Then we departed from the river of Ahava, on the twelfth day
of the first month, to go unto Jerusalem
The month Nisan, answering to part of March and part of April; this was two days before the passover began:
and the hand of our God was upon us;
guiding, directing, and protecting them by his providence:
and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy, and of such as lay in
wait by the way;
either by intimidating them, that they dared not attack them, or by directing them to take a different road, whereby they escaped them, see ( Ezra 8:22 ) .