Nehemiah 4:21 (GNV)

Passage

So we laboured in the worke, and halfe of them helde the speares, from the appearing of the morning, till the starres came foorth.

Nearby Context

Nehemiah 4:19 Then saide I vnto the Princes, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The worke is great and large, and we are separated vpon the wall, one farre from another.

Nehemiah 4:20 In what place therefore ye heare the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither vnto vs: our God shall fight for vs.

Nehemiah 4:21 So we laboured in the worke, and halfe of them helde the speares, from the appearing of the morning, till the starres came foorth.

Nehemiah 4:22 And at the same time said I vnto the people, Let euery one with his seruant lodge within Ierusalem, that they may be a watch for vs in the night, and labour in the day.

Nehemiah 4:23 So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my seruants, nor the men of the warde, (which followed me) none of vs did put off our clothes, saue euery one put them off for washing.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "laboured", "worke", "halfe", "helde", "speares", "appearing", "morning", and "till". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "laboured" and "worke", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "In what place therefore ye heare the..." into verse 22's "And at the same time said I...", so "laboured" and "worke" 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 "laboured" and "worke" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.