Nehemiah 3:5

5 And men of Tekoa builded beside him; but the principal men of them under-putted not their necks in the work of their Lord God. (And the men of Tekoa rebuilt beside them; but their leaders did not put their shoulders to the work of the Lord their God.)

Nehemiah 3:5 Meaning and Commentary

Nehemiah 3:5

And next unto them the Tekoites repaired
The inhabitants of Tekoa, a city in the tribe of Judah; see ( Amos 1:1 )

but their nobles put not their necks to the work of their Lord;
either of Nehemiah, as some, or rather of the lord and prince appointed over their families, as Aben Ezra, to whom they would not be subject; though it seems best, with Jarchi, to understand it of the Lord their God, by whose command this work was begun; but they refused to give any assistance to it with their purses or presence, but withdrew from it, as refractory oxen withdraw their necks from the yoke. This is observed to their disgrace, when the common people of their city were ready to work, and did.

Nehemiah 3:5 In-Context

3 And the sons of Hassenaah builded the gates of fishes; they covered it, and setted (up) the gates thereof, and (the) locks, and bars. (And the sons of Hassenaah rebuilt the Fish Gate; they rebuilt it, and put up its doors, or its gates, with their locks and bars.)

4 And Meremoth, the son of Urijah, the son of Hakkoz, builded beside them. And Meshullam, the son of Berechiah, the son of Meshezabeel, builded beside him. And Zadok, the son of Baana, builded beside him.

5 And men of Tekoa builded beside him; but the principal men of them under-putted not their necks in the work of their Lord God. (And the men of Tekoa rebuilt beside them; but their leaders did not put their shoulders to the work of the Lord their God.)

6 And Jehoiada, the son of Paseah, and Meshullam, the son of Besodeiah, builded the old gate; they builded it, and setted up the gates thereof, and the locks, and bars. (And Jehoiada, the son of Paseah, and Meshullam, the son of Besodeiah, rebuilt the Old Gate, or the Jeshanah Gate; they rebuilt it, and put up its doors, or its gates, with their locks and bars.)

7 And Melatiah (the) Gibeonite, and Jadon (the) Meronothite, men of Gibeon, and of Mizpah, builded beside them, for the duke that was in the country beyond the flood. (And Melatiah the Gibeonite, and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon, and of Mizpah, rebuilt beside them, unto the residence of the governor of the province west of the Euphrates River.)