Nehemiah 4:19

Neh 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.

Ver. 19. And I said unto the nobles, &c.] Nehemiah, the more a man observeth him the more he shall admire him. Surely he was (as Velleius saith of Cato Major) homo virtuti simillimus, a man as like virtue as might be; he was (as Pliny saith of the same Cato) optimus Orator, optimus Imperator, optimus Senator, omniumque bonarum artium Magister, an excellent orator, an exeellent general, an excellent statesman, a master of all good arts whatsoever. He had cropped off the very tops of all virtues, as Pindarus saith of Jerome (δρεπων κορνφας αρετων απο πασων), and as Melancthon saith of Frederick, the elector of Saxony. From the builders here he turneth him to the nobles and rulers, &c., whom he would not have to be carpet knights, fitter for a canopy than a camp, for language than a lance, &c., but active in their orb, and ready pressed to serve in watching, warding, and preparing things necessary for the workmen.

The work is great and large] The compass of the walls at this time is thought by good writers to be certain miles about; and yet was enlarged as much afterwards by Herod.

And we are separated upon the wall] According to our divisions, noted Neh 3:1, &c., and this is a weapon in the hand of our enemies; for dum pugnamus singuli, vincimur universi, being dispersed, we are much disadvantaged.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Neh_4:19-20

The work is great . . . and we are separated upon the wall.

The common work of the Master

In time of war you visit the camp. There is flying from the flagpole in the sun the stars and stripes. You look upon the men in their scattered avocations. A few men are playing, a few men are cleaning their guns, a few men are cooking, here and there a sentry is pacing back and forth, some men are lying on the grass asleep, there is no common life, there seems to be no common purpose, there appears to be no common endeavour, or action. But suddenly the bugle sounds the call, or the drum its roll, and instantly the men spring to their feet, drop their cards, awake from their slumber, leave their cooking utensils, anal stand ready to meet the enemy, ready to do the bidding of their commander. Deep down in their hearts there is a common purpose, and that flag that floats at the topmost pole and over their camp indicates what that purpose is. So Christians are to gather in the name of Christ--you, merchant--you, lawyer--you, physician--you, minister--you, teacher--you, parent, each in your several place, each doing your several work. Whenever the drum shall beat its roll-call, you are to be ready, not merely to do your own work, but to stand shoulder to shoulder in serried ranks, to do the common work of the Master, in fulfilment of the common aim which has really united you. (Lyman Abbott.)

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

19. nobles … rulers &c.] as in Neh_4:14, and Neh_2:16, where see note.

large] literally ‘wide,’ referring to the extensive character of the building operations, which caused the defenders to be so scattered.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people,.... See Gill on Neh 4:14,

the work is great and large; the building of the wall all around the city of Jerusalem:

and we are separated upon the wall one far from another; some at work on one part of it, and some at another, so that the distance between one another, at least in the further part, was very considerable.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

19. We are separated — Being grouped by families at the more exposed places along the city wall. See on Neh_4:13. Hence the necessity of having a concerted signal to call them together in case of attack.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

I said

Here "I" refers to Nehemiah.

the nobles ... the officials

These are the leaders referred to in Nehemiah 4:16.

The work is great

Here the word "great" means "large-scale" or "huge."

the trumpet sound

This refers to someone blowing a trumpet. AT: "someone blowing a trumpet" (See: Metonymy)

translationWords

trumpet

assembly

God

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.