Nehemiah 4:16

16 From that day on, half of my men worked on the wall, and the other half were wearing body armor and holding spears, shields, and bows. The leaders stood behind all the Judeans

Nehemiah 4:16 Meaning and Commentary

Nehemiah 4:16

And it came to pass from that time forth
That they were thus alarmed of danger from their enemies:

that the half of my servants wrought in the work;
of building the wall; his domestic servants, his guards, or mighty men, as Jarchi, men of war, the soldiers:

and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields, and the
bows;
some offensive, others defensive weapons; some to fight with at a distance, others near at hand:

and the habergeons;
coats of mail, which they took and clothed themselves with:

and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah;
the Jews that were working at the wall, to animate and encourage them, protect and defend them.

Nehemiah 4:16 In-Context

14 I looked them over and proceeded to tell the nobles, the leaders, and the rest of the people, "Don't be afraid of our enemies. Remember how great and awe-inspiring the LORD is. Fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes."

15 When our enemies heard that we knew about their plots and that God had prevented their plans from being successful, we all went back to the work on the wall. Each person performed his own job.

16 From that day on, half of my men worked on the wall, and the other half were wearing body armor and holding spears, shields, and bows. The leaders stood behind all the Judeans

17 who were rebuilding the wall. The workers who were carrying loads did the work with one hand and held their weapons with the other,

18 and each builder had his sword fastened to his side. The man who was supposed to sound the trumpet alarm was with me.