“And it came to pass, that when all our enemies heard thereof, and all the heathen that were about us saw these things, they were much cast down in their own eyes: for they perceived that this work was wrought of our God.”
The completion of the wall has psychological impact on the opponents: "And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem; for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God." The enemies' recognition that the wall has been completed through divine help represents a significant reversal of the mockery and intimidation with which they greeted the project's beginning. The loss of confidence ("fell greatly in their own esteem") indicates that the opponents' understanding of the political and military balance has been fundamentally altered; Jerusalem, which had been vulnerable and contemptible, is now fortified and formidable. The attribution of the accomplishment to divine help represents an acknowledgment by the opponents that the restoration was accomplished through supernatural assistance, not merely human effort.
COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS
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