Bible Strands

Nehemiah 4:14

After I had made an inspection, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Nehemiah addresses the nobles, officials, and the rest of the people after inspecting the wall and stationing armed guards at its weak points (v. 13), in the middle of a coordinated threat from surrounding enemies.

The words — חֹרִים (ḥōrîm, "nobles") is a rare noun whose root חרם (H2718) carries the sense of being devoted or set apart, so the addressees are those already dedicated to the task.

The thread — 2 Samuel 10:12 pairs the same rally formula — "be strong, fight for our people and cities, may the LORD do what is good" — with a pre-battle context. Numbers 14:9 and Isaiah 41:10 both issue the "do not be afraid" command grounded in God's presence rather than the enemy's size.

Why it lands — The verse ties courage to a specific act of memory (remembering God's greatness and awesomeness) and then to a specific object of defense (brothers, children, wives, homes). It asks the reader to locate faith in a named God and a named household, not in an abstraction.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

וָאֵ֣רֶאva./'E.re'and/ I sawוָאָק֗וּםva./'a.Kumand/ I aroseוָאֹמַ֞רva./'o.Marand/ I saidאֶל־'el-toהַחֹרִ֤יםha./cho.Rimthe/ noblesוְאֶל־ve./'el-and/ toהַסְּגָנִים֙ha./se.ga.Nimthe/ officialsוְאֶל־ve./'el-and/ toיֶ֣תֶרYe.ter[the] rest ofהָעָ֔םha./'Amthe/ peopleאַל־'al-may notתִּֽירְא֖וּti.re.'Uyou be afraidמִפְּנֵיהֶ֑םmi./pe.nei./Hemof/ <before>/ themאֶת־'et-<obj.>אֲדֹנָ֞י'a.do.Nai[the] Lordהַגָּד֤וֹלha./ga.Dol<the>/ greatוְהַנּוֹרָא֙ve./ha./no.Ra'and/ <the>/ awesomeזְכֹ֔רוּze.Kho.rurememberוְהִֽלָּחֲמ֗וּve./hi.la.cha.Muand/ fightעַל־'al-onאֲחֵיכֶם֙'a.chei./Khembrothers/ yourבְּנֵיכֶ֣םbe.nei./Khemsons/ yourוּבְנֹתֵיכֶ֔םu./ve.no.tei./Khemand/ daughters/ yourנְשֵׁיכֶ֖םne.shei./Khemwives/ yourוּבָתֵּיכֶֽם׃ פu./va.tei./Khemand/ houses/ your

King James Version

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, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.

Cross-references