Nehemiah 4:14

_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._ No JFB commentary on these verses....

7-15 The hindering good work is what bad men aim at, and promise themselves success in; but good work is God's work, and it shall prosper. God has many ways of bringing to light, and so of bringing to nought, the devices and designs of his church's enemies. If our enemies cannot frighten us from duty, or deceive us into sin, they cannot hurt us. Nehemiah put himself and his cause under the Divine protection. It was the way of this good man, and should be our way. All his cares, all his griefs, all his fears, he spread before God. Before he used any means, he made his prayer to God. Having prayed, he set a watch against the enemy. If we think to secure ourselves by prayer, without watchfulness, we are slothful, and tempt God; if by watchfulness, without prayer, we are proud, and slight God: either way, we forfeit his protection. God's care of our safety, should engage and encourage us to...

Verse 14. _BE NOT YE AFRAID OF THEM_] Are they more terrible or stronger than God? _FIGHT FOR YOUR BRETHREN_] Your own _countrymen_, who worship the same God, and are come from the same stock; _your sons_, whom they wish to slay or lead into captivity; _your daughters_ and _wives_, whom they wish to deflower and defile; and _your houses_, which they wish to seize and occupy as their own. They had every thing at stake; and therefore they must fight _pro aris et focis_, for their _religion_, their _lives_, and their _property_. A people thus interested, who once take up the sword, can never be _conquered_. There is an address made to the Greeks by their leader in AEschylus, Pers. ver. 402, similar to this, to excite them against the Persians: - - Ω Παιδες Ἑλληνων

EXPOSITION NEHEMIAH 4:7 IT CAME TO PASS, THAT WHEN SANBALLAT, AND TOBIAH, at Samaria, AND THE ARABIANS, AND THE AMMONITES, AND THE ASHDODITES, in their respective residences, HEARD THAT THE WALLS OF JERUSALEM WERE MADE UP, or "that the (entire) wall of Jerusalem was of a (good) height," THEY WERE WROTH. Observe that Tobiah is here quite separated from the nation of the Ammonites, and in no way represented as their leader. Jealousy of Jerusalem on the part of the Ammonites and Philistines is quite natural; and, if the Arabs are the Edomites, their opposition would be equally a matter of course (Psalms 137:7; Ezekiel 25:12

CHAPTER 4 _ 1. The indignation and sneers of the enemies (Nehemiah 4:1)_ 2. Nehemiah's ejaculatory prayer (Nehemiah 4:4) 3. Conspiracy, and more prayer (Nehemiah 4:7) 4. Nehemiah's precautions and confidence (Nehemiah 4:10) Nehemiah 4:1. Sanballat (hate in disguise) having heard of the successful building of the wall, became very angry and mocked the Jews. And Tobiah the Ammonite used sarcasm. He said that which they build will be so weak that one of the foxes, which infested the broken-down walls ...

SAMARITAN ATTEMPT TO FRUSTRATE THE BUILDING OF THE WALLS. In Nehemiah 4:2 f. the text is very corrupt, though the general sense of the passage is fairly clear, viz. the Samaritans mock the efforts made by the Jews in building the walls; Sanballat's wrath in conjunction with his contempt is a little incongruous. The mention of the Samaritan army is difficult to account for; if an army had really been there some attempt would assuredly have been made there and then to stop the building; probably we must picture a crowd of Samaritans and not warriors. But the corrupt state of the text makes it impossible to feel sure what the meaning really is. Nehemiah 4:2. will they fortify themselves? The Heb. will they leave to them? is meaningless; Ryle emends the text so as to read, will they commit themselves t

RULERS. See note on Nehemiah 2:16. THE LORD *. Jehovah. One of the 134 places where the _Sopherim_ altered Jehovah to _Adonai._ See App-32, and compare App-4....

_And I looked, and rose up_ Nehemiah's -look" seems to denote his inspection of the guards which he had stationed. _unto the nobles, and to the rulers_ R.V. marg. -Or, _deputies_". Upon the difference of these two classes see note on Nehemiah 2:16. _the Lord_ R.V. THE LORD. The sacred name here used is -Adonai," not -Jahveh;" see on Nehemiah 1:11, (Nehemiah 3:5). which is _great and terrible_ For these epithets, see note on Nehemiah 1:5, and compare Nehemiah 9:22. The attributes of power and awe belong to the Go

2. The Jews faced the menace of an attack. TEXT, NEHEMIAH 4:7-14 7 Now it came about when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the repair of the walls of Jerusalem went on, and that the breaches began to be closed, they were very angry. 8 And all of them conspired together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause a disturbance in it. 9 But we prayed to our God, and because of them we set up a guard against them day and night. 10 Thus in Judah it was said, The strength of the burden bearers is failing, Yet there is much rubbish; And we ourselves are unable To rebuild the wall. 11 And our enemies said, They will not know or see until we come among them, kill them, and put a stop to the work. 12 And it came about when the Jews who lived near them came

4:14 rulers, (a-15) As Ezra 9:2 ....