Nehemiah 1:3

3 And they said to me, The remnant, those that are left of the captivity, there in the land, in great distress and reproach: and the walls of Jerusalem thrown down, and its gates are burnt with fire.

Nehemiah 1:3 Meaning and Commentary

Nehemiah 1:3

And they said unto me, the remnant that are left of the
captivity there in the province
In Judea, now reduced to a province of the Persian empire:

are in great affliction and reproach;
harassed and distressed, calumniated and vilified, by their enemies the Samaritans:

the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are
burnt with fire;
that is, its wall and gates were in the same condition in which Nebuchadnezzar had left them, for since his times as yet they had never been set up; for this is not to be understood of what was lately done by their adversaries, which is not at all probable.

Nehemiah 1:3 In-Context

1 The words of Neemias the son of Chelcia. And it came to pass in the month Chaseleu, of the twentieth year, that I was in Susan the palace.

2 And Anani, one of my brethren, came, he and men of Juda; and I asked them concerning those that had escaped, who had been left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.

3 And they said to me, The remnant, those that are left of the captivity, there in the land, in great distress and reproach: and the walls of Jerusalem thrown down, and its gates are burnt with fire.

4 And it came to pass, when I heard these words, I sat down and wept, and mourned for days, and continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

5 And I said, Nay, I pray thee, O Lord God of heaven, the mighty, the great and terrible, keeping thy covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to those that keep his commandments: