Nehemiah’s Private and Public Measures: 2:11–15 Jerusalem at last! One might have expected Nehemiah to seek the public support of verses 17–18 from the outset. As verses 12 and 16 clearly state at key points, he chose instead to make a private inspection of the wall under the awkward cover of darkness, mounted and escorted by a few of his staff walking with him. An emotional factor cannot be discounted: this was a matter that had weighed obsessively on his mind for months, and he needed to come to terms right away, and relatively undisturbed, with the reality. A suspicion verified in 6:17–19 also evidently colored his action—that there was a close affinity of interests between high-ranking people in Judah and outsiders who were to oppose his mission. Moreover, he had to get correct informa…