Nehemiah 4:16 (DBY)

Passage

And from that time forth the half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held the spears, and the shields, and the bows, and the corslets; and the captains were behind all the house of Judah.

Nearby Context

Nehemiah 4:14 And I looked, and rose up, and said to the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not 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 that when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and that God had defeated their counsel, we returned all of us to the wall, every one to his work.

Nehemiah 4:16 And from that time forth the half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held the spears, and the shields, and the bows, and the corslets; and the captains were behind all the house of Judah.

Nehemiah 4:17 They that built on the wall, and they that bore burdens, with those that loaded, wrought in the work with one hand, and with the other they held a weapon.

Nehemiah 4:18 And the builders had every one his sword girded by his side, and built. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "time", "forth", "half", "servants", "wrought", "other", and "held". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "time" and "forth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "And it came to pass that when..." into verse 17's "They that built on the wall and...", so "time" and "forth" 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 "time" and "forth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.