Nehemiah 4:10
What does Nehemiah 4:10 mean?
A plain-English look at Nehemiah 4:10 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Nehemiah 4:10 means
Discouragement surfaces among Judah: the laborers are exhausted, the debris is overwhelming, and they cannot keep building. This honest assessment reveals the cost of sustained effort under pressure. The rubble is not just physical; it pictures the discouraging weight of past ruin. Faithful work faces moments when strength fails and tasks seem impossible. Nehemiah records this complaint to show the reality of burden-bearing and the need for renewed courage. A leader must reckon with fatigue, not ignore it. The verse invites empathy: the people are not lazy; they are weary. Their admission will provoke fresh resolve and protective measures in the following verses.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall.
KJV
King James Version · 1611And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949And Judah said, The strength of the workmen is giving way, and there is much waste material; it is impossible for us to put up the wall.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862And Judah saith, `The power of the burden-bearers hath become feeble, and the rubbish <FI>is<Fi> abundant, and we are not able to build on the wall.'
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752And Juda said: The strength of the bearer of burdens is decayed, and the rubbish is very much, and we shall not be able to build the wall.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens faileth, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build at the wall.
Context
After establishing prayer and watchfulness in verse 9, the narrative turns to internal weakness in verse 10. The shift matters: sometimes the greatest threats come not from enemies but from exhaustion and the magnitude of the task. The admission sets the backdrop for intensified enemy plans in verse 11 and fearful reports in verse 12. These pressures combine to force Nehemiah to reorganize defenses in verse 13 and to encourage the people with a God-centered rallying cry in verse 14.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- 2 Chronicles 2:18
And he set threescore and ten thousand of them to bear burdens, and fourscore thousand that were hewers in the mountains, and three thousand and six hundred overseers to set the people at work.
- Haggai 1:2
Thus speaketh Jehovah of hosts, saying, This people say, It is not the time for us to come, the time for Jehovah’s house to be built.
- Numbers 32:9
For when they went up unto the valley of Eshcol, and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, that they should not go into the land which Jehovah had given them.
- Psalms 11:1
In Jehovah do I take refuge: How say ye to my soul, Fleeasa bird to your mountain;
- Ezekiel 29:18
Son of man, Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon caused his army to serve a great service against Tyre: every head was made bald, and every shoulder was worn; yet had he no wages, nor his army, from Tyre, for the service that he had served against it.
- Numbers 13:31
But the men that went up with him said, We are not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.
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