Nehemiah 1:2 (DBY)

Passage

that Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and [certain] men of Judah. And I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, who were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.

Nearby Context

Nehemiah 1:1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the fortress,

Nehemiah 1:2 that Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and [certain] men of Judah. And I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, who were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.

Nehemiah 1:3 And they said to me, Those who remain, that are left of the captivity there in the province, are in great affliction and reproach; and the wall of Jerusalem is in ruins, and its gates are burned with fire.

Nehemiah 1:4 And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat and wept, and mourned for days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of the heavens,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "hanani", "brethren", "came", "certain", "judah", "asked", "concerning", and "jews". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "hanani" and "brethren", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 1's "The words of Nehemiah the son of..." into verse 3's "And they said to me Those who...", so "hanani" and "brethren" belong inside that flow. In Nehemiah context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "hanani" and "brethren" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.