Nehemiah 4:13

Nehemiah 4:13 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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.
• New International Version (NIV)Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows.
• English Standard Version (ESV)So in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in open places, I stationed the people by their clans, with their swords, their spears, and their bows.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Therefore I positioned men behind the lower parts of the wall, at the openings; and I set the people according to their families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows.

Context of Nehemiah 4:13

11At the same time, our enemies were boasting, ‘Before the Jews even see us, we will attack them. We will kill them before they know what is happening. That will be the end of their work on the wall!’ 12The Jews who lived near our enemies warned us many times. They told us that our enemies would attack us wherever we went. So I put some men behind the lowest part of the wall where there were holes. Each of the families had guards with swords, spears, bows and arrows. 14I went round the city and I looked at everything. I said to the leaders, the officers and the people, ‘Do not be afraid of our enemies. Remember that our Lord God is great and powerful. Fight on behalf of your brothers, your sons, your daughters and your wives. Fight to keep your homes safe.’ 15Our enemies realized that we knew what they had decided to do. God had stopped them from doing what they wanted. So each of us went back to our work on the wall.

Nehemiah 4:13 word by word

וָֽאַעֲמִ֞יד מִֽתַּחְתִּיּ֧וֹת לַמָּק֛וֹם מֵאַחֲרֵ֥י לַחוֹמָ֖ה בַּצְּחִיחִ֑ים וָֽאַעֲמִ֤יד אֶת־הָעָם֙ לְמִשְׁפָּח֔וֹת עִם־חַרְבֹתֵיהֶ֛ם רָמְחֵיהֶ֖ם וְקַשְּׁתֹתֵיהֶֽם׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Therefore setעָמַד‛âmad · to stand: putH5975
• I in the lowerתַּחְתִּיtachtîy · lowerH8482
• placesמָקוֹםmâqôm mâqôm meqômâh meqômâh · placeH4725
• behindאַחַר'achar · afterH310
• the wallחוֹמָהchômâh · wallH2346
• on the higher placesצְחִיחִיtsechîychîy · higherH6708
• on the higher placesצְחִיחַtsechîyach · bareH6706
• the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
• after their familiesמִשְׁפָּחָהmishpâchâh · familyH4940
• with their swordsחֶ֫רֶבchereb · swordH2719
• their spearsרֹ֫מַחrômach · spearH7420
• and their bowsקֶ֫שֶׁתqesheth · bowH7198

Cross-references for Nehemiah 4:13

• Genesis 32:13Jacob stayed in that place for the night. He chose some of his animals as a gift for Esau.
• 2 Chronicles 32:2Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come to attack Judah. He realized that Sennacherib had decided to attack Jerusalem.
• Psalms 112:5People who are kind and lend money to others, and who work in an honest way, will enjoy a good life.
• Matthew 10:16Jesus then said to his disciples, ‘Listen well. I am sending you to people who will want to kill you. You will be like sheep among wild animals. You must watch carefully, like snakes do. But you must also be good and kind like doves.
• 1 Corinthians 14:20My Christian friends, do not continue to think like children think. Instead, think properly like men and women should think. The only way you should be like babies is to keep away from evil things.
• Nehemiah 4:17The men who were carrying materials held them with one hand. They held a weapon in their other hand.
• Ephesians 6:11Use all the help that God gives to us. Then you can be like a soldier who fights against the Devil. You must put on the whole armour that God gives to us. The Devil attacks us in clever ways, and we need to be strong.

Commentaries on Nehemiah 4:13

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 13The lower places - The places where those within the walls had the least advantage of elevation, the naturally weak places, where an enemy was likely to make his attack.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 7-15Verses 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…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 13Nehemiah responded by placing armed guards at the weakest parts of the wall. He ensured that opponents outside could see the forces ready to defend the city.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 7-237-21. But ... when Sanballat ... heard that the walls ... were made up, and ... the breaches ... stopped--The rapid progress of the fortifications, despite all their predictions to the contrary, goaded the Samaritans to frenzy. So they, dreading danger from the growing greatness of the Jews, formed a conspiracy to surprise them, demolish their works, and disperse or intimidate the builders. The plot being discovered, Nehemiah adopted the most energetic…Read the comment

Topics related to Nehemiah 4:13

• Archery
• Prudence

In the dictionaries

• Armour
• Ammon; Ammonites
• Esdras, the First Book of
• Jerusalem
• spear, spearmen

Commentaries on Nehemiah 4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings