When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly that there had come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.
All Commentaries on Nehemiah 2:10 Go To Nehemiah 2
Bede
AD 735
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 of Judea were “in great distress and disgrace” 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 to you, that you will weep and mourn but the world will rejoice. You will grieve,” he adds at once, “but your grief will be turned into joy.” For surely, as the world that used to rejoice weeps, the sadness of the just will be turned into joy when it is learned that the affairs of the holy church are prospering and those who by sinning have gone astray are returning to it by doing penance.
