📖 Nehemiah — Chapter 4 (KJV)
Read the complete King James Version chapter below, then explore the passage sections, check what you remember, and keep your private study notes.
Scripture source: Project Gutenberg KJV, ebook 10.
Nehemiah 4:1 But it came to pass, that when RSanballat heard that we builded the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews.
Nehemiah 4:2 And he spake before his brethren and Rthe army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? will they Tfortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned?
Nehemiah 4:3 Now RTobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall even break down their stone wall.
Nehemiah 4:4 RHear, O our God; for we are Tdespised: and turn their reproach upon their own head, and give them for a prey in the land of captivity:
Nehemiah 4:5 And Rcover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee: for they have provoked thee to anger before the builders.
Nehemiah 4:6 So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people Rhad a mind to work.
Nehemiah 4:7 But it came to pass, that when RSanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem Twere made up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth,
Nehemiah 4:8 And conspired Rall of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and Tto hinder it.
Nehemiah 4:9 RNevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.
Nehemiah 4:10 And Judah said, RThe strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall.
Nehemiah 4:11 And our adversaries said, RThey shall not know, neither see, till we come in the midst among them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease.
Nehemiah 4:12 And it came to pass, that when the Jews which dwelt by them came, they said unto us Rten times, TFrom all places whence ye shall return unto us they will be upon you.
Nehemiah 4:13 RTherefore set I Tin the lower places behind the wall, and on the higher places, I even set the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows.
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: Rremember the LORD, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.
Nehemiah 4:15 And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known unto us, and RGod had brought their counsel to nought, that we returned all of us to the wall, every one unto his work.
Nehemiah 4:16 And it came to pass from that time forth, that the half of Rmy servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the habergeons; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah.
Nehemiah 4:17 They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one Rwith one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon.
Nehemiah 4:18 For the builders, every one had his sword girded Tby his side, and so builded. And Rhe that sounded the trumpet was by me.
Nehemiah 4:19 And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The work is great and large, and we are separated upon the wall, one far from another.
Nehemiah 4:20 In what place therefore ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither unto us: Rour God shall fight for us.
Nehemiah 4:21 RSo we laboured in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared.
Nehemiah 4:22 Likewise at the same time said I unto the people, Let Revery one with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and labour on the day.
Nehemiah 4:23 RSo neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard which followed me, none of us put off our clothes, Tsaving that every one put them off for washing.
📚 Study This Chapter
📖 What We’re Reading
Nehemiah 4:1–6 — Mockery and continued work
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
Sanballat and Tobiah mock the builders, and Nehemiah brings the insult to God in a severe prayer. The people continue because they have a mind to work. Read his plea within this threatened community's setting and alongside Scripture's wider teaching on enemies, rather than treating every harsh petition as an instruction for personal retaliation.
Key Truth: Bring discouragement to God and continue faithful work.
Check What You Remember
1. Who mocked when he heard of the building? (Nehemiah 4:1)
Find it in Nehemiah 4:1 (KJV).
2. Which animal did Tobiah say would break the wall? (Nehemiah 4:3)
Find it in Nehemiah 4:3 (KJV).
3. Why did the people continue building? (Nehemiah 4:6)
Find it in Nehemiah 4:6 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
Nehemiah 4:7–14 — Prayer and watchfulness
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
Opponents threaten violence, while workers face exhaustion and rubble. The people pray and set a watch, and Nehemiah arranges protection for families. He calls them to remember the LORD. The account joins faith with practical attention to danger and fatigue; recognizing difficulty is part of responsible leadership.
Key Truth: Pray while taking practical needs and dangers seriously.
Check What You Remember
1. What did they set after praying? (Nehemiah 4:9)
Find it in Nehemiah 4:9 (KJV).
2. What burden was hindering the work besides tiredness? (Nehemiah 4:10)
Find it in Nehemiah 4:10 (KJV).
3. Whom did Nehemiah tell them to remember? (Nehemiah 4:14)
Find it in Nehemiah 4:14 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
Nehemiah 4:15–23 — Coordinated protection and labor
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
The workers return, with some guarding and others building. A trumpet signal will gather them where help is needed, and they lodge within Jerusalem. The armed measures describe this ancient city's defense, not a universal pattern for religious work. The practical lesson of coordination remains visible in their mutual support.
Key Truth: Coordinate help so that no part of shared work is isolated.
Check What You Remember
1. Who stood by Nehemiah to signal? (Nehemiah 4:18)
Find it in Nehemiah 4:18 (KJV).
2. What signal would call the workers together? (Nehemiah 4:20)
Find it in Nehemiah 4:20 (KJV).
3. Where were the workers told to lodge? (Nehemiah 4:22)
Find it in Nehemiah 4:22 (KJV).
Related Scripture (KJV)
Matthew 5:44 — Jesus teaches love and prayer for enemies, providing wider guidance for reading severe prayers.
This related passage is selected for its connection with this chapter. It is separate from the chapter text.
Reflect and Apply
How can prayer, realistic rest, and coordinated help sustain a demanding responsibility?
Advanced Questions and Answers
Study this chapter’s wording, patterns, contrasts, and meaning in greater depth.
1. What reason accompanies the wall’s progress to half its height?
2. How do prayer and guarding combine in the response to conspiracy?
3. How does Nehemiah connect courage with the people being defended?
4. Why is a common trumpet signal needed?
5. What two duties does lodging within Jerusalem support?
Notes
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