Nehemiah 4:17

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

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.

This is not to be taken properly, for they could never have done their work with one hand; and the next verse tells us the sword was not in their hands, but by their sides: but figuratively; this being a proverbial speech, such as is frequent amongst the Latins, as when they say of a man pretending kindness with evil design, he carries bread in one hand, and a stone in another.

Nehemiah 4:17 They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, [every one] with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other [hand] held a weapon.Ver. 17. They which builded on the wall] The master masons, and they that bare burdens, Bajuli, labourers and porters, who bear upon their shoulders as much as they can stand under, yet go singing oft under their burdens: the reason whereof Alexander Aphrodisaeus saith is this, that their minds being delighted with the sweetness of the music, the body may be the less sensible of the weight they carry. But these burden bearers had little mind to sing, their lives being in suspense. And yet, as worthy workmen, they went on with the wall. Every one with one of his hands wrought, and in the other hand had a weapon] i.e., When they were busiest in building they had their weapons in a readiness to resist. What a goodly sight was this, saith one, to see every one so full of courage, that they feared not the enemy; and so willing to work, that they would not be weary. Let Christian men look into this notable example, and be ashamed of their slothfulness, &c.

(17) They which builded.—Divided into masons and their burden-bearers. The latter held in one hand a weapon; the former built with both hands, and had their weapons at their side.

Verse 17. With one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon.] That is, he had his arms at hand, and was as fully prepared to fight as to work. So OVID, Epist. xi., Canace Macario, ver. 1: - Si qua tamen caecis errabunt scripta lituris, Oblitus a dominae caede libellus erit: Dextra tenet calamum; strictum tenet altera ferrum: Et jacet in gremio charta soluta meo. If streaming blood my fatal letter stain, Imagine, ere you read, the writer slain. One hand the sword, and one the pen employs, And in my lap the ready paper lies. DRYDEN. By this mode of speech Canace does not intimate to her brother Macarius, that she actually held the sword in one hand while she held the pen in the other, but that she had it ready to slay herself as soon as she had written the epistle.

17. They which builded on the wall] R.V. They that builded the wall. The Hebrew preposition rendered ‘on’ in the A.V. occurs also e.g. in Nehemiah 4:6, ‘So we built the wall,’ and merely expresses the object. (a) These words are sometimes taken in conjunction with the conclusion of the previous verse (R.V. marg.), on account of the mention of them ‘that builded the wall’ in connexion with them ‘that bare burdens;’ whereas Nehemiah 4:18 seems to speak of ‘the builders’ as a different class from them ‘that bare burdens.’ (b) Another explanation takes the first words of this verse as a nominative absolute, standing before the two Nehemiah 4:17-18 which relate respectively to the two classes into which the wall builders would be distributed, i.e. ‘As for them that builded the wall, as well they that bare burdens, laded themselves &c. (18) as the builders’. (c) The R.V. renders the words quite simply. It makes Nehemiah 4:17 refer both to the builders and to the burden bearers, Nehemiah 4:18 to the builders only. ‘They that builded on the wall’ are then further defined in Nehemiah 4:17 as ‘they that bare burdens.’ ‘The builders’ in Nehemiah 4:18, mentioned without further definition, must be limited to those occupied in the construction of the wall. This makes very good sense. But the language is not without ambiguity, for which it is probable that the text is really accountable. and they that bare burdens] See previous note. These words describe one class of workmen, distinguishing those who removed rubbish and carried material, stones, &c., from those occupied in the construction. If we take into account the enormous size of the stones used in the building of the ancient walls, and bear in mind the Assyrian representations of the moving of heavy weights by rollers, pulleys, mounds, &c., we may realize that the moving of the blocks and placing them in situ required a distinct class of workmen from those who removed the earth and the rubbish to prepare foundations, or constructed the mounds up which the stones could be drawn. This latter class is here indicated. with those that laded] R.V. laded themselves. The word in the Hebrew is the predicate. It does not denote a third class of workmen. every one … and with the other hand held a weapon] R.V. every one … and with the other held his weapon. This clause shows that the work men here mentioned had one hand free. They were probably employed in carrying baskets of rubbish over their backs or on their heads. a weapon] The word here employed is not common. It denotes ‘a missile,’ and in this case was probably a light javelin.

17. With one of his hands wrought… with the other hand held a weapon — This seems to be a figurative expression to denote the constant readiness of the builders to rush at once to battle in case of sudden attack.