Nehemiah 2:18

18 And I showed to them the hand of my God, that it was good with me, and the words of the king, which he spake to me; and I said, Rise we up, and build we (it again); and the hands of them were strengthened in good. (And I told them how the good hand of my God was upon me, and the words of the king, which he had spoken to me; and they said, Rise we up, and let us rebuild it; and so they strengthened their hands to do this good work.)

Nehemiah 2:18 Meaning and Commentary

Nehemiah 2:18

Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me.
&c.] Of the kind providence of God in exalting him in the court of the king of Persia, in giving him an opportunity of laying the sad case of Jerusalem before him, and in inclining his heart to show favour to him, and grant his request:

as also the king's words that he had spoken to me;
what passed between them on this subject, the commission he gave him, and the letters he sent by him to his governors on this side the river:

and they said, let us rise up and build;
encouraged by this account of things, they proposed to set about the work immediately:

so they strengthened their hands for this good work;
animated and encouraged one another to proceed to it at once with cheerfulness, and to go on in it with spirit and resolution.

Nehemiah 2:18 In-Context

16 Forsooth the magistrates knew not, whither I had gone, either what I would do; but also I had not showed any thing to the Jews, and [the] priests, and to the best men, and [the] magistrates, and to [the] other men that made the work, till that time. (But the magistrates did not know where I had gone, or what I planned to do; and also I had not told anything to the Jews, or the priests, or the leaders, or the magistrates, or the other men who would do the work, up to that time.)

17 And I said to them, Ye know the torment, in which we Jews be, for Jerusalem is deserted, and the gates thereof be wasted with fire; come ye, build we [up] the walls of Jerusalem, and be we no more (a) shame/and be we no more in shame. (And so I said to them, Ye know the torment in which we Jews be, for Jerusalem is deserted, and its gates have been destroyed by fire; come ye, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and let us be in shame no more.)

18 And I showed to them the hand of my God, that it was good with me, and the words of the king, which he spake to me; and I said, Rise we up, and build we (it again); and the hands of them were strengthened in good. (And I told them how the good hand of my God was upon me, and the words of the king, which he had spoken to me; and they said, Rise we up, and let us rebuild it; and so they strengthened their hands to do this good work.)

19 And Sanballat (the) Horonite, and Tobiah, the servant, (the) Ammonite, and Geshem (of) Arabs, heard this, and they scorned us, and despised; and said, What is this thing, that ye do? whether ye rebel against the king? (And Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the Ammonite servant, and Geshem the Arab heard of this, and they scorned us, and despised us; and they said, What is this, that ye do? do ye rebel against the king?)

20 And I answered to them a word, and I said to them, God himself of heaven helpeth us, and we be his servants; rise we up, and build; forsooth part, and rightwiseness, and mind, in Jerusalem, is not to you. (And I answered to them, and said, The God of heaven helpeth us, and we be his servants; we shall rise up, and rebuild it; but there is no part, or right, or precedent, for you in Jerusalem.)