Nehemiah 4: Mockery, threats, and building with a sword at the side

In plain English: When Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he burned with anger. He was very angry, and he mocked the Jews.

In plain English: He spoke before his brothers and the army of Samaria. He said, "What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves (or: leave it to themselves)? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Will they bring the stones back to life out of the heaps of rubbish, when they are burned?"

The Hebrew words: "Feeble" is amelal, which the dictionary gives as "languid". It is in this verse only in Nehemiah. "Fortify themselves" is the Hebrew azab with "for themselves". The dictionary gives azab as "to loosen, i.e. relinquish, permit, etc.". It is in 9 verses of Nehemiah, and the WEB says "fortify" in 1 of them, this one, and "forsake" in 4.

What changes: With "fortify themselves" the question is whether the Jews will make the place strong. With the dictionary's "relinquish, permit" it can read as asking whether they will leave it to themselves, or let it be. The text does not say which is meant.

In plain English: Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him. He said, "Whatever they are building, if even a fox climbed up it, he would break down their stone wall."

In plain English: Nehemiah prays: "Hear, our God, for we are despised. Turn their taunts back on their own heads. Give them up as plunder in a land of captivity.

Good to know: Verses 4 and 5 are Nehemiah's own prayer. The text gives his words and does not say whether anything followed. Verse 5 asks that their sin not be wiped out.

In plain English: Do not cover their guilt. Do not let their sin be wiped out from before you, for they have angered (or: insulted) the builders (the Hebrew says: in front of the builders)."

The Hebrew word: "Insulted" is kaas, which the dictionary gives as "to trouble; by implication, to grieve, rage, be indignant". It is in 2 verses of Nehemiah, here and verse 1. The WEB says "angry" in verse 1 and "insulted" here.

What changes: The WEB says "insulted". With the word of verse 1 the line could also read that they have angered the builders. The Hebrew says it was done "before the builders".

In plain English: So we built the wall. All the wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a heart (or: mind) to work.

In plain English: But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repair of Jerusalem's walls was going forward and that the gaps had begun to be closed, they burned with anger, very much.

In plain English: They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem, and to cause confusion (or: harm) in it.

The Hebrew word: "Confusion" is toah, which the dictionary gives as "mistake, i.e. (morally) impiety, or (political) injury". It is in this verse only in Nehemiah. The WEB says "confusion".

What changes: With "injury" the plot is to do harm to the city. With "confusion" it is to throw the work into disorder. The text does not say which.

In plain English: But we prayed to our God, and we set a guard against them day and night because of them.

In plain English: Judah said, "The strength of the burden-bearers is failing, and there is much rubble, so we are not able to rebuild the wall."

In plain English: Our adversaries said, "They will not know or see anything until we come into the middle of them, kill them, and put an end to the work."

In plain English: The Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times, from all the places: "Wherever you turn, they will attack us." (The Hebrew here is very short and can be read another way: see the note.)

The Hebrew words: The Hebrew here is very short: "ten times, from all the places which you turn to us". There is no word for "they will attack"; the WEB supplies it.

How it is translated: The WEB reads the Jews who lived near the enemies as warning that the enemies would attack from every place the builders turned. With no word for "attack" in the Hebrew, the line can be read other ways, for example as the Jews saying that from all the places the builders would turn back to them. The text does not rule between the readings.

In plain English: I set people in place in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in the open places. I set the people by family groups with their swords, their spears and their bows.

In plain English: I looked, then stood up and said to the nobles, the rulers and the rest of the people, "Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives and your houses."

The Hebrew word: "The Lord" here is Adonai, which the dictionary gives as "the Lord (used as a proper name of God only)". It is a different Hebrew word from Yahweh. The WEB says "Lord" in all 4 verses of Nehemiah that have it. Where the Hebrew is Yahweh, the WEB writes Yahweh (15 verses of Nehemiah).

In plain English: When our enemies heard that we knew about it, and that God had brought their plan to nothing, all of us went back to the wall, each one to his work.

In plain English: From that day on, half of my servants (or: young men) did the work, and half of them held the spears, the shields, the bows and the body armor. The commanders were behind all the house of Judah.

The Hebrew word: "Servants" is naar, which the dictionary gives as "a boy (as active), from the age of infancy to adolescence; by implication, a servant". It is in 8 verses of Nehemiah, and the WEB says "servant" in all 8.

What changes: With "young men" they are the young men with Nehemiah. With "servants" they are his servants. The text does not say which, and the verse reads the same either way.

In plain English: Those who were building the wall and those who carried loads were loaded. Each one did the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other.

Good to know: The Hebrew of this verse is short. It says the ones who carried were "carrying" and "loading", and the WEB puts it as "loaded themselves". The part about one hand on the work and one hand on the weapon is clear in both.

In plain English: Each of the builders had his sword tied at his side as he built. The man who blew the ram's horn (the trumpet) was beside me.

In plain English: I said to the nobles, the rulers and the rest of the people, "The work is large and spread out, and we are separated on the wall, far from one another.

In plain English: Wherever you hear the sound of the ram's horn, gather to us there. Our God will fight for us."

In plain English: We were doing the work, and half of the people held the spears from the first light of dawn until the stars came out.

In plain English: At that same time I also said to the people, "Let each man and his servant stay the night inside Jerusalem, so that at night they are a guard for us and in the day they work."

In plain English: So neither I, nor my brothers, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me took off our clothes. Each man had his weapon at (or: took his weapon to) the water.

Good to know: The last words in the Hebrew are "each one his weapon the water", with no verb. The WEB reads it as everyone took his weapon to the water. The Hebrew can also be read as each man having his weapon at the water. The text does not say more.