About this song
About this song
This song belongs to the Nehemiah collection. One recording is available to play here, with the complete lyrics below.
- Collection
- Nehemiah
[Verse 1]
Sanballat becomes angry and mocks the Jews before his brethren and army.
Tobiah claims a fox could break their stone wall.
The wall reaches half its height because the people have a mind to work.
The coalition conspires to fight Jerusalem and hinder construction.
[Pre-Chorus]
The line drew close, the watch was nearly done,
Then courage rose before the rising sun.
[Chorus]
A Trowel and a Sword, let the trumpet answer clear,
Not by number, not by sword, not by fear.
The faithful moved where the battle line was drawn,
And the purpose of the LORD kept moving on.
[Verse 2]
Nearby Jews repeat warnings from every direction.
Nehemiah stations families with swords, spears, and bows in exposed places.
He calls rulers and people to remember the great and terrible LORD.
The enemy learns its plan is known, and the people return to work.
[Bridge]
Builders carry burdens with one hand and a weapon with the other.
Every builder keeps a sword girded while the trumpeter stays near Nehemiah.
Because workers are spread apart, the trumpet becomes the rally signal.
Labor continues from dawn to stars while men remain armed and clothed through the night.
[Final Chorus]
A Trowel and a Sword, let the trumpet answer clear,
Not by number, not by sword, not by fear.
The faithful moved where the battle line was drawn,
And the purpose of the LORD would still move on.
[Outro]
The field grew still; the record kept the name.
Courage passed onward through the fading flame.
Named in this songJerusalemNehemiah
About the passage
Nehemiah 4: The builders learn to work under guard
As the wall rises, ridicule hardens into threat. Sanballat mocks the builders before an audience that includes Samaria's army, and Tobiah supplies the fox that supposedly could break their stonework. Nehemiah answers the insult in prayer while the people continue building. When a wider coalition plans violence, the danger is matched by fatigue inside Jerusalem: strength is failing, rubble is everywhere, and warnings keep arriving. Nehemiah responds with prayer and a watch, then with armed family groups, divided labor, weapons at the worksite, and a trumpet signal for crews stretched across a long perimeter. The chapter never gives them a battle to win. Its closing pressure is endurance. Work runs from morning until the stars appear, laborers sleep inside Jerusalem as guards, and ordinary evening routines are reduced because the city must be rebuilt while remaining ready for attack.
Study Nehemiah 4 in depth →
