Nehemiah 4:14

14 After reviewing this, I stood up and said to the officials, the officers, and the rest of the people, "Don't be afraid of them! Remember that the LORD is great and awesome! Fight for your families, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses!"

Nehemiah 4:14 Meaning and Commentary

Nehemiah 4:14

And I looked
Took a view of the people, and observed that they were in their proper place, and sufficiently armed, and also whether the enemy was coming:

and rose up and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the
rest of the people;
who were under their nobles and rulers, as their captains and commanders:

be not ye afraid of them;
of their enemies, their numbers, and their threats:

remember the Lord, which is great and terrible;
who is greater than they, and is to be feared and trusted in by his people, and is terrible even to the kings of the earth:

and fight for your brethren, your sons and your daughters, your wives
and your houses;
intimating, that they were in danger of losing all that was near and dear, valuable and precious to them, if they did not fight for them; and therefore it became them to quit themselves like men, and be strong.

Nehemiah 4:14 In-Context

12 Now the Jews who were living near them came and said to us again and again,"You must return to us!"

13 So I took up a position in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall in an open area. Then I stationed the people by families, and they had their swords, spears, and bows.

14 After reviewing this, I stood up and said to the officials, the officers, and the rest of the people, "Don't be afraid of them! Remember that the LORD is great and awesome! Fight for your families, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses!"

15 Then our enemies heard that we had found out and that God had spoiled their plans. So we all returned to doing our own work on the wall.

16 But from that day on, only half of my workers continued in the construction, while the other half held the spears, shields, bows, and body armor. Meanwhile, the leaders positioned themselves behind the whole house of Judah,