1. Nehemiah 4:18 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

Why would each of the builders have his sword strapped at his side while he built?

Nehemiah 4:18 (ESV)

18 And each of the builders had his sword strapped at his side while he built. The man who sounded the trumpet was beside me.

The threat of enemy attack required that the builders could become instant soldiers. Yet builders cannot lay stones onto a wall and cement them in place with one hand. Hence the need to strap the weapons to one’s side.