Nehemiah 4:18
in Nehemiah 4And each of the builders worked with his sword strapped at his side. But the trumpeter stayed beside me.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
and the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so builded. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me.
KJV
For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so builded. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me.
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This verse in Nehemiah 4
Commentary
8 notes on this verseFor the builders had everyone his sword girded by his side, and so builded,.... Thus accoutred he wrought, and was prepared for either service: and he that sounded the trumpet was by me; to give the alarm of war, that everyone might lay aside his work, and prepare for the battle: this officer stood by Nehemiah, that when he found it necessary, might give him orders to sound his trumpet, for the men to gather to him.
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
the trumpeter stayed beside me
Henry notes that the builders had to be spread out to work and drawn together to fight, and the trumpeter beside Nehemiah joined the two. Gill sees each man ready for either service. The use of the horn is given in verse 20.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
And it happened from that day on, that half of the young men did the work, etc. It is to be noted that not only half of the young men did the work and the other half were prepared for war, but even those who …
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
When they acted as workmen, it was requisite they should be dispersed wherever there was work to do; but when as soldiers it was requisite they should come into close order, and be found in a body. Thus should the labourers in Christ's building be ready to unite against a common foe.
), which he could carry without hindering his labour. The word of God is the sword of the Spirit, which we ought to have always at hand and never to seek, both in our labours and in our conflicts as Christians. Care was taken both to get and give early notice of the approach of the enemy, in case they should endeavour to surprise them.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+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
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."
The words behind it
10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְהַ֨בּוֹנִ֔ים | vehabonim | and the builders | H1129 → | 376 times |
| אִ֥ישׁ | ʾish | each one | H376 → | 1663 times |
| חַרְבּ֛וֹ | charbo | sword his | H2719 → | |
| אֲסוּרִ֥ים | ʾasurim | [were] girded | H631 → | |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| מָתְנָ֖יו | matenav | hips his | H4975 → | |
| וּבוֹנִ֑ים | uvonim | and [were] building | H1129 → | 376 times |
| וְהַתּוֹקֵ֥עַ | vehatokea' | and the [one who] gave a blast | H8628 → | |
| בַּשּׁוֹפָ֖ר | bashofar | on the ram's horn | H7782 → | |
| אֶצְלִֽי׃ | ʾetzli | [was] beside me | H681 → | 61 times |
וְהַ֨בּוֹנִ֔יםand the builders
vehabonimH1129 →376 times
אִ֥ישׁeach one
ʾishH376 →1663 times
חַרְבּ֛וֹsword his
charboH2719 →
אֲסוּרִ֥ים[were] girded
ʾasurimH631 →
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
מָתְנָ֖יוhips his
matenavH4975 →
וּבוֹנִ֑יםand [were] building
uvonimH1129 →376 times
וְהַתּוֹקֵ֥עַand the [one who] gave a blast
vehatokea'H8628 →
בַּשּׁוֹפָ֖רon the ram's horn
bashofarH7782 →
אֶצְלִֽי׃[was] beside me
ʾetzliH681 →61 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
5 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
Numbers 10:9When you enter into battle in your land against an adversary who attacks you, sound short blasts on the trumpets, and you will be remembered before the LORD your God and saved from your…
it leads to
- 1 Samuel 10:18
and said to the Israelites, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I rescued you from the hands of the Egyptians and of…
- Judges 2:18
Whenever the LORD raised up a judge for the Israelites, He was with that judge and saved them from the hands of their enemies while the judge was still alive; for the LORD was…
- Genesis 8:1
But God remembered Noah and all the animals and livestock that were with him in the ark. And God sent a wind over the earth, and the waters began to subside.
- Psalms 106:4
Remember me, O LORD, in Your favor to Your people; visit me with Your salvation,
- Psalms 106:42
Their enemies oppressed them, and subdued them under their hand.
- 1 Samuel 10:18
About Nehemiah
This page draws on Bede, Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah; 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.