English Standard Version
Nehemiah 4:23
23So neither I nor my brothers nor my servants nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us took off our clothes; each kept his weapon at his right hand.
Nehemiah 4:23 in other versions
- King James Version (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.
- New International Version (NIV)Neither I nor my brothers nor my men nor the guards with me took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even when he went for water.
- New King James Version (NKJV)So neither I, my brethren, my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me took off our clothes, except that everyone took them off for washing.
- New Living Translation (NLT)During this time, none of us—not I, nor my relatives, nor my servants, nor the guards who were with me—ever took off our clothes. We carried our weapons with us at all times, even when we went for water.
Context of Nehemiah 4:23
21So we labored at the work, and half of them held the spears from the break of dawn until the stars came out. 22I also said to the people at that time, "Let every man and his servant pass the night within Jerusalem, that they may be a guard for us by night and may labor by day." So neither I nor my brothers nor my servants nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us took off our clothes; each kept his weapon at his right hand.
Read all of Nehemiah 4Nehemiah 4:23 word by word
וְאֵ֨ין אֲנִ֜י וְאַחַ֣י וּנְעָרַ֗י וְאַנְשֵׁ֤י הַמִּשְׁמָר֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר אַחֲרַ֔י אֵין־אֲנַ֥חְנוּ פֹשְׁטִ֖ים בְּגָדֵ֑ינוּ אִ֖ישׁ שִׁלְח֥וֹ הַמָּֽיִם׃ סRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- So neither I, nor my brethrenאָח'âch · brother: compatriotH251
- nor my servantsנַ֫עַרna‛ar · youthH5288
- nor the menאֱנוֹשׁ'ĕnôsh · humanH582
- of the guardמִשְׁמָרmishmâr · custodyH4929
- which followedאַחַר'achar · afterH310
- me, none of usאֲנַ֫חְנוּ'ănachnû · weH587
- put offפָּשַׁטpâshaţ · to stripH6584
- our clothesבֶּ֫גֶדbeged · garmentH899
- every oneאִישׁ'îysh · man: anyoneH376
- put them offשֶׁ֫לַחshelach · missileH7973
- for washingמַיmayim · waterH4325
Cross-references for Nehemiah 4:23
- Nehemiah 5:16I also persevered in the work on this wall, and we acquired no land, and all my servants were gathered there for the work.
- Nehemiah 7:2I gave my brother Hanani and Hananiah the governor of the castle charge over Jerusalem, for he was a more faithful and God-fearing man than many.
- Judges 9:48And Abimelech went up to Mount Zalmon, he and all the people who were with him. And Abimelech took an axe in his hand and cut down a bundle of brushwood and took it up and laid it on his shoulder. And he said to the men who were with him, "What you have seen me do, hurry and do as I have done."
- 1 Corinthians 15:10But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.
- Judges 5:11To the sound of musicians at the watering places, there they repeat the righteous triumphs of the Lord, the righteous triumphs of his villagers in Israel. "Then down to the gates marched the people of the Lord.
Commentaries on Nehemiah 4:23
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 23None of us put off our clothes, saving that every one put them off for washing - The Hebrew for all this is only המים שלחו איש בגדינו פשטים אנחנו אין 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. The Vulgate…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 23Saving - The text here is probably unsound. It yields no satisfactory sense. See the margin.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 16-23Verses 16-23 We must watch always against spiritual enemies, and not expect that our warfare will be over till our work is ended. The word of God is the sword of the Spirit, which we ought to have always at hand, and never to have to seek for it, either in our labours, or in our conflicts, as Christians. Every true Christian is both a labourer and a soldier, working with one hand, and fighting with the other. Good work is likely to go on with success…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 23Nehemiah and the other leaders were not elitists who rested while others worked hard.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 4:23
In the dictionaries
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
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