尼希米记 4:23

Chinese NCV (Simplified)

這樣，我與我的兄弟、我的僕人和跟隨我的人，都不脫衣服，各人時常右手拿著自己的兵器（原文殘缺，傳統有譯作“各人只有在沐浴時才脫衣服”，或“各人打水的時候，都手裡拿著自己的兵器”）。

Parallel Translations

Chinese Union (Simplified)
这 样 ， 我 和 弟 兄 仆 人 ， 并 跟 从 我 的 护 兵 都 不 脱 衣 服 ， 出 去 打 水 也 带 兵 器 。

Contextual Overview

¹⁶ From that day on, half my people worked on the wall. The other half was ready with spears, shields, bows, and armor. The officers stood in back of the people of Judah ¹⁷ who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and carried a weapon with the other. ¹⁸ Each builder wore his sword at his side as he worked. The man who blew the trumpet to warn the people stayed next to me. ¹⁹ Then I said to the important people, the leaders, and everyone else, "This is a very big job. We are spreading out along the wall so that we are far apart. ²⁰ Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, assemble there. Our God will fight for us." ²¹ So we continued to work with half the men holding spears from sunrise till the stars came out. ²² At that time I also said to the people, "Let every man and his helper stay inside Jerusalem at night. They can be our guards at night and workmen during the day." ²³ Neither I, my brothers, my workers, nor the guards with me ever took off our clothes. Each person carried his weapon even when he went for water.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

So neither I: Nehemiah 5:16, Nehemiah 7:2, Judges 9:48, 1 Corinthians 15:10

saving that: etc. or, every one went with his weapon for water, Judges 5:11, The original of this obscure clause is ish shilcho hammayim, which is rendered by Montanus, vir missile suum aquas, "a man his dart to the waters," of which it is difficult to make sense. It is wholly omitted by the LXX; and one of De Rossi's manuscripts reads, meshallachah al hammayim, "in order to send them to the water."

Reciprocal: Nehemiah 4:16 - my servants Joel 2:8 - sword

Cross-References

Exodus 20:13
"You must not murder anyone.

Leviticus 19:18
Forget about the wrong things people do to you, and do not try to get even. Love your neighbor as you love yourself. I am the Lord .

Numbers 23:18
Then Balaam gave this message: "Stand up, Balak, and listen. Hear me, son of Zippor.

Judges 9:7
When Jotham heard this, he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim. He shouted to the people: "Listen to me, you leaders of Shechem, so that God will listen to you!

Gill's Notes on the Bible

So neither I, nor my brethren,.... The nobles and rulers:

nor my servants; his domestic servants that waited upon him:

nor the men of the guard which followed me; his bodyguard, which attended him as a commissioner of the king of Persia for state and grandeur:

none of us put off our clothes; at night when they laid themselves down to sleep, but laid in, them, that they might be ready upon an alarm made:

saving that everyone put them off for washing; not for common washing, because dirty, but for washing on account of ceremonial uncleanness, which required washing both of bodies and garments, see Leviticus 15:5, c. and the Vulgate Latin version expresses it by baptism, as the apostle calls such ceremonial ablutions in Hebrews 6:2. It is in the margin of our Bibles, "everyone went with his weapon for water" when he went to Siloam, or any other place, for water, he took a weapon with him to defend himself upon occasion; which is no bad sense of the words. Noldius g renders the words, "everyone with his weapon (and) water"; both were at his bolster, ready, if wanted, see

1 Samuel 26:11.

g Ebr. Concord. Partic. p. 322.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Saving ... - The text here is probably unsound. It yields no satisfactory sense. See the margin.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Nehemiah 4:23. None of us put off our clothes, saving that every one put them off for washing. — The Hebrew for all this is only אין אנחנו פשטים בגדינו איש שלחו המים ein anachnu poshetim begadeynu ish shilcho hammayim; which Montanus translates, Non nos exuentes vestes nostras, vir missile suum aquas; "We, not putting off our garments, a man his dart to the waters." Of this latter clause what sense can be made? Let us hear what the ancient versions say.

The Vulgate, Unusquisque tantum nudabatur ad baptismum, "Every one stripped himself for the bath."

The Septuagint omit the latter part of this clause, And there was none of us who put off his garments.

The Syriac, "None of us put off his clothes for a month each in his turn.

The Arabic, "Nor did we put off our clothes, but with our arms, at the end of a month."

There is a remarkable reading in one of De Rossi's MSS. אין אנחנו פשטים בגדינו משלחהעל המים, We did not lay aside our garments, but in order to send them to the washing. This is most likely the sense of the place.

It is curious to see how our old versions translate the place.

Coverdale: We put never of our clothes, so much as to wash ourselves. - 1535.

Becke: We put never of our clothes, so muche as to washe ourselves. - 1549.

Cardmarden: We put never of oure clothes no more than the other dyd theyr harnesse, save onely bycause of the water. - 1566.

This shows how all interpreters have been puzzled with this vexatious clause.

THE reading from De Rossi's MS., given above, is the most likely to be the true one, because it gives a good sense, which cannot be found in the Hebrew text as it now stands. The general meaning is sufficiently evident; they worked nearly day and night, only had their hours by turns for repose; this did not permit them time sufficient to undress themselves in order to take regular sleep, therefore they only put off their clothes when they were obliged to get them washed.