Discovery BoxNehemiah 4:16-21 
Context4:16 From that day forward, half of my men were doing the work and half of them were taking up spears, 1 shields, bows, and body armor. Now the officers were behind all the people 2 of Judah 4:17 who were rebuilding the wall. 3 Those who were carrying loads did so 4 by keeping one hand on the work and the other on their weapon. 4:18 The builders to a man had their swords strapped to their sides while they were building. But the trumpeter 5 remained with me.
4:19 I said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, “The work is demanding 6 and extensive, and we are spread out on the wall, far removed from one another. 4:20 Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, gather there with us. Our God will fight for us!”
4:21 So we worked on, 7 with half 8 holding spears, from dawn till dusk. 9
1 tc The MT reads “and spears.” The conjunction should be deleted.
2 tn Heb “all the house.”
3 tn The first words of v. 17, “who were rebuilding the wall,” should be taken with the latter part of v. 16.
4 tn Heb “were carrying loads.” The LXX reads ἐν ὅπλοις (en hoplois, “with weapons”).
5 tn Heb “the one blowing the shophar.”
6 tn Heb “much.”
7 tn Heb “and we were doing the work.”
8 tn Heb “half of them.”
9 tn Heb “from the coming up of the dawn till the coming forth of the stars.”
