Nehemiah 4:21

21 So we carried on the work with half of them holding spears from dawn * until the stars appeared.

Nehemiah 4:21 Meaning and Commentary

Nehemiah 4:21

So we laboured in the work
Of building the wall: and half of them held the spears; and other weapons before mentioned, ( Nehemiah 4:16 )

from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared;
that is, from morning to evening, the space of time the builders and labourers worked.

Nehemiah 4:21 In-Context

19 I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, "The work is great and extensive, and we are separated on the wall far from one another.

20 "At whatever place you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us."

21 So we carried on the work with half of them holding spears from dawn until the stars appeared.

22 At that time I also said to the people, "Let each man with his servant spend the night within Jerusalem so that they may be a guard for us by night and a laborer by day."

23 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.

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "rising of the dawn"
• [b]. Lit "came out"