Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version Neither I nor my brothers nor my men nor the guards with me took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even when he went for water. New Living Translation During this time, none of us—not I, nor my relatives, nor my servants, nor the guards who were with me—ever took off our clothes. We carried our weapons with us at all times, even when we went for water. English Standard Version So neither I nor my brothers nor my servants nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us took off our clothes; each kept his weapon at his right hand. Berean Standard Bible So neither I nor my brothers nor my servants nor the guards with me changed out of our clothes; each carried his weapon, even to go for water. Berean Literal Bible And none—I and my brothers and my servants and the men of the guard who were behind me—none of us took off our garments; each man had his weapon at the water. King James Bible So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard which followed me, none of us put off our clothes, saving that every one put them off for washing. New King James Version So neither I, my brethren, my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me took off our clothes, except that everyone took them off for washing. New American Standard Bible So neither I, my brothers, my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me—none of us removed our clothes; each took his weapon even to the water. NASB 1995 So neither I, my brothers, my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us removed our clothes, each took his weapon even to the water. NASB 1977 So neither I, my brothers, my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us removed our clothes, each took his weapon even to the water. Legacy Standard Bible So neither I, my brothers, my young men, nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us removed our clothes, each took his weapon even to the water. Amplified Bible So neither I, my brothers (relatives), my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us took off our clothes; each took his weapon [even] to the water. Berean Annotated Bible So neither I nor my brothers nor my servants nor the guards with me changed out of our clothes; each carried his weapon, even to go for water (each carried his weapon in his right hand). Christian Standard Bible And I, my brothers, my servants, and the men of the guard with me never took off our clothes. Each carried his weapon, even when washing. Holman Christian Standard Bible And I, my brothers, my men, and the guards with me never took off our clothes. Each carried his weapon, even when washing. American Standard Version So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard that followed me, none of us put off our clothes, every one went with his weapon to the water. Contemporary English Version I even slept in my work clothes at night; my relatives, the workers, and the guards slept in theirs as well. And we always kept our weapons close by. English Revised Version So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard which followed me, none of us put off our clothes, every one went with his weapon to the water. GOD'S WORD® Translation My brothers, my servants, and the guards assigned to me never changed their clothes. Neither did I. We each kept our weapons at hand. Good News Translation I didn't take off my clothes even at night, neither did any of my companions nor my servants nor my bodyguards. And we all kept our weapons at hand. International Standard Version No one—neither I, my allies, my servants, nor the bodyguards who accompanied me—changed clothes. Everyone carried a weapon even while going for water. NET Bible We did not change clothes--not I, nor my relatives, nor my workers, nor the watchmen who were with me. Each had his weapon, even when getting a drink of water. New Heart English Bible So neither I, nor my brothers, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us took off our clothes. Everyone took his weapon to the water. Webster's Bible Translation So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us put off our clothes, saving that every one put them off for washing. Majority Text Translations Majority Standard BibleSo neither I nor my brothers nor my servants nor the guards with me changed out of our clothes; each carried his weapon, even to go for water. World English Bible So neither I, nor my brothers, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me took off our clothes. Everyone took his weapon to the water. Literal Translations Literal Standard Versionand there are none—I, and my brothers, and my servants, the men of the watch who [are] after me—there are none of us putting off our garments, each [has] his vessel of water. Berean Literal Bible And none—I and my brothers and my servants and the men of the guard who were behind me—none of us took off our garments; each man had his weapon at the water. Young's Literal Translation and there are none -- I and my brethren and my servants, the men of the guard who are after me -- there are none of us putting off our garments, each hath his vessel of water. Smith's Literal Translation And not I and my brethren and my young men, and the men of the watch which were after me, we not putting off our garments; a man his weapon for water. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleNow I and my brethren, and my servants, and the watchmen that followed me, did not put off our clothes: only every man stripped himself when he was to be washed. Catholic Public Domain Version But I and my brothers, and my servants, and the guards who were behind me, we did not take off our clothes; each one only removed his clothes to wash. New American Bible Neither I, nor my kindred, nor any of my attendants, nor any of the bodyguard that accompanied me took off our clothes; everyone kept a weapon at hand. New Revised Standard Version So neither I nor my brothers nor my servants nor the men of the guard who followed me ever took off our clothes; each kept his weapon in his right hand. Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleSo neither I nor my brethren nor my servants nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us took off his clothes for many full months, and each one did his duty. Peshitta Holy Bible Translated And I and my brothers and my boy Servants and the men Guards who followed me did not take off our clothes for a month of days, each man who arrived for it. OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard that followed me, none of us put off our clothes, every one that went to the water had his weapon. Brenton Septuagint Translation And I was there, and the watchmen behind me, and there was not a man of us that put off his garments. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context Discouragement Overcome…22At that time I also said to the people, “Let every man and his servant spend the night inside Jerusalem, so that they can stand guard by night and work by day.” 23So neither I nor my brothers nor my servants nor the guards with me changed out of our clothes; each carried his weapon, even to go for water. Cross References So neither I nor my brothers nor my servants nor the guards with me 2 Kings 11:11 And the guards stood with weapons in hand surrounding the king by the altar and the temple, from the south side to the north side of the temple. Genesis 14:14-16 And when Abram heard that his relative had been captured, he mobilized the 318 trained men born in his household, and they set out in pursuit as far as Dan. / During the night, Abram divided his forces and routed Chedorlaomer’s army, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. / He retrieved all the goods, as well as his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the rest of the people. changed out of our clothes; Exodus 12:11 This is how you are to eat it: You must be fully dressed for travel, with your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. You are to eat in haste; it is the LORD’s Passover. Luke 12:35-37 Be dressed for service and keep your lamps burning. / Then you will be like servants waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks, they can open the door for him at once. / Blessed are those servants whom the master finds on watch when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve and will have them recline at the table, and he himself will come and wait on them. each carried his weapon, 2 Chronicles 23:10-11 He stationed all the troops, with their weapons in hand, surrounding the king by the altar and the temple, from the south side to the north side of the temple. / Then Jehoiada and his sons brought out the king’s son, put the crown on him, presented him with the Testimony, and proclaimed him king. They anointed him and shouted, “Long live the king!” Ezekiel 9:2 And I saw six men coming from the direction of the Upper Gate, which faces north, each with a weapon of slaughter in his hand. With them was another man clothed in linen who had a writing kit at his side. And they came in and stood beside the bronze altar. even to go for water. 2 Samuel 23:15-17 David longed for water and said, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!” / So the three mighty men broke through the Philistine camp, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem, and brought it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out to the LORD, / saying, “Far be it from me, O LORD, to do this! Is this not the blood of the men who risked their lives?” So he refused to drink it. Such were the exploits of the three mighty men. 1 Samuel 26:11-12 But the LORD forbid that I should extend my hand against the LORD’s anointed. Instead, take the spear and water jug by his head, and let us go.” / So David took the spear and water jug by Saul’s head, and they departed. No one saw them or knew about it, nor did anyone wake up; they all remained asleep, because a deep sleep from the LORD had fallen on them. Ephesians 6:11-18 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes. / For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. / Therefore take up the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you will be able to stand your ground, and having done everything, to stand. … 1 Thessalonians 5:6-8 So then, let us not sleep as the others do, but let us remain awake and sober. / For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. / But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and the helmet of our hope of salvation. 2 Corinthians 6:7 in truthful speech and in the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; 1 Peter 5:8 Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Matthew 26:41 “Watch and pray so that you will not enter into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” Romans 13:11-14 And do this, understanding the occasion. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. / The night is nearly over; the day has drawn near. So let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. / Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. … 1 Corinthians 16:13 Be on the alert. Stand firm in the faith. Be men of courage. Be strong. 2 Timothy 2:3-4 Join me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. / A soldier refrains from entangling himself in civilian affairs, in order to please the one who enlisted him. Treasury of Scripture So neither I, nor my brothers, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard which followed me, none of us put off our clothes, saving that every one put them off for washing. So neither I Nehemiah 5:16 Yea, also I continued in the work of this wall, neither bought we any land: and all my servants were gathered thither unto the work. Nehemiah 7:2 That I gave my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the ruler of the palace, charge over Jerusalem: for he was a faithful man, and feared God above many. Judges 9:48 And Abimelech gat him up to mount Zalmon, he and all the people that were with him; and Abimelech took an axe in his hand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it, and laid it on his shoulder, and said unto the people that were with him, What ye have seen me do, make haste, and do as I have done. saving that, etc. Judges 5:11 They that are delivered from the noise of archers in the places of drawing water, there shall they rehearse the righteous acts of the LORD, even the righteous acts toward the inhabitants of his villages in Israel: then shall the people of the LORD go down to the gates. Jump to Previous Clothes Clothing Followed Guard Guards Hand Kept Removed Saving Servants Washing Water WeaponJump to Next Clothes Clothing Followed Guard Guards Hand Kept Removed Saving Servants Washing Water WeaponNehemiah 4 1. While the enemies scoff, Nehemiah prays and continues the work7. Understanding the wrath and secrets of the enemy, he sets a watch 13. He arms the laborers 19. and gives military precepts So neither I nor my brothers nor my servants nor the guards with me This phrase highlights the unity and shared commitment among Nehemiah and his companions. Nehemiah, as the leader, sets an example of diligence and vigilance. The mention of "brothers" and "servants" indicates a close-knit community working together for a common cause. This reflects the communal effort seen throughout the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls, emphasizing the importance of leadership and teamwork in achieving God's purposes. The guards' presence underscores the constant threat from adversaries, a theme prevalent in Nehemiah's narrative, where opposition from surrounding nations is a recurring challenge. changed out of our clothes each carried his weapon even to go for water Persons / Places / Events 1. NehemiahThe central figure in the book, Nehemiah was a cupbearer to the Persian king Artaxerxes and later became the governor of Jerusalem. He led the effort to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. 2. Brothers Likely referring to fellow Jews or close associates who were working alongside Nehemiah in the rebuilding effort. 3. Servants Those who were directly serving Nehemiah and assisting in the work of rebuilding the wall. 4. Men of the Guard These were the armed men who protected the workers from potential attacks by adversaries. 5. Jerusalem The city where the wall was being rebuilt, a central place of worship and identity for the Jewish people. Teaching Points Vigilance in Spiritual WarfareJust as Nehemiah and his men were always prepared for physical attacks, Christians must be spiritually vigilant, always ready to defend against spiritual attacks. Unity and Cooperation The passage highlights the importance of working together in unity. Nehemiah, his brothers, servants, and guards all had a role to play, emphasizing the need for cooperation in the body of Christ. Perseverance in Adversity Despite the threat of attack, Nehemiah and his team did not cease their work. This teaches the importance of perseverance and dedication in the face of challenges. Preparedness and Readiness The constant readiness of Nehemiah’s team serves as a reminder for Christians to be prepared at all times, both physically and spiritually. Dependence on God’s Protection While they were armed and ready, Nehemiah and his men ultimately relied on God’s protection, reminding believers to trust in God’s sovereignty. Bible Study Questions and Answers 1. What is the meaning of Nehemiah 4:23?2. How does Nehemiah 4:23 emphasize the importance of vigilance in spiritual warfare? 3. What role does unity play in Nehemiah 4:23's call to constant readiness? 4. How can we apply Nehemiah 4:23's vigilance to our daily spiritual battles? 5. What scriptural connections reinforce the need for spiritual alertness like in Nehemiah 4:23? 6. How does Nehemiah 4:23 inspire us to protect our families spiritually today? 7. What does Nehemiah 4:23 reveal about leadership and vigilance in times of adversity? 8. How does Nehemiah 4:23 illustrate the importance of community in achieving a common goal? 9. What historical context is essential to understanding Nehemiah 4:23? 10. What are the top 10 Lessons from Nehemiah 4? 11. What are the main themes of the Bible's books? 12. What evidence supports the existence of the Levites and captains mentioned in 2 Chronicles 23:8, and how do we reconcile any lack of external records? 13. Nehemiah 4:21-23: Does the notion of workers maintaining constant vigilance, day and night, align with practical human limitations and historical labor practices? 14. How is Jesus represented in each book of the Bible? What Does Nehemiah 4:23 Mean So neither I nor my brothersNehemiah, the appointed governor, sets the tone. By placing himself first—“I”—he shows personal accountability. His “brothers” likely include both blood relatives and fellow Jewish leaders (cf. Nehemiah 1:2; 5:14). The unity of leadership under God’s call is essential; Psalm 133:1 celebrates brothers dwelling in unity, and Philippians 2:2 urges believers to be “like-minded, having the same love.” Here, unity is demonstrated not in comfort but in shared hardship for God’s work. Nor my servants Even the household attendants accept inconvenient vigilance. True service in God’s kingdom is never beneath anyone, whether ruler or servant (Mark 10:43-44). This mirrors Joshua 24:15—“As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” Everyone attached to Nehemiah embraces the same spiritual and physical discipline. Nor the guards with me These men were specifically tasked with protection, yet they follow the same rigorous standard. Leadership that models commitment inspires those under authority (Hebrews 13:7). In Acts 20:28-31 Paul warns elders to “keep watch,” a parallel to these guards whose alertness preserves community safety. Changed out of our clothes The workers slept in their gear, ready for immediate response. Ephesians 6:13 urges believers to “put on the full armor of God” so that, when the day of evil comes, they may stand their ground. Just as changing clothes would leave a vulnerable gap, dropping spiritual disciplines leaves believers exposed. Each carried his weapon Readiness is personal, not delegated. While Nehemiah organized the defense, every individual accepted responsibility (1 Samuel 17:40; Luke 22:36). Spiritually, every believer must wield “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17). Collective security grows from individual preparedness. Even to go for water Routine tasks did not excuse vigilance. Judges 7:5-7 records Gideon’s soldiers being tested by how they drank water; alertness in the mundane identifies true warriors. 1 Corinthians 10:31 reminds us that “whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God,” including the simplest chores. Faithful people stay watchful at all times (1 Peter 5:8). summary Nehemiah 4:23 portrays tireless, unified vigilance. From leader to servant, no one relaxed their guard. Their outer garments and weapons stayed on, even during ordinary activities, underscoring total commitment to God’s mission and protection of His people. Believers today are called to the same continuous readiness—clothed in Christ, equipped with His Word, faithful in every task, large or small. (23) Saving that every one put them off for washing.--This rendering is very improbable, as the words are simply: "every man his weapon water." Some interpret that "each man's weapon was his water": evidently too subtle a turn of thought. It is best, on the whole, to supply the ellipsis: "every man went with his weapon to the water."Verse 23. - My brethren. Actual brothers probably. That Nehemiah had brothers appears from Nehemiah 1:2; that one of them, Hanani, had accompanied him to Jerusalem is evident from Nehemiah 7:2. My servants. See above, ver. 16. The men of the guard that followed me. As governor, Nehemiah would maintain a body-guard, in addition to his band of slaves. Saving that every one put them off for washing. So the Vulgate: "Unnsquisque tantum nudabatur ad baptismum;" but it is at least doubtful whether the Hebrew words can possibly have this meaning. The most natural and literal sense of them is that given by Maurer and Rambach - "Each man's weapon was his water;" the supposed connection of the clause with the preceding being, "No one took off his clothes," not even for the bath - no one bathed; "a man's only bath was his weapon." Some critics, however, defend the rendering of the A. V.; others take the words in the same way, but explain the term "water" differently, of a natural want (Ewald, Stanley); while many regard the text as unsound, and propose emendations. None, however, that has as yet been proposed is satisfactory.
Hebrew So neither Iאֲנִ֜י (’ă·nî) Pronoun - first person common singular Strong's 589: I nor brothers וְאַחַ֣י (wə·’a·ḥay) Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common singular Strong's 251: A brother, ) nor my men וּנְעָרַ֗י (ū·nə·‘ā·ray) Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common singular Strong's 5288: A boy, lad, youth, retainer nor the guards אִ֖ישׁ (’îš) Noun - masculine singular Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person with me אַחֲרַ֔י (’a·ḥă·ray) Preposition | first person common singular Strong's 310: The hind or following part changed out of פֹשְׁטִ֖ים (p̄ō·šə·ṭîm) Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural Strong's 6584: To strip off, make a dash, raid our clothes; בְּגָדֵ֑ינוּ (bə·ḡā·ḏê·nū) Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common plural Strong's 899: A covering, clothing, treachery, pillage each carried his weapon, שִׁלְח֥וֹ (šil·ḥōw) Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular Strong's 7973: A missile of attack, spear, a shoot of growth, branch [even to go] for water. הַמָּֽיִם׃ (ham·mā·yim) Article | Noun - masculine plural Strong's 4325: Water, juice, urine, semen Links Nehemiah 4:23 NIVNehemiah 4:23 NLT Nehemiah 4:23 ESV Nehemiah 4:23 NASB Nehemiah 4:23 KJV Nehemiah 4:23 BibleApps.com Nehemiah 4:23 Biblia Paralela Nehemiah 4:23 Chinese Bible Nehemiah 4:23 French Bible Nehemiah 4:23 Catholic Bible OT History: Nehemiah 4:23 So neither I nor my brothers (Neh Ne) |
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