Nehemiah · WEB-C
Nehemiah
4
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But when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry, and was very indignant, and mocked the Jews. See also: Nehemiah 2:10Hebrews 11:36Psalms 35:15-16He spoke before his brothers and the army of Samaria, and said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, since they are burned?” See also: 1 Corinthians 1:27Ezra 4:9-101 Samuel 17:43-44Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, “What they are building, if a fox climbed up it, he would break down their stone wall.” See also: Nehemiah 2:191 Kings 20:182 Kings 18:23“Hear, our God, for we are despised. Turn back their reproach on their own head. Give them up for a plunder in a land of captivity. See also: Psalms 79:12Psalms 123:3-4Proverbs 3:34Don’t cover their iniquity. Don’t let their sin be blotted out from before you; for they have insulted the builders.” See also: Jeremiah 18:23Psalms 109:14Psalms 69:27-28So we built the wall; and all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work. See also: Philippians 2:13Hebrews 13:21Nehemiah 6:15But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabians, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem went forward, and that the breaches began to be filled, they were very angry; See also: Nehemiah 4:1Nehemiah 2:10Revelation 12:12-13and they all conspired together to come and fight against Jerusalem, and to cause confusion among us. See also: Psalms 83:3-11Jeremiah 20:10Acts 23:12-13But we made our prayer to our God, and set a watch against them day and night because of them. See also: 1 Peter 5:8Acts 4:24-30Psalms 50:15Judah said, “The strength of the bearers of burdens is fading and there is much rubble, so that we are not able to build the wall.” See also: 2 Chronicles 2:18Ezekiel 29:18Numbers 13:31Our adversaries said, “They will not know or see, until we come in among them and kill them, and cause the work to cease.” See also: Acts 23:211 Thessalonians 5:2Psalms 56:6When the Jews who lived by them came, they said to us ten times from all places, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.” See also: Genesis 31:7Job 19:3Genesis 31:41Therefore I set guards 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. See also: Nehemiah 4:17-18Ephesians 6:11-201 Corinthians 14:20I looked, and rose up, and said to the nobles, to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, “Don’t 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.” See also: 2 Samuel 10:12Numbers 14:9Isaiah 41:10-14When our enemies heard that it was known to us, and God had brought their counsel to nothing, all of us returned to the wall, everyone to his work. See also: Romans 12:112 Samuel 17:14Psalms 33:10-11From that time forth, half of my servants did the work, and half of them held the spears, the shields, the bows, and the coats of mail; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah. See also: Nehemiah 4:23Psalms 101:6Nehemiah 5:15-16Those who built the wall, and those who bore burdens loaded themselves; everyone with one of his hands did the work, and with the other held his weapon. See also: 2 Timothy 2:32 Timothy 4:72 Corinthians 6:7Among the builders, everyone wore his sword at his side, and so built. He who sounded the trumpet was by me. See also: 2 Chronicles 13:12-17Numbers 10:9I said to the nobles, and to the rulers and to the rest of the people, “The work is great and widely spread out, and we are separated on the wall, far from one another. Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally there to us. Our God will fight for us.” See also: Exodus 14:14Deuteronomy 20:4Deuteronomy 1:30So we did the work. Half of the people held the spears from the rising of the morning until the stars appeared. See also: Galatians 6:9Colossians 1:29Likewise at the same time I said to the people, “Let everyone with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and may labor in the day.” See also: Nehemiah 11:1-2So neither I, nor my brothers, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me took off our clothes. Everyone took his weapon to the water. See also: 1 Corinthians 15:10Judges 9:48Judges 5:11
See also: Cross references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), derived in part from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
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Notes · Haydock (1859, public domain)16 notes
Notes in English 19th-century Catholic commentary by Fr. George Leo Haydock, shown as published.
These notes keep the polemics of their time: some speak harshly of the Jewish people or of other Christians. The Church teaches otherwise today. The Jewish people may not be blamed for the death of Christ (Nostra Aetate 4; Catechism 597–598), and Christians of other communities are our brothers and sisters in the Lord (Unitatis Redintegratio 3). Christian unity
Nehemiah 4:2
This 19th-century note uses polemical language; read it in the light of the note at the top of this panel.
Ver. 2. Multitude. Heb. and Sept. "army." C. --- Silly. Lit. "feeble." H. --- Sacrifice, at the dedication. T. --- Day, in so short a time, as their present vigorous proceedings seem to promise, notwithstanding their feeble condition, and the paucity of their numbers. H. --- But no: we shall have time enough to hinder them, (M.) if the nature of their materials do it not for us. H. ---
Raise. Heb. "revive;" a word used for reparations of walls, &c. C. Delrio, adag.
221. --- Sept.
"heal." God's providence did not permit the enemy to rage, till the work was greatly advanced; so infidels laugh at the attempts of your priests to restore religion, which nevertheless flourishes. W.
↑ 2Nehemiah 4:3
Ver. 3. Leap over. Heb. Sept. &c. "break down." C. --- Bitter sarcasm, which excites the indignation of Nehemias! T.
↑ 3Nehemiah 4:4
Ver. 4. Captivity. Since they have not learnt to commiserate others. C.
↑ 4Nehemiah 4:5
Ver. 5. Face. Punish the obstinate. T. --- He does not wish that they may continue impenitent.
C. --- But, on that supposition, he approves of the divine justice, and foretells what will happen.
E. --- Revenge was equally criminal under the old law, as it is at present. But the servants of God express their approbation (C.) of his inscrutable counsels.
The imperative in Heb. is often used for the future tense. H. --- Mocked. Prot.
"provoked thee... before the builders." Sept. omit most of this and the following verses; having only, "Do not hide thyself, with respect to wickedness."
H.
↑ 5Nehemiah 4:6
Ver. 6. Thereof, all round; as masons were stationed in different parts, (v. 19.) and not barely on one side of the city. C. --- Tobias alludes to the present lowness of the walls, v. 3. H.
↑ 6Nehemiah 4:8
Ver. 8. Together, to the number of 180,000, according to the Jews; who say that they were terrified, at the excommunication pronounced by 300 priests against them, while 300 young men sounded trumpets; and they fled, leaving Nehemias at liberty to continue the work. It is a pity that we have no foundation for this in Scripture. C. See 1 Esd. iv. 3. H. --- The Samaritans durst not openly attack the Jews, who were under the protection of the Persian monarch. But they endeavoured clandestinely to injure them, (T.) and to prepare ambushes. H.
↑ 8Nehemiah 4:10
Ver. 10. Juda. Some of the Jews, (M.) who were dispirited at the greatness of the work and the threats of the enemy. --- Burdens. Sept. "of the enemies."
Arab. "the Jews were strengthened, there were many porters, but they could not finish the work." C. --- Rubbish to be removed. T.
↑ 10Nehemiah 4:12
Ver. 12. Ten times, frequently. M. --- Places, among the Cuthites. --- Whence they. Prot. "ye return unto us, they will be upon you. " Heb. the second person is put for the third, which occurs in the Sept. &c. though they refer it to the enemy. "They come up from all places against us." H.
--- De Dieu would translate, "return to us," cultivate the friendship of Sanaballat; or "return home," and leave off this work. The sense of the Vulg. is the most easy, and the best. C.
↑ 12Nehemiah 4:13
Ver. 13. Place. Heb. adds, "below." --- Round. Heb. "on the hills." H. --- To remove the apparent contradiction, (C.) Prot. supply, " and on the higher places." Sept. "in lurking holes,"
skepeinois.
↑ 13Nehemiah 4:14
Ver. 14. Remember. These are the most powerful arguments to encourage an army. H.
↑ 14Nehemiah 4:16
Ver. 16. Their. Heb. "my servants," (M.) half of whom only wrought, while the rest stood guard.
If we adhere to the Vulg. we must suppose that Nehemias altered his first plan, and ordered almost all to be ready to fight or to labour, as occasion might require, v. 17. C. --- In. "Over, (H.) or behind all the family of Juda," (Vatab.) encouraging the people by word, and sometimes by example. T. M.
↑ 16Nehemiah 4:17
Ver. 17. Sword. Heb. "dart." C. --- The expression seems to be proverbial. So Ovid makes Canacea speak, "My right hand holds the pen, my left the sword;"
(H.) while I write, I am on the point of killing myself. C.
Dextra tenet calamum, strictum tenet altera ferrum. Ep. Her.
↑ 17Nehemiah 4:18
Ver. 18. By me, when the enemy appeared. M.
↑ 18Nehemiah 4:20
Ver. 20. For us. Yet we must act with prudence and courage. H.
↑ 20Nehemiah 4:22
Ver. 22. Midst. Before they had gone home. C. --- Let us. Prot. "that in the night they may be a guard to us, and labour on the day." H.
↑ 22Nehemiah 4:23
Ver. 23. Clothes, even to sleep. --- Only. Sept. Compl. "man and his arms to the water." H. ---
They went armed to fetch water; (Malvenda) or they had their armour and water always at hand.
Junius, &c. --- Heb. "each kept his dart at the water." It may have various senses. C. --- Prot.
agree with the Vulg. " saving that every one put them off for washing" (H.) them, or themselves.
T.
↑ 23License: Notes by Fr. George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), from the Douay-Rheims Bible with Haydock's commentary (first ed. Thomas Haydock, Manchester/Dublin, 1811–1814; New York: Edward Dunigan & Brother, 1859); New Testament notes compiled with Fr. Benedict Rayment. Public domain. Digital text: "The Haydock Bible", Internet Archive (archive.org/details/TheHaydockBible), uploaded 2011 under the Public Domain Mark. · Credits and licenses