1 But it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we built the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews.
Again the enemies of God can’t stand to see His followers accomplish anything good.
2 And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, “What do these feeble Jews? Will they fortify themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they make an end in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned?”
He is trying to convince people that he doesn’t think they can possibly rebuild the wall.
3 Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, “Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall even break down their stone wall.”
A fox is a small, very light animal (about twice the size of an average cat). Tobiah is making fun of the Jews, saying they couldn’t possibly do what they have set out to do.
I hear hints of “anyone who believes in God is uneducated and stupid.” This is a common assumption today.
4 Hear, O our God; for we are despised: and turn their reproach upon their own head, and give them for a prey in the land of captivity:
Nehemiah is praying an “imprecatory prayer.” This is where you pray for God to curse an evil doer.
There are many samples of this kind of prayer in the Psalms. It is OK to call down God’s wrath on evil enterprises and ask for them to be destroyed. We should always desire the salvation of our enemies, of course, but when that is not possible (something only God knows) it is OK to ask for them to be removed.
5 And cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before Thee: for they have provoked Thee to anger before the builders.
6 So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work.
They got the wall about half-way done.
7 But it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth,
8 And conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it.
They planned an attack. God’s enemies aren’t usually satisfied to only make fun of His followers for long. They eventually turn to violence.
9 Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.
When Nehemiah realized the danger, he set up a twenty-four hour guard.
10 And Judah said, “The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall.”
They are telling Nehemiah (complaining?) that they can’t work anymore because of the rubble.
11 “And our adversaries said, ‘They shall not know, neither see, till we come in the midst among them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease.’”
They are planning on sneaking up on the Jews.
12 And it came to pass, that when the Jews which dwelt by them came, they said unto us ten times, “From all places whence ye shall return unto us they will be upon you.”
Those Jews who lived near Sanballat and Tobiah came to warn them ten times. They told them that the enemies were prepared to ambush them and even cut them down before they could reach safety if they left the city.
13 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.
He assigned family groups to guard vulnerable spots in the wall. These may also have been places where the view was best to see an attack coming.
14 And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, “Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.”
We have nothing to fear from the ungodly. They can’t defeat us. Even if they kill us it only gets us Heaven: the Eternal Party. But no matter what, God’s Will will prevail.
15 And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known unto us, and God had brought their counsel to nought, that we returned all of us to the wall, everyone unto his work.
When the people realized that they were being well guarded and that the enemy even knew, they went back to work.
16 And it came to pass from that time forth, that the half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the habergeons; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah.
Nehemiah had half his men continue building while half stood by with weapons and shields ready to arm the builders and fight.
17 They which built on the wall,…
Most translations divide the verse here. (Remember that verse divisions weren’t added until the 1700’s.) that would make this read, “The rulers were behind all the house of Judah that were building the wall.”
… and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, everyone with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon.
Those that carried supplies carried those supplies in one hand and a weapon in the other.
18 For the builders, everyone had his sword girded by his side, and so built. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me.
The trumpet was the major means of communication with troops before the invention of radios or even paper. Everyone was taught which tunes meant “Attack!” which meant “Retreat!” and which meant “gather over here.” They probably had a whole lot more commands as well.
19 And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, “The work is great and large, and we are separated upon the wall, one far from another.”
Jerusalem was 135 acres so people working on different parts of the wall could be quite far from each other.
20 “In what place therefore ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither unto us: our God shall fight for us.”
He set up an alarm system so that if they were attacked everyone would know where to go to fight.
21 So we labored in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared.
22 Likewise at the same time said I unto the people, “Let everyone with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and labor on the day.”
It was common practice to own both a home on your farm land and a home in the city in most communities. Nehemiah wants everyone to stay in the city so they will have a bigger army to fight with should it be needed.
23 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 everyone put them off for washing.
They basically stayed on duty twenty-four hours a day so they would be ready at a moment’s notice.
They took the threats from the neighbors very seriously.