And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,
All Commentaries on Nehemiah 1:4 Go To Nehemiah 1
Bede
AD 735
Now it came to pass that when Sanaballat heard that we were building the wall, he became very angry and, being greatly incensed, he ridiculed the Jews, and in the presence of his brethren and a crowd of Samaritans said, 'What are these feeble Jews doing? Are the Gentiles leaving them alone?' Obviously this is the anger of heretics, these the words of those who in vain call themselves 'Samaritans' (that is, the 'guardians of God's law')1 despite the fact that they are greatly opposed to God and his laws inasmuch as, having been long separated from the House of David (that is, from the unity of Christ and the Church) by heresies or schisms or wicked works, they “356” are afraid to see the walls of the faith being built lest their own irreverence might be attacked and excluded; this is the ridicule of all who claim that they know God, but in their deeds they deny him? for indeed the Samaritans used to serve the Lord but without repudiating their own ancient gods. Typologically, they are imitated today by Christians but in such a way that they also consider their stomach a god3/675/ and pursue greed (which the Apostle clearly calls slavery to idols)4 and, being slaves to the remaining allurements of the world, serve created things more than the Creator, who is praised forever.5 And so, just like heretics, such people do not want the walls of the Church to be restored in case they are forced by the growing state of piety to retreat from their own impiety; such ones are wont to call the Jews (that is, confessors of the faith)6 'feeble', and say that they will be easily overthrown by the Gentiles, since in the daily battle of souls they love sins more than obtaining the victory palm of virtue. And because there are some among the heretics who deny that pardon is given even to those who do penance after falling, it is rightly added in their person.
