From that day on, half of my servants carried on the work while half of them held the spears, the shields, the bows and the breastplates; and the captains were behind the whole house of Judah.I'm not certain who the servants mentioned here are. Are they people that Nehemiah brought with him on the king's command? Or is he referring to the people of Jerusalem, who he's apparently been placed in charge of?
This may seem like a minor question, but it makes a big difference when you look at what they're doing. If this is the detachment he brought from the king, then taking half of them off the job to serve in defense positions isn't a huge issue, compared to the inhabitants working on the wall. But it it's the entire population, then he's just cut his workforce by half. That means he's much better defended, but the work will progress much slower. Stress will rise, and the likelihood of someone making a mistake that can be exploited by their enemies will increase.
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