Nehemiah 4:13 (ASV)

Passage

Therefore set I in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in the open places, I set [there] the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows.

Nearby Context

Nehemiah 4:11 And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come into the midst of them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease.

Nehemiah 4:12 And it came to pass that, when the Jews that dwelt by them came, they said unto us ten times from all places, Ye must return unto us.

Nehemiah 4:13 Therefore set I in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in the open places, I set [there] 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: remember the Lord, who 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 God had brought their counsel to nought, that we returned all of us to the wall, every one unto his work.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "therefore", "lowest", "parts", "space", "behind", "wall", "open", and "places". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "therefore" and "lowest", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "And it came to pass that when..." into verse 14's "And I looked and rose up and...", so "therefore" and "lowest" belong inside that flow. In Nehemiah context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "therefore" and "lowest" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.