Annotations upon the remaining historicall part of the Old Testament. The second part. to wit, the books of Joshua, Judges, the two books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles, and the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther : wherein first, all such passages in the text are explained as were thought likely to be questioned by any reader of ordinary capacity : secondly, in many clauses those things are discovered which are needfull and usefull to be known ... and thirdly, many places that might at first seem to contradict one another are reconciled ... / by Arthur Jackson.

CHAP. IIII.

Vers. 2. ANd he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, &c.] That is, whereever he came among his own countreymen and people, or amongst his fellow governours of the neighbouring countreys, and the garrison souldiers in Samaria, he inveighed against the attempt of the Jews, and that in a scoffing manner; to wit, either thereby to make known, that they need not be troubled about it, they should have time enough to hinder the work, unlesse they could hope to finish it in a day, (and so by Gods providence the Jews were not op∣posed at first,) or else to incense them to take up arms against them, alledging that both their attempt was insufferably proud and dangerous, and also that the men that undertook it were weak and beggerly, such as might easily be resisted, What, saith he, do these feeble Jews? will they fortifie themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? they would never surely undertake this work, if they did not think both to begin and finish it in a day, and so to offer up sacrifices, as they used to do at the dedication of any great building, when it was completely finished: and that because they may well assure themselves, if they be any longer while about it, their neighbours will soon gather themselves together, and hinder their fortificati∣ons; will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish that are burnt? as if he should have said, They can never effect this work (though there were nothing else to hinder them) even for want of materials, for want of stones; unlesse they hope to glue together their old stones again, which were knocked to pieces and burnt to powder, and so make stones of rubbish; which he calls reviving the stones out of the rubbish, to intimate that their attempt was as ridiculous and mad, as if they should undertake to revive and raise up a dead man out of the grave, that was alrea∣dy turned to dust and ashes.

Vers. 3. Even that which they built, if a fox go up, he shall even break down their stone wall.] Because foxes use in the night to scrape through walls of earth, that they may come to their prey; Tobiah in these words, to scoff at the weaknesse of the walls which they could make in such haste, saith, that when they had done the most they could, if they did finish them, they would be so slightly done, that a fox might make a way through them, or scrape them down.

Vers. 4. Hear, O God, for we are despised, &c.] Thus spake Nehemiah when the reports of the scoffs of these adversaries was brought unto him.

And give them for a prey in the land of captivity.] Let them be carried away ca∣ptives, and there made a prey to their enemies.

Vers. 5. And cover not their iniquity, and let not their sinne be blotted out from before thee.] That is, let not their iniquity passe unpunished: for he doth not pray against their conversion, but desires the Lord, that in case they proceeded on in this their impiety, he would manifest his wrath by powring his judgements upon them.

For they have provoked thee to anger before the builders.] That is, in reproach∣ing the builders of thy citie, imployed by thy appointment, they have reproached thee: so that we desire them to be punished, not out of any private grudge or desire of revenge, but that thy glory may be vindicated.

Vers. 6. So built we the wall; and all the wail was joyned together unto the half thereof.] That is unto the half height thereof.

Vers. 10. And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is decaied, and there is much rubbish, &c.] That is, the men of Judah also began to murmure and complain, that by reason there was still so much rubbish, and the strength of the bearers of the burdens was so much decayed, they should never be able to go through with the work, at least not make it defensible, ere the enemies would set up∣on them; for if the trench about the wall, the chief help to keep off the enemy were not cleared of the rubbish, all they had done would be to no purpose.

Vers. 12. When the Jews that dwelt by them, came, they said unto us ten times, &c.] That is, oftentimes: see the note, Gen. 31.7. Though these Jews, that dwelt amongst the Samaritanes, and those other neighbouring nations, that now banded together against the building of Jerusalems walls, durst not joyn themselves with their brethren to help them in their work; yet secretly it seems some of them came to Jerusalem, to inform them of the conspiracy of their enemies against them. As for the intelligence they brought them, some conceive that the wayes that led from Jerusalem to Samaria, are intended in those words: from all places whence ye shall return unto us, they will be upon you. But others, and I think more probably, understand it of all places about the city, from whence the builders of the wall should return into the citie, where the Jews were when they gave them this intelli∣gence, from all places whence ye shall return unto us, they will be upon you; that is, they will on a suddain beset the city, and assault it on every side; when you shall leave your work and return to us into the city, either to eat or to rest and refresh your selves from the severall places round about the city, where you are now imploy∣ed in building the walls, on a sudden they will break in upon us.

Vers. 13. Therefore set I in the lower places behind the wall, and on the higher places, &c.] That is, hearing by the consonant report of our brethren that came from severall places, that our adversaries had a purpose to assault us, I caused the people to give over their work, and to arm themselves to keep off the enemy; and to that end I set some of them beneath behind the wall, and others above in the towers and other fortifications, to beat off the adversaries, and keep them from entring the citie.

Vers. 15. We returned all of us to the wall, every one unto his work.] That is, when the enemies, hearing that their purpose was discovered, gave over their inten∣ded invasion of the city, and so their counsell was brought to nought, we having notice thereof returned to our work; which was a while given over, that we

might be in a readinesse to withstand the enemies if they had come against us.

Vers. 16. The half of my servants wrought in the work, &c.] That is, though we returned to our work again, when we heard that the enemy had given over their plot of coming suddenly upon us to fight against us; yet after this we were the more carefull to be in a readinesse to resist them, lest they should again at some other time renew their conspiracie; to which end, first, there was never but half of my servants (that is my houshold servants and guard, or trained bands, whose captain Nehemiah was) employed in building the wall; the other half stood alwayes ready armed to keep off the enemy if occasion should be: and secondly, even those that were employed in building were also alwayes armed, as is expressed; vers. 17. They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens with those that laded; every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon.

And the rulers were behind all the house of Judah.] To wit, to oversee them, and encourage them in their work, and sometimes perhaps when need was to help them too.

Vers. 17. Every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon.] That is, even they also that wrought in the building were also alwayes armed, ready at all assayes to have joyned with the rest in resisting the enemy if he had set upon them: literally this cannot be understood; for how could they build the wall or lay burdens upon the shoulders of those that bare them, and yet all the while hold their weapons in one of their hands? It is therefore a proverbiall kind of speech, signifying onely that whilest they vvere busiest in buil∣ding, they had also their weapons ready at hand, to fight against the enemy if need were; for so Nehemiah explains this phrase in the following words. vers. 18. For the builders had every one his sword girded by his side, &c.

Vers. 22. Likewise at the same time said I unto the people, Let every one with his seruant lodge within Jerusalem, &c.] That is, he gave charge to the people that none of them should go out of the city to lodge, and that because he would have them alwayes in a readinesse to keep their turns, both of watching by night and of working by day.

Vers. 23. Saving that every one put them off for washing.] To wit, either their garments or their bodies: for upon occasion of legall pollutions the Jews did wash their bodies often.