on their shoulders: everyone with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon; which is not to be understood strictly and literally, for without both hands they could not well perform either of the above works; but proverbially, signifying that they were intent on both working and fighting, and were ready and prepared to do the latter, as well as the former, having weapons lying by them, or girt about them, as is explained in the following verse.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
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."
1 more voice on this verse
Modern Voices1 voice
The other day, in the town of Lincoln, I suffered an optical illusion which accidentally revealed to me the strange greatness of the Gothic architecture. Its secret is not, I think, satisfactorily explained in most of the discussions on the subject. It is said that …
The words behind it
12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| הַבּוֹנִ֧ים | habonim | who were rebuilding | H1129 → | 376 times |
| בַּחוֹמָ֛ה | bachomah | <on> the wall | H2346 → | 133 times |
| וְהַנֹּשְׂאִ֥ים | vehanoseim | and the [ones who] were carrying | H5375 → | 656 times |
| בַּסֶּ֖בֶל | basevel | in <the> burden | H5447 → | |
| עֹמְשִׂ֑ים | ʾomesim | [were] carrying [it] | H6006 → | |
| בְּאַחַ֤ת | beachat | with [the] one | H259 → | 971 times |
| יָדוֹ֙ | yado | hand his | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| עֹשֶׂ֣ה | ʾoseh | doing | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| בַמְּלָאכָ֔ה | vamelakhah | <in> the work | H4399 → | 167 times |
| וְאַחַ֖ת | veachat | and one [hand] | H259 → | 971 times |
| מַחֲזֶ֥קֶת | machazeket | [was] holding | H2388 → | 291 times |
| הַשָּֽׁלַח׃ | hashalach | the weapon | H7973 → |
הַבּוֹנִ֧יםwho were rebuilding
habonimH1129 →376 times
בַּחוֹמָ֛ה<on> the wall
bachomahH2346 →133 times
וְהַנֹּשְׂאִ֥יםand the [ones who] were carrying
vehanoseimH5375 →656 times
בַּסֶּ֖בֶלin <the> burden
basevelH5447 →
עֹמְשִׂ֑ים[were] carrying [it]
ʾomesimH6006 →
בְּאַחַ֤תwith [the] one
beachatH259 →971 times
יָדוֹ֙hand his
yadoH3027 →1618 times
עֹשֶׂ֣הdoing
ʾosehH6213 →2628 times
בַמְּלָאכָ֔ה<in> the work
vamelakhahH4399 →167 times
וְאַחַ֖תand one [hand]
veachatH259 →971 times
מַחֲזֶ֥קֶת[was] holding
machazeketH2388 →291 times
הַשָּֽׁלַח׃the weapon
hashalachH7973 →
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
2 Timothy 4:7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
it leads to
- 1 Timothy 6:12
Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made the good confession before many witnesses.
- 1 Corinthians 9:24–27
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way as to take the prize.
- Hebrews 12:1–2
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with endurance the race set…
- Acts 20:24
But I consider my life of no value to me, if only I may finish my course and complete the ministry I have received from the Lord Jesus—the ministry of testifying to the good…
- Philippians 3:13–14
Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,
- 1 Timothy 6:12
Through
2 Timothy 2:3Join me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
it leads to
- Hebrews 12:2–3
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand…
- James 1:12
Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.
- Hebrews 12:2–3
Through
1 Corinthians 16:9because a great door for effective work has opened to me, even though many oppose me.
it leads to
- 2 Corinthians 2:12
Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and a door stood open for me in the Lord,
- 2 Corinthians 2:12
About Nehemiah
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Charles Spurgeon, The Sword and the Trowel (magazine, founded 1865); GK Chesterton, A Miscellany of Men, The Architect of Spears (1912); 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.