Nehemiah 4:23 (DBY)

Passage

And neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard that followed me, none of us put off our garments: every one had his weapon on his right side.

Nearby Context

Nehemiah 4:21 And we laboured in the work; and half of them held the spears from the rising of the dawn till the stars appeared.

Nehemiah 4:22 Likewise at the same time I said to the people, Let every one with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and [be for] labour in the day.

Nehemiah 4:23 And neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard that followed me, none of us put off our garments: every one had his weapon on his right side.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "neither", "brethren", "servants", "guard", "followed", "none", "garments", and "weapon". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "neither" and "brethren", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The prior verse says "Likewise at the same time I said...", giving immediate footing for "neither" and "brethren". In Nehemiah context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "neither" and "brethren" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.