Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Nehemiah 7:3
And I said unto them, Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun be hot; and while they stand by, let them shut the doors, and bar [them]: and appoint watches of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, every one in his watch, and every one [to be] over against his house.
3. I said unto them ] The reading of the C’thib, ‘He said,’ is clearly wrong. The K’ri is supported by the LXX. and Vulg. ‘Them,’ Hanani and Hananiah.
until the sun be hot ] Vulg. ‘Usque ad calorem solis,’ i.e. until the sun was high in the heavens; cf. 1Sa 11:9, ‘By the time the sun is hot.’ The customary practice was to open the gates at sunrise. By this regulation the enemy would be effectually prevented from obtaining any advantage by an entry into the city before the inhabitants were stirring. The LXX. ( ) did not understand the sentence. Rashi also explains ‘until mid-day,’ erroneously. The shutting of the gates was a sign of suspicion: cf. the opposite description of security in Isa 60:11.
stand by ] R.V. stand on guard. The meaning apparently is that the gates were to be shut while the regular watch was still on guard. The A.V. ‘stand by’ refers to Hanani and Hananiah, as if the gates were always to be shut in the presence of the governors. But it would have been an impossibility for the two officers to have been present at the fastening of each gate. The emphasis rests on the word ‘while.’ The guard of Levites are to be at their post, while the doors were being secured.
shut bar ] LXX. , Vulg. ‘claus oppilat.’ The versions give the general sense. The word rendered ‘shut’ occurs only here in the O.T. in the mood employed in this verse. The word rendered ‘bar’ means literally ‘to seize.’ Hence Rashi explains, ‘let them take hold of the doors in order to shut them;’ and other interpretations have been ‘take hold in order to see whether they were fastened,’ and ‘take hold of the keys.’ But the marginal rendering of the R.V. 1Ki 6:10, ‘he fastened the house,’ will illustrate its usage in the present verse.
appoint watches &c.] It does not appear whether Hanani and Hananiah are the subject or the Levite guards. The verb in the original is in the Infin. Abs. (cf. Neh 6:9) and expresses the command in general terms (LXX. , Vulg. ‘posui’). The citizens themselves were to be organised for the defence of the place. Every man was to belong to a particular guardhouse, and take his turn in sentinel duty; and every man also was to be responsible for the protection of his own dwelling.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Until the sun be hot – An unusual precaution. The ordinary practice in the East is to open town gates at sunrise.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 3. Until the sun be hot] The meaning of this is, the gates were not to be opened before sunrise, and always shut at sunset. This is the custom to the present day in many of the cities of the East if a traveller arrives after sunset, he finds the gates shut; and on no consideration will they open them till the next morning, so that those who come late are obliged to lodge in the plain, or under the walls.
Every one – over against his house.] Each was obliged to guard that part of the wall that was opposite to his own dwelling.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Until the sun be hot, i.e. till it be clear and broad day; when enemies approaching may be discovered, and the people of the city will be ready for the defence in case of an assault.
While they stand by, i.e. the watches appointed to that end, as is manifest from the following words.
Every one to be over against his house, i.e. every one in his turn keeping watch with others in that watching-place which is next to his house.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
3. Let not the gates of Jerusalem beopened until the sun be hot, c.In the East it is customary toopen the gates of a city at sunrise, and to bar them at sunsetarule which is very rarely, and not except to persons of authority,infringed upon. Nehemiah recommended that the gates of Jerusalemshould not be opened so early a precaution necessary at a time whenthe enemy was practising all sorts of dangerous stratagems, to ensurethat the inhabitants were all astir and enjoyed the benefit of clearbroad daylight for observing the suspicious movements of any enemy.The propriety of regularly barring the gates at sunset was, in thisinstance, accompanied with the appointment of a number of the peopleto act as sentinels, each mounting guard in front of his own house.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And I said unto them, let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun be hot,…. Or until the heat of the day, or near noon; at least not till the sun had been up some time, and shone out clearly, and caused much heat; that if any enemies were near, or lying in wait, they might be discovered, and the inhabitants also up and ready to defend themselves:
and while they stand by; according to Aben Ezra, Hanani and Hananiah were to be present at the opening and shutting of the gates, and so Grotius; but these being the chief rulers, it is not likely; but rather those whom they appointed to look after them, these were to stand by while their servants did it; they were not to leave it wholly to them, but to see it done themselves:
let them shut the doors, and bar them; or “lay hold” a on them, handle them to see whether they are shut fast or not:
and appoint watches of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, everyone in his watch, and everyone to be over against his house; no foreigners were to be of the watch, only inhabitants, and those everyone in their turn, and to be placed over against where they dwelt; and so it might be thought would be the more careful and diligent in their watch.
a “et tractate”, Junius Tremellius “contrectate eas”, Piscator.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
3. Until the sun be hot That is, until broad day. An earlier opening of the gates might expose the city to a sudden surprise.
While they stand by While the guard specially set apart to watch the gates still occupy their stations, that is, before they withdraw from their posts for the night. This special guard were to stand by, or take their positions, early in the morning, before the gates were opened, and there they kept watch all day, and were not allowed to withdraw till the doors were shut and barred for the night.
Appoint watches of the inhabitants That is, night watches.
After the gates were closed and fastened it was still necessary to maintain a guard upon the walls. The inhabitants of Jerusalem, without reference to class or distinction, were required to do this. The great body of the people doubtless served, not all at once, but by some set arrangement by which each one took his turn, and served an appointed time.
Every one in his watch Every one had his well known watch-station.
Every one his house The same arrangement also provided that every dwelling had a special guard.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Neh 7:3 And I said unto them, Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun be hot; and while they stand by, let them shut the doors, and bar [them]: and appoint watches of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, every one in his watch, and every one [to be] over against his house.
Ver. 3. Until the sun be hot ] The sun hath one of his names, in Hebrew, a calefaciendo, from heating, , Job 30:28 , there is nothing hid from the heat thereof, Psa 19:6 . The name here given to the sun signifieth a minister, or servant; because it is the common servant of the world, whereby God ministeretb light, heat, and precious fruits to all people, Deu 4:19 ; Deu 33:14 . It whirleth about the world with incredible swiftness; and is up in a morning before most people. Therefore till the sun be risen the gates must be kept shut, to keep out the enemy, who watcheth his opportunity.
And while they stand by
And appoint watches
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
stand by: as on guard.
shut. Hebrew. guph, to close, as a gate.
one. Hebrew. ‘ish. App-14.
house = dwelling. See note on Neh 7:4.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Neh 7:3
Neh 7:3
“And I said unto them, Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot; and while they stand on guard, let the doors be shut, and bar ye them: and appoint watches of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, every one his watch, and every one to be over against his house.”
“Let not the gates … be opened till the sun is hot.” “The gates of Oriental cities were usually opened at sunrise,” but Nehemiah ordered them to be opened somewhat later. Furthermore, “The gates were to be closed in the evenings prior to the departure of the guards.” After the closing of the gates, watchmen were to be placed along the wall, “every man over against his own house.” As Cundall noted, “This is another example of Nehemiah’s wise understanding of human nature.”
E.M. Zerr:
Neh 7:3. The gates were not to be opened until it was far into the day. While waiting for that hour to come they must be guarded. That is the meaning of while they stand by. Since it would be daylight the public would be stirring, and hence the gates should be secured. The porters were therefore ordered to see that they were shut and barred. In addition to the men on duty right at the gates, the inhabitants on the inside of the city were to be called upon for guard duty. Each man was to be assigned that part of the wall nearest his own home.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Let not the gates: This is, the gates were not to be opened till sun-rise, and to be shut at sun-set; which is still the custom in many cities of the East. If a traveller arrives after sun-set, he finds the gates shut, and on no consideration will they open them till morning. Neh 13:19, Psa 127:1, Mat 10:16
every one to be: Neh 3:23, Neh 3:28-30
Reciprocal: Ezr 2:35 – Senaah
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Neh 7:3. Let not the gates be opened until the sun be hot Till it be clear and broad day; when the people will be ready in case of an assault. While they stand by The watches appointed to that end. Nehemiah was now about to return to the court, and left the charge of the city to these in his absence. Every one to be over against his house That is, every one in his turn keeping watch with others, in that watching-place which is next to his house.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
7:3 And I said unto them, Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun be hot; and while {a} they stand by, let them shut the doors, and bar [them]: and appoint watches of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, every one in his watch, and every one [to be] over against his house.
(a) That is, they who are mentioned, Neh 7:2.