Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Nehemiah 4:14

And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, [which is] great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.

14. And I looked, and rose up ] Nehemiah’s ‘look’ seems to denote his inspection of the guards which he had stationed.

unto the nobles, and to the rulers ] R.V. marg. ‘Or, deputies ’. Upon the difference of these two classes see note on Neh 2:16.

the Lord ] R.V. the Lord. The sacred name here used is ‘Adonai,’ not ‘Jahveh;’ see on Neh 1:11, (Neh 3:5).

which is great and terrible ] For these epithets, see note on Neh 1:5, and compare Neh 9:22. The attributes of power and awe belong to the God of Israel and ensure the victory of those that trust him, cf. Deu 3:22, Deut. 20:31, 32.

fight for your brethren houses ] Nehemiah exhorts his men to fight courageously. To the Jews the contest must be for their very existence as a people. Their foes are banded together to compass the extermination of their race and name. The brotherhood of the race (brethren), the blessings of family and home (sons and daughters), the ties of personal affection (wives) or cherished ancestral inheritance (house) were at stake. The enemy against whom they fought knew no pity.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Neh 4:14

Remember the Lord, which is great.

The power of memory

Consider–

I. The power of memory.

II. The application of the text to ourselves.

1. Parents should remember that God regards them as stewards, to whom are committed the care, the instruction, and the discipline of their offspring.

2. Children should remember that forgetfulness of the claims of home, of a father, of a mother, is a forgetfulness of God.

3. Employers should remember the Lord in the example which He furnishes of gentleness, patience, kindness, forbearance, and deep humility.

4. Servants should remember the Lord, that He took upon Him the form of a servant. Conclusion: Remember the promises He has made, the deliverances He has wrought, the blessings He has conferred, the invitations He has given, and the relations He now fills. Remember Him–in calamity to trust Him, in prosperity to praise Him, in danger to call upon Him, in difficulty to expect His interference. Remember Him, for it is your duty, it is your privilege. Remember Him, for He never forgets you. (W. Horwood.)

God is on the field

Always believe that God is on your side. He is on the field when most invisible. In one of the great continental cities the regalia are not kept behind iron bars as in the Tower of London, but lie upon an open table. It might appear an easy thing for some thief to snatch a diamond or a jewel from the glittering array, and yet no man dare put out his band to take one, for that table is charged with electricity, and woe to the person who touches it. The protection is complete; you cannot see it, but there it is. Only live in daily–hourly communion with Christ. Dont break the spiritual connection, and you are as safe from Satan and sin as the jewels from the devices of the thief. Greater is He that is for us than all enemies that can be against us. (E. Abbott.)

Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell

Verse 14. Be not ye afraid of them] Are they more terrible or stronger than God?

Fight for your brethren] Your own countrymen, who worship the same God, and are come from the same stock; your sons, whom they wish to slay or lead into captivity; your daughters and wives, whom they wish to deflower and defile; and your houses, which they wish to seize and occupy as their own. They had every thing at stake; and therefore they must fight pro aris et focis, for their religion, their lives, and their property. A people thus interested, who once take up the sword, can never be conquered.

There is an address made to the Greeks by their leader in AEschylus, Pers. ver. 402, similar to this, to excite them against the Persians: –

– , ,

,

, , ,

.

“———–Sons of the Greeks, go on!

Free now your country, and your children free;

Your wives, the temples of your fathers’ gods,

And dear abodes of farthest ancestors:–

Now strike the blow for all!” J. B. B. C.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

And I looked,…. Took a view of the people, and observed that they were in their proper place, and sufficiently armed, and also whether the enemy was coming:

and rose up and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people; who were under their nobles and rulers, as their captains and commanders:

be not ye afraid of them; of their enemies, their numbers, and their threats:

remember the Lord, which is great and terrible; who is greater than they, and is to be feared and trusted in by his people, and is terrible even to the kings of the earth:

and fight for your brethren, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your houses; intimating, that they were in danger of losing all that was near and dear, valuable and precious to them, if they did not fight for them; and therefore it became them to quit themselves like men, and be strong.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

(4:8)

“And I looked, and rose up, and said.” These words can only mean: When I saw the people thus placed with their weapons, I went to them, and said to the nobles, etc., “Be not afraid of them (the enemies); remember the Lord, the great and the terrible,” who will fight for you against your enemies (Deu 3:22; Deu 20:3, and Deu 31:6), “and fight ye for your brethren, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your houses,” whom the enemies would destroy.

Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament

(14) And I looked.It appears that the energetic appeal now described was uttered on the actual approach of an attacking party.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

14. I looked To see if all my orders had been carried out.

Rose up To pass around and address the nobles and others with words of encouragement and cheer.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Neh 4:14 And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, [which is] great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.

Ver. 14. And I looked, and rose up ] Et vidi, et surrexi, et dixi, so the original runs. He saw the enemy a-coming, he started up, and he made this excellent exhortation; which puts me in mind of that which one once said of Julius Caesar, If you had never known him to have been a soldier, yet hear him but speak only, and you will conclude him to be one, Si acta eius penitus ignorasses, per linguam tanten militem esse diceres.

And said unto the nobles ] In a short but pithy oration; such as was that of Joab, 2Sa 10:12 , of which Pellican saith, Non potuit vex duce dignior cogitari, as brave a speech as a man could make; or that of Hunniades, about to join battle with the Turks (see Turk. Hist. fol. 272); or, lastly, that of the Prince of Orange at the battle of Newport; where they had the sea on one side and the Spaniards on the other. If, said he, you will live, you must either eat up these Spaniards or drink up this sea. So here, Either you must fight lustily, or all you have is forfeited assuredly.

Be not ye afraid of them ] Away with that cowardly passion, which unmans a man, et rectum tollit de cardine mentem, robs him of all power and policy.

Remember the Lord ] Whom he that feareth needs fear none else. “The name of the Lord is a strong tower,” &c.

Who is great and terrible ] For the defence of his people, and offence of his enemies. The Lord is a man of war, Exo 15:3 . Yea, he alone is a whole army of men, van and rear both, Isa 52:12 ; and may better say to his soldiers than Antigonus did to his, when they were afraid of the enemy’s numbers, How many do ye reckon me for?

And fight for your brethren ] Whether by race, or religion.

Your sons, and your daughters ] Those , as the Greeks call them; Charissimi, as the Latins; dearest pledges.

Your wives, and your houses ] In the last commandment houses are set first before wives, because a house is to be first provided; neither will a wise man take a wife before he hath a house. Here wives are set before houses; because far more precious, and a main part of a man’s self, Eph 5:28 . House and riches are the inheritance of the fathers, but a prudent wife is of the Lord, Pro 19:14 . She was one of the first real and royal gifts bestowed by God upon Adam. By the way note, that if men may fight for their civil right to their houses and lands, have they not as good warrant to fight for their religion, especially since they have the laws of the land for it; and, besides, a civil right at least to the outward peaceable profession and practice of it? The Athenians themselves, though their religion was no better than superstition, Act 17:22 , yet they bound themselves, by a public and solemn oath, to defend it to the utmost. The words of the oath were these: I will fight for the temples and holy rites, both alone and with others, A ..

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

rulers. See note on Neh 2:16.

the LORD * = Jehovah. One of the 134 places where the Sopherim altered Jehovah to Adonai. See App-32, and compare App-4.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

Be ye not afraid, Num 14:9, Deu 1:21, Deu 1:29, Deu 1:30, Deu 20:3, Deu 20:4, Jos 1:9, 2Ch 20:15-17, 2Ch 32:7, Psa 27:1, Psa 46:11, Isa 41:10-14, Mat 10:28, Heb 13:6

remember: Psa 20:7, Psa 77:10-20, Psa 143:5, Isa 51:12, Isa 51:13, Isa 63:11-13

great: Neh 1:5, Deu 10:17, Job 37:22, Psa 65:5, Psa 66:3, Psa 66:5, Isa 64:1-3, Nah 1:2-7, Heb 12:20, Heb 12:21, Heb 12:28, Heb 12:29

fight: 2Sa 10:12

Reciprocal: Deu 7:21 – a mighty God 1Ch 19:13 – of good Psa 99:3 – thy great Jer 10:6 – thou Dan 2:45 – the great

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Neh 4:14. I said unto the nobles, Be not afraid of them All was at stake; therefore he exhorts them to be valiant, trusting in God. Remember the Lord, who is great and terrible, &c. You think your enemies are great and terrible; but what are they in comparison with God? especially in opposition to him?

Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

4:14 And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not ye afraid of them: {h} remember the Lord, [which is] great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.

(h) Who is always on hand to deliver his out of danger: and therefore seeing they should fight for the maintenance of God’s glory, and for the preservation of their own lives and of theirs, he encourages them to play the valiant men.

Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes