Nehemiah Chapter 1 is as follows:

The book of Nehemiah goes straight to the point and introduces us to Nehemiah himself. It is obvious that he dominates the entire book, to a large extent, even more than before. Ezra in one book. He is the king’s cupbearer. As cupbearer, he had great influence throughout the empire because he was close to the emperor and in fact became the first person under the emperor.

Then he put the demands of his Jewish compatriots before the king, and there was no one more suitable than him. Among the men from Judah was a brother of Nehemiah, who knew that Nehemiah would sympathize with their request and that their voices would reach the king.

Let’s recap the historical background a little. The twentieth year of King Artaxerxes I was 445 BC. This was in the thirteenth year after Ezra arrived in Jerusalem (see previous chronology). It is unclear whether Ezra was still in Jerusalem when Hanani's group returned to Babylon.

All we know is that the community that returned from the Babylonian captivity about a hundred years ago was at a low ebb. This may not be the low point of religion. The results of Ezra's reforms (Ezra 9-10) were still in effect, and it was only during Nehemiah's second trip to Jerusalem that similar actions were taken (Nehemiah 13:23ff.).

Here, Hanani’s concern for the walls of Jerusalem is the same as the religious zeal that spreads throughout the book of Nehemiah. His thoughts include that to preserve the faith community, there must be defensive power and destruction. rival in strength. The destruction of the city wall represents the danger of the community being destroyed. It is not easy to know why Nehemiah failed to notice the situation in Jerusalem.

He must have known that Babylon destroyed this city. Maybe he didn't live there himself and rarely interacted with the people who lived there. He never liked this dangerous place. Of course, it is possible that Hanani's report of the damage suffered during the recent rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem refers to Ezra 4:23, where the Samaritans used Artaxerxes' order to force a halt to the work.

Extended information:

We need to speculate based on historical facts. It is clear that the people were "in great trouble and reproach", and God was also dishonored in the eyes of the world.