Nehemiah 4:13

13 So I stationed [people] behind the lowest sections of the wall, at the vulnerable areas. I stationed them by families with their swords, spears, and 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 won't know or see anything until we're among them and can kill them and stop the work."
12 When the Jews who lived nearby arrived, they said to us time and again, "Everywhere you turn, [they] attack us."
13 So I stationed [people] behind the lowest sections of the wall, at the vulnerable areas. I stationed them by families with their swords, spears, and bows.
14 After I made an inspection, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, "Don't be afraid of them. Remember the great and awe-inspiring Lord, and fight for your countrymen, your sons and daughters, your wives and homes."
15 When our enemies realized that we knew their scheme and that God had frustrated it, every one of us returned to his own work on the wall.
Holman Christian Standard Bible ® Copyright © 2003, 2002, 2000, 1999 by Holman Bible Publishers.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.