Nehemiah 2:16, commentary and pictures

Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem on an important mission under the authority of the Persian king, bearing royal letters to the provincial governors that secured him honorable reception and prompt assistance and accompanied by a military escort that kept enemies from molesting him. His coming with such marks of importance excited the jealousy of the heathen tribes near the city, foremost Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, who watched his movements with critical eyes and endeavored by every means to thwart his plans and hinder his work. The episode belongs to the account of his response to Jerusalem's desolation, set against the contrast between the richly furnished Persian court where he received news of the ruined city and Jerusalem's damaged walls. As part of the chapter's account of seeking the king's help to advance God's work, it teaches that God's people may prudently appeal to those in power for resources to benefit others and carry forward God's work.

The verse means he made a secret nighttime circuit inspecting Jerusalem's ruined walls and defenses without telling where he went or what he did or what his purpose and plans were. He told it as yet to none of the Jews, nor to the priests, nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest that did the work, until he had carefully studied the situation and formed his plans. Although he had not yet told the Jews, priests, nobles, rulers, or workers, he did confide in a few men he knew to be worthy of confidence. To them he told the circumstances that had led him to come to Jerusalem, the object he wished to accomplish, and the plans he proposed to follow, and by doing so he at once enlisted their interest and secured their assistance.

He still did not tell his hearers about his inspection circuit when he gathered them the next morning. He withheld the news to avoid attracting attention, stirring excitement, or spreading reports that could defeat or hinder the work. He kept his plans secret even from fellow Jews and leaders until his careful assessment was complete because he feared that careless actions by some might stir his enemies' jealousy and cause the work to fail. His caution in keeping the mission secret while he surveyed the situation and formed his plans prepared him to gain the people's cooperation and begin the work before his enemies could stir up their fears or prejudice. He exercised caution and prudence by concealing the nature of his mission because bitter and determined enemies stood ready to oppose him, keeping silent until study of the situation enabled him to form his plans, hoping to secure the cooperation of the people and set them at work before their opposition was aroused.

Though he carried a royal commission requiring cooperation, he did not depend on authority but sought instead to gain the confidence and sympathy of the people, because union of hearts as well as hands was essential for rebuilding. His secret inspection contributed greatly to his success, enabling him to speak of the city's weakness and degradation with firsthand accuracy and minuteness that astonished his hearers. What he had seen gave earnestness and power to his words to arouse their dormant energies and unite their scattered numbers. After finishing his circuit in secrecy and silence, he spent the remainder of the night in prayer because he knew the morning would require earnest effort to arouse and unite his dispirited and divided countrymen. His surveying of the ruined defenses provides a picture of how a divinely illuminated observer would see the condition of the church, with its neglected evils appearing like ruined walls and gates burned with fire.