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Nehemiah 4:23

in Nehemiah 4

So 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.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard that followed me, none of us put off our clothes, every one went with his weapon to the water.

KJV

So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard which followed me, none of us put off our clothes, saving that every one put them off for washing.

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This verse in Nehemiah 4

Commentary

7 notes on this verse

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

None of us put off our clothes, saving that every one put them off for washing - The Hebrew for all this is only אין אנחנו פשטים בגדינו איש שלחו המים ein anachnu poshetim begadeynu ish shilcho hammayim; which Montanus translates, Non nos exuentes vestes nostras, vir missile suum aquas; “We, not putting off our garments, a man his dart to the waters.” Of this latter clause what sense can be made? Let us hear what the ancient versions say.

This site's exposition

until the stars came out

on Nehemiah 4:21-23

Nehemiah orders every man and servant to "spend the night inside Jerusalem, so that they can stand guard by night and work by day" (4:22). He keeps the rule he sets: neither he nor his guards changed their clothes, and "each carried his weapon, even to go for water."

This site's exposition

changed out of our clothes

The last clause is terse in Hebrew, and Clarke gives a literal rendering: a man, his weapon, the water. The Berean reads it as weapons carried even to go for water. Nehemiah's own brothers and servants kept the same rule.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

), except that they shifted them now and then, either for cleanliness or in a case of ceremonial pollution. It was a sign that their heart was upon their work when they could not find time to dress and undress, but resolved they would be at all times ready for service. Good work is likely to go on successfully when those that labour in it thus make a business of it.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

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

So neither I, nor my brethren,....

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

Saving ... - The text here is probably unsound. It yields no satisfactory sense. See the margin.

The words behind it

15 Hebrew words

Every 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.

  • וְאֵ֨יןand not

    veeinH369 →789 times

  • אֲנִ֜יI

    ʾaniH589 →874 times

  • וְאַחַ֣יand brothers my

    veachaiH251 →630 times

  • וּנְעָרַ֗יand servants my

    unearaiH5288 →239 times

  • וְאַנְשֵׁ֤יand [the] men of

    veansheiH582 →566 times

  • הַמִּשְׁמָר֙the guard

    hamishmarH4929 →22 times

  • אֲשֶׁ֣רwho

    ʾasherH834 →5497 times

  • אַחֲרַ֔י[were] behind me

    ʾacharaiH310 →715 times

  • אֵין־not

    ʾein-H369 →789 times

  • אֲנַ֥חְנוּwe

    ʾanachnuH587 →120 times

  • פֹשְׁטִ֖ים[were] stripping off

    foshetimH6584 →

  • בְּגָדֵ֑ינוּclothes our

    begadeinuH899 →

  • אִ֖ישׁeach one

    ʾishH376 →1663 times

  • שִׁלְח֥וֹweapon his

    shilchoH7973 →

  • הַמָּֽיִם׃ סthe water

    hamayimH4325 →581 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

7 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

Joel 2:8They do not jostle one another; each proceeds in his path. They burst through the defenses, never breaking ranks.3 worksNehemiah 4:16And 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 Judah3 worksNehemiah 5:16Instead, I devoted myself to the construction of the wall, and all my servants were gathered there for the work; we did not acquire any land.2 worksNehemiah 7:2Then 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.2 works1 Corinthians 15:10But 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 God that was with me.2 worksJudges 5:11the 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 down to the gates:2 works
The other 1 cross-references, with their words ▾
Judges 9:48he and all his men went up to Mount Zalmon. Abimelech took his axe in his hand and cut a branch from the trees, which he lifted to his shoulder, saying to his men, “Hurry and do what you have seen me do.”2 works

The walk

8 stops

Each 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

    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…

    it leads to

    • Philippians 4:13

      I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.

    • 2 Corinthians 3:5

      Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim that anything comes from us, but our competence comes from God.

    • Philippians 2:13

      For it is God who works in you to will and to act on behalf of His good purpose.

    • Ephesians 3:7–8

      I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace, given me through the working of His power.

    • Ephesians 2:7–8

      in order that in the coming ages He might display the surpassing riches of His grace, demonstrated by His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

  • Through

    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…

    it leads to

    • Micah 6:5

      My people, remember what Balak king of Moab counseled and what Balaam son of Beor answered. Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal, so that you may acknowledge the righteousness of the LORD.’”

    • Judges 5:8

      When they chose new gods, then war came to their gates. Not a shield or spear was found among forty thousand in Israel.

    • 1 Samuel 12:7

      Now present yourselves, so that I may confront you before the LORD with all the righteous acts He has done for you and your fathers.

About Nehemiah

Nehemiah Views the Ruins of Jerusalem's Walls, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
Nehemiah Views the Ruins of Jerusalem's Walls, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
Nehemiah: the study guide →Read Nehemiah 4 →

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.

Read on in Nehemiah 4 →