Nehemiah 4:21 — Meaning and Application

And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The work {is} great and large, and we are separated upon the wall, one far from another.

In what place {therefore} ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither unto us: our God shall fight for us.

So we laboured in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared.

Likewise at the same time said I unto the people, Let every one with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and labour on the day.

So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard which followed me, none of us put off our clothes, {saving that} every one put them off for washing. {saving...: or, every one went with his weapon for water}