Nehemiah 4:13

13 So in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in open places, I stationed the people according to their families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows.

Nehemiah 4:13 Meaning and Commentary

Nehemiah 4:13

Therefore set I in the lower places behind the wall
Where the wall was lowest, and the enemy could more easily break it down, or get over it:

and on the higher places;
where the wall was higher; or rather on the towers upon the walls, as the word signifies the tops of rocks, which are dry and smooth, see ( Ezekiel 24:2 Ezekiel 24:8 ) .

I even set the people after their families;
according to their rank, number, strength, and valour:

with their swords, their spears, and their bows;
with weapons they could use both near, and at a distance.

Nehemiah 4:13 In-Context

11 And our enemies said, "They will not know or see anything before we come upon them and kill them and stop the work."

12 When the Jews who lived near them came, they said to us ten times, "From all the places where they live they will come up against us."

13 So in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in open places, I stationed the people according to their families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows.

14 After I looked these things over, I stood up and said to the nobles and the officials and the rest of the people, "Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your kin, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes."

15 When our enemies heard that their plot was known to us, and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to his work.

Footnotes

• [a]. Meaning of Heb uncertain