45 matching verse commentaries
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
The strength of the bearers of burden is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall. Poor Judah! He ought to have been bolder and braver; but he was not. It is the same today; some who seem to be pillars, prove very weak in the hour of trial, and by their cowardice discourage the rest.
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And our adversaries said, they shall not know,.... Our designs upon them: neither see; or perceive what we are about to do: till we come in the midst of them; with an army suddenly, at an unawares, and unexpected: and slay them; they being unarmed, and not prepared to defend themselves: and cause the work to cease; as it must in course, the...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come in the midst among them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease. While some were discouraging the people within the city, their enemies, without the walls, were plotting to take them by surprise, and slay them.
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Ver. 12 And it came to pass, when the Jews that dwelt by them,.... Near Samaria, Arabia, and Ashdod, and had intelligence of their designs: came, they said to us ten times; that is, they came to them at Jerusalem, and often told them, as this phrase "ten times" signifies, [See comments on Genesis 31:7], from all places whence ye shall return unto...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
And it came to pass, that when the Jews which dwelt by them came, they said unto us ten times, From all places whence ye shall return unto us they will be upon you. These Jews ought to have been helping to build the wall; but they did not come to the help of the Lord’s people. Still, they were sufficiently friendly to tell Nehemiah of the plot...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Therefore set I in the lower places behind the wall,.... Where the wall was lowest, and the enemy could more easily break it down, or get over it: and on the higher places; where the wall was higher; or rather on the towers upon the walls, as the word signifies the tops of rocks, which are dry and smooth, see Ezekiel 24:2. I even set the people...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
Therefore set I in the lower places behind the wall, and on the higher places, I even set the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows. When Nehemiah knew the danger to which the people were exposed, he took measures to guard against it. I like the common-sense of Nehemiah. He kept families together. “I set the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And I looked,.... Took a view of the people, and observed that they were in their proper place, and sufficiently armed, and also whether the enemy was coming: and rose up and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people; who were under their nobles and rulers, as their captains and commanders: be not ye afraid of them; of...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not afraid of them. Fear may waken us, but it must never be allowed to weaken us. We should put on the armor, and take the sword and spear and bow when there is cause for fear; we should never dream of running away.
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
Remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses. And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known unto us, and God had brought their counsel to nought, that we returned all of us to the wall, every one unto his work. There was no fighting after...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And it came to pass, when our enemies heard it was known unto us,.... What they intended, as might be reported to them from the preparations made by the Jews to receive them, and defend themselves: and God had brought their counsel to naught; which was to come upon them secretly and unawares; but being discovered, they dropped their design, and...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And it came to pass from that time forth,.... That they were thus alarmed of danger from their enemies: that the half of my servants wrought in the work; of building the wall; his domestic servants, his guards, or mighty men, as Jarchi, men of war, the soldiers: and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields, and the bows; some...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
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. They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Ver. 17 They which builded on the wall,.... 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...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
For 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,...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so builded. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me. What the trumpet was for, we are told directly.
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people,.... [See comments on Ne 4:14], the work is great and large; the building of the wall all around the city of Jerusalem: and we are separated upon the wall one far from another; some at work on one part of it, and some at another, so that the distance between one another,...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The work is great and large, and we are separated upon the wall, one far from another. In what places, therefore ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither unto us: our God shall fight for us. That is a grand sentence. The moment you hear the trumpet, you are to...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
In what place therefore ye hear the sound of the trumpet,.... Be it what part of the wall soever they were at work, even the most distant: resort ye thither to us; to Nehemiah, and the half of his servants armed, where the trumpet was blown; that was to be the place of rendezvous: our God shall fight for us; and give us victory over our enemies;...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
So we laboured in the work,.... Of building the wall: and half of them held the spears; and other weapons before mentioned, Ne 4:16 from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared; that is, from morning to evening, the space of time the builders and labourers worked.