All Commentaries on Nehemiah 10:2 Go To Nehemiah 10
Bede
AD 735
And Sanaballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about this, and they were saddened and greatly distressed that a man had come to seek the prosperity of the children of Israel. Heretics and all enemies of the Church are also saddened whenever they notice the elect laboring for the catholic faith or the correction of morality so that the walls of the Church may be rebuilt. Note how different their mood and situation was now from what it had been earlier, because above it was said that those who had remained from the captivity in Judea were in great distress and disgrace,5 and that Nehemiah also conducted a prolonged fast with weeping and prayers because the walls of Jerusalem had been destroyed and its gates burned down by fire. But now, by contrast, the enemies of this same holy city were saddened and became greatly distressed because they realized that its buildings were about to be restored and at the same time that the citizens would be delivered from the insults of their enemies. Hence we should recollect that, even in this life, that saying of the Lord can be fulfilled in which he said, Amen Amen, I say unto you, that you will weep and mourn but the world will rejoice. 11151 You will grieve, he adds at once, but your grief will be turned into joy} For surely, as the world which used to rejoice weeps, the sadness of the just will be turned into joy when it is learnt that the affairs of the Holy Church are prospering and those who by sinning have gone astray are returning to her by doing penance.
