71 After the wall was rebuilt and I had installed the doors, and the security guards, the singers, and the Levites were appointed, 2 I put my brother Hanani, along with Hananiah the captain of the citadel, in charge of Jerusalem because he was an honest man and feared God more than most men. 3 I gave them this order: "Don't open the gates of Jerusalem until the sun is up. And shut and bar the gates while the guards are still on duty. Appoint the guards from the citizens of Jerusalem and assign them to posts in front of their own homes." 4 The city was large and spacious with only a few people in it and the houses not yet rebuilt.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Nehemiah 7:1-4
Commentary on Nehemiah 7:1-4
(Read Nehemiah 7:1-4)
Nehemiah, having finished the wall, returned to the Persian court, and came to Jerusalem again with a new commission. The public safety depends on every one's care to guard himself and his family against sin.